LEXINGTON, Massachusetts–Accomplished Filipina Harvard Medical School professor Ronilda Covar Lacson shares some of her experiences in building a career in the US. Interview conducted by INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Erika Tapalla.

Watch the Video interview

Tearfully Madonna Decena explained that she had to leave her two children behind with their grandparents, until she had raised enough money to send for them. Her rendition of I Will Always Love You made sure there was not a dry eye in the house.

She personifies a lot of Filipinos who goes beyond to uproot their lives from a country that can not promise a good life. She is a mass communication degree holder but went to London as a bar singer. She’s got a lot of sympathy from the Londoners.

Madonna Decena’s performance just captured the heartache and love of Filipinos who have to leave their family so that they can provide a better life.

Here are some questions I have gathered or been asked in talks, entries and emails. I will reword some of them.

1. Why did you interview Mayen?

The idea came from a request of Don who was the first to blog about the Tierra Maria Estates Scam outside of FilipinaImages.com. He wanted to hear her side of the story. Lorna, a co-founder of FilipinaImages.com also suggested that an interview is a perfect opportunity to talk to a Filipina who has used a dating site. The interview was not intended to clear Tierra Maria Estates, as the victim is clearly Mayen. Unlike most of us, Mayen does not have the financial resources to use the internet or even blog about it. Like Don, I was keen on hearing her side of the story.

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By Candice Montenegro, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

ONE boredom buster I’ve shared with all my friends is Googling. It’s basically just typing in random words or names on Google and looking at the websites that the search returns. It’s actually a fun way to learn new things everyday. When you type the word “falafel,” for example, you can read the origin of the famous Middle Eastern food as well as yummy recipes that teach you how to make some.

Anyway, if you’re up for it, try typing in the word “Filipina.” Here are some of the results you’ll get — Filipina Penpals, Filipina Dating, Filipina Singles, Sexy Filipina, Pinay and Exotic Models. Yes, that’s apparently the stereotypical Filipina that is shown online.

Good thing the top-ranked site now is a blog called The Filipina Images.

read more at Changing the Filipina image, one blog entry at a time

FilipinaImages.com is proud to be part of the Iblog 4 Summit which was held at the College of Law’s central auditorium, also known as Malcolm Theater. I invited all the bloggers present to contribute their stories to our portal or to even link to FilipinaImages.com.

And here is the video

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100% Pinoy interviewed me for a segment on “Modernong Maria Clara” that was aired Thursday, April 24, 2008. The episode talked on the image and the evolution of Filipino women.

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After Charice Pempengco, another Filipina may well be on her way to musical stardom. McDonald’s employee Mary Margaret Yu came back to the country triumphant last April 20 after competing in the finals night of “Voice of McDonald’s 2008” held in Orlando, Florida.

Yu bagged the second prize for the competition while the Grand Prize was won by Natércia Pintor of Portugal. The 22-year-old Davao resident and choir member took home $10,000.

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I have read two blogs that seem to misinterpret the goals of FilipinaImages.com.

Let me make it clear. FilipinaImages.com is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) project to create a balance of the “Filipina” keyword in search engine results’ pages. That’s why our tagline is called Reshaping the Filipina Image Online.

We are not out to improve or change the perception of the Filipina Image.

We believe….that

The Filipina of the Future deserves a more empowered, diverse image online.
Multiple, complex, and whole.

We don’t seek perfection. We repeat: We seek balance in the Filipina images that are available online. We share our reflections about what the Filipina of the Future could be like, too. Dignity is every person’s human right. Whether the Filipina is a mother, a nanny, a decision maker in the corporate arena, a domestic service professional (formerly known as “domestic worker”), or a mail order bride, they have the right to empower themselves — through education, through equal rights in the household and the workplace, through connecting with people who want the same — and more.

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Meet Ma. Ana Samson Betita also known as Mayen, the Filipina girlfriend that Timothy Ellis Cumper mentioned in this entry. Tim alleges that Mayen orchestrated an attempted money scam amounting to almost Php 92,213.39 thousand pesos ($2,000.00 plus) through an alleged fake ectopic pregnancy with a group of her Filipino friends from Tierra Maria Estates, Medical Center Parañaque, doctors and a lawyer of the latter, Chin Chin Gutierrez and many others including bloggers. (read the list of alleged scam artists). Tim Cumper never sent the money requested to pay for the hospital bills.

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Congratulations to the WikiPilipinas Filipina Stories Contest

1st prize: The Filipina Doctor: Coming Full Circle by Dr. Claire Francisco

2nd prize: The Evolving Beauty of a Modern Filipina by Eddie Oguing

3rd prize: The Cyber Feminization of Poverty: Mail-Order Brides and the Image of the Filipina by Genevieve Ruth Villamin

And the winner of the Ipod nano is from Netherlands. Sorry I can’t remember the entry right now.

To the winners: Please Contact mindy@wikipilipinas.org.ph for more details.

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