By Mike Talplacido It was late afternoon when my plane landed at the LAX airport. When the flight attendant announced our arrival, I grabbed my hand-carry item from the compartment box and patiently queued up along with my fellow passengers in preparation for deplaning. I learned how to follow protocols when it comes to airplane […]
By Allen Gaborro The memory of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines is hardwired into the collective Filipino consciousness. Filipinos of that generation, including Lourdes J. Astraquillo Ongkeko, preserve precious memories of that time. Ongkeko has resided in the United States for many years. But this has not darkened her wartime […]
In honor of women’s history month, new book, Fearless Filipinas: 12 Women Who Dared to Be Different, shares the stories of modern Pinay heroes in the Philippines and around the world. Filipino history has a pantheon of great Filipina leaders, such as Gabriela Silang and Melchora Aquino. In addition to these historical heroes, there are […]
Casey Giles, the only child of a Filipina immigrant and a fifth-generation Texan, has published her first novel titled, “Indifferents,” last November of 2019, followed quickly by its sequel “Indigo Fading,” which was released on December 25, 2020. She had her book launch and signing event on March 6, 2021, in Sugarland, Texas with proceeds […]
Manunuri film critic and author Joel David won the Gawad Balagtas (Balagtas Award), a life-achievement prize named after Tagalog poet Francisco Balagtas, for film criticism in English. The award is conferred by the Writers Union of the Philippines or the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL), the largest organization of Filipino writers. Founded in […]
The Philippine Embassy marked International Women’s Day on March 8 with a virtual program, “A Panel Discussion with Filipino and Fil-Am Women Writers” featuring Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Luisa A. Igloria, Migs Bravo Dutt, and Gayle Romasanta. The poet laureate of San Mateo County, California, Aileen Cassinetto, moderated the event. The speakers read excerpts from their […]
“Empire’s Mistress, Starring Isabel Rosario Cooper” tells the life of a Filipina actress and her five-year romance with a venerated war hero. The author, Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez, follows the mestiza beauty from the Philippines to Washington, D.C. to Hollywood, where she died penniless. Cooper is depicted not as a tragic heroine, but as someone caught […]
The Bulosan Center for Filipinx Studies, UC Berkeley PASS, and UC Davis Bridge are excited to announce the second research conference, set for May 28-29, 2021. Held virtually, this conference continues the first conference’s conversations and dialogues around Filipino Studies’ legacy and scholar activism. Students, community organizers, professionals, and community members are invited to submit […]
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 […]