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Tech company ordered to pay its Filipino engineers more than $160K in back wages, overtime
A federal court in San Francisco has entered a consent judgment that orders a Silicon Valley electronics manufacturer to pay more than $80,000 in minimum wage and overtime back pay and an equal, additional amount in damages to its workers after the U.S. Department of Labor discovered violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). […]
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Trail goes cold in case of missing ‘balikbayan’ boxes and vanishing freight forwarders
By Cristina DC Pastor This is a story familiar to many of us who have experienced shipping ‘balikbayan’ boxes around the holidays with relatives receiving them several months later, or worse, not receiving them at all. The story of Tess Madamba, a caregiver from Queens, is our story. She sent several ‘balikbayan’ boxes to her […]
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FilAms who live in affordable housing: It’s literally ‘winning a lottery’
By Cristina DC Pastor This article was written as part of the Business Reporting Fellowship of the Center for Community and Ethnic Media and funded by a grant from News Corp. For many years, “home” for Jocelyn Bernal Ochoa was her mother’s basement in Queens. There, she settled nicely when she was an unmarried accounting […]
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What the FilAm community needs to know about Multi-level Marketing
By Cristina DC Pastor This article was written as part of the Business Reporting Fellowship of the Center for Community and Ethnic Media and funded by a grant from News Corp. One can tell just by looking at her that Jen Furer, mother of four, is a fitness enthusiast. Her blog, GottaLoveMom, chronicles her weight-loss […]
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N.J. brothers race to protect their clothing brand from bootlegging
Two New Jersey-born brothers have created a lifestyle apparel company by combining their passions for drag racing and graphic design. Brian Mabutas, 30 and brother Francis, 36, are the owners of the clothing brand Eat Sleep Race (ESR) which recently moved into a large property in Edison, N.J. that serves as the warehouse, office, and […]
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New PAFCOM President Ledy Almadin reaches out to youth, emphasizes inclusivity
By Cristina DC Pastor Beginning January 1, the Philippine American Friendship Committee will welcome its new president: accounting professional, long-time pillar of the community, and mother of two teen daughters Ledy Almadin. Ledy, 47, becomes the 26th president of the Jersey City-based PAFCOM, an organization that seeks to unite Filipinos in the Garden State to […]
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The FilAm’s 10 most-read stories in 2015: From Lea Salonga to Stella Abrera
Filipino Americans love a feel-good story. Stories of regular folks who inspire, uplift, and to a certain degree, empower. That is why the profiles of entrepreneur Mita Quiogue, finance executive Elizabeth ‘Ninez’ Arreglado, and the dance theater acclaim achieved by Stella Abrera were among this year’s collection of stories that were appreciated most by the […]
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Spa opens NYC location, the second after Jersey City
By Cristina DC Pastor Only five months in Jersey City, Glossy Rejuvenating Spa is adding another location, and it is in the heart — and belly — of the Filipino community in Woodside, Queens. The new salon to open in January is on 5nd Street, next to Payag Restaurant, and within walking distance from Tito […]
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From NYC dreamer to Hollywood new leader: ‘Life is beautiful no matter how hard it gets’
By Tiara Camille Teruel When The FilAm asked me to write about my experience being named “One of Hollywood’s New Leaders” by Variety Magazine, I could not help but think about the pain, the sacrifice, and the reality of what it took to even be recognized. What it took to be able to accept it […]