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From New York and beyond, TOFA goes global
By Rasmin Diaz How is it that Michael Cinco, a celebrated fashion designer based in Dubai, is being honored with a TOFA recognition? On September 16, the 12th Annual TOFA Awards will launch the TOFA Global Awards international category with Cinco as its first honoree. The Outstanding Filipinos in America, which began as an award-giving […]
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NaFFAA celebrates 25 years in Las Vegas
By Loida Nicolas Lewis Twenty-five years ago, in the spring of 1997, Alex Esclamado, Rodel Rodis, and Michael Dadap visited me for lunch when I was CEO of TLC Beatrice International. Alex, the former publisher of the Philippine News, discussed the need for a national organization for Filipinos because other Asians had well-known national groups. […]
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FAFI celebrates 10th anniversary on Sept 4th
Yes, we made it to our 10th year! In celebration of this milestone, the Annual Filipino American Festival will be held on Sunday, September 4, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the New Overpeck Bergen County Park located at 199 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park in N.J.’s Bergen County. With 10 years of uninterrupted […]
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Dance troupe dazzles on Madison Avenue
By Cristina DC Pastor When St. Adalbert Church in Queens was looking for a Filipino dance group to perform at a religious event, word got around fast. Helen Kwong-LaBarbera of Long Island responded quickly and gathered Filipino families who shared her excitement. Thus, was born Island Gems Philippine Cultural Group which became known for their […]
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The mark of longevity: Fiesta In America celebrates 25th year
By Len Manansala In the fraught world of festival organizing, no other indoor Filipino event on the U.S. East Coast has demonstrated similar constancy more than Fiesta In America. Founded in 1996 in New York City and mounted every year except during the 2020-2021 pandemic, Fiesta In America lays claim to being the most enduring […]
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‘I like to serve, and sometimes give a little bit more’
By Marivir R. Montebon After a grueling day at school, Dr. Laura Garcia, a nurse educator, recharged herself through a short nap and had the energy to answer my interview questions in the wee hours of the night. She is a woman of accomplishments and of many titles in community organizations in the Big Apple. […]
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Little Manila Avenue: ‘A spot to call our own’
By Lindy Rosales As I walked along Roosevelt Avenue on June 5, I could hear OPM music playing. I saw a big white tent on 70th Street, right next to the Philippine National Bank. Traffic was blocked off on 70th Street and event security personnel were directing foot traffic. “This is a historic moment in […]
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COVID did not stop the FilAms’ largest parade
By Lindy Rosales Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer came early at 11:18 a.m. for the parade that was to start at 12 noon. He came to shake hands with Filipino American leaders…and to apologize. “I’m sorry I can’t come march with you today, it’s my 50th college reunion. But I did want to come here […]
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Queens Memory’s Tagalog podcast features the FilAm community
Queens Memory – a community archiving program supported by Queens Public Library and the Queens College Library – will release the next bilingual episode of its latest podcast, “Our Major Minor Voices”in English and Tagalog versions on Monday, May 16. “Seeing Signs” (English)/”Tanáw” (Tagalog), produced by Rosalind Tordesillas, covers the history and challenges of the Filipino […]