Fashion forward: The trends of 2019
THE time has come when stripes and sheer fabrics were “a thing of the past” — or the past year (2018), so to speak. As we welcome the year 2019,…
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Top Rhizomes stories in 2018
I submitted 52 pieces for my weekly Rhizomes column in the Asian Journal. These pieces, excerpted below, resonated with AJ’s readers and also on social media. It is interesting to…
New Congress makes history in its diversity, vows to focus on checks and balances, health care, income inequality & climate change
HISTORY has been made when the members of the 116th Congress were sworn in on January 3, including Filipino-American TJ Cox, representing California’s 21st District. This new Congress reflects the…
P12.5 million in aid given to Tropical Depression Usman victims as death toll rises to 122
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday, January 4 that P12.5 million has been provided to families in the Bicol region that were affected by Tropical Depression…
VP Robredo pledges psychological assistance to landslide survivors
PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday, January 2, pledged to provide psychological assistance to landslide survivors in Iraya village after tropical depression Usman ravaged their area. “Apart from psychological…
Agriculture chief relieves NAIA quarantine team for protocol negligence
DEPARTMENT of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol relieved the entire quarantine team of the Bureau of Animal Industry in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for failing to follow protocol on Friday,…
Statue of ‘comfort woman’ in PH removed after Japanese gov’t expresses disappointment
A bronze statue depicting a “comfort woman” was taken down on Sunday, December 30, 2018 in the Laguna province after the Japanese government expressed disappointment in its construction. The statue…
PH Senate to prioritize endo, amendments to procurement law
ONCE the Philippine Senate session resumes on January 14, the senators will have their hands full as they target to pass several priority measures to improve public services like the…
Los Angeles released its own earthquake-warning app, the first in the US
The city of Los Angeles has become the first in the U.S. to come out with a publicly available app that alerts users of when an earthquake is expected to…
En route to Congress, California democrats hit wall on ‘Medicare-for-all’
by Samantha Young WASHINGTON, D.C. — Each of the seven California Democrats who flipped Republican congressional seats in the midterm election campaigned for more government-funded health care — with most…
Nancy Pelosi elected House Speaker as 116th Congress becomes most diverse in history
As the 116th Congress came into session, Nancy Pelosi was officially elected the new House Speaker on Thursday, January 3, defeating Republican nominee Kevin McCarthy through a total of 220…
Fil-Am Rep. TJ Cox sworn in to represent California’s Central Valley
California’s House representatives join 116th US Congress’ most diverse class The 116th United States Congress and its freshman class convened on Thursday, Jan. 3, and its ethnic and gender makeup…
Dems: Trump remains resolute on border wall, vows to keep gov’t closed “for a very long period of time”
House passes legislation to reopen gov’t on the 13th day of partial shutdown As predicted, the partial government shutdown has trickled into the new year with no clear end in…
PNP names 18 “areas of grave concern” amid 2019 elections
The Philippine National Police (PNP) recently listed 18 towns and cities as “areas of grave concern” in the upcoming 2019 midterm elections. The said municipalities and cities were concentrated in…
Duterte OKs Congress resolution ensuring funds for disaster aid
A joint congressional resolution extending the validity of the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlays (CO) in the 2018 budget has been signed by President Rodrigo Duterte….
Military: Sison ‘hallucinating’ over plot to oust Duterte in 2019
A Philippine military official on Thursday, January 3 said Communist leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison is “hallucinating,” a day after Sison said that ousting President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 was…
A look back at the personalities who made it on ‘Something Filipino’ in 2018
AS we usher in 2019, the Asian Journal editorial team dedicates the first SF Magazine cover of the year as a reflection on the stories that we covered in 2018….
House panel begins probe on budget ‘anomalies’
THE House on Thursday, January 3, began its probe into the alleged anomalies in the current 2018 budget and the proposed P3.8-trillion budget in 2019 — both of which were…
Pope Francis appoints a new bishop in Bicol
POPE Francis appointed Fr. Rex Andrew Alarcon from the Diocese of Daet as a new Philippine bishop in Camarines Norte, Bicol on Wednesday, January 2. The 47-year-old bishop served as…
A look back at the personalities who made it on the LifEASTyle Magazine cover
As we usher in 2019, the Asian Journal editorial team dedicates the first LifEASTyle Magazine cover of the year as a reflection on the stories that we covered in 2018….
Palace: Catholics should welcome Duterte’s remarks
Malacañang on Tuesday, January 1, said Catholics should not be offended by President Duterte’s remarks on their beliefs, instead they should regard his words as a means to strengthen their…
Customs official to South Korea: ‘PH is not a dumping ground’
A Bureau of Customs (BOC) official on Wednesday, January 2 issued a statement to South Korean authorities to take a total of 6,500 tons of garbage illegally shipped to the…
UK, Australia warn citizens amid bombing in Mindanao
THE United Kingdom and Australia issued a warning to their citizens, cautioning them not to travel to areas in Mindanao affected by terrorist threats and insurgency due to last Monday’s…
Duterte’s household help story ‘made up’ – Palace
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s story about an incident of a supposed encounter between him and a household help was “made up,” according to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo. Panelo, in a statement…
Magical Sapporo awaits with Philippine Airlines
Find out why this storybook Japanese location should be your next destination MANILA, January 3, 2019 – Among the country’s many urban cities packed with world-famous sites and landmarks to…