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For some FilAms, July 4 is independence day for both the U.S. and the Philippines
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Patriotic displays abound in anticipation of the 4th of July, replete with the colors of red, white and blue. That vibrancy is carried proudly as the American flag, its stars and stripes forever, remind the American people that their most highly-sought federal holiday is indeed at hand and palpably so. […]
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Remembering Dr. Jose P. Rizal on his 153rd birthday on June 19th
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. During the vey recent celebration of the 116th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day, ignited by the nomenclature, Kalayaan, one thought returned to this writer. Myriad remembrances that sprung from history marked by the individual and collective sacrificial efforts of women and men heroes are inevitable. Books have told and retold […]
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Reflecting on the origin of Kalayaan
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. In metropolitan centers all over the world where Filipinos are represented by their embassies, consulates general and other government agencies, Kalayaan has been the moving theme each time the sixth month of the year emerges. The year 2014 marks the 116th anniversary of Philippine independence. Kalayaan has been routinely translated […]
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Roz Li calls for scientific approach to restoring Bohol’s historic churches
At least seven historic churches in Bohol were damaged by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in October, and a task force estimated it would take up to $4.5 million per church to repair the ruins and return the churches back to parishioners. “The Philippine government has made a commitment to restore and reconstruct the historically significant […]
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Filipino voice, presence absent in Cesar Chavez film: FANHS
The National Board of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in Seattle celebrates the appearance of United Farm Workers (UFW) co-founder Larry Itliong in the Hollywood biopic Cesar Chavez. However, FANHS argues that the film misses an opportunity to offer a nuanced and accurate history of the farmworkers movement that was born of the […]
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Book on California’s ‘Little Manila’ to have a New York debut on Feb. 12
Not long after 1898, when the United States claimed the Philippines as an American colony, Filipinos became a vital part of the agricultural economy of California’s fertile San Joaquin Delta. In downtown Stockton, they created Little Manila, a vibrant community of hotels, pool halls, dance halls, restaurants, grocery stores, churches, union halls, and barbershops. It […]
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Youth to celebrate Andres Bonifacio’s 150th birthday with 2 festivals
Progressive Filipino youth in New York and New Jersey will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio as a working-class hero and a freedom fighter. Two festivals will be held on November 30 in his honor: the Bayanihan Cultural Festival and the Sumisigaw Youth Festival to be held at St. Jacobus Lutheran Church, Rainbow […]
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JFK: 50 years gone but never forgotten
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. It was the start of the school term: Fall1960. The Graduate School of Journalism and Communication of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles had not formally opened at all. Its schedule, to commence with the master’s program in journalism, was set for 1965, I was informed. That […]
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How the Philippines bonded with Israel before they became independent countries
By Cristina DC Pastor Ralph Preiss, a retired IBM computer engineer, was 9 years old when his family joined a thousand other Jewish people who sailed into the Philippines to escape Nazi persecution. It was around 1935 or two years after Adolf Hitler’s henchmen embarked on an anti-Semitic rampage in Germany. At the time, the […]