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NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson gives assurance of continued protection of immigrants
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, in his first formal press briefing with members of the community and ethnic media in the city, cited “daunting” statistics about homelessness and poverty and noted that four in 10 New Yorkers are living at or near the poverty line. In a city that is “superficially doing so well,” with […]
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GABRIELA NY activists detained in Cotabato, later released
Social worker Jamy Drapeza and photographer Julie Jamora were part of a five-person delegation that was detained on February 22 on suspicion of being terrorists, and later released. Drapeza and Jamora – secretary-general and chairperson of GABRIELA NY, respectively — together with Dinah Anderson, Adam Shaw, and Tawanda Chandiwana, were reportedly accused by Philippine law […]
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Rod Pangesban’s months-long journey to a fiancé visa
By Cristina DC Pastor Rodrigo Pangesban and Alex Esteban met in Baguio in February of 2016, fell in love amid a sea of blooming flowers, and wed in New York the following year. If you think that was fast, wait till you hear how their application for a fiancé visa went by as if in […]
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333K Filipinos languishing in family petition wait list, NaFFAA calls for compassion
By Cristina DC Pastor The Philippines ranks behind Mexico for having the biggest number of family-based petitions, at 333,564 Filipinos waiting to join their families in the U.S. There are more than 1.25 million Mexicans in the immigration wait list. According to the latest figures from the National Visa Center’s November 2017 report to the […]
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New York is a bittersweet posting for Vice Consul Tanya Faye Ramiro
By Cristina DC Pastor Vice Consul Tanya Faye Ramiro used to visit NYC when her mother was working in the city. Now that she is Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate, her mother is no longer around. On December 5, 2014, Gloria Jean Ramiro – who worked as a private chef for an affluent family […]
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A night filled with emotions as TOFA awardees reflect on their immigrant journeys
By Cristina DC Pastor “I left the room after my speech; I had to cry.” Avant-garde fashion designer Rocky Gathercole was heard saying to friends after the TOFA Awards at Carnegie Hall where he was among the 15 The Outstanding Filipinos in America for 2017. Accepting the award, Gathercole said he couldn’t believe he would […]
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‘What do we do if ICE comes to our house?’ and other DACA questions FilAms ask
By Mariel Padilla Standing in a circle, holding hands and chanting, “it is our duty to fight for our freedom; we have nothing to lose but our chains,” a room full of Filipino activists ended a two-hour-long emergency DACA meeting on Friday, Sept. 8. Members of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), Anakbayan New […]
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On NaFFAA’s 20th year, honoring its past and recognizing its legacy
This October, several events are being planned to celebrate this milestone, which coincides with the national observance of Filipino American History Month. They will culminate with NaFFAA’s 20th Anniversary Gala, to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 21, 2017. “Our 20th anniversary is an exciting occasion to […]
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Facing the reality of ‘hiya’ with immigration in the Filipino community
By Daniela Pila “I’m getting my PhD in sociology.” “Wow, ang galing naman!” (Wow, that’s so impressive!) Whenever Filipinos ask me what I do for a living, I explain that I am a Ph.D. student in sociology. As a Filipina who purposely pursued a career in a non-medical field, I am a unicorn in the […]