Boy Wonder: 17-yr old wins int’l award for and discovering new source of fuel

By Cynthia De Castro/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – As the search for alternative sources of fuel rages, a 17-year-old Raymond Amurao from the Philippines may have just found a good solution. His discovery started with the problem of a pesky fish.
A few years ago, many fishermen earning their livelihood from the Marikina River in Metro Manila began [...]

Britain’s Got Filipino Talents: Filipino hopefuls in UK talent show become YouTube celebs.

By Sunantha Mendoza-Quibilan/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – Filipino musical talent has once again wowed Western audiences and continues to capture the attention of online audiences on YouTube. Madonna Decena, a 32-year-old UK-based club singer, and Charlie Green, a 10-year old schoolboy of Filipino and British descent, who both received standing ovations during their live auditions on Britain’s [...]

More Illegals Nabbed in 5 States

by Cynthia De Castro/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a sweeping raid in the world’s largest poultry processor, Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plants last week in five states – Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Over 300 undocumented workers were arrested for suspicion of committing identity theft. A felony under Federal law, [...]

Ex-Army Chief Denies Hand in Jonas Disappearance

by Joel Roja/Asianjournal.com
MANILA – Former Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino on Monday denied that neither he nor any of his men were involved in the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, political activist and son of press freedom fighter Jose Burgos, almost a year ago.
Tolentino, now working as an undersecretary at the National Security Council, [...]

State Supreme Court to Rule on Same-Sex Marriage

by Rene Villaroman/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – Ericson Herbas, a FilAm graphic artist originally from Makati City, has something in common with lawyers Doreena Wong, a Chinese-American, and Jennifer C. Pizer, a Jewish-American. All of them are currently in a same-sex relationship. In a few weeks – late May or early June – a ruling by the [...]

US Senate Approves FilVet Equity Bill

by Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com
WASHINGTON DC – The US Senate Thursday voted to pass S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007, a bill that also provides for Filipino World War II veterans to receive equity veterans affairs (VA) pension.
The Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of S. 1315 by a vote of 96 to 1. The [...]

FilAm Kids Wow ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Judges

by Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – The latest FilAm wunderkinds put on their dancing shoes on last Tuesday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars.
FilAm kids, 10-year-old Jaryd Farcon and eight-year-old Cara Abaya Campos performed the popular ballroom dance step the chacha to the music of Bruce Channel’s Hey! Baby in front of millions of viewers on [...]

The GSIS E-Card System Controversy: A Faulty Pension System

By Joseph Pimentel/Asianjournal.com
(First of Three Parts))
LOS ANGELES – Dolores is fed up with the technological problems plaguing the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) E-card. Four years ago, the GSIS implemented a new policy that required retired government employees and their survivors to register for an E-card to receive their monthly pension.
It’s almost been a year [...]

Charice to Appear on Oprah

by April Tiamzon/Asianjournal.com
NEW YORK – Mark your calendar because on May 12, 2008, Filipina singing sensation Charice  Pempengco will share her talent to US audience anew in the Oprah Winfrey Show.
There is no stopping the 15-yearold diva. A video on YouTube has been showing teasers of her upcoming appearance on Oprah. The exact date, however, [...]

Asia’s Top Airlines See Filipinos as ‘Significant Market’

By Cynthia De Castro/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – More and more Filipinos are traveling the world over and this has made them a “significant market” in the global airline industry.
“We recognize the significance of the Filipino market in the airline industry that is why we have daily flights to Manila and Cebu,” declared Tony Tyler, the Chief [...]