Latest news with #DeJesus
GMA Network
14-07-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Gilas Women give world no. 9 Japan a scare, but drop second loss in a row
Gilas Pilipinas Women mounted a valiant fourth quarter comeback, but ultimately absorbed an 85-82 loss to Japan to remain winless in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup on Monday at the Shenzhen Sports Center in China. The Filipinas erased what was at one point a 22-point deficit, thanks to a scorching 21-2 run in the final frame behind Jack Animam, Naomi Panganiban, and Vanessa De Jesus. But it was not enough to break into the win column as Gilas fell to a 0-2 win-loss card in the continental tournament while the Japanese squad improved to 2-0 in Group B. Animam atoned for her two-point outing in their previous loss to Australia by posting a huge double-double of 24 points, including her 10 in the fourth period, and 14 rebounds, along with three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Young guns Panganiban and De Jesus chipped in 13 markers apiece with the latter also dishing out six dimes in the gallant fight. Gilas Women kept it close in the first period after reaching an 18-all deadlock, but Japan turned it up from downtown with four triples in the second period that allowed the world no. 9 Japanese to take a 57-41 halftime lead. Gilas slowly trimmed the gap, but Japan had an answer to every Philippine run as Minami Yabu fired back-to-back triples to end the third period with Japan enjoying a 77-57 cushion. In the fourth period, it was all Philippines. Staring at an 83-61 hole, the wards of head coach Patrick Aquino staged a huge fightback started by De Jesus, whose two consecutive assists led to a pair of baskets for Animam and Panganiban as they sliced the gap to eight, 75-83. Animam then completed a three-point play to further cut the deficit to four, 79-83, in the final 15 seconds. But the Philippines' comeback attempt fell short even after a clutch corner three-pointer from De Jesus. Maki Takada paced Japan with 20 points while Yabu chipped in 15 markers. Gilas will look to punch its breakthrough win on Wednesday, when it squares off with Lebanon at 1:30 pm. —JMB, GMA Integrated News
Los Angeles Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
John Leguizamo hits the road again for Season 2 of ‘Leguizamo Does America'
In Season 1 of the critically-acclaimed docuseries 'Leguizamo Does America,' which first aired in 2023, award-winning actor John Leguizamo took a cross-country journey to tell the stories of Latinos from all walks of life. Premiering Sunday on MSNBC, Season 2 arrives under a different landscape in America, where under President Trump, threats of arrest and indiscriminate deportations have plagued Latino communities across the country. 'This administration and the incredible cruelty and inhumanity in which they treat Latino lives is heartbreaking,' says Leguizamo. 'But our success is our resistance and our revenge.' The new season kicks off with a deep dive into the Latino community in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. Airing weekly on Sundays, each episode will explore how Latinos have shaped American culture in cities like Phoenix, Denver, New Orleans, Raleigh and San Antonio. Leguizamo's longtime collaborator, Ben DeJesus, also reprises his role as the series director. 'It's important not just for Latinos to understand their history and the incredible contributions they make to this country day in and day out — but it's important for other communities to recognize that,' DeJesus says. Notable figures like 'Ted Lasso' actor Cristo Fernandez, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and former Philadelphia Councilwoman Maria Quiñonez Sánchez, who was the first Latina to hold elected office in that city, are expected to make an appearance. However, at its core, this new season highlights how everyday people who are making a difference in their local community, from sports enthusiasts to innovative chefs and trailblazing activists. 'We wanted to spotlight people [who] were ready for their moment,' says DeJesus. As the show's synopsis states: 'It's part-politics, part-road trip, and part-history lesson, all wrapped in a vintage Leguizamo adventure, showcasing the fastest-growing demographic in the nation.' Last year, the U.S. Census reported that over 70% of the overall population growth in the U.S. between 2022 and 2023 was because of high birth rates among Latinos. The upcoming release follows a long-standing effort by Leguizamo— who recently appeared in the Apple TV+ miniseries 'Smoke' — to preserve and uplift Latino voices through increased media visibility. Last September, Leguizamo and DeJesus released a PBS series titled 'American Historia,' which explored untold Latino histories and the consequences of erasing the past. Like his previous program, the Colombian actor describes 'Leguizamo Does America' as an 'antidote' to the mistreatment and erasure of Latinos in this country. (Perhaps a sign of our COVID-fatigued times, it's a slight departure from what he described in previous interviews as a 'vaccine.') For Leguizamo, the purpose of the show boils down to representation. He first attempted to cram 3,000 years of Latino history into a short 90-minute lesson in his Netflix special, 'Latin History for Morons,' inspired by his Tony-nominated one-man Broadway show of the same name. Leguizamo cites a 2023 report by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and UnidosUS, which found that 87% of key topics in Latino history were excluded across the six textbooks analyzed — with the exception being Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. 'If our history was there, you wouldn't be able to treat us in such a disgusting, dismissive way,' says Leguizamo, referring to the targeted immigration raids in Los Angeles, which are spreading across the country. He points to moments in America's history when Latinos were victims of discrimination and terror, including the use of harmful toxins like Zyklon B on Mexican migrants in the 1920s, a tactic that later inspired Nazi gas chambers. Leguizamo also references the Mexican repatriation efforts that took place between 1929 to 1939, which deported up to 1.8 million people to Mexico, a majority of which were U.S. citizens. ' And then they do it again to us,' says Leguizamo. 'They bring us back to do all the hard work and labor [like in the 1940s with the bracero program] and then Operation Wetback [happened] in the 1950s and a million and a half Latinos [got] shipped out.' Although the show was filmed in 2024, months before President Trump took office and fast-tracked mass deportations, DeJesus believes the show is 'perfectly timed for [this] moment in history.' ' Our reply back is using our craft, our ability to tell these stories at such an important time,' says DeJesus. 'We couldn't have planned it any better, but it's unfortunate that we're in the times that we're in right now.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
