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Friends remember Robert Martirez as karaoke fan; NYPD urges witnesses to come forward
By Cristina DC Pastor Four days before he was killed in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack, Robert Martirez, 56, was chilling at a friend’s house and singing karaoke. “Walang bisyo, he just loved to sing,” said a friend from Woodside, Efren de Leon. “His favorite song is ‘Wonderful Tonight.’” Efren remembered meeting Robert […]
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$2K reward offered; consul says attack on Robert Martirez may not be about race
By Cristina D.C. Pastor A $2K reward is being offered by the family of limo driver Robert Martirez, 56, who died June 24 or two days after he was attacked blocks away from his Elmhurst home. Some members of the Filipino American community also contributed to the reward fund. This was disclosed by Consul Felipe […]
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The boy who climbed the WTC: embarrassing act or blessing in disguise?
A 16-year-old Filipino boy’s sense of adventure shook New York to the core. Justin Casquejo from Weehawken, New Jersey, managed to sneak into the One World Trade Center building all the way to the top 104th floor undetected by the building’s tight security. He is facing charges of criminal trespass punishable by three months in […]
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Fundraiser for Randy Gener goes to Brooklyn
Committed journalism and comedy combine in a March 24 event to raise funds for Nathan Award-winning writer Randy Gener, who is currently recovering from a brutal attack he suffered in January. Police said Gener was assaulted by one Leighton Jennings in the early morning of January 18 following an altercation between Gener and a woman […]
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Vigil for Randy Gener brings together family, friends and strangers in a hopeful cry for justice
By Lorial Crowder I do not know Randy Gener personally but I joined some 60 people who, in a breezy, bitter cold night, lit candles as we urged justice for his brutal attack. I did meet Randy briefly the evening he was awarded Outstanding Artist by the Filipino American National Historical Society of Metro New […]
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Wake up, Randy, you have to read what I wrote about you
By Cristina DC Pastor I came to know you as someone who is fun-loving and spontaneous during the book launch of Ruben Nepales’ “My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood” at the Philippine Consulate. That was in June 2012. You were singing “Otso Otso” to Bernardo Bernardo’s bouncy number. Actually, you were not singing. You […]
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Maguindanao Massacre revisited: Is the only journalist hero a dead journalist?
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Hearing from Carlos H. Conde, Philippine researcher for Human Rights Watch, the largest human rights non-government organization (NGO) based in New York, this story’s author ventures to inquire from her homeland an answer to: “Four Years On, No Justice for Maguindanao Massacre Victims?” The same could be asked, how about […]
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Human trafficking is ‘joint responsibility’ of all UN countries: PHL
Preventing human trafficking is the “joint responsibility of all member-states” of the United Nations whether these are countries of origin, transit or destination. This bold statement was made by Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Policy Evan P. Garcia during a meeting of the Group of Friends United Against Human Trafficking held September 26 as […]
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Remembering 9/11 with reflection, respect
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Once again, the threshold of 9/11 is on us. That date is such a grim reminder of what took place on September 11, a dozen years ago. More than 3,000 lives were lost that day. That date changed the world forever. Terrorism was defined in the cruelest and the most […]