Over 1,000 incidents of hate reported in LA and OC As hate crimes, harassment and other forms of bigotry against the Asian American community are on the rise due to the ballooning coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers, advocacy organizations and government agencies are working toward tangible solutions to support victims and prevent attacks. During a recent town…
MORE than 200 overseas Filipinos have tested positive for the novel coronavirus this week, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said. The latest numbers on Tuesday, April 28 revealed that there are 209 new cases of COVID-19 among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total to 1,604. The department noted that this is the largest single day…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs this week welcomed home 132 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Singapore and 121 from Algeria. According to the agency, the successful repatriation of the Filipinos on Monday, April 27 was made possible by the Philippine Embassies in Singapore and Tripoli in coordination with their respective employers who shouldered their…
Malacañang denied rumors that President Rodrigo Duterte is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to declare martial law in the Philippines. “Nakakatawa po ‘yan kasi hindi naman lang naman sa Pilipinas ang merong pandemic (That’s funny because it’s not only the Philippines experiencing the pandemic),” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in an online briefing on…
Los Angeles County has reached 1,000 deaths related to the novel coronavirus as 59 additional fatalities were reported on Tuesday, April 28. Among the new fatalities reported by the LA County Department of Public Health, 36 individuals were over the age of 65 years old, 16 people who died were between the ages of 41…
Angelo and Marilou Cortes planned to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Europe in June. However, the coronavirus took Angelo’s life, and along with it, their travel plans. Cortes, a 58-year-old design engineer and father of two from La Habra, California, died on April 10 from complications related to COVID-19. “My dad…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other “high risk” areas in Luzon until May 15, following the recommendations of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. “The decision regarding the ECQ when May 1, 2020 comes: maintain the ECQ for…
by Judith Graham Older adults with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, have several “atypical” symptoms, complicating efforts to ensure they get timely and appropriate treatment, according to physicians. COVID-19 is typically signaled by three symptoms: a fever, an insistent cough and shortness of breath. But older adults — the age group most at…
Researchers from the University of the Philippines are claiming that the actual number of novel coronavirus cases in the country is higher than the current official tally reported by the Department of Health. In a study published on Wednesday, April 22, the U.P. Team found that there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 infection…
THE United States government is slated to provide an additional $5.3-million (P269-million) in health assistance to the Philippines as it continues to grapple with the spread of the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Embassy in Manila said on Wednesday, April 22 that the aid builds on the previous $4 million the country has provided to the…
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) doctors, nurses, and health care workers alike are now at the front line against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The rapidly growing number of COVID-19 cases continue affect the most vulnerable populations, as the U.S. faces a shortage of health care professionals, especially nurses. If you were…
FIFTY Filipinos and Filipino Americans have succumbed to the novel coronavirus in the 10 states covered by the Philippine Consulate General in New York, according to Consul General Claro Cristobal. “The pandemic is very much in our midst and our community has been affected badly. Out of the 50 casualties, 18 are front-liners, doctors, nurses,…
The Filipino community in New York continues to mourn the loss of some community members to complications arising from the coronavirus infection. New York City has more than 130,000 as of press time, roughly about 17.5 percent of the 830,000 reported cases in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data. For the past…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to give P10 million in reward money to any Filipino citizen who can find a cure for the novel coronavirus. “Because COVID-19 is public enemy number one not only in the Philippines, but also in the whole world, the president is announcing that he will give a reward of…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will “carefully” study his options before deciding what to do with the enhanced community quarantine enforced in Luzon to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Malacañang said on Wednesday, April 22. “The decision will be carefully studied as the lives of the people and the nation are at stake,” Presidential…
SAN Francisco Mayor London Breed has won nationwide praise for taking drastic early measures against COVID-19 that seem to have spared San Francisco the catastrophic fate of New York and other cities. But she hesitated over what to do with the city’s estimated 8,000 homeless people during the pandemic — until the issue came back…
As older individuals are considered at higher risk for the novel coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised them to stay at home and limit contact with others. Studies have shown that people 60 and older and those with severe chronic health conditions — such as heart disease, lung disease and…
United States President Donald Trump has offered more aid to the Philippines as it continues to grapple with the spread of the novel coronavirus, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said on Tuesday, April 21. “President Trump expressed his solidarity and offered additional assistance to the Philippines as it continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic,” the…
As the coronavirus pandemic puts his administration under even more scrutiny, President Donald Trump took to Twitter this week to announce that he plans to “temporarily” terminate immigration to the United States. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens,…
President Rodrigo Duterte is weighing whether to “maintain, relax or lift” the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon following his meeting with health officials, Malacañang said on Tuesday, April 21. At the beginning of the week, the president met with health experts and former heads of the Department of Health, during which there was no suggestion…
OVER 800 seafarers from the United States returned to the Philippines early this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, April 20. With the arrival of 867 more Filipinos from several Florida-based cruise ships, the agency has repatriated close to 18,000 overseas Filipino workers amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. “This is the third…
As public health officials everywhere are scrambling to find tangible solutions to the coronavirus pandemic, early results from a new study from the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Public Health show that the infection may be more widespread than the actual confirmed case numbers suggest. The preliminary estimate means that the actual…
By SUNITA SOHRABJI/EMS Contributor SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, signed into law last month, offers little relief to millions of vulnerable immigrants and low-wage workers, said panelists during a media briefing here April 9. The CARES Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump March 27. It…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte received a phone call from United States President Donald Trump on Sunday night, Malacañang revealed on Monday, April 20. “The call came in at 10:10 in the evening. It was initiated by the U.S. government. It lasted for about 18 minutes,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque during an online press briefing….
THE Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases did not discuss the proposed “total lockdown” during its latest meeting, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Friday, April 17. “What would a total lockdown look like and will it be limited to Luzon only if ever? We are not talking about that,”…
More Filipino American restaurants in Southern California are joining the effort to feed local front-liners as well as families affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Filipino fusion restaurant Silog in Torrance — which temporarily closed its physical location in late March following safer at home orders — launched a $5,000 GoFundMe campaign this month to bring…
Malacañang is considering auctioning off the jewelry confiscated from former first lady Imelda Marcos to raise funds for the government’s ongoing response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday, April 16. According to him, selling part of the Marcoses’ collection of gems has been raised even before the pandemic swept…
Trump unveils new federal guidelines for states to re-open economy and society The United States broke the record for highest number of novel coronavirus-related deaths with a whopping 4,591 deaths in a single day on Friday, April 17, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The new record —…
As millions of Americans started receiving their stimulus payments from the federal government this week, one group was largely left out of the relief plan: undocumented immigrants. In light of this, California has announced a $125 million Disaster Relief Fund for the state’s undocumented workers, becoming the first in the nation to provide this type…
THE Philippine government expressed its support for the World Health Organization (WHO) after United States President Donald Trump decided to withhold funding for the international body because of its supposed bias in favor of China. “It’s not for the Philippine president to tell other presidents what to do. But we support the WHO,” said Presidential…
