A fundraiser for survivors of Typhoon Sendong and other natural disasters in the Philippines. Proceeds will go towards Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan or BALSA-Mindanao, a grassroots relief effort organized by different people’s organizations, institutions and churches in Mindanao. This benefit will be a showcase of a wide range of local talent including dance, spoken word, [...]
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Vote for Baybayin on Pepsi Refresh Project
Christine Balza from Suku-Art recently submitted her idea for Refreshing Baybayin. Balza’s passion for cultural awareness can be funded through Pepsi with your votes and network help. Her grant proposal was accepted and it is now going through a public voting process. Refresh Baybayin is currently ranked #117 and it is the top 20 ideas [...]
Epic Fail: Philippines Does Blackface
I was really shocked to find out about GMA’s new teleserye called Nita Negrita. Yes, Nita Negrita! The lead actress Barbie Forteza dons a blackface. Her fair complexion is painted black to portray the role of an orphaned Filipino/African-American child. For the first episode, an infant is also painted black for several scenes which includes the birth scene [...]
The Most Typical Face on the Planet
Liz Goodwin from The Lookout, writes that National Geographic Magazine released a video clip, above, showing the most “typical” human face on the planet as part of its series on the human race called “Population 7 billion.” The researchers conclude that a male, 28-year-old Han Chinese man is the most typical person on the planet. There are [...]
Virginia Grandmother Charged in Girl’s Fatal Fall
It’s sad to see news like this after having a great Thanksgiving week with my family in Virginia. I was originally going to post an article on human trafficking in Chicago, but the story of a Virginia woman being charged with the murder of her granddaughter just got to me. According to police reports, Carmela [...]
Philippine Airlines’ connection with Macau, China – an Ending Poverty Strategy
By Daniel Escurel Occeño My mother found a bargain promotion in the newspaper of a trip to Macau, China promoted by Philippine Airlines. I already knew the airline was involved in promoting Macau as a tourist destination, but what I did not know was why, so I formulated my own theory after our trip. I [...]
Call for Submissions to TAYO Literary Magazine
I recently found out about TAYO Literary Magazine that is geared towards one purpose: bringing the Filipino-American community together through the arts. What does TAYO mean? The Tagalog word “TAYO” means We or Us, but it also means to Stand Up. This grassroots project in partnership with a nonprofit organization, the Filipino American Library (FAL), located in Historic Filipinotown [...]
Adam Carolla, the Face of Ignorance in America
Looking at my messages and e-mails this morning, an article from the Examiner on Adam Carolla discriminating against Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos caught my eye. I guess a lot of people around the world still can’t take the fact that the best pound for pound boxer in the world is a little brown guy from [...]
Filipino Kami: We are Filipino
As you can see, Fil-Am Ako has a brand new banner featuring Filipinos who have been influential to this blog. The baybayin artwork is courtesy of Christian Cabuay from Baybayin.com and PinoyTattoos. The Baybayin characters are translated as “Filipino Kami” (We are Filipino). Christian Cabuay is also featured in the banner along with fellow baybayin [...]
Remittances to the Philippines & their Impact
Recently, the Immigration Policy Center released their report, Many Happy Returns: Remittances and Their Impact by Kristin Johnson, Ph.D. which analyzes remittances and their effect on the economies of both the U.S. and receiving countries. Remittance is the transfer of money by workers back to home countries. This can constitute one of the top financial inflows to many [...]












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