Three Fil-Am Women Singers Get Grammy Nods

H.E.R. (left), Olivia Rodrigo (top right) and Saweetie (bottom right) (Source: Variety)

The 2022 Grammys are a big look for Filipino Americans: Olivia Rodrigo made Grammy history when she became the first Filipina and second-youngest artist to be nominated in all four top categories; H.E.R., also Filipina, landed eight nods; and Saweetie, who is Chinese, Filipina and Black, landed two, including Best New Artist (See Variety for story).

Popular Fil-Am Mayor of Pennsylvania Town Passes Away

Dr. Guillermo Udarbe

Doctor Guillermo Udarbe, who was mayor of Ridgway, Pennsylvania for 12 years, died unexpectedly on November 11, according to an obituary announcement. He was 81 (See TheFilam.net for story).

Duterte Spiritual Adviser Charged with Sex-Trafficking in US

Apollo Quiboloy

The spiritual adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, Apollo Quiboloy, trafficked girls and young women and forced them to have sex with him or face “eternal damnation,” the US Justice Department charged last Thursday (See Manila Standard for story).

PH to Allow Entry of Foreign Tourists Soon

The Department of Tourism said the Philippines would welcome international tourists for leisure travels ourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced (See Philstar.com for story).

Chicano Ex-Postal Worker Starts Drive for Larry Itliong First Class U.S. Stamp

Alfonso Salazar, a retired postal worker, is spearheading an effort to put Fil-Am labor hero Larry Itliong on a first class US postage stamp. He shared a post on Facebook on Larry Itliong Day last month encouraging people to help get the labor leader on a stamp. As Salazar learned more about the history of the farm worker movement, he saw how crucial Itliong’s role was (See INQUIRER.net for story).

Pioneer Sakada and Family Honored in Hawaii

Elpidio Acopan is known as the first independent Filipino farmer in the Manoa Valley in Oahu. In 1930 he bought a lease for more than 25 acres from a retired Japanese farmer to grow ti plants, gardenias, banana and other crops (See INQUIRER.net for story)..

Virtual Exchange Program Links Students in San Diego and PH

A new virtual exchange program will connect San Diego students and teachers with their counterparts in the Philippines. The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the Council for Teaching Filipino Language and Culture recently kicked off  Dalawang Baybayin (Two Shores) Intercultural Exchange Program. (See INQUIRER.net for story).

Earliest Filipino Arrival in Canada Was in 1861 --Researcher

Benjamin “Benson” Flores (Source: the Bowen Island Museum and Archives)

Filipino immigration to Canada began in 1861, not in the 1931 as commonly believed, according to research done by Joseph Lopez, a Vancouver, British Columbia radio host and freelance print journalist (See INQUIRER.net for story).