Maestro Robert Shroder: Extraordinary Pinoy

by Cynthia De Castro/AJPress
By his name and appearance, Californian musical conductor Robert Shroder seems to be as American as apple pie. But once you start talking to this very talented musical director, you’ll learn that he is as Pinoy as kare-kare and adobo. You can’t help but be taken aback when you first meet this [...]

Bucks from the Big Box

by Joseph Pimentel/AJPress
From a parcel of goodies to a booming industry
There’s nothing like receiving a big cardboard box full of goodies or pasalubong from relatives overseas.
It’s the warm feeling Manny Paez remembers when he was younger growing up in the Philippines.
“I used to tear open the cardboard box and hang them up along my walls [...]

Remittances: Our Nation’s Lifeblood

by Cynthia de Castro/AJPress

The past three decades have seen the most dramatic number of Filipinos migrating to other countries to work as overseas contract workers. There are now more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, equivalent to about 11% of the total population of the Philippines. These overseas Filipinos often work as doctors, nurses, accountants, [...]

Tapping Good Business: Yardhouse’s formidable trio does the ‘right thing’

by Cynthia de Castro/AJPress

In 2007, after eleven very successful years, the Yard House chain of restaurants was ready for a giant boost. Founder and CEO Steele Platt, along with partners Harald Herrmann, Yard House President and Chief Operating Officer; and Carlito Jocson, Corporate Executive Chef, were poised for significant growth. They were on the lookout [...]

GMA, The Visit: So Far, So Good

by Cynthia de Castro/AJPress
LOS ANGELES – Before she left the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pointed out that her key priorities in visiting the US are to meet with Filipino-American and Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) communities to discuss their needs and concerns; with President Bush and government leaders to confer on vital issues; and with business [...]

Julaton Prepares Two Fights in Ten Days

by Joseph Pimentel/AJPress
LOS ANGELES – The yellow hand wrap is packed on tight. Her hair is rolled up. Her manager/trainer Angelo Reyes pulls the blue 12-ounce gloves on her hands. She walks menacingly inside the ring. She stares at her opponent across from her. She squints and opens her mouth like a lion ready to [...]

Hogging the Limelight

by Rene Villaroman/AJPress
LOS ANGELES – Every year a delegation from the Philippines’ swine breeding industry travel to Iowa to attend the annual World Hog Expo held every May. At least that’s the delegation’s stated mission. But, some members of that same group are representatives of the Philippines’ game-fowl breeding industry who, after the Iowa expo, [...]

Flash[back] Photography (Second of Two Parts)

by Rene Villaroman/AJPress
Joe Cobilla, Larry Pelayo and Sid Guerrero Come Together
During the mid-1990s, more community newspapers were being published, adding to an already burgeoning list of FilAm publications. Aside from the weekly California Examiner, Asian Journal, Philippines News, TM Herald, and TM Herald’s Weekend Magazine, Balita (originally owned by former Malacañang photographer Jolly Riofrir) and [...]

Flash[back] Photography (Part 1)

by Rene Villaroman/AJPress
LOS ANGELES – Scorpio had been a member of the Press Photographers Philippines,a ten-year organization comprised mostly of community newspaper photographers, but after he was delegated the assignment of writing a story about the history of FilAm photographers in Los Angeles, he had to do his homework extensively to consider the photographers’ groups [...]

The Great Pretender

by Cynthia de Castro/AJPress
LOS ANGELES – Sometimes, a person who has been convicted of a crime and imprisoned for it would change his ways once he gets out of jail. But sadly, sometimes not.
Eleven years ago, Filipina Elda Beguinua made the headlines in the UK as a “Bogus Baroness” who was accused of posing as [...]