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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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Long Beach, CALIFORNIA --- Mayor Beverly O’Neill of this city welcomed the bid of Bacolod City to reinstate its relationship as a sister city of Long Beach that was relayed to her by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Leonardia, who met with O’Neill at her office at City Hall, recalled that it had also been during her term in 1992 that the sister city relationship was first established. As vice mayor then, he represented the city at the ceremonies also held in Long Beach, he said.
The Visayan Daily Star reported that the sister cityhood, however, became inactive during the last two administrations. Leonardia said the revival was one of his priorities when he returned to office in June 2004.
With Leonardia at the meeting were Paul Blanco, acting chairman of the Bacolod Sister City Committee, Pat McMaster, chairperson of the Long Beach Sister Cities Inc., past chairman Larry Uyeda, executive vice chairman Leo Pandac, Vice chairman Van India, Al Denila and Lemy Gonzaga.
O’Neill, later had a photo session with the Bacolod delegation consisting of U.S. residents and civic leaders as well as Filipino World War II veterans.
The two mayors also exchanged gifts with Leonardia presenting O’Neill a framed mask of a MassKara dancer, which she appeared to appreciate very much. Miniatures were also given to her staff.
O’Neill is considered one of the most outstanding mayors of the U.S. The only three-term citywide elected mayor of Long Beach, she won in 1980 with almost 80 percent of the vote. For her third term she was elected as a “write-in” candidate, which means she did actually run but her name was written on the ballot by her constituents as their choice.
She was also formerly president of the League of California Cities, the state counterpart of the League of Cities in the Philippines.*
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NEW YORK --- In crafting the internationally-flavored menu at Colors, a new Greenwich Village restaurant, bartender Silverio Moog suggested a Filipino staple as one of the appetizers: lumpia. But his had a twist.
“Typically, you use pork or chicken. This is different,” Moog said of the lobster filling, which is mixed with minted sweet potato and tamarind. “It’s fresh.”
Also novel is the Lafayette Street restaurant’s concept: its 50 employees, from the chefs to the waiters, are co-owners; and many are former employees of Windows to the World, the upscale eatery located atop one of the World Trade Center towers before it was destroyed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Some customers here I used to see at Windows,” Moog, 41, of Queens, said as the dinner crowd trickled in a week after the January 12 opening.
All 73 Windows workers on duty the morning of September 11 were killed. The displaced employees who reunited to open this 120-seat restaurant opted for the name Colors to reflect the diversity of their 22 native countries, including Mexico, Egypt, Italy and Bangladesh. (An etched-glass mural of the world takes up a wall within the narrow, mahogany dining room.)
Besides Moog, two other Filipinos are on staff, including Victor Rojas, 30, of West Orange, who worked as a bartender at Windows for two years. One of his contributions to this new restaurant is a dark pink martini called, “Colors Dream,” and he plans to develop an original cocktail with macapuno.
“We are setting an example of a restaurant that’s not there just to make money,” Rojas said. “We are earning respect.”
As one of New York’s first worker-owned restaurants, the employees make no less than $13.50 an hour, double the state’s minimum wage.
With the help of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, an advocacy group created after September 11, the restaurant was financed with $2.2 million from various backers. Colors staff also individually put in 100 hours of sweat equity.
“People will come once because they want to support you, but we want to be judged on our merits as a restaurant,” said Stefan Mailvaganam, a Canadian citizen of Sri Lankan descent, who was brought in as general manager.
But it’s a risky undertaking; one Ohio State University study claims close to 60 percent of restaurants will fail within their first three years. So far, Colors has garnered much media attention, helping to build momentum during its opening month.
While patrons may come to the restaurant because of its connection to the World Trade Center, there are no overt reminders of Windows to the World, Moog said.
On a high shelf behind the bar, two bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne are underneath a glass case.
“The house champagne (at Windows),” Moog said as a young man bellied up to the bar and skimmed a menu.
They got into a conversation: “Have you tried the Philippine lobster lumpia?” a grinning Moog asked.
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