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Basilica Cistern: Istanbul’s greatest archaeological legacy
By Wendell Gaa When my parents and I first visited Istanbul in 2014, my father, the late Ambassador Willy C. Gaa, had considered this amazing city one of his personal favorite destinations of all time. It was not hard to understand why, for this cosmopolitan Turkish urban center has been a hub for many great […]
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Navy veteran Arthur Grabiner, 97, honored for liberating Filipinos in WW II
In commemoration of the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), decorated World War II U.S. Navy veteran Arthur Grabiner was honored at the Philippine Consulate for his service, sacrifice and valor in liberating the Filipino people from the Japanese military. The April 5 recognition ceremony was led by Consul General Senen Mangalile at Sentro Rizal of […]
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Harvard’s Tagalog language studies being linked to U.S. military expansion in the PHL
By Rene Pastor A ‘The FilAm’ Exclusive Harvard University has announced plans to open a Tagalog language program along with Philippine Studies, in a move linked to the expansion of the U.S. military presence in the region. The letter, dated March 7 and addressed to the Harvard Philippine Forum, was signed by James Robson, James […]
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Jaime FlorCruz’s captivating memoir on modern China
By Tricia J. Capistrano “Not valid for travel to China, the Soviet Union and other communist countries” was stamped on Jaime FlorCruz’s passport. But in July of 1971, FlorCruz, then only 20, and 14 other youth leaders from the Philippines flew to Hong Kong and then to China. The students, together with scholars from other […]
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‘Golden Years’ photo exhibit on martial law opens in NYC
Fresh from a successful one-month run in Miami, Florida, a photography exhibit on martial law in the Philippines opens on October 15 & 16 at Bliss on Bliss Arts Project in Sunnyside, Queens. Titled Golden Years: Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981, the exhibit showcases around 90 vintage photographs which appeared in various American newspapers during […]
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Cheyenne Concepcion’s St. Malo sculpture comes to Queens
Cheyenne Concepcion, a multi-disciplinary artist and designer, has created a sculpture called “Disappearing St. Malo,” referencing the first Filipino settlement in the United States. The bahay kubo-style art piece is currently on exhibit at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City in Queens. The settlement, founded in 1783, is located in the bayous of […]
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Philip Vera Cruz, the Manong Generation and quest for the American Dream
By Allen Gaborro Probably only a small fraction of Filipino Americans know who Philip Vera Cruz was. Once upon a time, during the late 1950s to the 1970s, Vera Cruz was a pivotal and pathfinding labor representative of the California farmworkers as well as a committed, empathic, and kindred soul to their plight. Craig Scharlin […]
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KDP activists publish website documenting the anti-Marcos resistance of ‘70s-‘80s
Former members of Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP), have launched a website dedicated to documenting the work of the national activist organization of Filipinos in the U.S. that brought together progressive and militant elements of the community in the 1970s and 1980s. Published by KDP Legacy, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, KDPLegacy.org “tells […]
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New president’s name should be Ferdinand Romualdez Tabuebue Jr.: Book
By Tricia J. Capistrano In a parallel universe, last June’s presidential inauguration would have the Philippines welcoming a President Ferdinand Romualdez Tabuebue, Jr. This is because, according to genealogist, Todd Sales Lucero, after the Claveria surname decree of 1849, the Marcos family adopted the name “Tabuebue.” According to Lucero, President Marcos Jr.’s grandfather, father of […]