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Prepaid card provider dedicates a whole month to the Filipino community
Nobel, a leading online retailer of prepaid calling cards, has declared Filipino Month between May 24th and June 24th, 2013. In an attempt to thank all the Filipinos who have chosen Nobelcom as their international calling provider, the company has launched a one-month campaign right before the celebration of Manila Day, on June 24th. “The ...
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The Reyna Elena: The Santacruzan tradition is a ‘spectacular’ way to unite a community
By Megan Villarin My name is Megan Villarin and I am a member of St. Raphael Holy Angel’s Filipino Community in Hamilton, New Jersey. Here at our parish, we had our second annual Santacruzan on May 5th. I am this year’s Reyna Elena and am also a member of the Filipino choir at St. Raphael. ...
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Flores de Mayo & Santacruzan: classic Maytime festivals that inspire nostalgia
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. The month of May has just joined the 2013 scene. Yet, what seeks their place via the vehicle of nostalgia are two festivities central to homespun memories: the Flores de Mayo (flowers of May), and the Santacruzan (Holy Cross), another time-nurtured event. The Flores de Mayo is a showcase of ...
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Bukidnon tribal ‘datu’ promotes Talaandig music from NYC to S.F.
“I couldn’t imagine myself taking train ride(s) to Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. When I was small I took a carabao ride to the mountains of Mt. Kitanglad.” With that post, Bukidnon tribal leader and musician Waway Saway invited Filipino Americans to watch his May 4th performance at the Lincoln Center. “Definitely, we will have good ...
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Philippine cultural center receives $1.5M state grant from Hawaii
Hawaii has released a state capital improvement grant to help construct the nonprofit Kauai Philippine Cultural Center (KPCC) in the capital city of Honolulu. The grant was released on May 6 a week into the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month of May. Gov. Neil Abercrombie presented a $1.5 million check to Kauai Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, ...
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Consul General’s daughter among Santacruzan ‘reynas’
This year’s Reyna De Las Flores (Queen of Flowers) in Catholic Action of Mary’s (CAM) May 26th Santacruzan is Joyce Kathleen De Leon, 17, the youngest daughter of Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. and wife Eleanor. The New York-born Joyce will be joined by Medy Solero Taeza as Reyna Elena and Chelsea Pauline Lumbres ...
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DCG Theresa Dizon-de Vega: FilAms need to be ‘more engaged politically’
By Cristina DC Pastor The night before the interview, she was “dancing” with Jimmy Carter in the interactive documentary about the party-loving Imelda Marcos. Hours after this sitdown, she was administering the oath of allegiance to dual citizens at the Philippine Center lobby. Deputy Consul General Theresa Dizon de Vega’s life is one in perpetual ...
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Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal feted in gala
This year’s Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal, Dr. Rebecca Castro Rivera, was honored at a “Gabi ng mga Bulaklak” gala at the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth, New Jersey on April 15. The evening’s program was highlighted by the investiture ceremony where Rivera was bestowed her sash by last year’s ...
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Carlos Bulosan poem to highlight Asian/Pacific Heritage Month in May
The White House announced that the theme for this year’s celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, is: “I Want the Wide American Earth,” a poem by acclaimed Filipino American writer Carlos Bulosan. The poem was chosen by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to highlight the event. The White House ...