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‘It’s not a curse,’ declare parents of progeria siblings
By Cristina DC Pastor Siblings Jeshaiah and Nezha Agbayani are like any other children. They love music and play with other kids their age. Unlike most kids, however, they get stared at and attract unwelcome attention because of a genetic disorder called progeria. Jeshaiah, who is 10, looks like a 70-year-old. He is an honor […]
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The FilAm is now a print newsmagazine!
By Cristina DC Pastor & Rene Pastor On our 7th anniversary as an online magazine, The FilAm has decided to go into print. There seems to be a dash of irony in this venture. Most publications are diving headlong into digital publication. We are heading in the opposite direction, while still keeping TheFilAm.net. The reason […]
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A new ConGen for New York
By Cristina DC Pastor Before the month is over, a new Consul General for New York will likely be taking over. Or it could also be that one of the two sitting consuls – Kerwin Tate or Arman Talbo — is installed in an interim capacity before the actual ConGen assumes office. Whatever the circumstances, […]
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Postcard from the Pines: Revisiting Baguio after 35 years
By Rene Pastor BAGUIO – It was past five in the morning when I found myself waiting at that ungodly hour for the first-class bus to Baguio. It has been 35 years since I last visited the city, zigzagging up Kennon Road on a Dagupan Bus that had its windows open as it swerved up […]
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NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson gives assurance of continued protection of immigrants
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, in his first formal press briefing with members of the community and ethnic media in the city, cited “daunting” statistics about homelessness and poverty and noted that four in 10 New Yorkers are living at or near the poverty line. In a city that is “superficially doing so well,” with […]
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Consul General bids goodbye, urges community to support each other
By Cristina DC Pastor Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega is a rare-breed diplomat. Actually, extraordinary, if one were to consider how she has been “borrowed” by Manila and “asked to help” senior officials as they ease into their jobs. She is a walking Official Gazette, knows all the Republic Acts from memory, she is pleasant, […]
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Ruffy Ronas: Here’s looking at you, Staten Island
By Cristina DC Pastor Before I got to know him, freelance photographer Ruffy Ronas was just another face in the crowd. He is always ready with a smile, a tap on the shoulder, a polite hug. Because of his height and soldier’s chest he stands out. With his James Stewart haircut, he appears like someone […]
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Outpouring of love for ‘Honorary Filipina’ Ruthie Ann Miles whose daughter dies in car accident
The FilAm Broadway community expressed an outpouring of love and support for Tony Award-winning actress Ruthie Ann Miles who played Imelda Marcos in the rock musical “Here Lies Love.” Tony awardee Lea Salonga writes on Facebook, “Please help however you can,” following reports that a pregnant Miles and her young daughter were hit by a […]
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Songwriter Bobby Lopez wins 2nd Oscars, makes EGOT history
Songwriter Robert ‘Bobby’ Lopez, whose father is Filipino American, is the first individual in musical history to win two Emmys, two Grammys, two Oscars, and two Tonys – a double EGOT awardee at the young age of 43. Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson recently won the Oscars Best Original Song for “Remember Me” from […]