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For the past 21 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 – Monsignor Oscar A. Aquino, JCD was unanimously named Grand Marshall for the Philippine Independence Parade in 2008 by the board of the PIDCI. His selection was based, according to the Grand Marshall Search Committee of the PIDCI, on the “the recognition of his excellent leadership, outstanding achievements, contribution and community service and particularly this year, the ability to unite the Filipino community in keeping with the major program of the 2007-08 PIDCI President’s primary objective of reconciliation.” The Search Committee was chaired by Vivian Velasco with Fe Martinez and Dr. Ellice Flores as members.
Msgr. Aquino was born in Mangaldan, Pangasinan. At the age of 11, he entered the seminary. Ranking first in his class when he completed his seminary training in the Philippines, he earned the rare honor of pursuing his graduate studies in Rome. Pope Paul V1 personally conferred his doctorate in Canon law from the Pontifical University of St. John Lateran. His dissertation was deemed so outstanding that it was published by the Vatican and distributed to all Pontifical universities worldwide.
When he returned to the Philippines, Fr. Aquino saw the need to establish more Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Pangasinan. He created seven new schools and served as their director. He also became the Chancellor and Oeconomus of the Archdiocese and Superintendent of Schools, then Vicar General.
In 1973, he acted as the Secretary and general coordinator of Pope Paul V1’s visit to the Philippines. He established the Archdiocese’s Metropolitan Tribunal and served as its first Judicial Vicar. For all of these achievements, Fr. Aquino was made a Monsignor as Protonotary Apostolic in 1974, one of the youngest ever at that time to be awarded this title.
While visiting New York City, Msgr. Aquino was approached by many struggling Filipino workers who were suffering severe difficulties with their immigration status. Realizing that someone of some stature was needed to advocate on their behalf, Msgr. Aquino decided to delay his return to the Philippines. But soon he found himself solving problems beyond the Filipino-American community. He mediated disputes between rival gangs in East Harlem and stopped the killing cycle involving drug dealers and youth groups in the area by initiating sports programs and other activities to redirect the energies of these young people. Working with Fr. Robert Lott of St. Francis de Sales Church, Msgr. Aquino helped rehabilitate abandoned buildings creating more than 100 units of affordable housing for the poor in East Harlem. He also helped in the establishment of the Robert V. Lott Residence for Assisted Living, a model home for the elderly on upper Fifth Avenue.
Msgr. Aquino currently serves as Judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of New York and as administrator for the parish of St. Lucy. He is also the spiritual director of several Filipino American associations.
For his work that has positively impacted the Filipino- American community and beyond, Msgr. Oscar A. Aquino, an exceptionally outstanding individual, is bestowed this special honor as Grand Marshall for the Philippine Independence Day Parade in 2008.
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LAST year, we documented about 50 parishes in New York and New Jersey alone that celebrated the Simbang Gabi either individually at a single church over nine days or as part of a rotating schedule among churches. The Philippine Mt. Everest Team (which included the first Filipino men on top of Everest, and in May this year the first Southeast Asian women as well) even attended three of them, two in Jersey City and one in Brooklyn, during their goodwill tour in 2006.
While Simbang Gabi refers to a novena of midnight or dawn Masses in the Philippines, here in the States the time typically has been in the early evening, with a few exceptions, such as the ones in Jersey City's Our Lady of Victories or (at least last year) St. Aedan's parishes, as early as 5 am.
The Philippine Center and the Philippine Consulate have engaged the community across different parishes and neighborhoods to a Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado that runs ahead of the schedule of the other Simbang Gabi series. This year, on Wednesday, December 12, at 6:30 pm, the Simbang Gabi series at the Philippine Center's Kalayaan Hall will again be kicked off by the UN Philippine Cultural Society and the Coalition of Phil. Alumni Assns., including those of La Salle, Assumption, St. Scholastica, St. Theresa, San Beda, Miriam, Holy Spirit and Ateneo.
Last year, the place was so jam-packed with members and their friends and guests that it was a wonder that everything still managed to work out smoothly, but planning is everything.
Fr. Gaby Gonzalez, SJ, will preside, while The New Jersey Rondalla group will handle the music. Vivian Cruz of the UN and the Assumption alumnae group is overall coordinator.
In addition to the welcome Christmas season treats handled by Marissa Lago of Cornucopia, the Mass provides a way to support victims of calamities in the Philippines, in fund drives initiated by the Consulate, such as for last year's Bicol typhoon or the Quezon floods previously.
This Mass on Dec. 12 and the following ones through the 20th are open to the public. So come on down for a rousing start to this holiday tradition in the New York City area. For more info, contact the participating alumni groups, or the Phil.
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SAN FRANCISCO – The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has formed a strong alliance with XOOM Corporation, one of the world’s fastest growing online money transfer companies.
The tie up between the convenient Internet-based money transfer service of XOOM and BPI, ranked the Philippines’ number one bank in remittance volume, is a perfect alliance. Millions of overseas Pinoys can now send money directly to their loved ones’ BPI account with the simple click of a mouse. The money sent will be available to the recipient in just hours.
“BPI welcomes this partnership with XOOM Corporation on behalf of millions of overseas Filipinos. XOOM, the internet-based facility to send money to the Philippines should certainly excite Pinoys abroad as a most convenient way to remit to their loved ones in the Philippines,” said BPI President Aurelio R. Montinola III.
The popularity of XOOM has increased within the computer-savvy Filipino community. Remittances that used to take days to send can be credited to the beneficiary’s BPI account within hours through XOOM’s proprietary technology.
“As a kababayan, I know speed is the key. Pinoys prefer that money sent to loved ones gets to them fast. With XOOM, the money is in a BPI account within hours,” said Gene Gutierrez, XOOM.com Regional Vice President, Philippines.
Remitting money to a BPI account with XOOM is easy. Simply visit www.xoom.com, enter sender and recipient information, the recipient’s BPI account details, and the amount to be remitted. Then, choose a payment method – bank account, credit/debit card or PayPal – and click “send.” The money will be available in the recipient’s BPI account within a few hours. XOOM ensures that financial transactions coursed through their system are highly secure as the company uses state-of-the-art technology to protect the client’s personal data.
“Our Filipino customers just love the advantages of using the Internet to send money to the Philippines. They no longer have to deal with the hassles of working with a remittance centers’ schedule. Sending money online is the next evolution, and XOOM continues to be at the forefront of this paradigm shift,” says John Kunze, XOOM CEO and President.
With further plans for growth and expansion, XOOM.com continues to lead the way in serving the money remittance needs of the Filipino- American community. And just like in their commercials, there is indeed plenty to love about this new wave of remitting money to the Philippines.
ABOUT XOOM.COM
XOOM.com allows individuals to send money from any Internet-enabled computer to family, friends and businesses worldwide. XOOM Corporation was founded in 2001 in San Francisco and is backed by leading venture firms Sequoia Capital, New Enterprise Associates and Fidelity Ventures. www.xoom.com.
ABOUT BPI
Established in 1851, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) was the first bank in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. BPI’s long and proud history boasts of many “firsts” in Philippine banking. BPI has distinguished itself by catering to the ever-evolving needs and lifestyles of the public.
Today, BPI has maintained a leadership position in consumer banking, trust banking and asset management, corporate banking/corporate finance and bank assurance. With over 800 branches and around 1,200 automated teller machines, BPI boasts of having the largest combined network of branches/kiosk units and ATMs, servicing over three million depositors.
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For more information, please contact: Ringo Macabenta FuelCels E-mail: Ringo@fuelcels.com Tel.: 650.992.4001 Fax: 650.992.4002 Cell: 510.334.2625
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