Fil-Am to Represent Coral Springs at Miss Teen USA Pageant

Matea Smith

Filipino American Matea Smith, “Miss Coral Springs Teen USA,” will represent Coral Springs at the Miss Florida USA®/Miss Florida Teen USA® Competition in April 2021 (See Inquirer.net fr=or story)

NJ Town Honors Ailing, Recently Retired Filipino-Am Cop

Police sargeant Joseph Luistro

Family, friends and colleagues tearfully honored Filipino American police sergeant Joseph Luistro on his retirement, wishing him well after 27 years of service, in which he was credited with helping diversify the township’s police force (See Inquirer.net for story).

Fil-Am+ Is San Diego, California's New Mayor

San Diego Mayor-elect Todd Gloria

Filipino American Todd Gloria, a former member of the California Legislature, was elected Mayor of San Diego, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person and first person of color elected to that position in the state’s second-largest city and the US’ eighth-largest. He is also the first Democrat to win the post since 2005 (See Inquirer.net for story).

UP Ranked Among World's Top Universities for Medicine

The University of the Philippines has been ranked among the world’s best universities for medical studies in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR) 2021 (See Good News Pilipinas for story).

Disabled Fil-Am in Minnesota on Way to Winning Council Seat

Nikki Villavicencio

A Filipino-American with a disability appears to be on her way to a city council seat in Minnesota state. Disability rights advocate and community organizer Nikki Villavicencio has won 28 percent of the votes for a seat in the Maplewood City Council (See ABS-CBN News for story).

Covid Positivity Rate Declining in Nat'l Capital Region

The number of people catching COVID-19 in Metro Manila is steadily declining, according to the latest report of the OCTA Research Group (See Philstar.com for story).

Filipino Bone Marrow Donor Sought for Baby with Leukemia

A Hayward, California family is trying to save their nine-month-old baby who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The family hopes to find a bone marrow or stem cell donor, but because of the pandemic registration and community outreach has suffered. The baby’s diagnosis came earlier this month. Siblings are the best match but he’s an only child so now, a call to find a donor like him of Filipino descent (See Asian Journal)

Davao Chocolate Wins in First Virtual Competition

The famous Malagos Chocolates of Davao continues to prove its dominance after it bagged top awards in the first-ever online international chocolate festival. Malagos recently won four gold awards at the World Drinking Chocolate Competition 2020 under the category Plain/Origin Drinking Chocolate Dark (made with water) (See Philstar.com for story) .