By:  Teresa Torralba June 2021 is an incredibly special month to our Filipino-Canadian community. It is when we celebrate the Filipino Heritage month all over Canada.  As well, Filipinos around the globe have events throughout the year to celebrate the Quincentennial year of the Philippines.  It was 500 years ago that the Philippines was discovered by explorers led… Read More »

Ready, willing and able, but only requires a second chance By Faye Arellano Is there hope for permanent residence (PR) for out-of-status caregivers whose lives are in limbo? The short answer is yes. But how to achieve the desired result may be more complicated than that. Application on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) ground is one legal remedy that… Read More »

By Faye Arellano  Maria, 35, arrived in Canada a decade ago under the defunct Live-in Caregiver’s  Program. Her initial employer changed her mind about hiring her and immediately  released Maria on her first week.  It took Maria about seven months to find a new employer who was willing to do the  required paperwork. This time, Maria endured almost… Read More »

In pursuit of the elusive PR By Faye Arellano After several failed attempts to restore her legal status even with the help of a lawyer, Maria eventually became undocumented in 2014.  “I incurred so much debts in the course of my legal battle, to no avail,” recalled Maria. She added that she was desperate to renew her work… Read More »

By Hermione Cabie Santos A 55-year old patient has been taking pain medications round the clock for several months. Unable to sleep most nights and taking high doses of anti-anxiety medications, he seeks other means of addressing his condition.Finally, he reads about medical cannabis, discovers its benefits and now enjoysa more pain-free way of life! We all have… Read More »

By Faye Arellano  Maria, 35, arrived in Canada a decade ago under the defunct Live-in Caregiver’s  Program. Her initial employer changed her mind about hiring her and immediately  released Maria on her first week.  It took Maria about seven months to find a new employer who was willing to do the  required paperwork. This time, Maria endured almost… Read More »

By Hermione Cabie Santos In a game of chess, my 15-year old son suddenly becomes uncomfortable when he discovers his father’s deadly check move.  He carries on, nevertheless, quietly revisits his game strategy, resists the temptation to give up and remains calm in the hope of maneuvering an almost impossible escape. He knows losing is part of the… Read More »

In my groundbreaking quantitative modeling study of 620 Bicolano women from Bicol Region, Philippines, I proposed that religion as a way of life encourages people to strive for other values. Consequently, these values yield profound societal impacts. For instance, the practice of religion has been associated with gender-role stereotypes. Illustratively, Filipino feminist scholars regard Roman Catholicism as a… Read More »