Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario —a key figure in the filing of a landmark ruling on the South China Sea that brought Beijing before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)— passed away at 83 on April 18. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said del Rosario died while en route […]
By Stella Piscano I lost a friend a few days ago. I met him 15 years ago. Wow, didn’t think it was that long already! This dude was witty, fun-loving, brilliant! He would’ve been 48 years old come February. And why am I spewing out numbers? Because he was a numbers guy, razor sharp analysis […]
Chef King Phojanakong, known for his Southeast Asian specialty dishes served in his Lower East Side restaurant Kuma Inn has passed away. He suffered from a rare amoeba infection, according to a Gofundme piece written by his brother-in-law Eddie Nau. “King was admitted to NYU hospital with inflammation to the brain among other symptoms, including […]
The death of Victor Malabayabas on August 20 at the hands of an unidentified robber has once again incensed the Filipino American community as well as Americans who believe military veterans deserve better. Malabayabas, 60, was busy bringing groceries into his home in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore when the unknown assailant approached him to ask […]
The FilAm Editorial That is not a knock-down on Fidel V. Ramos. Neither is it fulsome praise. Ramos bent like a reed, adjusting his positions during his lifetime of being an army general-turned-politician. He finally served as president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He defected and dumped his cousin, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., at […]
By Joel David There will always be ambivalence surrounding the Filipino word for performer: artista. The word it suggests in English is in many ways opposed to the notion of an artist, standing apart from issues of popularity and financial success. This is why the first film star recognized as National Artist, Nora Aunor, underwent […]
By Joel David Susan Roces’s recent passing made me realize at first how she could have been a star in Philippine politics as well, as the best First Lady and First Mother we never had. I’d voted for her late husband, actor-producer and National Artist Fernando Poe Jr., and later for her daughter, Grace Poe, […]
Celestino Gonzales Almeda passed away peacefully on March 27 surrounded by his family in Rockville, Maryland. He was 104. He was the first recipient of the Filipino WWII Veterans’ U.S. Congressional Gold Medal presented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives in a historic ceremony in October 2017 under the Capitol dome. “It was […]
By Rowena Cruz I love this picture of my mother. This was taken in February 1977 as she boarded a Korean Air Lines flight from Manila to San Francisco. She left behind her husband and three young children in the Philippines to build a life for us in this country. She worked hard, saved, and […]