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Ambassador Mario de Leon Jr.: In retirement, a life of contradictions
By Cristina DC Pastor At Starbucks on Fifth Avenue where we met for this interview, the barista called out, “Mario!” I smiled at Ambassador Mario de Leon Jr. – formerly Consul General in New York – as he got his chai tea, teased him about his now untitled life. Truth is, he confessed, as we […]
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NYC nannies, caregivers are mostly women of color; number of Asians growing
“Lifting up Paid Care Work: Year One of New York City’s Paid Care Division” was issued this month by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. The report examines the conditions of the city’s more than 202,000 domestic workers — home care aides, house cleaners, and nannies – also known as ‘paid care workers.’ […]
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Embassy officer Ivan Gonzales: A desire to transform the Philippine economy
By Wendell Gaa Believe it or not, contributing to the economic development of the Philippines was an aspiration Ivan Gonzales had since he was 4 years old. Today, he is making that dream a solid reality working for the Economic Section of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. The son of writer P.J. Gonzales of […]
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NYC is nearly 40% foreign-born highest in over a century: MOIA report
NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) issued its first-ever annual report, and states that for the first time in over a century “nearly 40 percent of our residents are foreign born.” “New York City is proud to be the ultimate city of immigrants,” said Acting Commissioner Bitta Mostofi in the 37-page report. The report […]
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A new ConGen for New York
By Cristina DC Pastor Before the month is over, a new Consul General for New York will likely be taking over. Or it could also be that one of the two sitting consuls – Kerwin Tate or Arman Talbo — is installed in an interim capacity before the actual ConGen assumes office. Whatever the circumstances, […]
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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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Consul General bids goodbye, urges community to support each other
By Cristina DC Pastor Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega is a rare-breed diplomat. Actually, extraordinary, if one were to consider how she has been “borrowed” by Manila and “asked to help” senior officials as they ease into their jobs. She is a walking Official Gazette, knows all the Republic Acts from memory, she is pleasant, […]
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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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Bipartisan bill seeks to expand coverage of veterans compensation
U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, introduced on February 15 the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2018. February 18 marks 72 years since Rescission Act stripped benefits promised to Filipino veterans. The bipartisan legislation would restore the U.S. government’s promise […]