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How an authoritarian Duterte will likely succeed where Marcos did not
By Rene Pastor A lot of people compare Rodrigo Duterte to Ferdinand Marcos. That may be a bit off because Duterte could well succeed where Marcos failed so spectacularly. The authoritarian idea or thesis is popular in Southeast Asia. If you have a government that runs roughshod over human rights and civil society, but delivers […]
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Ea Torrado choreographs loss, grief, and healing
Playing Sisa at the Lopez Museum in 2014. Inspired by the ‘loss of identity of mothers and the Motherland.’ By Cristina DC Pastor How many stages of grief are we allowed to have? Four? Seven? In Ea Marie Torrado’s 32 years, the grieving came in waves and stages: The father she knew nothing about, her […]
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New PHL ambassador arrives in D.C., writes of PHL-U.S. ties and friendship with Chuck Norris
After a long wait, the Philippines’s new ambassador to the U.S. was finally introduced to government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and business community leaders at a reception held on December 7 at the Philippine Embassy’s Chancery Annex building. Jose Manuel del Gallego Romualdez — known by his nickname Babe – is a journalist, […]
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Majority of Asian Americans on East Coast disapprove of Trump performance
According to a nonpartisan exit poll of 2,538 Asian American voters in the 2017 elections, Asian Americans strongly supported Democratic candidates in four states — Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York — with 3 out of 5 voters disapproving of Donald Trump’s performance as president. The multilingual exit poll was conducted by the Asian […]
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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 […]