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‘I saw the second plane slam into the south tower’
By R Sonny Sampayan-Sampayan I had just retired after 22 years in the United States Air Force and decided to move to New York City. I was drawn to the city lights, Central Park, Times Square, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge, and the many tall buildings like the Empire State building and the Twin Towers. Ten […]
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Celebrating the lives lost in 9/11
By Cristina DC Pastor Nenita Grijalvo walked up the stage and began to wipe a tear even before she could utter a word. “9/11 is the day that changed our lives forever,” began the widow of Ramon Grijalvo, the devoted Ilonggo husband who worked as a computer analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield, which occupied […]
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‘The terror plan backfired; we Americans got closer’
By JV Tuazon It was the summer of 2001. I was a year fresh out of college and had just embarked on my path towards a doctorate degree — but those achievements would be overshadowed by the dark clouds that literally loomed ahead. That summer, I worked part time at New York Sports Club on […]
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‘9/11 was the scariest, darkest moment’
By Cristina DC Pastor Ten years after 9/11, FilAms look back on that day recalling the confusion, the disbelief, and the fear. Those emotions resurface — along with the smell and taste of a petrified New York — as they talk about the “worst day” of their lives. Ryan Songalia, boxing journalist I was 14 […]
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The immigration poster and our ‘unharmonized’ identity
By Steven Raga From Woodside to Chelsea, Jamaica to the Upper East Side, we find this advertisement seeping into all sections of New York City. It’s a transit poster of a young Filipina with the words “Born in the Philippines – Proud American. Now I am an important part of my community.” One can’t help […]
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IN THE MOTHERLAND: Fighting to plant the Roots of Reproductive Health in Palawan
By Laurel Fantauzzo Women here have ways of coping. They drink laundry detergent. They jump from trees, belly first. They impale themselves with probing metal rods. If they make it to a hospital, health workers may write one large word on their charts—ABORTION—and let them bleed into the mattress. Some women try to stop the […]
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The ‘masa’s’ budding revolution: The view from Washington
By Daniel de la Rosa The best counterinsurgency weapon the Philippine government has is sending people away. That astute insight was contained in one of the thousands of WikiLeaks cables recently released to the media. This particular cable tells a tale of unintended consequences. A report compiled by the U.S. embassy – likely put together […]
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No apologies
By A. Mabini A year ago, a former police officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was accused of corruption and consequently dismissed by his superiors. In a hopeless bid for reinstatement, the desperate individual held his ground, denied the allegations and attempted to regain his integrity by holding a tourist bus and its passengers […]
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The shortsightedness of the Pilipino
By A. Mabini When I head back to the Philippines sometime in the upcoming year, I am almost certain that I will hear of another grade school friend trading Davao City for a foreign destination. The delivery of the news commonly contains a mixture of happiness and a jealous tone by the storyteller. I think […]