A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Napa Valley/Solano County region of Northern California on Sunday, August 24, damaging homes and local wineries and collapsing structures. Thousands as far as 200 miles from the American Canyon city epicenter have reportedly been affected. The temblor shook at 3:20 am and lasted around 10-20 seconds, waking up families…
AS a group of scholars in theology and veterans in seminary formation were preparing for a new school year, a discussion at a breakout session came about between two professors. “There are some seminarians that we do need to advise to leave if they don’t have the proper skills and the good attitudes to be…
The National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has encouraged curators and artists to submit curatorial proposals to be chosen for the Philippines’ participation at the 56th Venice Biennale which will take place on the 9th of May until 22nd of November 2015. The country will join the prestigious international event 50 years after …
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), amidst allegations of the latter’s ‘disloyalty’ to the Philippines. Though he was the president’s choice to fill the SC vacancy, Jardeleza was initially excluded in the short list of candidates. Based on the supplemental comment submitted by…
Federal laws say undocumented kids cannot be denied enrollment in public schools, and that they have the right to taxpayer-funded education in the United States just like US citizens and those who live and work in the country legally. With the influx of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America, who entered the borders illegally,…
NEW Foreign bank account rules were designed to combat money laundering, terrorism, and tax evasion. Unfortunately, folks like you and me get snared in the process. We get penalized if we don’t follow the new rules. I have written a series of simplified articles on this subject to help you understand the new rules and…
YOU’RE doing fine. You’re paying your bills on time and you have your debts under control. You’ve even managed to set aside a bit of savings in your bank account. You’re happy and life is good- at least for a moment. Then one day you find yourself in a big financial mess. You’ve used up…
Filipino music constantly expresses intense longing, caring, devotion and oneness with the beloved. It can be romantic, patriotic, religious or mournful; a consolation, a lullaby or a protest—full of soulful longings and deep pity, devotion and love. Last Sunday, August 17, in an enchanting open air concert at the Ford Amphitheatre, Serenata Filipina, an ensemble with the quiet…
LOS ANGELES – A major case against four alleged terrorist suspects, one of them Filipino, from the Inland Empire, has begun its second week of trial. Ontario resident Ralph Deleon, 25, was accused in 2012 of being involved with terror plots to kill Americans related to the radical militant organization al-Qaeda. Two of the men,…
Showbusiness has constantly been the microcosm of both society’s ideal and turbulent lifestyles. A great number of avidly idolized celebrity figures are treated like demi-gods by swooning fans while being sustained with the feeling of possessing that enormous sense of invincibility and the might within the palms of their hands. But a few hadn’t allowed…
A few weeks ago, President Obama announced that due to Congress’ failure to come to an agreement on immigration reform that he would explore all available options for him to take action alone. This would come under the President’s executive power which allows him to make executive orders and bypass the need have the approval…
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino-American activist played a key role in the administration of first aid to a journalist who was caught in a cloud of tear gas while he was covering the civil unrest and mass protests that took place in Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown, an…
LOS ANGELES – A former school cafeteria worker, turned teacher will take over the National Education Association (NEA) on Sept. 1, 2014. Lily Eskelsen García is the first Latina to serve as president of the nation’s largest teacher’s union, which comprises of three million members. She was elected to the position in July during NEA’s…
LOS ANGELES – A major case against four alleged terrorist suspects, one of them Filipino, from the Inland Empire, has begun its second week of trial. Ontario resident Ralph Deleon, 25, was accused in 2012 of being involved with terror plots to kill Americans related to the radical militant organization al-Qaeda. Two of the men,…
As part of ‘1 of 11 Million’ campaign LOS ANGELES — Pulitzer Prize-winning Filipino American journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who is arguably the most visible undocumented immigrant in America right now, has joined 10 other fellow undocumented immigrants in applying for temporary relief from deportation proceedings under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program….
