Overseas voting for the 2022 Philippine election begins
Eligible Filipino voters in US to receive ballots by mail ELIGIBLE Filipino voters can begin casting their ballots about a month ahead of the May 9 Philippine national elections. The monthlong overseas voting period, from April 10 to May 9, will enable registered Filipino voters to vote for their preferred president, vice president, senatorial and…
Not too soon to engage in Census 2030
ARTURO Vargas has been involved in census education and advocacy for over 30 years and says that after each decennial April 1—the day America takes a snapshot of its population—“it gets a little lonely.” The public disengages and community grassroots activists redirect their focus to other pressing concerns. Not so much after the 2020 census….
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti nominates Fil-Am Susana Reyes to city’s Board of Public Works
LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Susana Reyes, a long-time public servant and community leader, to the city’s Board of Public Works. Reyes, who is Filipina American, is the current vice president of the Board of Water and Power Commission. “Susana is a selfless public servant who has spent her career building a more…
Holy Week traditions leading up to Easter Sunday
THOSE of the Christian faith will mark the end of the 40-day Lenten season with Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the day is widely symbolized by the Easter bunny, dyed eggs, and chocolate, there is more to the holiday and the traditions associated with it. For Filipinos, Holy Week (Mahal na Araw) —…
Fil-Am supporters flock to LA’s Historic Filipinotown for Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte rally
LOS ANGELES – Some 300-strong Filipino American supporters of Uniteam “Sama-samang Babangon Muli” presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio are optimistic that this “most qualified tandem” would win in this coming May 2022 elections. Uniteam, in cooperation with BBM 2.0 (USA), held a grand rally…
LA County’s COVID-19 case rates increase anew
WITH the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Los Angeles County is observing another increase of new cases and test positivity rates. As of Tuesday, April 12, the average number of daily new cases reported the last seven days increased to 960, a 23% increase from the average of 783 daily new cases the previous seven days….
Bataan Death March heroes honored through memorial march
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Philippine Embassy participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March held on April 2. The Embassy contingent, led by Deputy Chief of Mission Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, Jr., joined the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) led by its Chairman, Major General (ret.) Tony Taguba, Regional Director and Former U.S. Consul General…
[OPINION] Reflecting on the living word of God this Holy Week to guide us as citizens ahead of the May 9 Philippine elections
SEMANA Santa or Holy Week is an important time of the year for Filipinos. We have traditions we practice to meditate on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save us from sins and teach us how to truly live according to His Word here on earth. As…
[COLUMN] Always remember if you received stimulus refund
IT has come to my attention that several qualified taxpayers – by either lapse of memory or for some unexplainable reasons – don’t realize that they already received their Economic Impact Payment or the Recovery Rebate Credit otherwise known as stimulus refund amounting to $1,400 under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of the Biden…
[COLUMN] What to do if you’ve been sued for a credit card debt
YOU’VE just been sued for a credit card debt after you’ve had trouble paying what you owe. After several months of getting harassing phone calls that you were ignoring because you didn’t have the money, now they’ve finally sent you court papers. What do you do? Should you file bankruptcy or are there other options?…
[EVENT] Incarnation Church in Glendale celebrates salubong on Easter Sunday
Filipinos take Holy Week very seriously. Many perform various acts to atone for their sins. They attend retreats, and go on periods of fasting. They give up something at Lenten season. They have less parties to attend, give alms to the poor, and compassionate to those who are difficult to forgive, attend masses and praying…
Several Filipinos in California charged in sham marriage, fraudulent green card operation
Eleven individuals in total have been charged for illegally circumventing immigration laws from 2016 to 2022 ELEVEN individuals attached to a California-based “marriage fraud ‘agency’” have been charged for allegedly arranging hundreds of fraudulent marriages to bypass legal immigration channels, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), confirmed in a statement released on Thursday, April…
How three failed ventures propelled Mango King Justin Uy to succeed in life
