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Empowerment Awardees Francisco and Corazon Reyes: Partners in healing and service
By Cristina DC Pastor An emergency room physician and surgeon and his corporate nurse wife were among the honorees at Fiesta in America’s Empowerment Awards on August 9, 2026, where they were recognized for decades of professional excellence and community service. Dr. Francisco Reyes and his wife, Corazon Reyes, RN, received the Lifetime Empowerment Couple […]
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Elderly Filipino women aging in isolation; how can the community help?
By Cristina DC Pastor They came to America in the late 1960s and 1970s, young, educated and determined to build lives of their own. Many were professionals. Some came alone, leaving families behind in the Philippines. They established careers, bought homes, built friendships and embraced the independence that America offered. Now, decades later, many of […]
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Fiesta in America presents 2 weekends of Filipino excellence in New Jersey
Fiesta in America will unite the Filipino American community for two weekends in New Jersey, beginning with the 22nd People’s Ball on Sunday, August 9, at Marriott Newark Airport, followed by the 29th Fiesta in America on August 15 and 16, 2026 at the American Dream in East Rutherford. Admission is free. The celebration begins […]
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Kayumanggi Chorale marks 35 years of music, heritage, and charity with Oct 11th concert
By Cristina DC Pastor For 35 years, the Kayumanggi Chorale Inc. (KCI) has used music not only to entertain, but also to preserve Filipino heritage, bring communities together and help those in need. The New York-New Jersey-based Filipino American choral group will celebrate its milestone anniversary with a “Himig Pamana, A Musical Heritage” concert that […]
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New data captures how economic insecurity, safety fears are impacting AAPIs
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) has unveiled the State of AAPIs, a new research series that provides an unprecedented, detailed look at the lived experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) nationally and in major metros. AAPI communities are among the fastest growing and most diverse groups in the U.S., over 25 million strong and encompassing […]
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Historical parallels: insurgencies, political dynasties, and corruption scandals Part 2
By Cesar Polvorosa Jr. Encomienda Legacy Spanish colonialism implanted deeply unequal class structures across both the Philippines and Latin America. Through systems resembling encomiendas or feudal arrangements, land, wealth, and political power became concentrated in the hands of narrow elites. Over generations, this produced entrenched political dynasties, oligarchic control, regional strongmen, and persistent inequality. Political […]
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Finding the Philippines in Mexico Part 1
By Cesar Polvorosa Jr. Standing on the sun-warmed shore of the Yucatán Peninsula during my son’s wedding, watching Caribbean waves roll gently onto the Mexican coast, I was struck by an unexpected sense of familiarity. It felt like the comforting embrace of home. The feeling went beyond the tropical sway of coconut palms and the […]
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‘Making noise’ in the nation’s capital July 22 to 25
By Jonathan Melegrito Filipino American students and scholars, artists and healers, public officials and community leaders from across the United States are gathering this week in the nation’s capital for the 21st Biennial National Conference of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). Framed by the theme “PiNoise on the Potomac: Monuments to Change,” the […]
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With humor and heart, Consul General Senen Mangalile says goodbye, praises the ‘energy of the community’
By Romulo Aromin, Jr., MD With only two weeks to prepare and against the backdrop of a heatwave, the world football games, and the long July 4th weekend with the U.S. celebrating 250 years of independence, some 150 northeast Filams in the Tri-state gathered to send off Consul General Senen Mangalile as he assumes the position of Ambassador […]