Today commemorates World Hepatitis Day bringing attention to viral hepatitis which causes 1.34 million deaths a year. An estimated 290 million people are unaware of their infection and at high risk for serious liver disease and liver cancer. In Asia, hepatitis B is the biggest threat causing 60-80% of liver cancer worldwide. We sat down with Richard So from SF Hep B Free – Bay Area to talk about why this disease matters so much to the Filipino community both in the Philippine...

Star Access Issue 537! To be featured in our Star Access column, please email [email protected] with pictures of your event and a short caption! Thank you! Filamstar Team

By Joseph Peter R. Gonzales Talks are rife that Jessy Mendiola is no longer with Star Magic. The lovely star’s beau Luis Manzano confirms the report. “Yes, I don’t think she’s still under Star Magic. But I guess that issue on switching management is for Jessy’s camp to answer---if it’s really true or not,” he avers. There are speculations that Jessy allegedly moved to Viva Entertainment where his manager June Rufino is an executive. “If she’s a Viva contract artis...

The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (formerly International Institute of the Bay Area) denounces the recent announcement by the Trump administration to expand expedited removal. This announcement serves to allow ICE to now detain someone they approach if they are unable to immediately provide them with proof of legal status or proof they have maintained “continuous presence” in the US for the past two years. This administration’s actions shred the notion of due proce...

SACRAMENTO — Covered California unveiled its preliminary rates for the upcoming 2020 coverage year, revealing how consumers will benefit from new state initiatives, and announced that a major carrier will be expanding into new areas and providing consumers with more choice. The preliminary average rate change for California’s individual market will be 0.8 percent in 2020, which is the lowest premium increase since 2014, and a fraction of the five-year actual average increa...

By Harvey I. Barkin | Filam Star EIC SAN FRANCISCO – When you are a plus size coed and you want to make a big splash dancing, what do you think are your chances? Fat chance! And that’s about the size of it. Sorry, it’s Baltimore, 1962 and politically correct is still not part of culturespeak. But Tracy Turnblad (played by hair sprayed ‘do, Cassie Grilley in Bay Area Musicals’ production of Hairspray) finds herself in this situation. She meets Seaweed J. Stubbs...

By Beting Laygo Dolor | Contributing Editor Even with Globe Telecom announcing its launch of 5G (fifth generation) network service this year, the country’s biggest telecom company PLDT/Smart has opted not to follow suit, instead going for a launch in early 2020. In a media briefing last week, PLDT/Smart Chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said their 5G launch originally slated for this year will not take place. “But certainly sometime early next year,” he said. PLDT/S...

By Corina Oliquino | FilAm Star Correspondent MANILA - On the eve of President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), Labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) said Filipino workers are still living in a “Republic of Endo” or country of contractual workers well into the Duterte Administration and days before “anti-endo” or security of tenure bill’s lapsing into law on July 27. “After three years of Duterte, we are a still a Republic of Endo,” PM said in a state...

By Rev. Fr. Tristan Jasper D. Laforteza “There’s roughly 525,600 minutes in a year – that’s 86,400 seconds per day. How many of those do you use to give thanks to God? It’s an old story1, so you probably heard of it before. A poor farmer saw a wounded crane and decided to help it and set it free. A few days passed; he found a beautiful woman waiting for him at home. They got married and she helped him get rich by weaving the most exquisite and intricate cloths that even...