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ON GLOBAL FILIPINOS Dado Banatao: Modern Filipino hero
By Loida Nicolas Lewis On Christmas Day, 2025 the Philippines lost our modern Filipino hero. Diosdado “Dado” Banatao died peacefully in the presence of his family in his Alma Mater Stanford due to a neurological condition at 79 years old, five months before his 80th birthday. But what a life of eight decades! Dado was […]
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15 years of RN Express: A lifeline for nurses
By Cristina DC Pastor They were three nurses whose paths crossed at Amsterdam Nursing Home on the Upper West Side in the late 1990s. Maria Lea Batomalaque began as a staff nurse and, in a matter of months, rose to the position of head nurse. Sally Nuñez worked alongside Lea in the Reimbursement Department. Florida […]
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NJ mall filled with the spirit of Filipino Christmas
Pasko in America, the Northeast’s biggest indoor Filipino Christmas celebration, drew about 6,000 families and multicultural holiday shoppers across three levels of the American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event, presented by Philippine Fiesta USA, Inc., transformed the mall into a vibrant Filipino Christmas village featuring Parols, performances, community organizations, and diaspora-centered holiday […]
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ON GLOBAL FILIPINOS Ryford Estores: From barber to multi-million dollar inventor of the Self-Cut System
By Loida Nicolas Lewis Born in San Jose, Batangas, at the Catalina Air Base, Ryford Estores moved to the United States at the age of 8 after his mother, Marily Hoermann, remarried Richard Hoermann, an American. Growing up in Ossining, New York, Ryford was raised with strong Filipino values and a firm belief in the American Dream. At just […]
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September 11: A couple’s story of survival and purpose
September 11th remains a deeply painful and unforgettable day for life partners Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue. Twenty-four years after the World Trade Center attacks, they are “grateful that God spared our lives,” and that what they have now is “our second chance.” Weeks before that fateful day, Jerry’s client, Verizon, hired his company to […]
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Joyce Castillo: From Ilocos to Wall Street and into the heart of the Filipino community
By Cristina DC Pastor When Joyce Alano Castillo and her husband Arnold moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1997, the world was in mourning. As they unloaded boxes into their new home, the radio carried the shocking news: Princess Diana had died in a car accident. Their sons were very young. One was entering high […]
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YAMAN: Sharing Philippine treasures with the world (An interview with Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue of FRIENDSPHUSA)
By Cristina DC Pastor For eight years, Friends of the Philippines Society USA Inc. (FRIENDSPHUSA) has staged cultural and community-driven projects highlighting the richness of Philippine heritage. From the Explore Islands Philippines mounted at Grand Central Terminal, to concerts for world-renowned pianist Raul Sunico, and the Art for Humanity exhibit at the Photoville Photojournalism exhibit […]
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Singer-actress Vina Morales headlines Fiesta in America 2025
From her humble beginnings in Cebu to the spotlight of Broadway, Vina Morales brings her storied journey full circle as she takes center stage at Fiesta in America 2025. The opening ceremony will be on August 16 at 11:00 a.m. Vina will headline the main concert the next day on August 17 at American Dream […]
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How this FilAm prosecutor built a brain-boosting restaurant empire
By Tricia J. Capistrano After 16 years as a federal prosecutor, Marisa Seifan was looking for a change in her life, though she didn’t think that would mean switching careers. For one thing, she was at the top of her field. “I was chief of my unit–a real prosecutor’s prosecutor,” said Seifan. Then a chance […]