-
Inspiring kindness from football star in wake of Santa Fe shooting
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. On May 18th, eight students and two teachers from Santa Fe High School in Texas lost their lives to gun violence. The shooter was identified as 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis. This article is not so much about the shooting. Instead, it tells the story of J.J. Watt, Houston Texans’ football […]
-
Aries Dela Cruz: Not interested in becoming NYC mayor
By Cristina DC Pastor The appointment in April of Aries Dela Cruz as Manhattan Regional Representative for Governor Andrew Cuomo was both good and bad news for the Filipino community of New York City. Bad, because he had to step down as president of the emerging Filipino American Democratic Club, which he founded in 2016. […]
-
The fragrance of home in Ysabel Potenciano-Cottrell’s candles
By Cristina DC Pastor She lived in Forbes Park, was chauffeured to and from Assumption with her Shih-Tzu and bodyguard. Until one day, a suspicious fire razed the family’s transportation business. Everything went up in flames – wealth, security, status, and over time, relationships. Ysabel Potenciano-Cottrell, who was 13 then, remembered distinctly how her family […]
-
Sentro Rizal opens in Toronto in honor of the 1st Global Filipino
By Ricardo Jorge Caluen On May 12th the Sentro Rizal was inaugurated in Toronto, Canada’s most populous city. The cultural center is located in the Philippine Consulate office on 160 Eglinton Avenue East. In simple ceremonies, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chairman Virgilio Almario and Consul General Rosalita Prospero inked the Memorandum of […]
-
An ardent Santo Nino devotee is PIDCI Grand Marshal
By Cristina DC Pastor Legend has it that when the old St. Augustine’s Church in Philadelphia had shrunk to a few dozen congregants in late 1980s, it was Dr. Restituto Estacio – armed with a small statue of the Santo Nino — who rallied support from the Filipino community. Today, the church highlights in its […]
-
Independence Day parade is happening on June 3: PIDCI
By Cristina DC Pastor The June 3 Philippine Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue will start with a 7:30 a.m. flag ceremony followed by a Thanksgiving Mass. At 11 a.m., the street fair opens to welcome the paradegoers. At 12 noon, according to the schedule, the parade gets underway, with dignitaries from the Philippine government, […]
-
Rains did not dampen mood of PHL Tapestry fashion show
By Lindy Rosales It was a rainy spring day when the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection played host to Renee Salud’s fashion show that presented the indigenous Philippine weaves to the people of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia City Hall courtyard was damp and busy with umbrella-carrying people on their way to the subway. On […]
-
KIDS Philippines opens N.Y. chapter; Vince Gesmundo is president
By Cristina DC Pastor Inspired by the aphorism that “poverty is not a hindrance to success,” entrepreneur Vicente ‘Vince’ Gesmundo on May 18 became the first president of KIDS Philippines, Inc. New York, a local chapter of KPI charity founded two years ago in Connecticut. Vince is joined in the New York board by Annalyn […]
-
PHL ambassador defends extravagant Trump Hotel, promises ‘meaningful’ Independence Day
By Rene Pastor What do Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Philippines have in common? Aside from human rights, all three countries have decided to celebrate their national days at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. It’s the second time for Kuwait, only once for Bahrain, and the first time for the Philippines. All three countries are […]