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High hopes or another false hope? Green cards for essential workers
By Anthony Advincula On a recent Monday, Maribel Lapuz got up at 4:30 a.m. The 46-year-old immigrant from the Philippines braved the sub-zero weather and took the train from Jersey City, NJ to a nursing home in Brooklyn, NY, where she has worked six days a week as a caregiver since last February. A thousand […]
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Diplomat’s book dedicated to Filipinos who care about their heritage
By Loida Nicolas Lewis Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes Jr. retired from the Philippine diplomatic corps at the mandatory age of 65, in 2014, after 35 years of service. But luckily for us living in these troubled times, he released his book, “A Memory of Time” before the year 2020 ended. In the words of Gemma […]
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Suyomano: A platform for Filipinos yearning to reconnect with their roots
By Zia Kalong Suyomano is a virtual platform focused on cultural learning experiences touching on local languages, indigenous tribal cultures and medicine, mythology, traditional martial arts, food and beyond. Suyomano is made up of two unique Tagalog words: “Suyo” which means gentle affection and “mano” which is a gesture of respect. “We believe that bringing forth the […]
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How salon owner Linda Jimenez built a life from the ground up
By Vicky Potenciano-Vitug As a young child, Linda Bautista Jimenez experienced one of the most painful and traumatic experiences in her life: Her father abandoned their family. She will never forget her mother’s humiliation, anguish and despair. Nanay Berta suddenly became the sole breadwinner for her three young daughters: Ligaya, 15 years old; Betty, 12; and […]
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Kalaya’an Mendoza: The face of a Filipino Antifa
By Cristina DC Pastor Kalaya’an Mendoza is the co-founder of Across Frontlines, an organization that works alongside human rights activists to keep them safe during mass actions. He has been engaged in nonviolent civil resistance for the past two decades, including the years he spent as a grassroots organizer and field director for Amnesty International […]
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Patricia Dinglasan: Looking for laughs in a plague year
By Cristina DC Pastor “I am Filipino. I am not a nurse. I just play one in my husband’s sex fantasies.” Trust comic Patricia Dinglasan to find humor amid a depressing pandemic and mold it into a hilarious punchline. For this budding Manhattan comedian, let’s just say the pandemic is a wellspring of jokes and other […]
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A Filipino family calls Britain home (Part 2)
By Cristina DC Pastor The Covid protocols introduced by the British government are not popular, particularly among businesses that had to shut down and individuals who lost their jobs, said Gene Alcantara, a Filipino community leader in the UK. “Travel is banned, visits even to relatives are banned. But everyone knows they are necessary to […]
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‘Filipino nurses are highly regarded in the UK’ – community leader Gene Alcantara (Part 1)
By Cristina DC Pastor British citizen Gene Alcantara has lost three friends to COVID-19. A sister-in-law has tested positive and is isolating. With a new and quick-spreading Coronavirus variant discovered in the UK, he voiced muted confidence that, “we will endure no matter what.” Alcantara, a community leader who has his own immigration consultancy practice, […]
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Why FilAm veteran, ex-cop Jurell Snyder took part in the Capitol protest
By Cristina DC Pastor A U.S. Army veteran and former Oakland, CA police officer was among the mob that rallied on January 6 at Capitol Hill in support of Donald Trump. Filipino American Jurell Snyder said he was protesting alleged voter fraud, adding he just “stayed outside” and did not enter the building. “The intention […]