[COLUMN] Is filing bankruptcy your best solution? Here’s how to know
AS a bankruptcy attorney, I am often asked: “How will filing bankruptcy change my life?” I think people ask this question because of the negative things that they may have heard about bankruptcy from their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. They think that a bankruptcy means that they will be forever looked upon as outcasts…
[COLUMN] Ian Veneracion celebrates 40th year in showbiz, signs up with management team of OPM icon
ACTOR Ian Veneracion is celebrating his 40th year in showbiz in 2022, and has decided to pursue more avenues, particularly his musical side, by signing up with the management team of OPM stalwart Ogie Alcasid. The two are longtime friends, with Ogie collaborating with and/or producing Ian’s past shows, including “Ian in Color,” “Pajamjam” and “Virtually…
[COLUMN] Husband and wife are finally reunited in America after 32 years, on this success story on Citizen Pinoy
BETH was petitioned as “single” by her U.S. citizen father in 1988. At her Embassy interview, visas were already available for “married” children. The consul advised her to marry Benjamin, her live-in partner, so she could add him to her petition and bring him and their children along with her. She followed the consul’s advice…
‘Gifted to Give’: Archdiocese of Oakland celebrates 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
SAN RAMON – It has been over 500 years since the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, under the banner of the Spanish King Carlos, shared his faith with the tribal King Humabon of Cebu and over 2,200 of his followers in 1521. Since then, the Catholic faith has spread throughout the Philippine archipelago composed of 7,701…
New York City enters ‘high’ COVID-19 alert level
THE New York City Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene on Monday, May 16 issued an advisory strongly recommending that all New Yorkers wear masks in all indoor public settings as the city approaches the ‘high’ alert level. NYC health officials are asking individuals, regardless of vaccination status or past COVID-19 infection, to wear a…
COVID-19 vaccines: A way to honor heritage, community, and family during AANHPI Heritage Month
CDC and the We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Education Campaign emphasize vaccine availability and the need for continued safe practices AS Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities across the nation honor and celebrate the diverse contributions made in the United States we are reminded that COVID-19 vaccines and boosters continue to make…
Alden Richards on his ‘Stranger Things’ 4 World Premiere experience: ‘Surreal. So honored and happy’
STRANGER Things was one of the first Netflix series that Alden Richards watched so when the opportunity to attend and be a part of the show’s season 4 world premiere in New York presented itself, it was a no-brainer for the confessed fan. On the red carpet, the Filipino matinee idol posed for photos and…
[OPINION] Where do you stand? Christian love, forgiveness and justice in the age of fake news, disinformation and deceit
IF we think that the U.S. and Philippine elections were the worst times we as citizens of both countries would have to endure, the lowest pit our people could find ourselves in, the May 9, 2022 Philippine elections was a sober and scary reminder that the worst is upon us: the regime of deposed President…
Fil-Am actor Shea Renne on her ‘fate’ful role in national tour of Tony Award-winning musical ‘Hadestown’
Performances are welcoming back live audiences and the national tour of “Hadestown” is not to be missed. Stopping at the Ahmanson Theatre, the Los Angeles engagement of the Tony Award-winning musical made its West Coast debut at the end of April and will play through May 29. Following two intertwining love stories — that of…
CA lawmakers push to tighten licensing at nursing homes
By Samantha Young/Kaiser Health News SACRAMENTO — When Johanna Trenerry found a nursing home for her husband after his stroke, she expected his stay would be temporary. He never came home. Arthur Trenerry died at Windsor Redding Care Center in Northern California in October 2020. The 82-year-old great-grandfather is among more than 9,900 California nursing home…
With cases and hospitalizations increasing, LA County residents encouraged to layer safety protections
With the highly infectious BA.2 subvariant and sub-lineages fueling case and hospitalization increases, Los Angeles County residents are encouraged to layer safety protections such as masking, testing, and staying away from others when sick. For the week ending April 23, Omicron once again accounted for 100% of all positive cases that were sequenced, with the…
[COLUMN] Part III: Auschwitz
Conclusion of 3 Parts (Continued from the previous week…) It is said that 1.3 million were in Auschwitz, of which over a million Jews either died of starvation, exhaustion, or shot directly for any arbitrary infraction. Most were herded like sheep and silenced by the gas chambers. There were 13 other death camps and starvation…
[COLUMN] Reimbursement for community contribution towards a spouse’s education and student loan during marriage
ONE of the biggest problems of millennials and Gen Z are educational cost and student loan debt. This eats up a large part of a household’s budget even among married couples. However, what happens to all the money paid towards one spouse’s education and student loans if the marriage fails and leads to divorce? Well,…
Over 3M Filipinos based abroad went back home because of COVID
MANILA — Over 3.11 million Filipinos previously based abroad have come home because of the pandemic as of May 13, more than the 1.77 million estimated number of overseas Filipino workers in 2020 reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority. According to the Task Group on Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos, nearly 2.067 million of the…
California offers $10K to college students for a year of public service
SAN FRANCISCO – Fernando Martinez never owned a computer until he left high school. Today the 22-year-old Kansas native is teaching computer programming to Bay Area youth while he studies applied mathematics at San Jose State University. Martinez is among the 6,500 college students across California expected to participate in a pioneering program that awards…
[COLUMN] When unwelcome or offensive conduct creates an illegal hostile work environment
JANE Doe worked in the office of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). She and another CDCR employee who worked in the same location, Correctional Officer Luis Serna, became sexually involved. Serna recorded their sexual encounter at her home. He then disclosed the video to their co-workers, and eventually, to others outside of…
[COLUMN] File bankruptcy without losing anything with proper exemption planning
A person who files bankruptcy does not automatically lose everything they have, contrary to what some people may believe. Because the concept behind bankruptcy is to give the honest debtor a fresh financial start, the law allows you to keep certain assets necessary to that end. Hence, you have “exemptions” available under the law that…
[COLUMN] Loving truthfully
“I GIVE you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:24) Pope Francis says that love is a decision and not just a sentiment. And so, we love although it hurts and is challenging. For as St. Paul tells us, love is patient…
[COLUMN] What does bankruptcy ‘fresh start’ mean?
LET’S give bankruptcy a historical and legal perspective. Right now, when we say bankruptcy law, we refer to Federal law called the “Bankruptcy Code” of 2005. Creditors did a lot of lobbying in Congress to fashion the 2005 bankruptcy Code to enhance their interests. Thus, the 2005 Bankruptcy Code incorporates the “means test” which basically…
[COLUMN] Reimbursement for community contribution towards a spouse’s education and student loan during marriage
ONE of the biggest problems of millennials and Gen Z are educational cost and student loan debt. This eats up a large part of a household’s budget even among married couples. However, what happens to all the money paid towards one spouse’s education and student loans if the marriage fails and leads to divorce? Well,…
[OPINION] Understand the reasons behind the ‘petition to investigate the 2022 Philippine election’
THE much-awaited May 9 elections in the Philippines have left many kababayans with more questions than answers following the overwhelming lead of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and running mate Sara Duterte over Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan in the race for president and vice president. The latest partial, unofficial results aggregated from Comelec data as of…
Why won’t more older Americans get their covid-19 booster?
Even as top U.S. health officials say it’s time America learns to live with the coronavirus, a chorus of leading researchers say faulty messaging on booster shots has left millions of older people at serious risk. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster…