SINCE the death of Robin Williams, the talk about depression—especially by other artists—became more open to the public. Williams, who was one of the greatest comedians in the industry, with successes in TV and films like Mork and Mindy, Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam; took his own life last week. He…
Recently, I opened an online account at my pharmacy, so the doctor could already send the prescription(s) via internet. Within seconds of applying, the online application generated several multiple-choice questions, which served to “verify my identity.” Among the questions were: • Which of the following streets have you never lived or used as your address?…
What are date-rape drugs? Date-rape drugs, sometimes referred to as Party Drugs or simply Ecstasy, are medications that can be slipped into drinks and make a person unconscious for 15 minutes or so. There have been reports of dozens of women in the United States who were under the influence of a date-drug known as…
Filipino lesbian couple Jay Mercado and Shirley Tan tied the knot on Tuesday, August 19, after years of fighting for marriage and immigration reform for the LGBT community. The pair from Pacifica, Calif., were wed in the presence of family and friends. The couple has 18-year-old twin sons, Jashley and Joriene. “It’s truly an amazing…
Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) chief is co-creator LOS ANGELES – An e-book that helps readers learn Tagalog is now available on iTunes, and it is co-created by the executive director of a key Filipino community organization in Los Angeles. The e-book “Lana! Nasaan Ka Na? (Lana! Where Are You?)” was created by Debbie Nagata, Pilipino…
Filipino lesbian couple Jay Mercado and Shirley Tan tied the knot on Tuesday, August 19, after years of fighting for marriage and immigration reform for the LGBT community. The pair from Pacifica, Calif., were wed in the presence of family and friends. The couple has 18-year-old twin sons, Jashley and Joriene. “It’s truly an amazing…
SAN DIEGO, August 21, 2014 — To address the need for user-friendly information on how to use personal technology, AARP TEK is offering free hands-on education sessions for the Chinese and Filipino communities and all Asian Americans in San Diego on Wednesday, September 3 and Thursday, September 4 in conjunction with AARP’s Ideas@50+ member event….
What makes you proud to say, “I am a Filipino”? Perhaps, every time Manny Pacquiao delivers his killer punch that KOs his opponent, you quickly raise your arms with matching jumps and shouts; sometimes you may even shed tears. Maybe, during the hard-fought battles of Smart Gilas, you post a status or tweet with a…
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” – Ndukwe Dike Kalu, American football player DEMOCRACY emphasizes equality. As one of the most popular ideologies in the world today, it gives the people the power to make demands for greater…
It is back to school for many students in America, including the young undocumented kids, who according to federal laws, do have the same right to enroll in US public schools as US citizens and those with legal status to live and work in America. The deepest recession that has recently swept the nation has…
The demolition campaign against Jojo Binay has begun in earnest. Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes have apparently mounted their own efforts, parallel to those of Mar Roxas and the Liberal Party, to erode the high approval and voter preference rating of Binay. Their latest thrust is to call for a Senate investigation of allegations…
I went through the grinder back in the Philippines as a crime reporter of a tabloid (People’s Tonight) that started off by exploiting shame and facilitated rage to work up issues in finding justice and truth. Nobody escapes the phenomena of crime; brave glancing at any police blotter, as August bleeds into September. At the center…
LOS ANGELES – The fraud trial against embattled car dealer Eminiano “Jun” Reodica, Jr., scheduled on Tuesday, August 19, has been moved again by the court to a later date on Nov. 4, 2014. According to court documents, Judge S. James Otero filed a Scheduling Notice on Aug. 8, 2014 to reschedule the trial three…
LOS ANGELES – Many people in the United States cannot even begin to imagine what life is like for undocumented immigrants and their families. The lack of understanding has led to negative misconceptions and stereotypes about the life of the undocumented people, and has left a pervasive stigma that the immigrant community has fought long…
SCE teams with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enhance the power pole aversion training that has excelled in helping save the endangered birds from extinction. Added: August 15, 2014 | By Paul Netter They won’t win a beauty contest, but California condors are very impressive birds. With wings sometimes spanning nearly 10 feet, they’re the…
