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Aquino Scholar: ‘Constant struggle for freedom is the great calling of our time’
By Matthew Alonsozana The author is a recipient of the 2013 Aquino Scholarship, the highest distinction for academics and leadership given to an Asian-American student at Boston College. He graduated in 2014 with degrees in economics and philosophy. He currently works in Washington D.C. as a policy and communications analyst. He delivered this speech before […]
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2 violin prodigies navigate a future in classical music in NYC and California
By Elizabeth Lolarga Teenage violinists Bradley Bascon and Jeline Oliva will not find themselves in situations wherein the slight bruise on their necks will be misconstrued as anything more than the result of intense practice. If it is in their mothers’ powers, neither will they find themselves scratching out the story of their days on […]
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Teachers’ leaders begin the healing process; community is hopeful
By Cristina DC Pastor The series of articles on the break-up of the Association of Fil-Am Teachers (AFTA) has created such a firestorm of reactions from the community and especially from among the personalities who figured in the story. And while the investigative report may appear, at least to some, to polarize the ranks of […]
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The Philippine Consulate attempts an intervention (Part 3)
By Cristina DC Pastor The Philippine Consulate was saddened by the breakup of AFTA, more so by the spectacle that Filipino teachers, members of the noblest profession and role models in the community, were hopelessly divided. In one gathering at the Philippine Center, Consul General Mario de Leon pulled Ernesto Pamolarco aside and asked how […]
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No comment from AFTA leadership: ‘We have moved on’ (Part 2)
By Cristina DC Pastor I met Lilia Juele on account of my TOFA-NY duties, and we became Facebook friends soon after. Later, we would chance upon each other at a Philippine Consulate Independence Day reception in June, sharing a quick “hello.” At that time, AFTA had already lost many of its leaders. But I wasn’t […]
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INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING PROJECT: Anatomy of a community organization: Teachers battle over AFTA (Part 1)
By Cristina DC Pastor This is the story of a 25-year-old teachers organization created in 1989 to campaign for an extension of the H1-B visa so that Filipino teachers could continue to work legally in the United States. The following year, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 was passed under then President George H. […]
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The bamboo and a B.O.N.G.G.A. campaign for climate awareness in the Philippines
After powerful typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines in November, Iowa student Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz thought she would like to raise awareness about the changing climate in the birthplace of her mother. At the center of her campaign is the bamboo, this eco-friendly tree common in Asia and known for its value to biodiversity. The bamboo is […]
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New St. John’s president Conrado Gempesaw described as ‘humble, down-to-earth’
On July 1, Conrado Gempesaw, Ph.D. became the 17th president of St. John’s University in Queens, the first lay person to hold the position in this Catholic university in Queens. He succeeds Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., who became interim president after a 2013 corruption scandal led to the resignation of long-time president Rev. Donald […]
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Cardinal Tagle receives honorary degree, his ‘intellect, concern for the poor’ highlighted
Brimming with pride, hundreds of Filipino Americans came to witness the March 28 ceremony where Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle was conferred an honorary doctorate degree from Fordham University Tagle received the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa during a ceremony held at the Keating First Auditorium of Fordham’s Rose […]