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For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
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NEW YORK --- Tom D. Rodriguez, supervising administrative law judge for the State of New York, was honored with an achievement award in in community / public service by the Central Luzon State University Alumni Association Inc. (CLSUAAI).
Rodriguez, who has been supervising judge since 2000 for NY state’s Department of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Department of Labor, recceived the award during the Annual Grand Homecoming of CLSUAAI last February 2004.
The CLSU alumni association honored Rodriguez with the award for “his exceptional achievement and contributions in civic affairs,” his “efforts as a lawyer and a pioneering Filipino afministrative law judge,” and in “helping the community under the umbrella of professional and civic organizations.”
He received the award from CLSU President Rodolfo Undan and CLSUAAI President Dr. Teotimo Aganon.
Rodriguez, known as the singing judge, holds a Master of Arts in Government and Education from Columbia University and Bachelor of Law from the University of the Philippines.
He is also the Deputy Area Commander for the Eastern USA-1 of the Knights of Rizal.
During the 14th annual International Assembly of the Knights of Rizal last year, he was elevated to the Knight Grand Order of Rizal (KGOR), the second highest degree of the Order.
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NEW YORK --- The Filipino-American community of the Greater New York Area has organized and set in motion a fund drive to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Calling themselves the FilAm Committee of 100 for Katrina, the group’s action was prompted by an appeal issued by Philippine Ambassador to the US Albert del Rosario.
FilAm Committee of 100 for Katrina is headed by Nimia L. Lacebal, in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate General. Check donations issued for the fund drive should be made out to the American Red Cross with a notation under “MEMO” of “ FilAm Cmte of 100 for Katrina,” and sent to either:
Ms. Nimia Lacebal
132 Evans Road
Bloomfield NJ 07003
or the:
Office of the Consul General
Philippine Consulate General
556 Fifth Avenue
New York NY 10036
In issuing the appeal to Filipinos throughout the United States, Ambassador del Rosario said:
“In the true Filipino bayanihan spirit, the Filipino-American community’s participation in this fund-raising drive will concretely demonstrate its sense of civic duty, its humanitarianism and its commitment to be a positive force in American society.”
To jumpstart the drive, Philippine Foreign Service officers and staff in the US have committed donating a total amount of $10,000.00, the amount to be matched by another $10,000.00 donation from Ms. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, chairwoman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).
Donors’ names and amounts donated will be posted on the Philippine Embassy website www.philippineembassy-usa.org.
Periodic tallies of donations received by Philippine Foreign Service posts in the U.S. will also be posted on the Embassy website.
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Lauderdale, FLORIDA --- Mary Lou Macatangay of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea believes in invento de bobo, which means “stupid invention” in Tagalog, her mother tongue. When her husband, Angelo, the Honorary Consul General of the Philippines for South Florida, invites company for dinner at short notice, Macatangay takes whatever is in the freezer and vegetable drawer and whips up Filipino dishes that win raves from guests.
“All you need are the basic ingredients of Filipino cooking: garlic, soy sauce, lemon and vinegar,” she says. A lifetime of practice doesn’t hurt, either.
The consulate provides support for the many Filipinos who work the cruise ships that dock at Port Everglades. “ I always beg the Filipino chefs to sneak me food,” Macatangay says. “I love getting a taste of home.”
Macatangay, born and raised in Manila, taught herself to cook as a young bride. Now she has several notebooks stuffed with Filipino recipes she’s perfected. Macatangay cooks for official functions and also for her family.
“My son doesn’t want to move out,” she says of John, 26. “He loves my cooking too much.”
Although not commonplace in the United States, the food of the Philippines, like its people, is a blend of Malaysian, Chinese and Spanish. The Malaysian influence can be found in dishes like kare kare, an oxtail stew with peanut sauce. The Chinese heritage is seen in dishes such as lumpia (egg roll) and pancit (a generic name for noodle dishes). The Spanish contributed tomatoes, garlic and sauteing in olive oil.
Because the country’s tropical climate makes baking impractical, Filipino cooks prefer to stew, grill and steam in banana leaves. Vegetables are generally cooked with meat.
You’ll find contrasting and distinct flavors: bitter, sour, salty, fishy and meaty. Rice has been grown in the Philippines for more than 2,000 years and is usually served at every meal.
“Our cuisine is so mixed up,” Macatangay says, it even has Mexican influences.
Adobo, considered the national dish of the Philippines, is a stew made with chicken and pork marinated in soy sauce, white vinegar, garlic and peppercorns. Its Mexican cousin, puerco de adobo, is prepared with a paste of vinegar and herbs.
One of Macatangay’s recipes is Calderata ala George. She got it from the late George Canseco, the beloved Filipino composer. Besides writing more than 300 songs, Canseco loved to cook. Although the version of his recipe uses beef, it can also be prepared with goat or lamb. If you use those, Macatangay recommends using 1/2 cup brandy to temper the stronger tastes.
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