By Cristina DC Pastor The Supreme Court of the State of New York dismissed on May 29 the case against PIDCI, a decision that was received with muted rejoicing by officers of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. during their recent community meeting. While the decision of Justice Barbara Jaffe appeared to be a victory […]
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. On May 18th, eight students and two teachers from Santa Fe High School in Texas lost their lives to gun violence. The shooter was identified as 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis. This article is not so much about the shooting. Instead, it tells the story of J.J. Watt, Houston Texans’ football […]
By Cristina DC Pastor The appointment in April of Aries Dela Cruz as Manhattan Regional Representative for Governor Andrew Cuomo was both good and bad news for the Filipino community of New York City. Bad, because he had to step down as president of the emerging Filipino American Democratic Club, which he founded in 2016. […]
By Cristina DC Pastor She lived in Forbes Park, was chauffeured to and from Assumption with her Shih-Tzu and bodyguard. Until one day, a suspicious fire razed the family’s transportation business. Everything went up in flames – wealth, security, status, and over time, relationships. Ysabel Potenciano-Cottrell, who was 13 then, remembered distinctly how her family […]
By Ricardo Jorge Caluen On May 12th the Sentro Rizal was inaugurated in Toronto, Canada’s most populous city. The cultural center is located in the Philippine Consulate office on 160 Eglinton Avenue East. In simple ceremonies, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chairman Virgilio Almario and Consul General Rosalita Prospero inked the Memorandum of […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Legend has it that when the old St. Augustine’s Church in Philadelphia had shrunk to a few dozen congregants in late 1980s, it was Dr. Restituto Estacio – armed with a small statue of the Santo Nino — who rallied support from the Filipino community. Today, the church highlights in its […]
By Cristina DC Pastor The June 3 Philippine Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue will start with a 7:30 a.m. flag ceremony followed by a Thanksgiving Mass. At 11 a.m., the street fair opens to welcome the paradegoers. At 12 noon, according to the schedule, the parade gets underway, with dignitaries from the Philippine government, […]
By Lindy Rosales It was a rainy spring day when the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection played host to Renee Salud’s fashion show that presented the indigenous Philippine weaves to the people of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia City Hall courtyard was damp and busy with umbrella-carrying people on their way to the subway. On […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Inspired by the aphorism that “poverty is not a hindrance to success,” entrepreneur Vicente ‘Vince’ Gesmundo on May 18 became the first president of KIDS Philippines, Inc. New York, a local chapter of KPI charity founded two years ago in Connecticut. Vince is joined in the New York board by Annalyn […]