I remember the story of a poor, old beggar who died one day- and to everyone’s surprise, a money belt found wrapped around his waist contained thousands of dollars in cash. Apparently, he had found the money belt while digging through trash, decided to keep it but never really opened it. Thus, he lived the…
TO most immigrants, obtaining their greencard has been a long and challenging journey. However, it should not be regarded as the final destination. The real American dream is to become a United States Citizen. After obtaining permanent residence status, many green card holders desire to take that next step—becoming a United States Citizen. As a…
IF there’s somebody who passionately dares to thread a career path that’s rarely taken by like-minded professionals, Errol C. Mendoza typifies this description. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Errol’s artistic mind or gift, has shifted to painting which is being noticed by the community and art critics alike. He is a self-taught painter. His paintings…
THE COVID-19 pandemic has turned out to be one of major events that we all have witnessed together. Everyone had different approaches to deal with the crisis which led to the situation of lockdown. And then the process of vaccination was initiated along with several new norms of social distancing and remote working to counter…
MANILA — To Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s knowledge, President Rodrigo Duterte does not want to retire yet from politics and really wants to run for senator in the 2022 elections. The senator and presidential aspirant made the remark when asked why a faction of the ruling party PDP-Laban is still convincing the President to…
DEAR Attorney, I am a permanent resident, and am planning to visit my loved ones in the Philippines during the holidays. I am planning to leave this week and stay in the Philippines until after the New Years. Will I face any problems coming back to the US after being outside the country for 60…
THE Philippines is still the worst place to be during the pandemic, according to Bloomberg’s latest COVID Resilience Ranking. With a score of 40.5, the Philippines placed last among 53 countries for the second month in a row. The indicators used to rank the countries include vaccination coverage, virus containment, the severity of lockdowns, quality…
By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services Contributing Editor AS of Oct. 22, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommended expanding the use of a booster dose of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for eligible populations. The CDC and Western States Workgroup had…
First NBA players of Filipino descent to play in same game THERE’S another historic moment for the books as the United States continues to celebrate October as Filipino American History Month. This time, history was made on the basketball court as Filipino American players Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green faced off in a game between…
MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has expressed his intent to forge a better relationship with the United States if elected the next president of the Philippines. The presidential aspirant, along with his running mate Dr. Willie Ong, met with the Filipino American community via Zoom conference on Tuesday, October 26, to further discuss their…
Biden tax plan series WE have been concerned about President Biden’s proposal to raise the federal corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%. Lawmakers have suggested raising the rate to 25%. Including state corporate taxes, a 25% federal corporate income tax rate would result in a combined average top corporate tax rate of 29.53%t – higher than…
Albert and Stephanie Garcia, a married couple, were hired in 2013 by Sierra Management to work as on-site managers of an 81-unit apartment building in Canoga Park. The Garcias were paid a monthly salary and were provided with a rent-free unit in the same apartment building. In March 2017, Albert Garcia was diagnosed with thyroid…
THIS is what I call a borderline Chapter 7 case with asset. Therefore, it is the better part of caution not to file Chapter 7 because the asset may be lost in Chapter 7, while Chapter 13 is safe enough because the Chapter 13 trustee, unlike the Chapter 7 trustee does not have the power…
COVID-19 has sure disrupted life as we know it for almost two years now. One of the things we miss is our freedom of navigation. For many of us, the pandemic has deprived us of the precious time to be with our family again in the Philippines or elsewhere around the world. Those who are…
I remember the story of a poor, old beggar who died one day- and to everyone’s surprise, a money belt found wrapped around his waist contained thousands of dollars in cash. Apparently, he had found the money belt while digging through trash, decided to keep it but never really opened it. Thus, he lived the…
THE Australian-founded Big Lou’s Donuts, which specializes in producing a wide range of commercial donuts for retail, wholesale, events and corporate markets since 2008, recently sealed several deals with national wholesale distribution heavyweights, including Metcash, FoodWorks and Foodland. The new supply contracts are poised to more than double the company’s current annual revenue of approximately…
TO most immigrants, obtaining their greencard has been a long and challenging journey. However, it should not be regarded as the final destination. The real American dream is to become a United States Citizen. After obtaining permanent residence status, many green card holders desire to take that next step—becoming a United States Citizen. As a…
THE number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has nearly quadrupled during the covid pandemic, which has made it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental health care, even if you have good insurance. A California law signed Oct. 8 by Gov. Gavin Newsom could help. It requires that mental health and…
WHEN Rose Cuison-Villazor was announced as the Co-Dean of Rutgers Law School in Newark early this summer, she became the first Asian American woman Dean at Rutgers Law School and the first Filipina American Dean of a U.S. law school. “I’m proud, and I’m grateful for this, for the chance to lead, and I would…
DOZENS of Filipino Americans gathered in Central Park on Saturday, Oct. 23 to express their support for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo in the upcoming May 2022 elections. Most of the participants wore pink shirts, ribbons, and hats as they carried handwritten placards that read “Let Leni Lead,” “Laban Leni” and “No…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has personally thanked United States President Joe Biden for America’s COVID-19 vaccine donations. The chief executive was able to express his gratitude during a high-level discussion at the virtual 9th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Summit held Tuesday, October 26. “Your Majesty, Excellencies, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought complicated challenges…
By Jenny Manrique/Ethnic Media Services WHILE Latino consumers are frequently victims of imposter scams, African Americans mainly report fraud in debt collection through credit bureaus, and Asian Americans are cheated with fake health products. Across ethnic communities, scams through used car sales and lending agencies have preyed on people in the midst of their financial…
FOR anyone with a pending petition or application, the delays in processing their case at USCIS can be frustrating and can cause tremendous disruption, and unnecessary separation of family members. If this applies to you, you’re not alone. The USCIS has a process or procedure to request your case to be expedited. In this article,…
“These neighborhoods raised me, the Filipino community raised me. I’ve said it time and again, I’m not going to stand by and watch my family, my communities get pushed out of Jersey City. Not on my watch,” said Jersey City Councilmember Rolando Lavarro. He made that statement to members of the Filipino American Press Club…
VILMA Santos-Recto, known to the Philippine entertainment world as the Star for All Seasons and now a congresswoman representing the province of Batangas, heads the list of prominent celebrities who are celebrating their birthdays in the month of November. Congresswoman Santos-Recto turns 67 on Wednesday, November 3. The multi-awarded actress started her film career at…
After consulting with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right), she was advised to wait for her son to first legalize his status and become a U.S. citizen. Only then could the son be able to petition his mother. They had to wait patiently though, since Nanay Emi’s son, Jerome, was a crewman who…
