Fil-Am Becomes First Female Asian American Judge in Virginia

Maha-Rebekah Abejuela (Source: Inquirer.net)

Maha-Rebekah Abejuela, a former prosecutor, became the first Asian American woman to be a judge in Virginia on Sept. 27. According to the Washington Post, Abejuela is the daughter of Filipino immigrants (See AsamNews.com for story).

Ex-Miss U Gloria Diaz in Queenly Cameo in Netflix’s ‘Insatiable’

Gloria Diaz in Netflix’s “Insatiable” (Source: Netflix)

Filipina Miss Universe winner Gloria Diaz showed the world her queen’s walk in a cameo appearance on “Insatiable,” the hit Netflix series now on its second season (See GoodNewsPilipinas.com for story).

Fil-Am Kid, 6, Now Top US Chess Player at His Age

Scott Matthew Escalera (Source: Wikipedia)

A six-year-old Filipino American chess player is now the highest rated player at his age in the whole country, according to the latest United States Chess Federation (USCF). In the September ratings, U.S.-born whiz kid Scott Matthew Escalera ranked 22 in the under 7 group (See Inquirer.net for story).

Docu on 12-Year-Old Pinoy Volunteer Teacher Wins Cannes Gold

“Dagul” a 12-year old volunteer teacher (Source: GMA News)

The story of 12-year-old volunteer teacher presented in a documentary on GMA Network’s Reel Time, “Batang Maestro (Little Teacher),” won the Gold Dolphin at the 2019 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards held on September 26 in France, over entries from 51 countries (See GoodNewsPilipinas.com for story).

US Senate Body OKs Banning Entry of De Lima’s Jailers

Senator Leila De Lima

US Senator Dick Durbin lauded the Senate appropriations committee for passing the amendment he introduced together with Senator Patrick Leahy to prohibit the entry of any Philippine government official involved in the imprisonment of Senator Leila de Lima (See GMA News for story).

Mormons Turn Over 4 Hundred Years of Digitized PH Catholic Records

Bishop David, Archbishop Valles, Jose, Ordinario (center) and other CBCP and Mormon officials (Source: inquirer.net)

 In a low-key but historic event, the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints (Mormons), through its Family Search arm, recently turned over digitized Philippine Catholic Church records spanning four centuries to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (See Inquirer.net for story).

Fil-Am Graphic Novelist Lynda Barry Wins MacArthur Genius Grant

Lynda Barry (Source: VT News)

Fil-Am graphic novelist and educator Lynda Barry is among 26 artists and scholars being given The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards, better known as the “genius” grants for creativity and potentia (See Inquirer.net for story).

Jollibee Takes Over Coffee Bean & Tea for $350M

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Philippine fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. has completed a $350-million takeover of American beverage and food retailer Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL), becoming the first Filipino firm to have a significant investment in the global coffee retailing space (See Inquirer.net for story).