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‘I Am Pinoy’ producer declines to state fate of show host
By Cristina DC Pastor “It’s nothing personal.” With these words, “I Am Pinoy Proud Ako” (IAPPA) producer Rena Avendula declined comment on the departure of Ethel Cantor Constantino as the show’s host and co-founder. When reached by The FilAm, she stressed the two-year-old show – which features entertainment and politics — will continue to air […]
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The FilAm community is ‘aging,’ seniors underserved: study
By Cristina DC Pastor Remedios Roman, 75, lives in a rent-stabilized Midtown apartment close to Madison Square Garden. She’s been all alone since her husband died some 20 years ago, her adult children now with families of their own out on the West Coast While she may be by herself, she is not entirely isolated […]
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Dinner for Vicky Garchitorena not a fundraiser to overthrow Duterte: guests
About 30 people, including personal friends, attended a dinner reception for civil society leader Vicky Garchitorena at the Central Park residence of Loida Nicolas-Lewis. Garchitorena, former president of the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), and Nicolas-Lewis are long-time friends and known supporters of Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas in the 2016 election. “It was a […]
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PIDCI treasurer resigns amid fresh rumors of financial troubles in the organization
By Cristina DC Pastor A club treasurer resigns, and wild rumors erupt. If your organization is like PIDCI, shrouded in mystery, tales are likely to come out like mushrooms after a rain shower. “I stepped down due to health reasons. I am not able to fulfill my responsibilities as a board member and treasurer,” declared […]
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Comedian Ai-ai delas Alas wins Best Actress in Queens filmfest for role as prostitute at crossroads
“Area,” a drama about aging prostitutes coping with social and economic challenges, screened this month at the 7th Queen’s World Film Festival and won for actress Ai-Ai delas Alas, a comedian, the best female actor award. “Area” was one of 130 films from around the world which screened at the 7th edition of the festival […]
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Juliet Payabyab journeys down NYC district politics, learns what ails her neighborhood
By Cristina DC Pastor All politics is local. This political aphorism, believed to have originated from former Speaker Tip O’Neill, is making Juliet Payabyab very involved and very busy. Juliet, a long-time leader in the Filipino American community, has been immersing herself in her local district in Astoria, Queens bringing good old-fashioned beating-down-the-pavement attitude. “I’m […]
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Maria Torres-Springer creating excitement among FilAms looking for greater representation in government
By Cristina DC Pastor The high-profile Housing Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer is stoking excitement in the community that would like to see more Filipino Americans seek higher political office. How about a Filipina in the mayor’s office someday? “As Mayor de Blasio once asked me, why are Filipinos so talented? I replied it’s really only our […]
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Cyrus Montesa of Queens now a securities attorney in Manila
By Wendell Gaa ‘The FilAm’ is beginning a series on U.S.-born Filipino Americans who now live and work in the Philippines. Some have never been to the country of their parents and are visiting for the first time. Others are returning after they left as children — all of them making a new life for […]
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Why FilAms don’t donate to political campaigns and what can be done to change that
By Cristina DC Pastor Salvador ‘Buddy’ Deauna is some kind of an accidental politician. His entry into politics was by a stroke of luck; his triumph, he believes, by the grace of God. Deauna was easily elected councilman of Bergenfield, New Jersey in 2016; he was 70 years old. The city boasts 20 percent Filipinos […]