SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) encourage water enthusiasts to take extra precautions this spring when in or near rivers. These relatively full waterways will continue to rise as snow melts and will be dangerously cold. Simple actions such as knowing the water (is it too cold or swift), knowing your limits, wearing a life jacket or simply not entering the water when conditions are deemed...

SAN FRANCISCO, California – June 12, 2018 marks the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day, and KalayaanSF, a Bay Area organization that handles this annual celebration in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General of San Francisco and other community groups is proud to announce its upcoming events. In keeping with the spirit of Kalayaan, a Filipino word meaning “freedom,” Philippine Consul General Henry S. Bensurto Jr. explained that the significance of t...

By Corina Oliquino | FilAm Star Correspondent MANILA – United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Diego García-Sayán assessed that there was a “worrisome deterioration of the rule of law and that the independence of justice in the Philippines is under attack “ last June 1. Citing his unofficial findings, García-Sayán said his statements rooted from the quo warranto ouster of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, which was handed dow...

By Lara Climaco | FilAm Star Correspondent CEOs of Chinese multinationals joined a delegation to Manila led by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), which is batting for direct links between Chinese and Filipino entrepreneurs along with their counterparts elsewhere in ASEAN to explore opportunities as part of a “joint club”. “I bring a number of Chinese entrepreneurs with me and the mission of our delegation is to seek cooperation and opportunities ...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent If Hong Kong wants to stay competitive and keep on attracting dependable and educated Filipino household staff, ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto ‘John’ Bertiz III said it should increase the pay of the 190,000 Filipino domestic workers in their country. Bertiz has joined the clamor for a 25-percent increase in the statutory minimum wage for Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong. He noted that Hong Kong families are under pressure to ...

By Lara Climaco | FilAm Star Correspondent The first shipment of cheap diesel imports under the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) program recently activated by the Department of Energy (DoE) is expected to come in by the end of the month, the agency announced on June 2 amid increasing agitation over volatile oil prices. “We are looking at other countries. Russia is just an option. The Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) expects to receive the fir...

By Corina Oliquino | FilAm Star Correspondent MANILA – Malacañang last June 4 came to the defense of President Rodrigo Duterte after he was criticized for kissing on the lips a married woman in Seoul during his meeting with the Filipino community there last Sunday. In a TV interview, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that Duterte’s kiss was just a “playful act” and showed a “light moment that is very accepted in the culture of Filipinos.” In a report by ABS-CBN...

By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent Opposition Sen. Leila de Lima filed a resolution urging the Senate to probe the unusually heavy influx of Chinese nationals working in the Philippines. The implication is that this could be an off-shoot of the country’s cozying up to China rather than confronting it for its encroachments in the West Philippine Sea. She filed this resolution even as Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana admitted the Philippines is “friendly” with Ch...

By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano slammed Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano for “redefining “diplomatic protest” when Cayetano praised the filing of 50-100 diplomatic protests against China in the last two years. In an attempt to get away from the inaction of the Duterte administration on the disputed West Philippine Sea territorial issue, Alejano said Cayetano is altering the definition of diplomatic protest. He sai...