-
How life in the White House killed Dr. Connie’s marriage
By Maricar CP Hampton In her book “The White House Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents: A Memoir” Dr. Connie Mariano writes about how the journey has been from being the daughter of a Navy Steward to being the first Filipino Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy. And then there’s being the physician to two American […]
-
‘Ice is good’
By Cristina DC Pastor As New York rolls out the wedding carpet to same-sex couples on July 24, Tim David looked back on his own civil ceremony to then fiancé Brian Mancuso two years earlier. The pair wed in 2009 in Connecticut with only four people in attendance: three friends and Brian’s mother. Tim’s Filipino […]
-
Tito Onching and me
By Tony Joaquin When Mama was carrying me in her womb, Tito Onching was asked by my father, Ping, to stay with her and keep her company especially in the evenings when Papa played piano as a jazz musician at stage shows around Manila at the time. That would be the beginning of Nick Joaquin’s involvement […]
-
The maid and other women like her: A Filipina immigrant perspective
By Cristina DC Pastor Feet in Two Worlds Humping the help, let me say, is not just a Sacramento, CA phenomenon. In the Philippines, where I come from, it is not unusual for the head of the household to help himself to a servant. When the wife finds out, the maid is often kicked out […]
-
Mom put a gun in my hand and told me to ‘shoot’
By Rene Pastor She had a gamin face in a lithe body that moved with the grace of a cat. She loved to dress up in slinky boots that emphasized her curves. My mom is, as my wife would quip, “hot.” She knew she was sexy and would flaunt it. This would infuriate my dad’s […]
-
‘At the lowest points in my life, mother was always there’
By Baltazar Pinguel During the past five years or so, it has been my practice to make sure that by May Day, I would have mailed my Mother’s Day card to the Philippines. I did this to be sure that my mother, Fortunata Alido Pinguel, received it in time for the occasion. As an only […]
-
Remembering Mama and her legacy of music
By Ludy A. Ongkeko Ph.D. Florists the world over will attest to the fact that their business flourishes best on Mother’s Day, year after year, as long as night becomes day and vice-versa. There are myriads of reasons why we return to memories of our mothers. When we were growing up, most people would trace […]
-
9/11 families to regroup, reminisce on 10th anniversary
Count the families of Ma. Theresa Santillan and Judy Santillan Fernandez among the ranks of the still-grieving. Cousins Maritess and Judy of New Jersey were among the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who died in 9/11. Both were 27, Rutgers grads and living New York life to the fullest. “They were very close,” said Maritess’ father […]
-
‘I was called Negro; people didn’t know what Filipino was’
By Cristina DC Pastor Artist Maria Watts, who grew up in Wayne, West Virginia, is making a film about finding her identity within a biracial family. TF: Tell me about your film. MW: I’m gathering interviews from my mother, my father, my two brothers and sister. I want to ask them questions about how it […]