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Jorge Ballos (aka Justin Girard): Building a New York home for independent filmmakers
By Cristina DC Pastor For Jorge Ballos – aka as Justin Girard — the SoHo International Film Festival (SIFF) which began as an intimate weekend event has grown into an international showcase now celebrating its 17th year. At its heart, he said SIFF was meant to give filmmakers a platform and an opportunity to […]
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Transformed memories: How the ‘arroz caldo’ became our family’s treasured comfort food
By Teresa Carandang The arroz caldo of my childhood was a dish I associated with illness. As a child, I was sensitive to the sharp gingery flavor of the soup and intensely disliked biting into the ginger slices which I would always mistake for chicken. The seemingly huge chicken pieces sticking out of the soupy […]
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Social Bites: A taste of the Philippines with a New Orleans twist in CT
By Cristina DC Pastor What happens when a French-speaking, New Orleans-born chef meets a Filipina with a dream of becoming a caterer? In Shelton, Connecticut, the answer is Social Bites, a Filipino restaurant that has grown from a simple charcuterie cart into a full-fledged neighborhood restaurant, and has now been serving customers for about a […]
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Emilia Kim explores Filipino food in her Texas kitchen
From her kitchen in Texas, food and culture creator Emilia Kim is traveling the world one table at a time. For the Philippine edition of her weekly series, Hosting the World, she prepared an ambitious Filipino fiesta featuring everything from colorful street food and celebration noodles to one of the country’s most beloved stews. Kim […]
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Behavior analyst Cherry Ann Chishti: Helping improve autism care in Filipino families
In New York’s close-knit Filipino American community, family comes first. When a child is diagnosed with autism or a developmental delay, immigrant families can face daunting challenges. Navigating the U.S. special education and healthcare systems can be confusing. Language barriers, limited resources, and the high cost of quality care can create additional obstacles. For behavior […]
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ON GLOBAL FILIPINOS Luly Esclamado, the silent power behind NaFFAA
By Loida Nicolas Lewis In August 2026, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) celebrated the nearly 29 years of its founding in Denver, Colorado. The host committee headed by Giselle Rushford, supported by NaFFAA National Chair Mariela Fletcher, decided that the first part of the agenda would be the panel of the […]
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How a song inspired by Eala and written from a hospital bedside became a viral hit
By Gary Manalus A few weeks ago, I was going through one of the hardest stretches of my life. A close family member needed me, and I couldn’t get to them. My flight got canceled, more than once. I spent a night stranded in a random hotel with no idea when I’d actually make it […]
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Mabuhay, Lea. Mabuhay, Alex!
The FilAm Editorial There are two Filipinas, rare individuals whose talent, discipline, and character have become a source of inspiration for an entire nation. We’re referring to Lea Salonga and Alex Eala. They come from different generations and inhabit very different worlds. Salonga conquered Broadway and Hollywood with her extraordinary voice and acting talent. Eala […]
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When Spider-Man must grapple with the adult realities of guilt, loneliness, and depression
By Wendell Gaa “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is without a doubt this year’s biggest summer blockbuster. Having seen this at cinemas three times already (twice here in Ankara, Türkiye where I’m currently based and once in Basel, Switzerland along with a new friend of mine from this recent workshop I’ve attended there), I can understandably […]