TRAVEL DREAM COME TRUE – “It seemed like such a surreal place to visit – so mysterious, so ancient, it was almost caricature,” writes Inquirer travel writer Katrina Holigores of her trip to Cairo and the fulfillment of a childhood dream to see the ancient Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza for herself.
HERITAGE MONTH BEGINS- A month-long annual celebration of Filipino heritage began May 4 in Manila with the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band Concert in the parish of Sta. Ana. Some of the best young musicians in the country played to a packed audience in one of the oldest parishes in the country, under the watchful eyes of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados(Our Lady of the Abandoned).
BACK FROM IRELAND. Eleven overseas Filipino workers, who say they were maltreated on their ship in Ireland, arrive in Manila. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/RUDY ESPERAS
SAFFRON MORNINGS - A line of monks in saffron robes marks mornings in Luang Prabang, Laos, a country where young men do “monk service” instead of military service. In this center of Buddhism with over 30 temples, no one is allowed to carry guns or weapons, not even the police, writes Karla P. Delgado.
"ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT" – said one of the judges in the contest "Britain's Got Talent" after Madonna Decena sang "I'll Always Love You" to an ecstatic audience. Madonna, 32, won singing competitions as a child, went on to sing in the chorus of musical productions like 'Joseph the Dreamer' in the Philippines and did a brief stint on the foreign club circuit before she hit the big-time. The YouTube video of her big moment is a high point.
CLOSER AFTER 60 YEARS- On April 24, 2008, the US Senate passed the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 expanding and increasing support for US veterans, their families and survivors. This “has restored our faith in the American justice system. Our Filipino veterans have waited more than 60 years, and now they are closer than ever to regaining their honor and dignity," said National Federation of Filipino American Associations chair Alma Kern. This photo was taken in 2006, when NaFFAA and the Philippine Embassy co-hosted a meeting of advocates for Filipino Veterans equity, part of a long, hard slog now moving on to the US House of Representatives.
BANDANNA PARTY - Filipino OFWs at the Sacred Heart Canossian College in Central District in Hong Kong try to have fun while showing their commitment to help cancer patients, not knowing that two months later they would pay their last respects to a colleague, Armyn Tejada, the first OFW cancer fatality in Buhay Ka’s watch. Photo by Dante Peralta
SAMAR NATIVE ON THE WORLD STAGE- Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III, a third year PhD student at Cardiff University, has been chosen by the British Council as one of the 2008 SHINE International Student Awardees of the United Kingdom.
HONORING MEMORY – No matter the pain, the story of the WW II Filipina “comfort woman” Tomasa Salinog a.k.a. Lola Masing, will be honored in an hour-long musical on her life story produced by the Japanese Constitution Musical Production. Ten initial performances are scheduled in Osaka, Tokyo and Yamanashi. Assistant director Rie Arima, also a veteran stage actress and director of the Japan Peace Committee, plays the lead role. Lola Masing died in 2007 at 78 without the apology she demanded from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
EARTH DAY 2008 – One celebration of Earth Day on Sunday, April 20 will be at the Arroceros Forest Park at the foot of Quezon Bridge, now recovering from the former Manila mayor Lito Atienza’s decimation of many old hardwoods in an attempt to convert the city’s last pair of lungs into a complex of built-up structures.
DRAMA FROM MANAGING SCALE – An open layout is maximized with the strategic placement of furniture in expat restaurateur Colin Mackay’s Makati condo. Height is subtly achieved with the use of tall floral arrangements, giant water tanks in the artwork, and the spray of branches on the reception table, all leading the eye upward in direct contrast to the horizontal elements of the kamagong dining table, sofa, low cabinets and reception table. Photo by Bobot Meru
MANILA, Philippines -- No Filipino so far has been reported dead or injured in the strong earthquake that rocked China Monday and killed thousands, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
MANILA, Philippines -- The government will send a medical team to China to help in the rescue and relief efforts after a powerful earthquake struck its southwestern part Monday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spokesman said Tuesday.
Philippine National Bank Remittance Centers, Inc. and Mango Tours Launches Strategic Partnership
New collaboration marries the Philippines’ Largest US Remittance Center with the USA’s largest Philippine Travel Agency.
Los Angeles, CA – May 7, 2008 -What is the true meaning of convenience?
For Philippine National Bank Remittance Centers, Inc. (PNBRCI), convenience means serving the community with the courtesy and hospitality inherent to the FILIPINO culture, and doing so for over 18 years. It also means accessibility, with 45 remittance centers in the United States and Canada. Mango Tours, Inc (MTI) defines convenience as delivering customer service beyond anything the competition can offer; a one-of-a-kind online ticket booking engine that provides up to the latest discounted fares on all airlines that fly from any international airport in the USA to Manila and beyond (FlyToManila.com), 11 locations throughout the United States and Philippines, as well as a 24 hour international call center (1-866-2MANILA), all developed from over 30 years of experience. To provide unparalleled service, two of the largest companies in the Filipino American community are taking their combined experience and commitment to provide convenience to further cater to the needs of Filipinos worldwide.
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