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Raised a Pinay: Growing up under three Filipinas
By Rachel Walt The house was filled with the familiar aromas of a party, including the mouthwatering scents of fresh fried lumpia and the pepper and bay leaves of chicken and pork adobo. Outside, the air hazed with savory smoke from barbeque smeared in banana ketchup. All around the small property, laughter and music pierced […]
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Mother fights City Hall for air-conditioned buses for special-needs children
By Cheryl Ocampo My daughter Zariah, like thousands of children with disabilities, attends the summer school program of District 75 in New York City Public Schools. Each year for the past five years since my daughter has been in grade school, I have filed numerous complaints with the New York City Department of Education, Office […]
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My hope is for Father’s Day to be well-remembered as well
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not that far apart, chronologically so. The former falls in May; the latter in June. Yet, as far as their celebrations go, the two milestones seem worlds apart. When I first came to these shores in the very early sixties, I was struck by […]
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Reacting to Gabrielle Molina’s suicide, Jersey teen takes comfort in being close to family, Filipino heritage
By Megan Villarin I find it really sad and sickening to see how far harassment can go. Just because Gabrielle Molina was different — whether religious, cultural or overall appearance, we don’t know — these people bullied her to the point where she could not bear to live anymore. This shows the power of technology. […]
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On Memorial Day, missing my dad and reflecting on what service to country means
By Leslie Ferrer Espinosa I should have brought more tissues. I sat down and watched the presentation of colors, and that was a moment to take in. Two giant flags, one of the United States and one of the Philippines, stand aloft at the American Military Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio in Makati. I can’t describe […]
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Grace Poe and the social stigma of Philippine adoptions
By Cristina DC Pastor Along with assuming the role of legislator, newly-minted Senator Grace Poe appears to have one other abiding obligation: to change Filipinos’ attitude towards adopted children. At least that’s what I’d like to see. Grace is the adopted daughter of screen royalty Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces. This novice politician won […]
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How Mama reinvented herself in America (Part 2)
By Randy Gener Eventually times got harder. It became more difficult to find work in the Philippines. Cleo had no choice but to disappear for longer periods of time. One reason she felt compelled to come to America was that in the late 1970s, she had conducted a long search for her U.S. father via […]
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A song for my mother (Part 1)
By Randy Gener It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Sitting in my studio, my mom, Cleo, asked me to hold out my palm. Suddenly interested in my lifeline, she wanted to tell me something good about my future. “You will have a long life,” Mama said, “but you have to be careful about money. […]
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Jose Antonio Vargas attempts to define relationship with his mother
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9IzsuscX18&feature=em-share_video_user Here’s a teaser of Jose’s film “Documented.” By Cristina DC Pastor “I haven’t seen my mom in 20 years. I don’t know how to talk about that. It’s too painful to talk about her.” In a free-wheeling discussion with Filipino journalists in April, Jose Antonio Vargas spoke about the woman who gave him up […]