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How pop culture, social media played a role in Halalan 2016
By Joel David When it comes to popular culture trends, the Philippines appears to be mimicking its former colonizer, the US, in some ways, and leading it in other ways, usually by resisting or overturning the trends the latter sets. The recently concluded presidential election provides fertile ground to study these older possibilities as well […]
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Trail goes cold in case of missing ‘balikbayan’ boxes and vanishing freight forwarders
By Cristina DC Pastor This is a story familiar to many of us who have experienced shipping ‘balikbayan’ boxes around the holidays with relatives receiving them several months later, or worse, not receiving them at all. The story of Tess Madamba, a caregiver from Queens, is our story. She sent several ‘balikbayan’ boxes to her […]
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In the land of Sopranos, a thousand Sto. Niños find a home
By Cristina DC Pastor From the outside, this modest, cottage-style house in the residential section of Linden, N.J., looks like any family home. This house on East Blancke Street is actually a museum cradling more than a thousand statues and figurines of the Sto. Niño Infant Jesus, giving the visitor an entrancing feeling of being […]
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In this ‘Pamanhikan,’ parents of the groom and groom meet, come to blows
By Lindy Rosales ‘Pamanhikan’ is a Filipino tradition where the parents of the bride and the groom meet for the first time. In this unique ritual involving families getting to know the other, there is a lot that can happen, which may prevent the wedding from taking place. Such is the plotline of comic satire […]
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Tandaan mo, iha, ikaw ay ‘Raised Pinay’*
By Cristina DC Pastor In the mid-1990s, feminist Eve Ensler wrote and performed “The Vagina Monologues,” recreating in prose how this pleasure shrine is used to celebrate and subjugate women. The multi-part play became a big hit for shattering the taboo and making the ‘vagina’ a sociopolitical tour de force, the message of ending violence […]
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Tony Taguba, Bruce Lee among 2016 Asian Hall of Famers
The Robert Chinn Foundation will induct four honorees to the 2016 Asian Hall of Fame on May 14 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. They are television journalist Connie Chung, martial artist Bruce Lee, retired Major General Antonio Taguba of the U.S. Army, and Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating Kristi Yamaguchi. The Asian […]
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Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach: ‘When I fall in love, I give my 100 percent; that can’t happen right now’
By Lindy Rosales The night was cold and blustery. Inside the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue, the mood was warm and convivial. There was a quiet sense of excitement as people arrived and assembled at the lobby waiting for Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach to emerge. The event was Pia’s meet-and-greet with the Filipino […]
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New PAFCOM President Ledy Almadin reaches out to youth, emphasizes inclusivity
By Cristina DC Pastor Beginning January 1, the Philippine American Friendship Committee will welcome its new president: accounting professional, long-time pillar of the community, and mother of two teen daughters Ledy Almadin. Ledy, 47, becomes the 26th president of the Jersey City-based PAFCOM, an organization that seeks to unite Filipinos in the Garden State to […]
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A new year filled with joy, peace is our hope
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Greetings to all! It is our hope that your Christmas turns out to be a blessed one, and a new year filled with joy is another hope! There is nothing like the near conclusion of another 12 months to remind us of a myriad of events. Likewise, there is that […]