About 100 staff at Milwaukee Job Corps Center will lose jobs due to federal cuts, state agency says
About 100 staff at the Milwaukee Job Corps Center are expected to lose their jobs in June as the result of recent actions by the U.S. Department of Labor to pause its national workforce program. In a late May announcement, the federal labor department cited poor performance outcomes and high operation costs as reason for its plans to suspend operations at 99 contract-operated Job Corps centers across the U.S., including Milwaukee's, by the end of June. The Job Corps program dates to 1964. It provides room and board, high school diplomas, specific job skills training, and other employment services for people between the ages of 16 and 24. Participants must qualify as low income and face "barriers to education and employment." Examples of those who are enrolled in Job Corps include people with a history of homelessness, who dropped out of the K-12 education system or who have been victims of sex trafficking. About 25,000 people are enrolled nationally, federal data show. Milwaukee's location, 6665 N. 60th St., is operated by contractor Horizon Youth Services. Via email on June 2, President Nolyn Fueller said the program has awarded 1,354 high school diplomas and 2,515 career and technical training completions since opening in 2011. Layoffs will affect all staff at the Milwaukee location: residential counselors, academic instructors, mental health consultants, security officers, cooks and others, according to a June 2 notification from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. "The termination of this contract will result in layoffs that are expected to be permanent," the DWD notification says. A June 3 legal complaint brought by the National Job Corps Association, a trade organization for contractors operating the program, seeks to prevent the federal pause. Among other allegations, the lawsuit filed in New York calls the federal labor department's actions "illegal" and "fundamentally irrational." Jamie De Jesus has volunteered at the Milwaukee location for the last two years. He believes ending the program could increase the crime rate, put young people in vulnerable situations and make it more difficult for potential future students to get jobs. 'They're making life-changing decisions on people whose life they can never relate to,' De Jesus said of the Trump administration. De Jesus said he reached out to Milwaukee Area Technical College and Milwaukee County to find some possible solutions. 'Let's revamp what we got and keep these people from being homeless,' De Jesus said, adding of the roughly 120 students that are affected by the closure, 30 could be homeless or have inconsistent housing. De Jesus said he's reached out to different organizations to help with housing and mental health for the students. 'Money makes the world go round, right? But conversation rules the nation,' De Jesus said. 'If we keep communicating with each other to find out what our needs are, we all have a better chance of survival.' The federal funding for Job Corps was operational, De Jesus said, and the budget was tight. But the program was trending in the right direction. 'We were working on getting Job Corps more volunteering so they were more active in the community. They were building relationships,' De Jesus said. 'They had a workforce board to find out what companies wanted and companies were even hiring the students from there. It was working.' Aside from his volunteer work, De Jesus works for the Innovative Educational Solutions Institute, a nonprofit that offers job training to people with financial or physical limitations. De Jesus said there's two machinist interns and an administrative assistant intern with Innovative Educational Solutions Institute. Like many companies with interns coming to the end of their training, De Jesus said they asked them where they wanted to get lunch. 'Their response hit me ... 'We don't know any place to go eat?'' De Jesus recalled. 'It's about exposure for youths, at this point. Exposing them to as many things as we can whether it be different foods, different areas of employment, different career paths. And just trying to educate them and let them know that they're not forgotten about.' In explaining its decision to suspend the program, the U.S. Department of Labor pointed to a "first-ever Job Corps Transparency Report" released in April that includes data on graduation rates, operational costs and safety infractions at program sites. For the Milwaukee location, that data showed an enrollment of 245 students in the 2023 program year, at an average cost per participant of $37,457. Of those students, 73 were considered to have graduated, meaning they either obtained a high school diploma, GED or completed a career technical training program. In a statement on May 29, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer cited that report in saying the Job Corps program was "no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve." The lawsuit seeking to maintain Job Corps alleges the federal government's report on the program "applies a flawed methodology and reflects selective and inaccurate performance measures, costs, and statistics, intended to significantly understate Job Corps' performance and overstate its costs." In June 3 letter addressed to Chavez-DeRemer, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, called the program pause "misguided" and a "functional cancellation." She urged the federal government to reverse course. "Employers in the Milwaukee area value Job Corps graduates as strong, reliable contributors in the workplace, and losing that connection will add to the challenge of filling open jobs," Baldwin's letter said. The future of Wisconsin's second Job Corps center, in the northcentral town of Laona, is unclear. The Laona location, Blackwell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, is operated by the U.S. Forest Service Job Corps. In a statement on June 3, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the department is reviewing the job corps program and "will determine the status of our 24 centers soon." "The Trump Administration is looking critically at the way we do business, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the best possible service for our customers, and the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars," the statement added. "We continue to work closely with DOL and Congress to ensure USDA Job Corps facilities continue to prioritize the health and safety of program participants." Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@ or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Federal actions to pause services at Milwaukee Job Corps center
GMA Network
03-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
DBP earnings up 82% in Q1 2025 to P1.61B
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) saw its bottom line grow by high double-digits in the first quarter of 2025. In a statement on Tuesday, DBP said its net income stood at P1.61 billion in the January to March period, up 82% from P571 million in the same period in 2024. The state-run lender said its earnings grew because it 'continued to ramp up lending activities to its priority sectors and key industries.' In particular, DBP president and CEO Michael de Jesus said the financial performance in the first three months of the year was driven largely by significant increases in interest income from its lending and investment portfolio. 'DBP's strong financial performance in the first quarter is reflective of the robust performance of the local banking industry that has greatly benefited from the stable macroeconomic environment brought about by the sound economic policies of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.,' said De Jesus. The DBP chief added that the state-run bank's total assets breached the trillion-peso mark, hitting P1.04-trillion, up 7% from the P977-billion posted year-on-year. Moreover, DBP's total deposits grew to P821 billion, up 9% from P756 billion seen a year ago, while loans to borrowers rose by 2% to P519 billion from P509 billion year-on-year. 'About 60% of DBP's total loans, or P314.7 billion, went to the infrastructure and logistics sector with most of the projects located in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Davao, Eastern Visayas, and Central Visayas,' said de Jesus. He added that DBP provided P96.7 billion in loans to projects for social infrastructure and community development, P47 billion for environment-related projects, and P25 billion for micro, small, and medium enterprises. 'We expect another banner year for the Bank given the favorable economic landscape even as we pursue more programs and initiatives that would contribute positively towards the 'deep economic and social transformation as embodied in the Philippine Development Plan' 2023 to 2028,' said De Jesus. DBP is the 10th largest bank in the country in terms of assets and provides credit support to four priority sectors of the economy – infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; the environment; and social services and community development. It has a branch network of 150, including 14 branch lite units that are located in underserved areas in the country. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
The Citizen
01-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Mrs KZN empowers young women and inspires confidence
MRS KZN 2024, Janine de Jesus, is using her voice and influence for good, by empowering young women to take a stand against cyberbullying and abuse. With June being Youth Month, De Jesus has been dedicating her time to giving talks that inspire female learners to stand in their strength and rise above challenges. The owner of The Grand White, located in Glenwood at the Baumann Residences, recently made an impact in the lives of young women at Brettonwood High School. De Jesus visited the Women of Worth (WOW) Club where she reached out and uplifted the female learners by giving them advice on how to navigate their teenage years and avoid peer pressure. De Jesus said, 'We had real, raw conversations about cyberbullying, abuse, and the importance of self-worth. I shared tools on how to handle abuse — how to recognise the signs, speak up, seek support, and never feel ashamed for protecting your peace. Abuse thrives in silence, and I reminded the girls that their voice is their power.' Also Read: Young women empowered to break cycle of abuse She encouraged every girl in the room to love herself, be confident to speak up without fear, set healthy boundaries and know her worth. 'We also explored the beautiful concept of the 'Let Them' theory by Mel Robbins. Let them judge. Let them misunderstand you. Let them walk away. Let them … while you keep working on you, loving you, and standing in your truth,' added De Jesus. Through her advocacy and school talks, De Jesus guides learners into being powerful, strong, confident and independent teenagers who are able to stand tall against adversity. 'Our youth, especially our young girls, are facing so much in today's world. I will continue to show up, speak up, and stand up for them. This is my mission — to educate, empower, and help them rise above bullying, abuse, and self-doubt. I tell them to stand strong even when it's hard and that you are brave, you are brilliant, and your light is unstoppable,' said De Jesus. Having recently purchased The Grand White, De Jesus says that plans are afoot to transform it into a welcoming space of wellness — offering yoga, pilates, a coffee shop, and a boutique clothing store. This sanctuary is designed for relaxation, restoration, and community connection, open to all, and especially focused on uplifting events and experiences for women. De Jesus recently entered Mrs Umhlanga 2025, where she was crowned First Princess and honoured with the Princess with a Purpose award for collecting the most care packs in support of the Keep a Girl in School campaign. To find out more about her work or to invite De Jesus for an inspirational talk, email: janinedj@ For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
