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Miguel Braganza mugged at gunpoint on same day his ‘Sandiwa’ show opened
By Cristina DC Pastor Theater actor, director and “Miss Saigon” alum Miguel Braganza was attacked outside his apartment on August 7, the same day his “Sandiwa: A journey of song and dance” concert opened at the Philippine Center. “I was mugged at gunpoint, and I was hit with a gun,” Braganza said when contacted by […]
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2020 Census highlights nation’s racial diversity
The U.S. Census Bureau released on August 12 additional 2020 Census results showing an increase in the population of U.S. metro areas compared to a decade ago. In addition, these once-a-decade results showed the nation’s diversity in how people identify their race and ethnicity. “We are excited to reach this milestone of delivering the first detailed statistics […]
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Teacher Ronie Mataquel: Back to school with excitement, dread
By Mayette Geraldino & Cristina DC Pastor Consider Ronie Mataquel one of the thousands of public school teachers excited to return to work a year after the global pandemic put a pause on New York City life. Ronie, a Math teacher at John Bowne High School in Queens, is one of nearly 75,000 public school […]
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Home cook fan fave with 45M views on YouTube wins Top Chef Amateurs
By Loida Nicolas Lewis Lorenzo L. Beronilla landed his Epicurious 4 Levels Series on YouTube almost like a fluke. But on second thought, he felt, “It is fate. I was at the right place at the right time.” A friend referred him to an Epicurious cooking pilot series on YouTube. They liked what they saw and […]
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Hattusa, Turkey: Ancient capital of the Hittite Empire
By Wendell Gaa International traveling is still a pretty contentious matter nowadays for obvious reasons related to the ongoing global pandemic. But when the right time comes for you to visit exotic destinations, one historic site that I highly recommend is Hattusa, the ancient capital city of the Hittite Empire located at the very center […]
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When Simone Biles said ‘yes to the dress’ of FilAm fashion designer
By Cristina DC Pastor When Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics competition for gymnastics, Hollywood fashion designer Alexis Monsanto was one of many who wished her well and cheered her on. Biles was one of Monsantos’s favorite clients. He saw “the first female African-American all-around world champion” up close and understood what she may have […]
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Jhett Tolentino debuts as feature film director in ‘Asian Persuasion’
By Cristina DC Pastor “Asian Persuasion” is the complicated story of Mickey and Avery, a newly-divorced couple. It is also the story of a creative collaboration between a theater impresario and a liquor entrepreneur on a comedic crime story that involves a nutty plot, a romance gone wrong, and catfishing. Theater producer Jhett Tolentino has […]
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Goodnight, Irene
By Lindy Rosales Makeup and hair stylist Irene Zapanta passed away on July 20 after a long bout with cancer. More than a beautician, she was, to people who knew her, a woman of “class and elegance,” a trusted confidante, a friend to everyone. ‘Everyone’ meant the prominent community personalities whose hair she had fashioned, […]
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Cielo Franklin: A Tagalog teacher in Perth
By Vicky Potenciano-Vitug Japan, where she met her future husband, will always occupy an endearing spot in Cielo Franklin’s heart. But it was in Australia where she discovered she could be anything she wanted to be. A computer programmer, she founded the Tagalog School of Perth in 2013, the first cultural school of its kind […]