When I left the Philippines for the United States in 1978, life in the land of my birth was like a page out of a Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Outside the fortified walls where the elite live were shanty towns where the poor and the disenfranchised eked out a living scrounging through […]
Countdown to 12th Asian Seniors Tenpin Bowling Championship
Tenpin Bowling Australia is preparing to host an exciting international bowling tournament attracting close to 200 players and officials at AMF’s state-of-the-art, 34-lane bowling centre in the Rooty Hill RSL complex in Sydney’s west.
Are you prone to Alzheimer’s Disease?
We have heard so much about this ailment but not too many are fully aware of what it really is, when it will strike, who are most susceptible to it, and the things that can be done when it is detected.
Something about the Koran
(Editor’s Note: This article was written by a former classmate who later became a Philippine government official. For obvious reasons, he has requested anonymity.) Here’s a true story about Quran readers. After the signing of the peace agreement between Nur Misuari and the Philippine government, I had occasion to tour the battlefields of Mindanao with Mr. Misuari and the […]
Priest, Fathers Child and Steps Down from Clergy
The former Fr. Dean McFalls just became a father in the literal sense, as the Stockton, California priest announced that he is resigning as pastor of St. Mary’s Church in order to welcome a baby boy into his life.
Damning evidence on Enrile and Gigi Reyes
MANILA, Philippines — It’s perhaps the unlikeliest of relationships. She was a student activist in her college days at the University of the Philippines (UP), while he was the Defence Minister who implemented Martial Law under the regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
The Lechon Kid of Blumentritt by Bernie Lopez
Blumentritt is the lechon (roast pig) capital of Metro-Manila. The 50-odd stalls in an eight-block area sell an average of 300 to 400 lechons a day. That’s about half a million pesos gross a day, not bad for a strange place where affluence and poverty see each other eyeball-to-eyeball. One day, a spiritual event descends […]
Is the Bohol Tremor a ‘Marian Event’? by Bernie Lopez
Is it coincidence that the Bohol earthquake in the Philippines occurred on October 15, 2013, the anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima? Is it coincidence that the cathedral of the Santo Niño (Holy Child) in Bohol, who has millions of devotees in the Visayas, was destroyed? Is it coincidence that the statue of Our Lady […]
Miss Philippines Australia 2013
Miss Melanie Balagtas of Doonside NSW was crowned Miss Philippines Australia 2013 during the recently-concluded Fiesta Kultura beauty contest organised by The Philippine Australian Sports & Culture Inc. Only 22, Melanie is currently studying Primary Teaching at the University of Western Sydney. She plans to pursue her modelling and singing career and later on become […]
Blacktown Rotary Club confers Pride of Workmanship Awards
During simple ceremonies held at the Marana Function Room of Blacktown Workers Club, the Blacktown Rotary Club conferred the Pride of Workmanship Award to three deserving employees: Carmel Gersbach of Myers Westpoint Shopping Centre in Blacktown; Yvonne Ford of Guardian Funerals; and Jenny Dumlao of McDonalds.
Huffington Post admits woman in photo is not Jeane Napoles
MANILA, Philippines – The Huffington Post has taken down its story on Jeane Napoles and her tax evasion charge that had spread on social media due to a photo it posted alongside its article of a woman bathing in money.
Jeane Napoles faces tax evasion charges
A young Filipino woman who drew outrage after posting pictures online of her lavish lifestyle including one showing her bathing in money is to be charged with tax evasion, officials said Thursday.