FAMOUS FILIPINOS / ASIANS

Rafe Totengco

is an award-winning, Filipino born (Ilo-Ilo), NYC-based handbag, shoes, and leather goods designer who was the first to sign-up for the current economy-apropos “designer-for-Target” fad [designs and sales of which I am a rabid fan…and by rabid I do mean foaming-at-the-mouth. Rodarte and Anna Sui are in the pipeline (salivating as I write), McQueen, Botkier, Hindmarch, and Siegerson Morrison are among the many who have lent their designs.]

Rafe (pronounced rah-fay signified by a horizontal line above the “e” which you can’t see now because my keyboard isn’t set up for that kind of fanciness) launched his handbag collection in 1995 and has since expanded to shoes and leather goods to enhance his world-wide store and upscale boutique stock.

“Rafe blends uptown sophistication with downtown edge while remaining classic enough to be worn for many seasons to come…” [CFDA]

[other sources: asian journal profile, Philippine Inquirer profile, Rafe’s blog and Twitter]

Cory Aquino, former President of the Philippines, died in Manila Friday evening, July 31, 2009 (early Saturday morning Aug. 1, Eastern US time) after a 16-month battle with Colon Cancer.  She was 76.

IMPORTANT: Colon Cancer is 90% curable if detected in its early stages. (NYT)  Start to go for screening at 50 years old and/or recommend to your loved ones.  (NYCDOHMH info)

Maria Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women’s empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and was Asia’s first female president.

Read more news from the Associated Press, NYT, and TelegraphUK.

Nina Pineda (born 1968 and raised in Uniontown, PA) is an award-winning Filipino journalist and reporter for WABC-TV in New York City. Pineda can be seen on the evening editions of ‘’Eyewitness News’’.

Pineda joined the ‘’Eyewitness News’’ team in October 2000 as a general assignment reporter.  According to Nina, her career came full circle when she was forced to cover the most tragic story in American History- The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  Pineda previously worked at WTAE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1996-2000.

Prior to becoming a journalist, Pineda was a lobbyist for Capitol Hill and defended the constituents of the United States.

Tai Reina Babilonia (born September 22, 1959), skating with Randy Gardner, was a five-time gold medalists at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and won the gold medal at the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships.  They were medal favorites at the 1980 Olympics but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to Gardner.

Babilonia was the first figure skater of partial African American descent to win U.S. and World titles.  She is part Filipino and Native American on her father’s side.  In the late 70’s and early 80’s, however, her mixed ethnic ancestry was rarely discussed by the media.

While skating as a professional, Babilonia became addicted to amphetamines and alcohol and attempted suicide via an overdose of sleeping pills in the fall of 1988.^[1] After receiving treatment, she returned to the ice.

Babilonia appeared in the 2006 FOX television program “Skating with Celebrities”, partnered with Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner (Decathlon).

In retirement, she is living in Ashland, Oregon^[5]where she coaches part-time and also designs with Bear Hill Sports an activewear line called Tai.

Gorgeous Malia Jones, yo…she part Filipino…model and pro-surfer from Cali…born March 27, 1977.  Hawaiian, Spanish-Filipino, and German descent.

Jones began to surf competitively in her early teens, and at age 15 won the girls division of the United States Amateur Surfing Championship. While competing, Surfing Magazine spotted her and asked her to model for their swimsuit issue, and thus a second career was born.

Since then, she has appeared on the cover of over a dozen magazines, and has been named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” by People magazine, and one of America’s “10 Sexiest Athletes” by Esquire. She has also been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Jones has done TV commercials for American Express, Capri Sun, Coca-Cola, Corona Beer, and VO5 shampoo.  Jones was a consultant for the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch.

She is married to the Aussie WCT Pro Surfer Luke Stedman.^[1] Currently she divides her time between Hawaii, France, and Sydney, Australia, and designs a line of swimwear for Mambo Graphics sportswear.

Roman Gabriel, born Roman Ildonzo Gabriel, Jr. is the son of a Filipino immigrant.  (Filipino American on his father’s side and Irish-American on his mother’s.)

He was the first Asian-American to start as an NFL quarterback and is considered by many to have been one of the best players at that position during the late 1960s and early 70s.

Born August 5, 1940 in Wilmington, North Carolina, Gabriel QB’d with the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and the Philly Eagles, to name a few.  At 6’4” and 235 pounds, he is considered the first truly big quarterback of the modern era.

• 1973 -NFL Comeback Player of the Year
• 1969- NFL Most Valuable Player Award, AP, UPI, NEA, and the Bert Bell MVP Trophy (Maxwell Club)
• 1968 - Pro Bowl MVP

He was also a two-time All-American, and a two-time Two-time ACC Player of the Year (1960-61) he starred at quarterback for North Carolina State University in the early 1960s and finished his career holding virtually every Wolfpack passing record. An academic All-American, Gabriel saw his jersey retired and presented to him by North Carolina governor Terry Sanford on Jan. 20, 1962, at half-time of an NC State-Maryland basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum.

Gabriel later had acting roles in movies and television and became a tv and radio sports commentator.

Victoria Recaño is half-Filipino and an Emmy Award-winning American television personality, best known for being a correspondent on such programs as The Insider and Inside Edition.

Recaño was born in St. Louis, Missouri, one of six children. Her father was a Filipino-Spanish mestizo^[1] having emigrated to the United States to pursue a career in medicine. Her mother was German-Hungarian.