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Ruffy Ronas: Here’s looking at you, Staten Island
By Cristina DC Pastor Before I got to know him, freelance photographer Ruffy Ronas was just another face in the crowd. He is always ready with a smile, a tap on the shoulder, a polite hug. Because of his height and soldier’s chest he stands out. With his James Stewart haircut, he appears like someone […]
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Madison Avenue parade is on! Amb. Mario de Leon Jr. is honorary Grand Marshal
By Cristina DC Pastor The February 23 meeting between the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. and the community was a running tally of hits and misses: Hits: • PIDCI announced that former Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. is going to be the Honorary Grand Marshal, a new role in the organization’s 28-year history. • […]
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Down Memory Lane on Roosevelt Avenue
By Cristina DC Pastor The long and disorganized stretch of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens — reachable by the 7 Train — was both familiar and unusual. Payag Restaurant at the corner of 52nd Street is now empty. Somewhere on 69th is Rosario’s Ihawan, a new and pleasant-looking restaurant. Rene and I were lured by the […]
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Michael Young: Playing the sax while connecting with his mother’s homeland
By Wendell Gaa This article is part of a continuing series on Filipino Americans who have returned to the homeland, lured by more fulfilling careers and an opportunity to bridge and embrace their two cultures. Michigan-born Michael Young has been living and working in Metro Manila for the past 11 years now. An entrepreneur, he […]
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Train station to deliver the Philippines to the world
By Cristina DC Pastor Artist and businessman Jerry Sibal isn’t done yet. A flush floral design studio, a coffee table book, a charmed episode in Macau where he decorated a Vegas hotel chain. Jerry has done all of the above. He is back once again with another breathtaking project. The venue alone says a lot: […]
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PIDCI blames ex-treasurer, reveals no one wants to be Grand Marshal because of lawsuit
By Cristina DC Pastor The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. washed its hands off accusations it did not file tax returns for four years, stating its former treasurer, Violeta Manarang-McGough, had been delinquent in filing returns for the period from 2013 to 2016. In court papers filed January 2, 2017, PIDCI claimed it was actually […]
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Lea Salonga’s ‘Bahaghari’ album a collection of folk favorites
Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga has released an album of Philippine regional folk songs. The CD album “Bahaghari” was launched on December 14 at the Philippine Center, with Lea noting how each language is distinct and separate “like a rainbow.” Among the popular songs featured in the album are “Pobreng Alindahaw,” “Tinikling,” “Atin Cu Pung Singsing,” […]
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Lawsuit vs PIDCI puts to test leadership, credibility of Ner Martinez
By Cristina DC Pastor On the last night of the Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado, new PIDCI President Antero ‘Ner’ Martinez was served a court petition. He and members of the board of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. are being sued before the Supreme Court of New York, and compelled to respond to the following: […]
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Ea Torrado choreographs loss, grief, and healing
Playing Sisa at the Lopez Museum in 2014. Inspired by the ‘loss of identity of mothers and the Motherland.’ By Cristina DC Pastor How many stages of grief are we allowed to have? Four? Seven? In Ea Marie Torrado’s 32 years, the grieving came in waves and stages: The father she knew nothing about, her […]