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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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NEW YORK --- Jessica Hagedorn burst onto the American literary scene in 1990 with the publication of her first novel, Dogeaters, which was nominated for the National Book Award. Born and raised in the Philippines, Hagedorn is a novelist, poet, performance artist, and screenwriter who is widely acknowledged as one of our leading Asian-American voices. With DREAM JUNGLE, Hagedorn achieves a new level of narrative daring. It is a story that chronicles the clash and embrace of American and Filipino cultures and that explores the universal themes of power, money, race and colonialism.
Two real-life events that both took place in the Philippines --- the discovery of the Tasaday, an ancient “lost tribe,” in a remote mountain area of the rain forest and the filming of the movie Apocalypse Now -- are the inspiration for DREAM JUNGLE. The novel also tells the intertwined tales of four unforgettable characters:
Zamora de Legazpi, a wealthy but disillusioned landowner who claims to have found and made contact with a “Paleolithic lost tribe” of the Philippines. Still, he cannot escape the ennui that is the fate of his privileged, yet corrupt, social class, which leaves at the mercy of the Marcoses.
Rizalina, the resourceful, intelligent, young daughter of Zamora’s cook. She flees the de Legazo estate and avoids the sexual advances of Zamora only to fall into the seedy world of strip clubs catering to sex trade tourists. Too clever to remain a victim, her fortunes change when she meets Vincent, an attractive American actor.
Vincent Moody, a troubled and disillusioned actor, abandons his family and his rapidly fading star in Hollywood to find release in the exoticism of the Philippines. He falls deeply in love with Rizalina while filming a movie there about the Vietnam War.
Paz Marlowe, a young Filipino-American journalist, returns to the Philippines when her mother dies. She decides to stay in the country in order to research two stories -- one about the elusive Zamora and the increasing suspicion surrounding his discovery and another about the filming of the American movie.
DREAM JUNGLE is the deeply evocative story of a country in crisis -- the beauty, spirit, corruption, and the desperation that was the tumultous Philippines of the 1970’s. Hagedorn takes readers from the lush beauty of its indigenous rain forests and the grand estates of its privileged class to the seedy underbelly of sexual tourism in Manila and the Hollywood manipulation of the natural landscape. DREAM JUNGLE offers a glimpse of a country whose purity is an illusion, replaced with a carefully woven web of power and exploitation more compelling than the plot of any movie.
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THE GATHERING. Members and alumni of the Holy Infant
College of North America convene at the Kalayaan Hall
during the piano concert on August 21.
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NEW YORK --- Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in New York City was filled to seating capacity August 21 on the occasion of the piano concert of Philippine music sponsored by the Holy Infant College Alumni of North America.
Featured artists were Cecilia Basilio-Roxas, Josefina Duarte-Flores and Josefa Munoz-Rusiana, originally from Tacloban City and alumnae of Holy Infant College.
All accomplished pianists donated their time and talent and traveled from the Manila, Dallas and Chicago. It was well attended by alumni and friends from North America, including the former Governor Benjamin Romualdez and his wife Juliet.
The concert reminisced the historic music program that welcomed the six nuns of the Sisters of Mercy who left their native Ireland and traveled to Tacloban City to take over the stewardship of the then Holy Infant Academy, 50 years ago. The golden jubilee of the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy is being celebrated in Tacloban in September.
Not to be outdone, the alumni of the Holy Infant College now residing in North America formally formed an association to sponsor their first ever piano concert whose proceeds established the Venerable Mother Catherine McAuley Scholarship Fund to support deserving high school and college students who will get their solid Catholic education in Holy Infant College in Tacloban City. The Steering Committee for this event were: Judy Arteche-Carr, Marietta Andrada-Banogan, Erlinda Benedicto, Milagros Benedicto, Marietta Benedicto, Socorro Benedicto, Lourdes Laraya-Cuasay, Sol Galindo, Lynette Matriano, Frenie Benedicto-Ruberto, Corazon Benedicto-Santos, Fe Galindo-Uriarte, Maria Teresa Benedicto-Yu, Alice Zosa
For those interested, a DVD/CD/Videotape will be available.Contact the following Judy Arteche-Carr at jartechecarr@yahoo.com; Sol Galindo at sgspunky@peopletc.com; Ludy Laraya-Cuasay atlarayacuasay@yahoo.com; or M. Benedicto atoyben@optonline.net
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JERSEY CITY --- In a move to raise funds for charitable projects like “Bantay-Bata” that will benefit needy children, theGardenState Filipino-American Association, Inc. ( GSFA) will crown the Mr. and Mrs. Philippines at dinner-dance to be held on Saturday at Marriott Hotel Airport in Newark, NJ.
The affair is chaired by Francis Sison and Lily Benito-Equipado with Araceli Miralles.
The GSFA led by Millie Benito-Hornilla is dedicated in supporting projects like Filipino-American parades in New Jersey & New York, Bantay Bata, National Red Cross and other civic and charitable organizations.
Hornilla said a couple could qualify if they are sponsored by a community association, professional organization or an individual person. The candidate or/ and sponsor should raise a minimum of $3,000. The raising of funds consists of soliciting advertisements for the Mr. & Mrs. Philippines-USA 2005, souvenir journal and tickets to the dinner-dance and coronation night ball of the Mr. And Mrs. Philippines.
The “sponsor” is the one who is authorized by the candidate couple to act and make decisions on their behalf with regards to any issues that would arise in the contest. The candidate couple shall be bound by the decisions made by their sponsors.
Jun Hornilla, former president of Garden State, said the forthcoming coronation night is memorable because the event coincides with the 35th year anniversary of Garden State Filipino American Associations, Inc.
He said active members of the Filipino-American organization suggested the search for Mr. and Mrs. Philippines because this is the only contest of its kind in the Filipino community. Most events usually deal with the crowning of Ms. or Mrs. Philippines but there’s no existing contest for Filipino couples.
The popularity contest is also seen to provide camaraderie , unity and enjoyment for Filipino couples in the community.
Millie Hornilla said the success of the project lies on the generosity and support of friends and members of the community.
“The important role you have played in the realization of the many programs and activities we had, is part of the association’s success in its endeavors,” she said.
Donation to attend the dinner dance is $60.00. The coronation night is seen to be a glamorous, bright and fun for Filipino couples.
For ticket reservation and information, call Millie at (201) 432-7876; Rose Javier (201) 433- 2464; Cely Miralles (201) 451-8129; Rod de la Paz (908) 902-8931; Francis Sison (201-332-7696; Lily Equipado (201) 333-4739; Gerry Austria (201) 798-1415; Mely Garcia (201) 378-0448; and Ness Quijano (732) 297-3245.
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