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Lumen Castaneda: Founder of UNIFFIED was ‘forced’ to be a teacher
By Cristina DC Pastor Paraluman Castaneda – Tita Lumen to many in the Filipino American community – is one year shy of 90. When she looks at people around her, she mutters to herself with a chuckle, “Seems to me I’m the oldest.” Reflecting on nearly nine decades of her life, she looked back on […]
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‘Granny Prostitutes:’ Sex workers and the stigma of aging
By Cristina DC Pastor “Granny Prostitutes” – titled “Lola Magdalena” in the Philippines – is the story of five maturing sex workers who live together in an old ‘bahay sa tisa,’ inherited by Bela (played Liza Lorena) from her deceased paramour. The semi-retired prostitutes also include Dalena (played by Gloria Diaz), Luningning (Pia Moran), Corazon […]
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Connecticut organizations donate backpacks to indigenous Aeta children
For the past 11 years, the Aeta Ministry founded by educator Luzviminda Rivero-Bradley of Wallingford, Connecticut, has provided backpacks full of school supplies to the indigenous children from the mountainous areas in Zambales, Philippines. She has been engaged in this effort with the help of Philippine Frontier Missionaries. This year, the backpacks were donated by […]
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More than 10 million gig workers earn less than $7 per hour: analyst
By Sunita Sohrabji More than 10 million workers in the U.S. are in the gig economy, driving for ride-share apps or meal delivery services. Such workers, according to Dr. Michael Reich, professor of Economics and chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the […]
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I LOVE MY JOB: Computer refurbisher Richard Reyes: Computer CPR one machine at a time
By Cristina DC Pastor About 20 years ago, Richard Reyes would scour recycling centers for discarded computers he could bring back to life. The reason for his rescue mission? To save computers from going to landfills or to send them to the Philippines to be used by rural schoolchildren. As recycling centers have been more […]
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NYAFF opens July 12 with Philippine film ‘Granny Prostitutes’ et al in lineup
This year’s New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), from July 12–22, features more than 90 new and classic titles from China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and beyond, with nine world premieres, 12 international premieres, and 38 North American premieres. The Philippines will be represented by the […]
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A truly communal, egalitarian society in Çatalhöyük
By Wendell Gaa Together with my colleagues from the Philippine Embassy in Türkiye, we can now lay claim to having visited the oldest known archaeological human settlement in the world at Çatalhöyük (pronounced cha-tal-HOO-yuhk), located about three hours south of the Turkish capital of Ankara. Joining us on our road trip down to the city […]
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Filipino community welcomes, lauds Women & Media Café
By Marivir Montebon Fierce and compelling narratives woven with beautiful songs in the diaspora depicted the coming-out of Women & Media (WAM) Café as a shared platform for women and media in New York. Many in attendance loved the unique cultural presentation. Dr. Connie Uy, retired medical doctor and former board chair of the Philippine […]
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Journalist Rose Tibayan succumbs to cancer
Television journalist Rose Tibayan passed away on June 20 following a “courageous 14-month-long cancer fight,” according to the Furlong Funeral Chapel in Galena, Illinois. Her most recent position was director of Public Affairs for the City of Chicago’s Department of Budget, Management, and Finance under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. She was looking forward to working […]