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A wedding in the woods with seven guests
By Cristina DC Pastor It was a wedding planned a year ahead. When the Coronavirus contaminated the world and made New York a public health hotspot, Andre ‘Dindi’ Zabala and his bride Kris Bayos decided to just go through with it “not knowing if the situation would improve or get worse.” So, on a hot […]
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The Conways: A Filipino American family
By Cristina DC Pastor They’re not the Conners where the head of the family, Dan, works as a contractor, and his wife Roseanne ran a diner in a fictional working-class suburb called Lanford in Illinois. We are talking about the Conways where the head of the family, George, is a high-powered Manhattan lawyer, and his […]
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What I’ve learned from staying home and living in dread of a pandemic
When my parents needed to teach me a lesson, it usually began with, “Nung panahon ng Hapon…” as they recounted what were unspeakable hardships during the three years Japan had occupied the Philippines. They hid in bunkers, divided a piece of fish among 10 siblings, and feared neighbors with paper bags over their heads. Some […]
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Juliet Payabyab ‘honored’ to be appointed to Astoria community board
By Cristina DC Pastor On May 31, community leader and retired banker Juliet Payabyab became a member of the community board of Astoria in Queens. She will join 49 other individuals who will be advising elected officials and agencies about matters ranging from land use planning to scheduling of garbage collection. She was appointed to […]
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FilAm businesses reopen amid uncertainty
By Cristina DC Pastor Glenda Villajuan welcomed children back to her CitiTots day care in Brooklyn on June 8 as New York City began Phase 1 of its planned return to normalcy. In New Jersey, Amable Yalong announced his men’s wear shop in downtown Englewood will reopen on June 15, pledging to assure the safety […]
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At ‘drive-by parties,’ cars honk Happy Birthday
By Cristina DC Pastor Once upon a time, children reveled in the passage of each birthday celebrated with friends and relatives over grilled hotdogs and parlor games. COVID-19 has changed all that. Two families shared with The FilAm how they organized their daughters’ ‘drive-by parties’ where guests stayed in their cars honking their greetings and […]
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My body, my pregnancy
By Danielle Vania Bonus A little over a year ago, I went on an exciting trip to Siargao, Philippines for my best friend’s wedding. In writing the story for The FilAm, I left out all the romantic details of the trip. The romance continued and transferred itself over to Hawaii where he is from and […]
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‘Crazy Rich Asians’ success failed to boost APA representation on TV: media group
The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition (APAMC)—the only organization to have graded the top four television networks since 2001—issued its annual Report Cards for the past 2018-19 season, assessing the four major TV networks on their progress toward diversity and inclusion of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) onscreen and behind the camera. Although ABC and CBS […]
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Is divorce on the rise? Family Law Atty. Jhanice Domingo examines the impact of lockdowns
By Cristina DC Pastor The FilAm: What is the effect of mandatory lockdowns on married couples? Has it led to a rise in divorce and separation cases? Jhanice Domingo: It depends on the marital relationship. I am sure that some married couples are enjoying the extra quality time, and being home with their spouse. But […]