“REAL hard work, perseverance, and focus.” Those are three of the main ingredients that helped Mango King Justin Uy in life. In an interview with the Asian Journal, Uy recalled his humble beginnings and the string of failures that helped him grow into what he is right now. “I remember when I started this mango…
LA County expands access to ‘test to treat’ COVID program
LOS Angeles County is expanding its “test to treat” program and is adding additional tele-health services to make COVID-19 treatments more accessible to residents in the region. Two oral COVID-19 oral therapeutics (Paxlovid and Molnupiravir) are available in LA County, which have been found effective against Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2., according to the LA…
Civil rights org continues bystander intervention trainings amid hate surge
To help put an end to the proliferation of anti-Asian hate and harassment, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) is offering free virtual bystander intervention trainings in the native Filipino language. Starting last fall, Advancing Justice-LA began offering trainings in Tagalog as well as other Asian languages. Jeanette Sayno, Advancing Justice-LA community legal advocate,…
[OPINION] ‘Bakit si Leni?’ She is the best candidate for president in this defining moment in our nation’s history and identity
LENI Robredo’s humble beginnings would not give us a clue that she would one day be running for president. The eldest daughter of a Regional Trial Court judge and a teacher in Naga did not come from a rich family nor a political dynasty, nor from showbiz as many people in politics do. She and…
[COLUMN] A Palm Sunday message
AS we commemorate this Palm or Passion Sunday, Jesus’ entrance into the city of Jerusalem, the place of his crucifixion and death, I think of Jesus’ courage and relentless spirit to follow his Father’s will to save us and the whole world. I also think of Jesus’ “human” experiences of pain, suffering, rejection, disappointment, empathy,…
[COLUMN] K-1 fiancé(e) visa: Getting your significant other to the United States
SEVERAL options exist for a U.S. citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/she resides, and file an I-130 immigrant petition, with the fiancé(e) to undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa when the I-130 petition is approved. However,…
[COLUMN] Terminated from work due to retaliation?
‘Poor performance’ is no excuse for employer WALLEN Lawson worked as a territory manager for two years for PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. (PPG), a paint manufacturer. Wallen sold and stocked PPG paint products in Lowe’s home improvement stores in Southern California. PPG used two metrics to evaluate Wallen’s performance: his ability to meet sales goals…
[COLUMN] Reimbursement for community contribution towards a spouse’s education and student loan during marriage
ONE of the biggest problem of millenials and Gen Z are educational cost and student loan debt. This eats up a large part of a households 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,…
[COLUMN] Is Chapter 7 or 13 more suitable for debtor with $50K credit cards?
Debtor also has one collection lawsuit for $10K THE client is 48 and has just been sued for $10,000 by American Express. He recently received the summons and complaint. He is single with one teenager dependent. He used to have a business, but that has failed. He now works as a manager and earns $4,000…
‘We’re scared and angry’: Filipinos rise up against Asian hate in NYC
THE Filipino community of New York and its allies are up in arms against hate as numerous community members continue to be viciously attacked. Different organizations and individuals gathered in a united front with one agenda, to keep the community safe. “This rally marks just the beginning of a united Filipino community,” remarked Rachelle Ocampo,…
[COLUMN] How a son who jumped ship was able to petition his out-of-status mother, this Sunday, April 10 on Citizen Pinoy
THIS Sunday’s episode features Nanay Emi who wanted to legalize her status after she arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa and overstayed in 2010. After consulting with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, she was advised to wait for her son to first legalize his status and become a U.S. citizen. Only…
3 Filipino international designers you need to know in 2022
THE diversity of designs in the Filipino community is unparalleled, and what makes them even more unique is each artist’s subtle homage to their culture. Get to know three must-see Filipino designers who are doing their country proud. Their works are to be showcased at Asia Pacific Fashion Week (APFW) – a global platform…
Gawad Kalinga USA: Syncing for a cause
GK USA partners with Synchrony to help Typhoon Rai/Odette victims WHEN Typhoon Rai ravaged the Philippines late last year, it wasn’t just the Filipinos living in the affected areas who felt its wrath. The catastrophe caught the attention of global Pinoys, and roused them to action. Gawad Kalinga (GK) USA was one of the organizations…