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Why FilAms don’t donate to political campaigns and what can be done to change that
By Cristina DC Pastor Salvador ‘Buddy’ Deauna is some kind of an accidental politician. His entry into politics was by a stroke of luck; his triumph, he believes, by the grace of God. Deauna was easily elected councilman of Bergenfield, New Jersey in 2016; he was 70 years old. The city boasts 20 percent Filipinos […]
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Acting Solicitor General Noel Francisco, son of a Filipino doctor, described as ‘disciplined’ and an ‘outstanding musician’
By Cristina DC Pastor If all goes well in the confirmation hearings, the next Solicitor General of the United States will be a prominent Filipino American lawyer who clerked for the late conservative firebrand, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Noel John Francisco of Oswego, New York, is reported to be Donald Trump’s choice to be […]
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Fake website, genuine friendship
By Cristina DC Pastor “Gary Abasolo for Jersey City Mayor.” @abasoloformayor. Founded June 2014. Dedicated to Jersey City’s favorite son. 156 Likes. Nothing about this Facebook page strikes the reader as amiss. But if you’re from Jersey City, you know that lawyer Gary Abasolo, 47, was never a candidate for mayor. Not in 2014 when […]
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Donald Trump and the courts: Are checks-and-balances working?
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Hearing from Colorado Judge Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court pick of the 45th U.S. president is sober reality amid those sectors of the populace who have been keeping tab on the White House’s very recent executive orders. The Gorsuch commentary that the president’s criticism of independent judges is “demoralizing” and […]
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Duterte invites Donald Trump to ASEAN’s 50th anniversary
By Cristina DC Pastor President Rodrigo Duterte has invited Donald Trump to attend ASEAN’s 50th year anniversary which Manila is hosting this year. This was disclosed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano following a meeting with newly confirmed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson where he “communicated a message from back home.” “I reiterated the invitation to […]
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FilAms urge Duterte to ‘lift a finger,’ help immigrants facing deportation
By Cristina DC Pastor Gnawing fear over Donald Trump’s threat of massive deportations has thrown the immigrant community into panic as Filipinos criticize President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent insensitivity toward those in danger of being removed from the U.S. Duterte has urged undocumented Filipino immigrants to “better be on the right track” or “get out” because […]
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‘PHL-U.S. relationship is 2-way street; we can’t always be the nice guy’ — Chuasoto (Part 2)
By Cristina DC Pastor The FilAm (TF): Is Marciano Paynor no longer in the running for the Ambassador position? Patrick Chuasoto (PC): I’m not sure. TF: Is President Duterte coming to the U.S. for a state visit? PC: Put it this way, in my almost 19 years in the foreign service, anything can happen. At […]
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PHL Embassy Minister Patrick Chuasoto: Waiting for the Ambassador (Part 1)
UPDATE: For more than a year now, the government of Rodrigo Duterte has not named an ambassador to the United States. Minister Patrick Chuasoto has assumed the position of Chargé d’Affaires. Finally, on July 27, 2017 Malacanang announced the nomination of Jose Manuel ‘Babe’ Romualdez as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the U.S. When he […]
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‘Nasty’ Filipinas join Jan 21 Women’s March: ‘It felt like Edsa’
By Cristina DC Pastor Thousands of Filipina Americans struck back in spades and joined millions of women in the U.S. and around the world in calling on the new government to respect issues of gender equality, women’s choice, and immigration. “It is important to me to be there because I love my daughters, admire my […]