Letter from Washington By Jonathan Melegrito jonmele@aol.com It hurts. Getting laid off can be very stressful, especially if you have mouths to feed and bills to pay. I’m sure you know of friends or loved ones who are out of work through no fault of their own. And then there’s the case of Filipino...
By Jon D. Melegrito Letter from Washington jonmele@aol.com Filipino Americans in this very political city known for its monuments and memorials reacted with dismay last month upon hearing the news that real estate magnate Donald Trump was awarded the rights to transform the historic Old Post Office Pavillion on Pennsylvania Avenue into a luxury...
By Jon D. Melegrito Letter from Washington jonmele@aol.com During one of my visits to the Occupy DC encampment at McPherson Square , I saw a woman sitting alone by herself near one of the tents. Her Asian face caught my attention, provoking my interest to engage her in conversation. She was smoking...
By Jon Melegrito Letter from Washington So, what is it that will move Filipino Americans out of their comfort zones and become actively engaged in the U.S. political process? Will this be the year when we’ll no longer thrive in a culture of self-imposed disempowerment? Community leaders harp on this theme every chance they...
By Jon Melegrito Letter from Washington Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisa Jr. is pulling all stops to save a very important bill from dying in committee before Congress ends its business this year. He’s hoping Sen. Daniel Inouye, the bill’s principal sponsor, will come up with a quick, legislative solution. Like attaching it as...
By Jonathan Melegrito Letter from Washington We get a call from our daughter around six o’clock Tuesday evening. The baby she’s been carrying for nine months is raring to come out, four days ahead of schedule. And come she does four hours later. From our Kensington home, we drive to the Princeton University Medical...
By Jon Melegrito Letter from Washington Perhaps it was just a coincidence. but on September 21, on the 39th anniversary of martial law in the Philippines , President Benigno Aquino was in Washington DC . It was not an official visit, let alone a state visit. He was in town...
By Jon Melegrito Letter from Washington jonmele@aol.com Immigrant rights groups are applauding the Obama Administration’s sensible re-assessment of its deportation priorities. As a result, tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants – many of whom are law-abiding residents – can breathe a sigh of relief. They include the so-called DREAMers – young people...
By Jonathan Melegrito Special to PINOY It was the hottest day of the year – more than 100 degrees – but the scorching heat did not deter about a hundred Filipino teachers and community supporters from demonstrating in front of the Department of Labor building July 22. “We vowed to be here, come hell,...
By Jon Melegrito Letter from Washington After more than five years as Philippine Ambassador to the U.S., Willy Gaa bade farewell to the Filipino American community at a May 22 despedida hosted by the Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC). Less than a month later, the community welcomed the new ambassador – Jose L....
