Maniolas

FoodCurated videoblogger Liza de Guia on location at a market. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO First posted in PositivelyFilipino.com “Everyone has something interesting hidden in their hearts. I’d like to tell their story,” says Liza de Guia. De Guia, chief storyteller of the video blog, Food Curated, is a young and multi-awarded Filipina journalist living her dream in New York. Here’s the story of her stories. The Food Curated video captured it. The chef spoke no English, but I understood. “I give people my torta, I say ‘good luck,’” says Chef Galdino, a New York food trucker, as he piles ingredients into tortas, Latin sandwiches with pan-seared pork slices, cheese slabs, slivers of lettuce, tomato and onion, slathered with seasonings. The camera zooms a close-up as he serves a sandwich to a hungry customer. The food truck is in Corona, Queens, NYC, but who can resist getting a torta after seeing this? De Guia’s biweekly FoodCurated.com features story after story of the undiscovered food artisan, chef, restaurant, or craft. She presents a finely produced story with every edition on her TV series. After every show, the unknown person, product, or place featured becomes so well recognized business booms for them. De Guia has helped so many with her storytelling. It is no surprise she has been recognized by peers and received so many prestigious awards. Food Curated went on the air in 2009. De Guia has earned four James Beard Award nominations, 2010 to 2013  (a Beard is the “Oscars” in the food world) and was 2012 Webby Awards Official Honoree, Read More …

China’s leaders in Beijing must be grinning from ear to ear, toasting their champagne glasses and cheering “Gan Bei!” It has been three weeks since a Chinese ship deliberately rammed three boats carrying 29 Filipino fishermen in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) and there have been no protest demonstrations denouncing China’s unprovoked aggression. The 29 Filipino fishermen reported that they had been out at sea for five days when the huge waves and strong winds of a powerful storm caused them to seek refuge in the shallow waters of the Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal). They described to Philippine authorities that on January 29, 2015 they saw at least 10 Chinese vessels patrolling the shoal with armed personnel. One Chinese ship then steered in their direction straight for their outriggers to force them out of the shoal, which is only 125 miles from Zambales and 550 miles from the nearest Chinese port, well within the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). But all the Philippine government could do for its helpless fishermen was to file a diplomatic protest against China for yet another provocation. In stark contrast, last year when China’s ships rammed Vietnamese fishing vessels that were protesting China’s installation of a $1 billion oil rig within Vietnam’s EEZ, the Vietnamese people erupted with anti-China riots all over Vietnam, forcing China to withdraw its oil rig and its ships in and to repatriate 3,000 Chinese workers back to China. Flexing its muscles  China’s January 29 attack on Filipino fishing vessels is another example Read More …

  First posted in PositivelyFilipino.com World War II was quickly coming to an end. Manila was a jungle of wreckage. Office buildings, churches, homes, hotels, factories and docks lay in ruin. In other parts of the country, people poked through similar scenes of destruction, looking for food or belongings or the remains of family members killed by either the retreating Japanese or the bombardment of the advancing Americans. “Our family survived by gathering wild cassavas, bananas, guavas, pineapple and jackfruit,” recalled Flory Bautista, then a teenager in war-torn Leyte. “There was never enough food, but we hardly thought about it because we were afraid. We just wanted to survive.” A few months later, Bautista would leave behind that tragic chapter of Philippine history and sail for America as the “war bride” of a Filipino serviceman in Uncle Sam’s army. Her journey was part of a larger phenomenon—the beginning of the Second Wave of Filipino immigration to the United States. The Second Wave of Filipino immigration was short in duration but profound in its impact on the size and composition of the Filipino community in America. The bulk of the wave came into the United States directly after the war, between 1946 and 1953, as Filipinos who served in the armed services were granted U.S. citizenship for their contribution to the war effort. Many of these servicemen had been living in the United States before the war as younger members of the First Wave of immigration. Returning with their Florys, they would, Read More …

TORONTO, Canada – A Filipino woman in this city has been charged with immigration fraud that preyed on the Filipino community, the Toronto Police Service reports. Police allege more than 500 people from six different countries may have been defrauded by GoWest Jobs International of a total of more than $1.5 million. GoWestJobs is a recruiting agency. The police probe investigation began in October. Workers were allegedly recruited from other countries for jobs in Canada. A large number of Filipinos were among the applicants. GoWest asked for payment for documents, references and employment contracts. According to police, the applications were submitted to the government agency in the applicant’s home country. Applicants’ entry to Canada, however, was denied because the documents submitted on their behalf were allegedly fraudulent. The applicants were banned from re-applying for two years. Imelda Fronda Saluma, 46, of Toronto has been charged with 11 counts of fraud over $5,000, nine counts of pass off wares/services, eight counts of fraud under $5,000, nine counts of obtaining money by false pretense, and one count each of making a false statement to procure a discount and making a document without authority. Anyone with information is asked to call Toronto police at 416-808-3100, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3100, Toronto Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the Read More …