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Newark cardinal praises Filipino community as ‘Missionaries of the 21st Century’
More than 300 Filipino Catholics filled the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark with vibrant worship during a mass honoring their faith and culture on October 5. The Archdiocese of Newark’s Filipino Heritage Jubilee Mass began with a procession where participants carried elegantly dressed statues of Filipino religious figures, including Our Lady of […]
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FilAms who fish: A brotherhood by the sea
By Cristina DC Pastor For 35 years Andres “Ding” Amado ran an auto shop in Jersey City. Today at 73 and newly retired, he spends his days chasing tuna and tilefish instead of fixing engines. “I worked at that shop for 35 years,” he said with quiet pride. “Now, I can finally fish whenever I […]
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Half a century since the ‘Thrilla in Manila’
By Wendell Gaa This month marks the 50th anniversary of the “Thrilla in Manila,” which in my view is the greatest and most intense boxing match ever. It is a milestone in global sports history, in addition to showcasing the Philippine passion for boxing in an era long before our national boxing legend Manny Pacquiao […]
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‘Diwata:’ A Filipino American folktale
By Shea Formanes “Diwata” is a 20-minute short, live-action fantasy drama that centers the coming-of-age story of an 80-year-old Filipina grandmother and the spirit of her 15-year-old granddaughter, who drowned years earlier. A modern retelling of Filipino mythology, “Diwata” captures the pain of being forgotten and the joy of being found. From generational divides, to […]
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On FAHM, let’s support our Filipino restaurants
By Loida Nicolas Lewis October is Filipino American History Month (FAHM), the result of the activism of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in 1992. The U.S. Congress in 2009 officially declared October as FAHM to honor the history, culture, and contributions of Filipino Americans. Why October? The first documented arrival of Filipinos in […]
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Passion, persistence, and Veejay Floresca’s ‘Project Runway’ win
By Tracy Dizon There are stories in fashion that feel like modern-day fairytales—not whimsical, but built on grit, resilience, and the courage to dream beyond borders. For me, Veejay Floresca’s journey is exactly that kind of story. I’ve known Veejay for two decades. We were contemporaries in Manila, both “Kontesera,” always throwing ourselves into design […]
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Through grit and grief, Bergenfield Councilman Salvador Deauna found politics
By Cristina DC Pastor Salvador ‘Buddy’ Deauna turned 80 in May. After nine years as councilman of Bergenfield, New Jersey, he still could not believe how he ended up in politics. “When people ask me how I got into politics, I always say it was totally unexpected,” he said in an interview with The FilAm. […]
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Filipinos are tired of the rampant corruption, but is Snap Election the answer?
By Ricky Rillera In a political landscape riddled with scandal, cynicism, and eroding public trust, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has thrown a grenade into the national conversation: a call for a snap election that would require all top national officials—President, Vice President, Senators, and House Representatives—to resign and bar themselves from running again. […]
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Immigration and the Filipino bounty hunter
By Allen Gaborro In her narrative, Cindy Fazzi uses the highly-topical theme of immigrants and immigration to the United States. She did so in order to compose what she doubtlessly hoped would be the makings of a riveting drawing of life in America. This is the life of those eager-minded arrivals from the Philippines and […]