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The legend called Digong
By Cristina DC Pastor TAGUM City, Davao del Norte — At the rambling Hijo Resorts in this city dotted with graceful coconut trees, Rodrigo Duterte used to frequent the firing range every Sunday before he became president of the Philippines. He would fire a few shots, usually with his best friend, relax a bit before […]
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With Trump set to meet Duterte, FilAms examine ‘war on drugs’
By Mariel Padilla Early this year a group of progressive Filipino Americans angry with the presidency of Donald Trump announced a campaign called “Unite Against Fascism.” But this past September they expanded the campaign to include the president of their homeland, Rodrigo Duterte. Many FilAms, like other immigrant groups, feel under siege by the policies […]
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Filipino veterans receive Congressional Gold Medal
“I have waited along with my Filipino and American soldiers for this moment to come.” With these words, World War II veteran Celestino Almeda, 100, received a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the services of Filipino veterans of World War II. Almeda, who lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, traveled to Washington D.C. for the October 25 ceremony […]
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Rodrigo Duterte will declare martial law next year: journalist
By Cristina DC Pastor President Rodrigo Duterte is methodically laying the groundwork for one-man rule next year, an influential journalist said in New York on October 20. “Duterte is not yet a dictator, but he is moving in that direction,” said investigative journalist Raissa Robles who is in the U.S. to promote her third book, […]
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Photojournalists torn by trauma, guilt from covering Duterte war on drugs
By Cristina DC Pastor Exposure to bullet-riddled and tortured bodies has overwhelmed photojournalists who have covered Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, describing the trauma as similar to PTSD. Pulitzer Award-winning Daniel Berehulak, who contributes to The New York Times, and freelance photographer Raffy Lerma, previously with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, spoke about the stress of […]
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Cayetano meets with Filipino American SolGen Noel Francisco: ‘Deep friendship’
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano met with U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco on September 28 in Washington D.C., according to a statement from the Philippine Embassy. Francisco, the highest ranking Filipino American in the Trump Administration, was raised in Oswego, New York by an American mother, Therese, and a Filipino father, Nemesio, who is […]
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Former ConGen dedicates Gawad Mabini award to Filipinos in Northeast
Months after his retirement from the Foreign Service, former Consul General to New York Mario De Leon, Jr. was awarded the Gawad Mabini Dakilang Kamanong (Grand Cross) by President Rodrigo Duterte at a ceremony in Malacanang Palace on September 13. De Leon was the Consul General in New York from 2011 to 2016 where one […]
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Cayetano warns war in Korea will affect Filipinos around the world; says PHL can be ‘peacemaker’
By Cristina DC Pastor Visiting Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano warned of the consequences of war breaking out in the Korean peninsula, saying it will affect the lives of the 10 million Filipinos working outside the country. “The reality is that the Korean peninsula situation is putting everybody at risk. With 10 million Filipinos […]
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Trade secretary says PHL economy is looking good, ‘DuterteNomics’ paves the way
By Cristina DC Pastor Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez touted ‘DuterteNomics’ in a swing through New York saying it offers “real solutions to poverty” that still plagues millions of Filipinos. DuterteNomics is the government’s way of making it easy for investors to do business in the Philippines. “It will reduce inequality, increase competitiveness of […]