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IN THE MOTHERLAND: Some notes to folks who’ve encountered my attempts at Tagalog
By Laurel Fantauzzo To Ate Susan, My First Tagalog Teacher: I’m sorry I said, “Mabaho ang anak mo!” I meant to say your daughter is tall. Instead I said she was stinky. Your daughter is not stinky. Again, I am sorry. To My Very Confused New Filipino Friend: I’m sorry I said, “Ipis ako!”I meant […]
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Act now to SAVE textiles bill: Write your legislators
Consul General Mario de Leon, Jr. is appealing to all Filipino Americans in the northeast to send online petition letters to their senators and representatives to help push for the passage of the Save Our Industries Act (SAVE Act. The petition letters can be accomplished by following these steps: 1. Go to saveourindustriesact.org 2. Click […]
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‘Ice is good’
By Cristina DC Pastor As New York rolls out the wedding carpet to same-sex couples on July 24, Tim David looked back on his own civil ceremony to then fiancé Brian Mancuso two years earlier. The pair wed in 2009 in Connecticut with only four people in attendance: three friends and Brian’s mother. Tim’s Filipino […]
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A month of indie gay films
There’s still time to catch the July-long Filipino Indie Gay Film Festival at the Producers Club Indiehouse Theaters on 358 West 44, two blocks from the 42nd Street subway. The series, which began July 14 with the screening of “Pulupot” (Clingy), will feature the following films: July 21: “Laruang Lalake” (Boytoy aka Censored Dreams) July […]
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Teachers as casualties of immigration fiasco
By Cristina DC Pastor A labor violation by Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools has resulted in an ugly confrontation with the U.S. Department of Labor, and some 800 Filipino teachers being caught in the crossfire. It’s a complicated story that may have begun when the PGCPS was actively recruiting foreign-born teachers. From 2004 to […]
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An office warming in Chelsea
After a decade in the marketing business, Grace Hufano-Labaguis opened on July 15 a Manhattan office for her Essential Consulting Services, LLC. The ‘office warming’ was a gathering of close friends, associates and clients, with Fr. Mike Lagrimas officiating at the blessing. “I’m blessed with great, supportive, thoughtful friends and family,” she said. Among her […]
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So long, Harry
By Daniel de la Rosa Life goes around in a circle, and watching the Harry Potter movies over the last bakers’ dozen years with my daughter brought the saga home for me. I watched the earlier movies with my pre-teen daughter all those years ago, and the trio of main actors were all around the […]
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SOM at 3: An album in progress
By Elton Lugay OPM band Sounds of Manila is celebrating its third anniversary this month with a series of concerts and the start of production for its first album. Known for its repertoire of Original Pilipino Music, the group is thrilled about its work in progress, an album featuring the music of Cecile Azarcon. Azarcon, […]
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Elevating the conversation on immigration — to comedy
Trust Jose Antonio Vargas to elevate the discussion on immigration by bringing it to political humorist Stephen Colbert. From the first question alone, Colbert could not resist lunging into the Pulitzer Award-winning journalist for being an “illegal alien.” “No, no,” a smiling Vargas protested the use of the term. “I’m an undocumented immigrant.” “Whatever,” Colbert […]