Fil-Am Is US Trade Unions' Highest Ranking Asian Official

Luisa Blue (Source: SEIU521.org)

Filipino American Luisa Blue, 64, was elected executive vice president by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) during its Quadrennial Convention in May, making her the highest ranking Asian American official of an international union, reports Inquirer.net.

Duterte to Refuse Steve Harvey as Host of '17 Miss Universe in PH

World peace may be a common aspiration among beauty queens in the Miss Universe pageant, but it’s not one shared by President Duterte—at least not where American TV host Steve Harvey is concerned, who infamously read the wrong name when he announced the winner in last year's pageant, is concerned, reports Inquirer.net. Duterte will block the decision of the Miss Universe organization to get Harvey as anchor of the prestigiouspageant that will be held in the country early next year, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo said.

15 Trafficked Filipinas Jailed in Malaysia

Fifteen Filipinas who were duped by illegal recruiters to enter Malaysia illegally were sentenced by a Malaysian court to 6 months imprisonment and fined RM 4,000 (P46,000), reports Rappler.

USCIS Proposes Parole Status for Foreign Entrepreneurs

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a proposed rule that would allow the individuals referred to as “international entrepreneurs” to enter the United States temporarily on parole. The parole status is similar to the status given to children of Filipino war veterans in a policy implemented a couple of months ago but in a different context, according to Inquirer.net.

PH Losing $7 Billion a Year Due to Malnutrition

The Philippine economy is losing P328 billion ($7B) a year due to the effects of childhood stunting on workforce productivity and education, a study conducted by an international non-governmental organization showed, reports ABS-CBN News.

Church Groups Urge: Defend Life, Stop Drug War Killings

Church and religious groups have decried the surge in killings of suspected drug pushers and have called on the faithful to “defend the dignity of life. Fr. Marco Sulayao, chair of Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) on Panay Island, said while religious people support the eradication of illegal drugs and rehabilitation of drug dependents, these should be done without the “wanton” killings of suspected drug pushers, reports Inquirer.net.

Obama-Duterte to Meet Sept. 6

US President Barack Obama is expected to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte on Sept. 6, and plans to touch on human rights as well as security concerns, reports GMA News.

4 in 10 Filipinos Trapped in 'Vicious Cycle of Poverty'

Four in 10 Filipinos are “trapped in a vicious cycle” of slipping in and out of poverty whenever they are affected by external shocks, despitethe Philippines' strong, sustained economic growth over the past several years, according to a study by the Asian Institute of Management Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness (AIM RSN PCC), reports Inquirer.net.