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‘The FilAm’s’ Top 10 stories for 2025
The year 2025 has been a somewhat harsh year for the community. News of Filipinos entangled in legal troubles, restaurant closures, and other difficult developments often dominated the headlines. To be fair, the year also produced its share of uplifting stories—reports that drew strong readership and profiles of individuals whose work inspired others and made […]
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What happened to Catalina Cabral?
The FilAm Editorial The mysterious disappearance of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral—who reportedly fell along Kennon Road in Benguet on December 18—has sparked troubling questions. Was it an accident? Suicide? Foul play? Or, as some officials have openly speculated, an elaborate ruse to evade prosecution, raising even wilder claims […]
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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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Bidding bullshit
By Mary Lou Cunanan Let’s stop pretending this is normal. Sarah Discaya and her husband have turned government bidding into a personal slot machine—rigged so they always hit the jackpot. With nine construction firms under their control, they’ve cornered ₱30 billion worth of DPWH projects, most of them flood-control contracts that never seem to deliver. […]
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Former postal employee pleads guilty to stealing checks, credit cards in mail
A Los Angeles woman who formerly worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service in Torrance pleaded guilty on August 11 to stealing checks and debit and credit cards from the mail then selling them to her accomplices for three years. She allegedly used the illicitly obtained funds to take international trips […]
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NaFFAA assails decision on Quindara case; calls for justice, action
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) expresses deep concern and disappointment on the recent sentencing of Christian Lentz, the perpetrator in the 2023 violent assault of 75-year-old Filipino American Amadeo Quindara of Las Vegas. Despite the acknowledged racial bias behind the attack, Lentz was sentenced to only 90 days in jail, five years of probation, […]
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Concert producer Vince Gesmundo ordered to pay $23K to creditor
By Cristina DC Pastor A concert producer and a ranking member of the Knights of Rizal is being ordered to pay his creditor at least $23K, according to a civil judgment by the Queens County Civil Court dated June 26, 2025. According to a court document reviewed by The FilAm, Vicente Gesmundo, whose known address […]
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70 Filipino nurses exploited by staffing agency will receive restitution: AG James
New York Attorney General Letitia James on May 29 secured more than $660,000 for foreign-born nurses who were subjected to illegal labor trafficking and exploitative contracts by Advanced Care Staffing and Priority Care Staffing (ACS) and ACS CEO Sam Klein, according to a press statement from her office. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation […]
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Alleged labor trafficking charges filed vs teacher Rey Badajos Dacul
By Cristina DC Pastor An English teacher and prominent community leader is under investigation by the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Washington D.C. for alleged labor trafficking. The complaint states that Rey Badajos Dacul (also known on Facebook as Ray Badajos Dacul) “operates a labor trafficking scheme masquerading as an employment […]