Alert Level Raised for Filipinos in Afghanistan

Filipinos in Afghanistan were “strongly urged” to leave the country as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised crisis alert level 3 which entails voluntary repatriation, reports Inquirer.net.

Priest Who Scolded Young Unwed Mom Apologizes

The priest who scolded an unwed mother during the baptism of her child issued publicly apology after the video of the incident at the Sacred Heart Chapel in Jagobiao, Mandaue City, went viral, reports Interaksyon.com. "I am now making a public heartfelt apology to the mother of the child and her immediate family," wrote Fr. Romeo Obach, who scolded the 17-year-old mother for having a child born out of wedlock.

Filipino Arrested for Child Sex Abuse in California

Jason Quero, a former campus supervisor and karate teacher at a charter school in Livermore, California, was recently arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old student, reports ABS-CBN News. The 30-year-old Quero, a Mountain House resident, is out on bail and was tentatively scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court on July 9.

Rich Kids' FB Gets Flak for 'Racist' Photo of Filipina

A Facebook community account of Snapchat, where wealthy students of private European schools reportedly display their luxurious lifestyle through pictures got flak recently for posting a "racist" photograph of a Filipina, reports GMA News. The controversial photo, posted on "What Happens at Private School Goes On Snapchat," shows an Asian-looking woman slumped in a private jet's seat. The caption reads, "When your Filipina flies private (??)ZZzzz RN."

Hot Dog Eating Champ Proposes to Fil-Am Girlfriend

High-ranking chowhound Joey “Jaws” Chestnut dropped to one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Fil-Am Neslie Ricasa, before the annual hot dog eating contest on July 4, then packed away 61 franks and buns to hold onto his coveted mustard yellow winner’s belt, reports Inquirer.net. 

Daughter of Anti-Marcos Activist Now LA Superior Court Judge

Teresa Magno, a female deputy district attorney prosecuting the most violent gang-related crimes in Los Angeles County – and whose father was an anti-Marcos activist – has become the first elected Filipino-American judge in the LA Superior Court, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
 

Akbayan Party Hits Singapore Maid 'Slave Auction'

The Akbayan party-list group has denounced what it called a “modern-day slave auction” in Singapore in which maids, including Filipinos, are displayed and marketed at a shopping mall in the city state, reports Inquirer.net. The group called on the Singapore government to crack down on the “display and marketing of migrant workers” at the Bukit Timah Shopping Center.

Pope Chooses Filipino Prelate as Vatican Envoy to UN

Pope Francis has picked a 55-year-old Filipino Catholic prelate to represent Vatican City in the United Nations, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), reports GMA News. Archbishop Bernardito Cleopas Auza, the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, will replace Archbishop Francis Chullikatt from India