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‘Going our own ways:’ A family made whole again by divorce
By Elena Velez It all took place in downtown Jersey City at St. Mary’s Church. That’s where Maria Almadin and Edwin Velez met. The two were madly in love for a while. Two years later, on December 17, 1994, the couple became one and showed their love for one another. In 1996, they had their […]
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Lorna Schofield takes oath, becomes first FilAm Article III U.S. federal court judge
By Rio Guerrero The investiture of Lorna G. Schofield took place on March 28th, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), in its ceremonial court room on the ninth floor at 500 Pearl Street in Manhattan. Present were Lorna’s partner Stephan Landsman, and her daughter, as well as over […]
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‘I’m gay, I’m undocumented, I’m done coming out’ (Part 2)
On how he handles criticisms: I’m a trained writer so I’ve developed a thick skin. Thankfully, that prepared me for all the criticisms that come my way every day. Some of it is constructive, a lot of it is projection. People are just projecting anger, frustration, some jealousy. And I have no control over that. […]
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Jose Antonio Vargas: ‘If you think I’m not Filipino that’s your problem, that’s not mine’
By Cristina DC Pastor Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas did not enter the Pan de Sal bake shop for the March 29 Kapihan forum of the Filipino American Press Club of New York. He bounced into it. A cup of coffee in one hand and two thin books under his arm, […]
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16-year-old inspired by Jose Antonio Vargas asks, ‘Why must people hide’?
By Elena Velez Jose Antonio Vargas is an undocumented immigrant who has lived in the United States since he was very young. He didn’t necessarily choose this life. His mother just wanted a better future for him. He went all through high school and college without anyone knowing about his status, until he came out […]
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When the undocumented immigrant is a friend
By Cristina DC Pastor She had not emailed in a while. Two weeks and counting. When you’re 24/7 friends with someone, a day’s silence is a long time. On Monday, she had written she would be taking care of family business in California and would be back in time for a lunch date we kept […]
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Maynilad CEO gushes about water ‘renaissance’ in the PH
By Cristina DC Pastor President and CEO Ricky Vargas was at the Philippine Center last week to talk about the “renaissance” that is the Maynilad Water Services, Inc. He was a guest speaker of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce’s “Conversation with leaders,” where business executives discuss the growth of their companies. Maynilad was one of […]
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Visita Iglesia goes on walking tour of 7 Manhattan churches
The forecast for March 28 is breezy with possibly an afternoon shower. For many of us who grew up doing the Visita Iglesia in the sweltering heat of Manila, this kind of weather breaks the mold. The Catholic Fellowship of Young Filipino Professionals is inviting Filipinos in the New York Tri-State to join in the […]
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Rizal the man, the hero, the contradictions
By Cristina DC Pastor For the longest time, the intense debate over Jose Rizal’s worth as a national hero has divided Filipino scholars, pundits and regular folks. Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s 1998 “Rizal” biopic sought to examine if Jose Rizal was indeed a true nationalist deserving of the country’s reverence, or was simply the stereotypical “good […]