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Lying, passing, hiding: An undocumented immigrant’s life
By Cristina DC Pastor Pulitzer Award-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas remembers writing his first book –“not a memoir” – as he was kicked out of his ‘Frazier-style’ loft in downtown L.A. shortly after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. The building manager warned him that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) might show up in […]
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Ann Constantino Beck: Forest Hills mom is an Uber driver
By Cristina DC Pastor Two years ago when her husband was laid off, aspiring artist Ann Constantino Beck was thrust – literally — into the driver’s seat. She became an Uber driver, and for several months, was the family’s breadwinner. Ann is among the 14 percent of women across the country who drive for the […]
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Nicole Ponseca publishes a cookbook, her ‘manifesto of identity’
By Cristina DC Pastor “I Am a Filipino” is best remembered as Carlos P. Romulo’s patriotic anthem. Where I went to school back in the day, we were required to memorize it and declaim it in front of the class, complete with knowing when to pause and when to enunciate the dramatic phrases. More than […]
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Joshua Ang Price: An Asian in Arkansas
Joshua’s mother Teresita Acervo Ang grew up in Roxas City, Capiz and attended Philippine Women’s University in Manila, where she studied nursing. The Philippines was then under President Marcos’ martial law. While working at Makati Medical Center, Teresita saw tanks and soldiers patrolling the streets. A 9 p.m. curfew was strictly enforced, and there were […]
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Joyce Pring and the father she never knew
By Cristina DC Pastor Joe Pring, the legendary police officer with a mercurial track record as law enforcer, was assassinated in 1994 while driving to work. While Pring was known to be tough on crime, his name was later linked to shady kidnap-for-ransom of wealthy Chinese families. A biographical movie, starring Philip Salvador, was made […]
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Rep. Gary Alejano voices doubt Imelda will go to jail
By Cristina Dc Pastor Rep. Gary Alejano said Imelda Marcos should be “held accountable” for corruption based on a ruling handed down by the anti-graft Sandiganbayan. He also expressed skepticism Marcos would go to jail because the Philippine court system is notorious for frivolous delaying tactics by lawyers of prominent people. “I don’t think she […]
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Consulate’s night of poetry honors Jose Garcia Villa
“First, a poem must be magical, Then musical as a seagull. It must be a brightness moving And hold secret a bird’s flowering It must be slender as a bell, And it must hold fire as well.” — First, A Poem Must Be Magical And so it was that Consul General Claro Cristobal recited one […]
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246 passengers join PAL’s historic inaugural direct flight to Manila
By Cristina DC Pastor Consul General Claro Cristobal is not a layover kind of guy. A diplomat who has lived out of suitcases, he knows what he wants in his airport and airline. “I don’t like stopovers,” he declared before an audience of travel executives, community leaders, and journalists who attended the recent launch of […]
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Leonard Co: A fashion style called ‘more and more’
By Cristina DC Pastor A couple of years ago, I attended a birthday party where the celebrant — wearing a soft pink gown richly beaded and layered with lace – was giddy on the dance floor. “That’s a Leonard Co,” a guest whispered to my ear. “$3K.” All I could say was, “Wow!” From that […]