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Friends of Rene Ballenas ‘shocked’ over burglary charges
Close friends of Rene Ballenas were stunned over allegations the community leader was arrested for stealing $7,000 worth of goods from a cancer charity organization in Manhattan. “Beyond shocked,” said a friend who campaigned for Ballenas when he ran for the presidency of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc., which organizes the annual Philippine Day […]
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‘The FilAm’ honored with 2 Plaridel awards
‘The FilAm’ won two Plaridel awards for outstanding journalists in the Filipino American media in a ceremony held October 4 at South San Francisco. Contributing writer Laurel Fantauzzo won first prize in the Youth Voice category for her essay “In the Motherland: Thank you, Manila.” The article is part of a series written when she […]
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Bloomberg lauds Filipinos’ ‘hard work, dedication’ as city celebrates history month
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared October as Filipino American History Month in New York City. The proclamation was unveiled at an October 3 celebration of History Month by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). October has always been observed FilAm history month since 1982 to commemorate the first Filipinos who landed in Morro Bay, […]
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They know you as Tita Bing…
By Anne Branigin They know your generosity, your energy, the swell of your laugh. They may know, as I do, that you have no “inside voice” when you’re on the phone (So few Filipinos do. Like, no matter how technology progresses, no matter how hi-def shit gets, you’ve got to compensate for the miles between […]
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Aung San Suu Kyi tells Burmese Americans: First, ask yourselves why you want to help your homeland
By Ryan Gajudo Macasero SAN FRANCISCO — I had forgotten to eat breakfast out of my own excitement and experienced some stomach pains as I anticipated my heroine’s arrival. Determined to witness this historic occasion, I ignored my own discomfort. There she was from a far distance – Aung San Suu Kyi, or ‘The Lady,’ […]
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Respect, sibling rivalry and a pair of sneakers in ‘Kuya Ko’
A short film about respect, two Filipino brothers and a pair of sneakers will be shown October 20 at the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center in Woodside, Queens. Written and directed by emerging filmmaker Dean Banting, the film was his senior thesis at The City College of New York in June 2011. “Kuya Ko” — “My […]
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Milagros Beltran Mendez, 61
By Elton Lugay Mila Mendez died of cardiac arrest September 29, at 2:09 a.m. at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, after a long illness, her husband Fernando told The FilAm. She was the driving force behind the 14-year Philippine Fiesta in America held annually at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New […]
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Three Filipina filmmakers at work on sneakerheads comedy
“Hypebeasts,” a movie about a Filipino collector of first edition, top-of-the-line sneakers, is a thesis project by NYU film student Jess dela Merced. Gigi Dement of the Oscar-winning short film “God of Love” and Marissa Aroy, who received an Emmy for the documentary “Sikhs in America,” are co-producing the film. With touches of comedy, “Hypebeasts” […]
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San Lorenzo choir celebrates 5th with concert
The San Lorenzo Ruiz Choir of New York is celebrating its fifth anniversary as an organization that aims to enrich Christian faith and Philippine culture through music. This occasion coincides with the 25th year of the sainthood of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, after whom the choir is named. To commemorate these occasions, the choir […]