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Joseph Francia: ‘Television is alive and well’
By Cristina DC Pastor Joseph Francia looks back on his career and glimpses a television executive whose more than three decades’ work in broadcast media was shaped by significant events and crises. In 1990, he was a young project manager for ABS-CBN Foundation who rushed to the scene of the earthquake in Baguio to lead […]
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Queer, trans young Asian Americans need caregiving too
By Sunita Sohrabji AAPI young adults who are queer or trans often find themselves alone: estranged from traditional families and friends who are not supportive or don’t understand their identity. “We don’t often think of caregiving as something that we need for ourselves. We think caregiving is individual, in a home, or there’s someone that’s […]
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WW II Veteran Bert Pumento celebrates 100th birthday
The Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project (FilVetREP) wishes Bert Pumento a happy 100th birthday! The veteran centenarian celebrated his special day on July 12 with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at a tourist resort in Lipa, Batangas province. He has been living with one of his children in San Francisco. Pumento served with […]
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GoFundMe and the Filipino crowdfunding culture
By Cristina DC Pastor When my husband suffered a stroke in the early morning of June 29, the idea of fundraising never crossed my mind. I was in a state of nonchalance, thinking that since he had insurance, everything would be taken care of by his provider. Until the social worker in the hospital informed […]
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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 […]