My close encounters with terrestrial stars, Part 3

In the continuing series of My close encounters with terrestrial stars I came to a point when I finally realized how significant those relationships I have had through the years. Just merely reminiscing vividly the colorful anecdotes and compelling fragments of the past lightens my sentimental loads. Telling and retelling these amusing accounts and biographical…

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One for the Century of Angeles City

Angeles City moves with the frantic pace of a bustling metropolis. You can sense it with the whizzing jeepneys and cars, people crossing the streets, and the establishments ecstatic with trade all under the bright sun. This is not a surprise for a city that was founded way back in 1756. It breathes with activity…

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Widespread health scams

The snake oil scam of yesteryears took decades to travel from town to town. Obviously, that saved a lot of “potential” victims. With the advent of the internet age, scams, in general, including fraudulent health products and unfounded “food supplement” claims are disseminated with lightning speed around the globe through the world wide web, reaching…

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Bad influence

SMOKING kills, as advertisements would say it, but it remains a choice. If you smoke, you know that cigarettes are harmful to your health, but you still choose to do it, no matter how society tries to stop you. This week, professionals in the international tobacco industry, visitors and exhibitors are all looking forward to…

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The SWS and Pulse Asia surveys

POOR Jun Magsaysay and Dick Gordon must be agonizing over what they should do to improve their rankings in the current senatorial race. Should they learn to dance Gangnam style like some lady candidates? Should they appropriate a movie star girlfriend? Should Dick be more likeable? Should Jun wave the “Magsaysay is my Guy” flag,…

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A wedding

Little girls grow up, marry and change their names. It was one of those Beverly Hills weddings. The groom sneaked in, unnoticed at the ultra conservative church of The Good Shepherd. On the other hand, the bride emerged from a lily white stretch limousine. She hitched up her handwoven French lace wedding gown and treaded…

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Are you living on the financial edge every month?

I KNOW that the current economy has caused a lot of financial problems for a lot of people. Most families are struggling financially every month and are living paycheck to paycheck. Chances are you know someone who is perhaps facing foreclosure because they can’t even afford to pay their mortgage.  Maybe they’ve lost their job….

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Great expectations

Habemus Papam. “We have a pope.” The Vatican has finally chosen its new pontiff in 76-year-old Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who has been named as Pope Francis. As the symbolic white smoke clears and rejoicing among Catholics linger, expectations from the new pontiff remain high — will he be able to revive the Catholic…

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Habemus Papam!

“REMEMBER not the events of the past, the things of long ago, consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:16). Aren’t these words that God spoke to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile relevant to our times now that we have a new pope? I…

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Hope and inspiration from Greenfund Philippines

I was summoned by an invitation to attend a presscon at a quaint café called LA Rose. Green-topped tables groaning with mouth-watering dishes made an auspicious start of a  thoroughly moving and inspiring launch for Greenfund Philippines (a 360-degree program which addresses livelihood, environmental protection, education and sustainability), where doing good makes good business sense….

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When is an employment termination illegal?

Q: I WORKED in a company for more than 10 years. A new supervisor was recently transferred to my department. This person and I do not get along. Last week, our human resources director informed me that the company was letting me go and gave me my last paycheck. I don’t have any disciplinary record…

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A Medical Beacon for Pinoys in UAE

FOR the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working and living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dr. Rosario B. Tigno is widely known as a generous hero. The first Filipino doctor from the Philippines to practice in UAE, Dr. Tigno was issued a medical license by the Department of Health and Medical Services of Dubai…

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My close encounters with terrestrial stars, Part II

After a brief respite and heaps of social commitments that I had to cover, the continuation of my celebrity encounters resumes. Brace yourself for some more of my interesting nostalgic anecdotes. The “Fishnet & Minis” era gave Helen Gamboa an unprecedented popularity surge with the advent of musical films a fitting bifurcated avenue that showcased…

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Fil-Am fugitive arrested in Pampanga

LOS ANGELES – A man wanted for criminal raps here in California was arrested by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Pampanga in the Philippines. Rodolfo Suacon, who is wanted in US for a multi-million dollar investment scam, was apprehended by NBI agents in his Pampanga home, where he had been hiding…

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Fil-Ams reenlist to US Navy on PH shores

LOS ANGELES – For five Filipino-American sailors serving under the 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge, it is a tremendous honor to take their Oaths of Reenlistment to the US Navy on Philippine shores. The Navy men took advantage of a recent port visit of the flagship to Manila, and had their reenlistment ceremonies done…

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Hepatoma: Deadly

Hepatoma is a common and deadly cancer among Asians. I lost a close friend, a Fil-Am physician, a couple of years ago, and a few others before that, all to hepatoma. They all lived for only about 6 months from the time of diagnosis. Also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatoma is the most common (70…

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Shedding Filipino blood in Sabah

THE joke among so-called undocumented Mexicans in California is that they did not illegally cross the US border. The US border crossed them. The other joke is that Europeans were the original TNTs in the New World. The Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, might have a better appreciation of his chances to reclaim Sabah…

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The April 2013 Priority Dates

Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning that immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority…

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What compels Filipinos to campaign and vote?

VOTING in American Idol. Campaigning for Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle for the Papacy. Voting for a Pinoy to be CNN Hero of the Year. Participating in the Philippine and US Presidential elections. What compels Filipinos to momentarily drop what they are doing and deviate a little from their everyday routine in life (be it work, household chores, their…

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Papabili

And so the conclave begins. 115 cardinals, representing all Roman Catholics from all over the world, have gathered in Vatican City to elect the Church’s new pope. Only when a cardinal receives at least 77 of the votes and accepts the new position will the white smoke come out from the Sistine Chapel chimney-signaling that…

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Do you, or does someone you love, have diabetes?

NEARLY everyone knows someone who is directly or indirectly affected by diabetes. Not only can diabetes be difficult to manage, but it can also increase a person’s risk for other major health problems—including oral health problems. It’s everyone’s obligation to help educate With over 300 million people worldwide suffering from diabetes, we want to be…

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