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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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THE National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Region 1 announced the launching of the 2005 Leadership Awards.
Arnie S. Rosario, chairman of NaFFAA Region 1, said the awards aims “to recognize and honor organizations or institutions that provide exemplary service to the various sectors of society and have significantly contributed to the well-being of people in the Philippines or the Filipino American communities in the United States.”
NaFFAA will honor organizations based on the following categories: advocacy initiatives; community assistance and development; education and literacy development; entrepreneurial development and promotion, health and medical assistance, historical advancement and preservations; publications and informational campaign; and youth assistance and development.
The awarding will be held during the NaFFAA Eastern Region’s 4th Biennial Conference and Gala Night at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, on September 10, 2005.
The search is open to both Filipino American and non-Filipino organizations and institutions in the United States. A qualified organization may be considered for the award by getting nominated by an individual or another group and by submitting a duly accomplished nomination form.
The search ends on August 15.
The sponsors of the Region 1 Conference and Gala Night are the Western Union North America and Bank of the Philippine Islands.
The 2003 awardees were APICHA (advocacy initiatives); PAFCOM (community assistance and development); Association of Filipino Teachers of America (education and literacy development); Trickle Up Program (entrepreneurial development and promotion); HOPE Foundation International (health and medical services); Knights of Rizal (historical advancement and preservation); Filipino Reporter (publications and information campaign); and Iloilo Society of America Foundation (youth assistance and development).
For more information, call Pacita Ros, awards chair, at 718-845-3185 or email at crh28@aol.com, or Arnie del Rosario at 203-877-7260 or engrasrosariosr@earthlink.net.
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NEW YORK --- Produced by mega-star Sharon Cuneta, along with Tony Gloria of Unitel Pictures (Crying Ladies, American Adobo, Magnifico), “La Visa Loca” is scheduled to open for a regular theatrical engagement at the Imaginasian Cinema (239 East 59 St., 212-371-6682.), starting Friday August 26.
The hilarious comedy, which got rave reviews in Manila, stars Robin Padilla, Rufa Mae Quinto, Johnny Delgado, and Ricky Davao. It’s a bold movie that dares to ask: how far would Filipinos go just to get a U.S. visa?
Written and directed by Mark Meily (of the award-winning hit “Crying Ladies”), the film takes a sharp, satirical view of the current Philippine zeitgeist or lifestyle. While it shows the Filipinos’ obsession to go abroad for a better life, it’s firmly grounded in reality and manages to instill nationalistic pride in everyone who sees the film.
Benefit screenings are being made available to any and all Filipino organizations (calling all leaders!) who would want to use the film for a fund-raising cause. No overhead is necessary, since the 35mm print is already available (with English subtitles) and the Imaginasian theater is already confirmed to play the film. For tickets and more information, please call Vincent Nebrida at 646-435-9431 or e-mail: vincemagi@cs.com
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Prospect Park, NEW JERSEY --- It’s August; the final stretch of summer break in every student’s life; and the month when all major retail companies pull out their ‘Back to School’ sale circulars for nationwide mailing or newspaper tucking. It is also beginning of the end for students who swear by the horrors and pains of school life.
But for 18-year old Gracielle Bernadine Cabungcal, every ‘back to school’ circular in all major dailies is not a grim prognosis of things to come, but rather, a bright promise of an Ivy League tomorrow.
Having received every conceivable academic award from the humble town scholarship to the grand Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, Gracielle sees no problems and feels no apprehensions as she takes on freshman college life, head-on, at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York.
Further armed with a salutatorian medal from De Paul High School, in Wayne, New Jersey, she decided to take up pre-law and pre-medicine in the famous university upstate; a course, some friends of hers jokes, would make her a rare breed of professional – A lawful doctor practicing legal medicine.
Gracielle is the only child of proud parents Ben and Grace Cabungcal of Prospect Park, NJ, who are both hard working registered nurses and outstanding parents to this high-achieving Jersey girl. They have stood by their daughter all throughout her colorful pre-college school life: Pinned every medal, framed every certificate, and attended every program their daughter participated in.
So, it must be bittersweet for them to see their ‘unica hija’ move out of their home for the realities of college life, several hundred miles away.
“I’m excited”, Gracielle says, “It’s a whole different life with all new challenges, and it could be scary, but I know it’s gonna be alright”, she adds
“You’re dad and I will be there everyweek to see you, so don’t worry”, her mother Grace joked, which resulted in a slight grimace from Gracielle’s face, followed by a smile: A reaction typical of an incoming college freshman, who will be on her own, at least, for the first time in her young life.
So, as the summer vacation draws to a close, millions of young Americans will face school, whether they like it or not.
And as for Gracielle, she is off to one of the most prestigious Ivy League Universities in the US with all her parent’s love, a stellar under-grad resume, and a baggage full of hope.
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Washington, D.C. --- The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released its first Tagalog version of its book, “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants.”
The booklet, “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” in Tagalog represents the first time in recent history that the federal government has provided orientation materials for new permanent residents.
Designed for permanent residents and the organizations that serve them, “Welcome to the United States” contains practical information to help immigrants settle into everyday day life in the United States, as well as basic civics information that will introduce new immigrants to the U.S. system of government.
Bill Strassberger, public relations officer of the USCIS states that the guide is an important tool and “has been released in many popular languages in order for immigrants to be able to participate in American Society.”
The book’s publication in Tagalog and Korean is an attempt at accommodating the growing Asian American immigrant population in the US, he added.
The guide also provides new immigrants with ideas on how to become involved in their new communities, and how to meet their responsibilities and exercise their rights as permanent residents.
“In our history as a nation of immigrants, newcomers from all over the world have arrived in the United States without sufficient information about life in this country and their rights and responsibilities,” said Alfonso Aguilar, Chief, Office of Citizenship, USCIS.
“We believe this guide will be an important resource for immigrants, helping them to integrate into American society, and making this transition easier by providing them with information about our country, its people and its system of government.”
The Tagalog version was launched Tuesday last week together with the Russian, Korean and Arabic versions.
Manhattan-based immigration lawyer Christopher Hugo, 31, agrees. “The book is very helpful for those who are not articulate in the US language.” Hugo also believes that the book would act “as a bridge” for immigrants struggling with English and Tagalog.
But new immigrant Reynaldo Paulino, 23, said although he believes the Tagalog version helps promote awareness of the Filipino community, he fears there may be certain drawbacks.
“The English guide is a great idea since it will help many Filipino immigrants survive in the United States,” said Paulino, a dental managewr in Jamaica, Queens.
“I disagree with having it translated into Tagalog, because we need to convince ourselves that it is also necessary to become fluent in English to be on the same level as everyone else living in the US,” he said.
The guide is available for free, and can be found online at http://uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/.
The Office of Citizenship is mandated by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to promote instruction and training on citizenship rights and responsibilities and to provide immigrants with information and tools necessary to successfully integrate into civic life.
The Office of Citizenship focuses on providing information and resources to immigrants at two key points in their journey towards civic integration: when they first become permanent residents and when they are ready to begin the formal naturalization process.
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