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A hoarder in the family, a collector of fraying memories
By Cristina DC Pastor I’ve been spending a bit of time with my elderly aunt who lives in the Upper West Side. Tita Emma is neighbors with the Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School of Music, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Opera. The Central Park is a hundred or so steps away. She is […]
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Noemy Paet Alvendia, sister and widow
By Cristina DC Pastor How does one deal with a tragedy where both victim and accused come from one family? If you are like Noemy Paet Alvendia, the emotional terrain is fraught with family, community and legal landmines and almost becomes an unnavigable journey. As she mourns the passing of her husband Jeorge, this Jersey […]
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‘I want to be able to tell my grandkids where we came from’
By Joey Tabaco The first time I heard of Singgalot was in a 2008 Yahoogroup email from the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Metropolitan New York Chapter, in which I am a board member, announcing the opening of its tour in Los Angeles. A follow-up message thread from Nestor Enriquez, a FANHS National Trustee […]
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A love letter to a friend
By Laurel Fantauzzo I want to pluck the chill from cold gardenias and place it in your hair. I will be what you want of me—shadows of clock hands, the remaining drop in a coffee spoon. Anything, except cruel. — Hossannah Dear Hossannah, I’m writing this letter to you the week of Valentine’s Day. But […]
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How about caring and humor instead of wine and roses?
By Ludy A. Ongkeko, Ph.D. Long ago and far away, the name “Valentine” or “Valentinus” emerged. That nomenclature started it all. Valentine, a priest known to have helped secret marriages of young couples in Rome during the third century, struck the ire of Emperor Claudius III who outlawed such marriages. That sovereign believed single young […]
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Thank you, more please
By Jean Charisse A. Arboleda Alright, so we have established the fact that I can be slow. I just realized after three years that the failure of my marriage has prepared me for life in the mean, gritty, and unsympathetic New York City. I never would have lasted this long here had I not made […]
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The Pilipina’s infatuation with the White Man
By A. Mabini I shake my head often when I’m walking with my girlfriend at Union Square. After bumping into another Asian woman holding hands with a white man, I turn to her and say, “EC babe.” It is silly to go around the truths about this topic. Jealousy is one of the bases of […]
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Coming out: A blessed Christmas story
By Chevy Evangelista The young political activist was named after “Caddyshack” comic Chevy Chase. Born in the gritty neighborhood of Tondo in Manila, Chevy Evangelista came to the U.S. at age 16. He spoke to The FilAm about growing up queer, being blessed with loving and supportive parents, and recalling his first Christmas in New […]
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Remembering Michelle Nyce
Exactly a year ago on December 5, pharmaceutical CEO Jonathan Nyce was freed after serving more than five years for killing his Filipina wife Michelle Rivera in 2004. He has served his 11.5-year term commuted on good behavior. The court also counted the time he was in prison previous to his sentencing for manslaughter, according […]