United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim urged public officials to stay vigilant against terrorists who may exploit the coronavirus pandemic to execute attacks. “No country can fight the battle against terrorism alone because terrorists recognize no borders, and they honor no laws,” Kim said in his opening remarks during a virtual workshop on…
The Presidential Security Group on Wednesday, May 13 warned that there will be consequences for Filipinos who issue threats against President Rodrigo Duterte. PSG Commander Col. Jesus Durante in a statement urged the public to not threaten the president “ especially with the use of social media.” “Anybody could be held liable if he threatens…
MORE than 90,000 The total global cases of COVID-19 in 212 countries (Antarctica zero case) is about 4,300,000, and almost 300,000 deaths. The healthcare front liners infected with COVID-19 worldwide is about 250,000, killing more than 15,000 of them, The U.S. leads the list with almost 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 and 83,000 deaths; New…
Parts of Nevada are back in business, but the fate of casinos and gaming stations remains in limbo. Governor Steve Sisolak announced the first phase of reopening the state at the end of April, however, missing was guidance on the hospitality and entertainment industries that draw over 40 million visitors to Las Vegas each year….
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) as the official charity partner for CAAMFest Online from May 13-22. The theme of this year’s first-ever virtual event is “Heritage at Home.” There will be online screenings, interactive panels and…
The Filipino American community in New York and New Jersey continues to lose frontliners, mostly nurses, to the coronavirus in the last couple of weeks. Over the weekend, emergency room nurse Erwin Lambrento, 58, lost his life after a month of battling the virus. Lambrento was a nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals in Elmhurst,…
Around 45,000 overseas Filipinos are expected to return home to the Philippines over the next two months, following the over 20,000 who have been repatriated since the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report. As the coronavirus continues to affect industries globally, including tourism and hospitality, the Philippines is anticipating Filipino workers coming back to…
THE movie and music industries in the Philippines are saddened deeply with the loss of scriptwriter/director Peque Gallaga and singer/actor/councilor Sonny Parsons as both passed away within days of each other early this month. Gallaga, who directed the 1982 opus “Oro, Plata, Mata,” passed away on May 7 due to pneumonia after being admitted to…
“By law, if a person is ever caught in a fixed marriage, no future petition can be approved.” ON April 14, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which is one level below the U.S. Supreme Court) ruled it is unconstitutional for the USCIS to deny a petition or application based on secret or undisclosed…
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, May 13 released new guidelines for areas under a modified enhanced community quarantine. This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte the day before announced that Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu City will continue operating under a modified quarantine until the end of the month, following his meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for…
A PHILIPPINE House of Representatives committee on Wednesday, May 13 approved a bill granting the media giant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until the end of October. The House of Representatives Committee of the Whole gave the greenlight for House Bill 6732 or “An Act Granting the ABS-CBN Corporation A Franchise to Construct, Install, Operate and…
Pixar’s first-ever short film featuring Filipino characters has been nominated in this year’s Peabody Awards. Filipino American storyboard artist Bobby Alcid Rubio took to social media to share that his seven-minute short, “Float,” is one of the nominees in the award ceremony’s entertainment category. “So honored to have @Pixar #PixarFloat to be nominated for the…
ERIN Entrada Kelly is a product of 1980s pop culture, from having names for each Cabbage Patch doll to collecting sticker books to rewatching “E.T.” countless times. But what the author — who was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana to a Filipina mother and a white father — remembers the most from her elementary school…
Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu City will continue operating under a “modified enhanced community quarantine” until the end of the month, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval. This decision to extend the quarantine from May 16 to 31 came after Duterte’s meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Monday…
INTERNATIONAL arrivals into Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport resumed on Monday, May 11 following new guidelines. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) released a Notice to Airmen over the weekend, specifying a new schedule for international chartered and commercial flights to ease congestion into the country’s main gateway. Chartered flights will be allowed…
There are now 2,233 positive cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among overseas Filipinos, according to the latest figures released by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA’s daily count on Tuesday, May 12 also announced one new death, bringing the death toll of 261. Meanwhile, 669 individuals have now…
A Filipino American registered nurse has been appointed director of global standards and qualifications of CGFNS International, Inc., the world’s largest credentials evaluation organization specializing in the nursing and allied health care professions. Jasper Tolarba, a Fulbright scholar, will assume the new position responsible for the oversight of global standards and qualifications for nursing and…
As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month continues on during a time of unprecedented fear and tension, a new documentary series from PBS celebrates the complex history of Asian Americans through stories of resilience in the face of persecution. The five-episode docuseries — simply called “Asian Americans” — is the result of a ground-breaking program that…
AS Los Angeles County’s “safer at home” order is slated to expire this week, officials are now recommending that it be extended for another three months in a continued effort to diminish the spread of the novel coronavirus. The county’s current emergency order was set to be lifted on Friday, May 15. The possibility for an…
Philippine House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday, May 12, said that other bills need to be prioritized before addressing media giant ABS-CBN’s bid for a franchise renewal. This came after 14 lawmakers who spearheaded the network’s franchise renewal bills urged him to immediately tackle the long-pending measures in the lower chamber. “We remain cognizant…
A LOT of people who are burdened with credit card debt often don’t know where to turn for help. They see all the ads on TV, internet, etc. by so-called “debt consolidation” or “debt settlement” companies hoping that this will get them out of debt without filing for bankruptcy. More often than not, however, they…
ABS-CBN signed off after its franchise expired on May 4, 2020. Actually, the franchise was left to expire by the Philippine House of Representatives that preferred to second-guess President Rodrigo Duterte rather than do its job. Duterte had made it clear that he didn’t like the network and its owners. Too powerful for their own…
SCARED to go back to work in fear of being infected by the deadly COVID-19? This is what is happening now in the White House after two people working close to President Donald Trump have tested positive for the virus this past week. Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller — who is married…
#MakeNoiseToday launches a social movement encouraging Asians to stand up, stand out, and speak up. The COVID-19 crisis has propagated a surge in racism and attacks toward Asian Americans and now is the time to organize and stand together. This May, multicultural communications agency Intertrend is tapping its inhouse nonprofit Creative Class Collective to honor…
Filipino American singer Francisco Martin advanced to the next round of ‘American Idol’ Season 18 as he secured a spot in the top 7. For the penultimate episode of the season, the contestants had to perform twice, with the first performance being centered around Disney songs. Martin, a 19-year-old student from Daly City, California, performed…
“My wife is a woman of grace, a woman of character, a woman of strength. She is very generous in spirit and her capacity to tolerate, to accommodate, to forgive anybody knows no bounds.” – Arnaldo Agcaoili, husband of Dr. Carmencita Abarquez Agcaoili, in 2015’s Physician of the Year video tribute at Washington Hospital in…
