Filipino Seafarers Risk Being Blacklisted

Filipino seafarers could be blacklisted because of their unsatisfactory compliance with international standards required  by European ships, reports Inquirer.net. This has prompted a senator to push for a bill that would centralize all training and certification requirements under the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

Generous Japanese Boy Gets Surprise Gift from PH

Remember the  six-year-old Japanese boy who gave the contents of his piggy bank to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda? More than a month after his act of generosity, he got an anonymous gift from the Philippines, reports Rappler.com. It was a neatly-wrapped gift about the size of a shoe box containing around 4 small jeepney toys and an “I LOVE PH” shirt – a package Shoichi Kondoh received “from the Filipino people.”

Pinay Caregiver Wows "X Factor Israel" Judges

In yet another proof of the Filipinos' penchant for singing, an overseas Filipino worker has wowed judges in “X Factor Israel” with her live rendition of Christina Aguilera's “Beautiful,” making her advance in the show's next round, reports GMA News. Rose “Osang” Fostanes, a 46-year-old caregiver in Tel Aviv, received the nod from all four judges and cheers from an ecstatic Israeli audience on her most recent performance. 

Retired Pinoy Priest Invents Digital Confession Box

A retired Filipino priest in Phoenix, Arizona, has invented a computerized confession tool for the speech and hearing impaired, reports ABS-CBN News. Fr. Romuald Zantua calls it the St. Damien confession box—an innovation borne out of the need he saw when he worked with patients dealing with hearing loss.

Pinoys Told Not to Carry Bullet Amulets Into Macau

Filipinos who are going to Macau have been advised against carrying bullet amulets or anting-anting as they are categorized and thus prohibited in the Chinese territory, reports GMA News. The Philippine Consulate in Macau gave the advice after noting an increase in the number of Filipinos apprehended during routine security checks in Macau ports of entry because they had bullet amulets in their checked in and carry-on luggage.
 

Filipino Food Named Among Best US Food Trends

American TV host, chef, food writer and teacher Andrew Zimmern named Filipino food  among the best trends of 2013 in the United States, reports Interaksyon.com. In a December 12, 2013 post on People.com, the host of “Bizaare Foods” (on the Travel Channel) mentioned “brilliant Filipino food!” among “the highs” of the year.

Rich Europeans Trust Pinoys with Their Mansions

Filipinos around the world have gained the trust of their employers, like Pinoys living on the Spanish island of Mallorca where most work as caretakers of mansions and summer villas owned by affluent British and German families, reports ABS-CBN News.

Fil-Am Composer Nominated for Golden Globe Award

Filipino-American Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, were among the people who woke up Thursday morning to find they had been nominated to the Golden Globe Awards, reports Inquirer.net. Robert, award-winning cocreator of “Avenue Q” and “The Book of Mormon”—whose father is part-Filipino—and Kristen nabbed a best original song nod for their powerful ballad, “Let It Go,” sung by Idina Menzel from the animated film, “Frozen.”