Trump to Tap Fil-Am Rear Admiral as Asst. Defense Secretary

Rear Admiral Victorino Mercado (Ret.)

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Rear Admiral  Victorino Mercado,, a retired Filipino American Navy veteran, as the assistant secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the White House announced on Wednesday, February 26 (See Asian Journal for story).

Tim Tebow to Play for PH in World Baseball Classics

Tim Tebow

The World Baseball Classic announced on Wednesday that Mets minor league outfielder Tim Tebow will play for the Philippines in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. Tebow, 32, was born in the Philippines on August 14, 1987 (See Yahoo News for story). 

Filipina Nurses Say Why They Back Sanders and 'Medicare For All'

Filipina American nurses

 For Filipina American registered nurse Mary Magtanong-Sigua, one of the hardest choices her patients face is whether to pay for their medical care or groceries. A registered nurse since 2004 working in Vallejo, California, she’s a proponent of Medicare For All and a supporter of Bernie Sanders for president (See story in Inquirer.net)

Filipino Kitchenette in Seattle Wins James Beard Award

Oriental Mart

Oriental Mart, a family-owned Filipino grocery store and kitchenette in Seattle’s Pike Place Market is among the recipients of the 2020 America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation (See Inquirer.net for story).

California County Taps Fil-Am as Poet Laureate

Janice Lobo Sapigao

Janice Lobo Sapigao was named Santa Clara County’s poet laureate at a February 10 meeting of the county Board of Supervisors. Sapigao, the county’s sixth poet laureate, will serve in the honorary role through December 31, 2021 (See the story in Inquirer.net).

Chef Brings Ibanag Cooking to America

Malou Perez-Nievera

In her book, Connecting the Pots, published in 2019, Malou Perez-Nievera, an Ibanag from Tuguegarao, Cagayan, writes about the Ibanag cuisine and childhood recipes, alongside her family’s stories and her migration from the Philippines to Melbourne and eventually to America (See Inquirer.net for story).

Nat'l Nurses United Co-Hosts Launch of Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) Organizing Committee President  Zenei Cortez, RN co-hosted the launch of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies on February 22, at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at University of California Davis in Sacramento.

Fil-Am Is Mayor Pro-Tem of Sierra Madre, Calif. for 2nd Time

Rachelle Arizmendi

Filipino American city councilor Rachelle Arizmendi, re-elected to the city council in 2018, will be the mayor pro tem of Sierra Madre, California, for a second time. (See Inquirer.net for story).