THE stakes in uncovering the truth behind the controversial pork barrel scam just got higher. On November 7, the stage is set at a Senate public hearing, for a face off between the whistleblowers, who bore the truth in the misuse of Filipinos’ tax money and the alleged mastermind, who allegedly siphoned off P10 billion…
THE magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck central Philippines last Tuesday, October 15, has claimed 161 lives according to authorities. About 400 people were reported injured and some are still missing as of press time. Landslides were reported in some areas. Nearly 3,000 houses were destroyed and another 16,000 were damaged in Bohol and Cebu, officials reported…
ASKED what he would miss most about his home for more than three years, outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas recently told Inquirer.net that it would be “Its people (Filipinos).” In previous interviews, Thomas said the Filipinos are the number one asset of the country and is the reason why the economy…
RECENTLY, the Filipino community was abuzz as news spread about a 63-year old woman who was allegedly detained and harassed by US immigration officers for six hours at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The traveler, retired Asian Development Bank employee Cariza Yonzon Grande, was on her 13th trip to the United States in a span of…
LOS ANGELES – “Filipino youth in Southern California celebrated the signing of California Assembly Bill 123 into law by Governor Brown on October 2, 2013. Introduced by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, the bill requires the state curriculum to include the contributions of Filipino Americans to the farm labor movement in California. The signing of AB123 recognizes…
WITH the theme “Towards Resilience and Growth: Reshaping Priorities for the Global Economy,” this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit gathered prominent heads of state and business leaders from the 21-member nations and territories in Bali, Indonesia. Held last October 5-7, the global leaders discussed some of the region’s most pressing issues including economic integration,…
WHEN President Benigno S. Aquino III (PNoy) dared the general public to file an impeachment case against him on Wednesday, “if they think it’s the right thing to do,” social media was inundated with mixed feedback. Some netizens were very vocal about their opinions in ousting the president; others opined that it’s the system that…
TIME may not yet be ripe for another US president to set foot on Philippine soil. Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said that the consulate in Washington, DC has not been advised by the US State Department of any change in Obama’s state visit. But because of adverse effects of an extended closure of federal…
OPEN enrollment for Covered California begins on October 1st, with coverage beginning on January 1, 2014. Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace (created in congruence with the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, which was made into law in 2010), where Californians can shop around, compare and apply for health coverage plans. In its…
ONCE described as a medieval institution, the Catholic Church (under the leadership of Pope Francis I) is no longer sitting on its laurels. The high prelate is encouraging the Church, along with its followers, to evolve and adapt to the changing world. “The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules….
It was an era in history that older generations of Filipinos would rather forget. But lessons from this tumultuous period has taught us to commemorate the past — if only to recount the nightmare that was martial law, and to make sure that it never happens again. On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Edralin…
LOS ANGELES—Coinciding with the Chinese Moon Festival, Walmart held a community celebration in on Chinatown to celebrate the opening of its Downtown LA Neighborhood Market on Thursday, September 19. The grand opening ceremony was held at 7:30am, and started with brief remarks from community leaders and store manager Kenny Tran. The program also included a…
WHILE the standoff between Philippine military forces and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) continues in Zamboanga City, Vice President Jejomar Binay took his share of the spotlight, after his failed attempt to negotiate for a ceasefire. ate a peaceful settlement (through his connection with former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari), and to free the hostages. However,…
Starting October 1, open-access markets for subsidized coverage under Pres. Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul may change your health insurance — and not necessarily for the better. According to the Associated Press (AP), there is a new “wild card” which could affect your coverage — your home address. This is because of “entrenched political divisions” over…
“WE will never forget.” These words are forever etched in the hearts and minds of people across the world, as we recall that fateful day when the World Trade twin towers crumbled into dust. Twelve years later, we are called to remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost on September 11, 2001. Who could…
THREE days before the scheduled ‘A Million People’s March’ of protest in Luneta [which calls for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more popularly known as “the pork barrel”] and solidarity rallies in key cities in the Philippines and the United States, President Benigno S. Aquino III finally decided that it was…
BEGINNING last weekend, new revelations on the pork barrel scam continues to pour, probably just as heavily as Typhoon Maring’s wrath , which has flooded Metro Manila. Most Filipinos expressed anger and disgust through social media. They feel betrayed, knowing that their hard-earned money has been blatantly misused by the people they put in power….
EVER since a warrant was released by the Department of Justice for the arrest of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her brother Reynaldo Lim, social media has been inundated with feedback by netizens. Most were angry and appalled that Napoles was able to escape the clutches of justice so quickly. The Dept. of Justice, along with…
AFTER months of strained relations, the Philippines and Taiwan have settled their differences — letting diplomacy prevail. Tensions rose on May 9, when a standoff ignited between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a Taiwanese fishing vessel, boarded by alleged poachers, in waters where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of both countries overlap. The incident…
“Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.” – Jose P. Rizal PURSUANT to Presidential Decree No. 1041(s. 1997), August has been declared as Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) in the Philippines. The theme for this year is Wika Natin ang Daang Matuwid, with the Department of Education and…
Are you ready to conquer fear and unleash that innate “public speaker” in you? Are you looking for your next career move or just getting out of school and is getting ready to face the real world? The Los Angeles Chapter of the International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting (ISFFA) will be holding…
NATIONAL security is of paramount importance to any country and to everyone. One terrorist act/attack, no matter how small or localized, is enough to incite fear into the hearts and minds of an entire nation. Over the weekend, the US State Department issued a worldwide travel alert, following a recent al-Qaida threat. “Current information suggests…
“I DON’T have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and just think of your people. It’s always the people who make things happen.” – Corazon C. Aquino (1933-2009) On August 1, Pres. Noynoy “PNoy” Aquino commemorated the 4th death anniversary of his mother,…
CELEBRITIES, who venture into politics, are not an uncommon sight in the Philippines — and Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is one of them. In the last three years, politics has been a major part of his career. He may have lost his last two major fights in 2012, but Pacquiao won big time in…
TROUBLE in the Philippine Bureau of Customs has been brewing for months. In April, Pres. Benigno Aquino III sent feelers at a groundbreaking ceremony in Capiz. According to a report from GMA News, the president said that “it’s only a matter of time when the administration will implement an extensive plan to weed out the…
HOW wonderful it is to be a Filipino, in these times. These were the words left by President Benigno Aquino III on his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. “My bosses, let us remember: where did we begin? If you have doubts now, compare them…
IN A recent series of investigative reports by the Inquirer.net, no less than 28 lawmakers from both houses of Congress – the Senate and the House of Representatives – were implicated in an alleged racketeering scam that purportedly defrauded the Philippine people of as much as P10 billion in ‘ghost project’ funding. According to sworn…
AMID the intensifying maritime impasse with China, the Philippines sought the intervention of neutral experts to help resolve the tension in the disputed South China/West Philippine Sea. The arbitration process was backed by the European Union, United States and Japan, who all support peaceful resolution to any international conflict. Through an aggressive stance, China strongly…
WHILE President Benigno S. Aquino III still strongly opposes amending the Constitution, advocates of Charter change (Cha-cha) are making their move. Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. filed House Resolution No. 1 which seeks “to amend restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution through the regular legislative route in the Senate and the House of…
THE Philippine economy is on the upswing and the numbers say it all. In the first three months, the country’s economy expanded by 7.8 percent, exceeding market expectations to become Asia’s fastest growing economy. The vibrant tourism industry and real estate market; and the Aquino administration’s pursuit of “Daang Matuwid” have all contributed to this…
