[COLUMN] Science on booster
WHEN shall we learn and accept that a disease entity, especially a killer like this SARS-CoV2 virus and its variants, must be left to science and competent epidemiologists, infectious disease clinical experts, and not leave the decisions to politicians, civil liberty agitators, and misinformed people in general? When confronted with a plumbing problem, do we…
US to ease restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign travelers
THE United States is set to relax restrictions for foreign air travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House announced on Monday, September 20. Beginning in November, international travelers will be allowed to enter the United States by showing proof of full vaccination before boarding the U.S.-bound flight. This includes countries previously under…
Manny Pacquiao to run for PH president in 2022
FILIPINO boxer turned Senator Manny Pacquiao has declared his presidential bid in the Philippines’ 2022 national elections. Over the weekend, he officially accepted the nomination to be standard-bearer of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction that he co-leads with Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. “Yes, I accept [the nomination],” Pacquiao said during the…
California has lowest COVID case rates in US
CALIFORNIA officially has the lowest COVID-19 case rate in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The latest data from the CDC posted Monday, September 20, showed that California’s seven-day case rate was 95.3 per 100,000 people. This is followed by Connecticut (126.5), Colorado (127.9), Maryland (141.5), and…
Palace: Only the Philippines can investigate crimes under its sovereignty
THE Philippine government will not allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into the killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown, according to Malacañang. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday, September 20, insisted that only local authorities can investigate crimes that happened in the Philippines. “Tanging Pilipinas lang po ang pwedeng mag-imbestiga ng…
Losing federal unemployment benefits or COBRA health plan aid in September? Covered California can help
THIS month millions of Californians are losing federal unemployment benefits made available to them because of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of others will lose federal aid that helped absorb the high costs of their COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) health coverage after getting laid off or having their hours…
DJ Zamora III scores 2nd round knockout, remains undefeated
This past Sunday, September 19, featherweight, “The War Machine” DJ Zamora III (5-0, 4 KOs), scored a second-round knockout on his off-TV PBC debut when dismantled, Richard Barnard (1-6-1) by way of a right hook to the body. The four-round bout took place at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. In the opening round, Zamora…
PH receives over 2M additional Pfizer doses
OVER two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States have landed in the Philippines. A total of 2,020,590 doses of the U.S.-made Pfizer vaccine arrived on Sunday, September 19, while a second batch of 561,600 doses landed on Monday, Sept. 20, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at about…
[COLUMN] The bucket list: Grazing in the grass
(1st of 2 parts) What’s your game plan when you retire? The timing can be one of 3 ways: you yourself planned when it will happen; the government said it’s time you did; or circumstances beyond your control, like the onset of illness, finally put you out to pasture. Or are you one of those…
[COLUMN] Pandemic financial hardship: Can bankruptcy help?
Most debt problems don’t go away and solve themselves. They are there when you go to bed at night, and they’re still there when you get up in the morning. They can cause a lot of ulcers, sleepless nights, stress, and even physical sickness. As a bankruptcy attorney for the last 22 years, I have…
Is my cloth mask good enough to face the Delta variant?
IN recent months, some European airlines have banned the use of cloth face coverings to control the spread of the coronavirus during air travel, instead favoring surgical masks — sometimes referred to as medical or disposable — and N95 respirators. It’s another salvo in the debate over the effectiveness of the ubiquitous cloth mask, which…
FilAm ARTS presents ‘A Love Letter to HiFi’
Return to in-person programming in Historic Filipinotown LOS ANGELES — FilAm ARTS (The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture) announced its return to live in-person programming with “A Love Letter to HiFi” on Saturday, September 25 at 2220 Arts and Archives (formerly the Bootleg Theatre) in the Historic Filipinotown district of…
LA County imposes vaccine mandate for bars, nightclubs
New public health order to take effect Oct. 7 As the Delta variant continues to spread across the Southland, Los Angeles County officials are set to unveil stricter vaccine requirements for patrons of certain public events spaces, including bars and nightclubs. According to a statement released this week, “The modified Health Officer Order would require…
Filipino artist Iñigo Pascual to star in Fox’s new musical series
FILIPINO actor and singer-songwriter Iñigo Pascual has joined the cast of Fox’s upcoming musical drama “Monarch.” According to a report by Deadline, the series follows America’s first family of country music, the Romans. The family is headed by Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (played by Susan Sarandon) who, along with her husband Albie…
[COLUMN] Can I enforce a form I-864 Affidavit of Support in divorce proceedings?
THE Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 requires that US Citizens sponsoring an alien for legal permanent residency execute an immigration form I-864 Affidavit of Support. This is an agreement between the US Government and the Sponsor to promise to support the immigrant beneficiary seeking admission to the US at a level…
[COLUMN] Treatment of 1031 ‘like-kind’ exchanges
Biden tax plan series A certain provision in the Internal Revenue Code allows you to defer (postpone) gain on the sale of a business or investment property. “Tax deferred” means that the tax is postponed (not forgiven). The number “1031” is a section of the Internal Revenue Code which allows preferential treatment of gain. Current…
[COLUMN] Bankruptcy is most effective & least costly way of getting rid of debt
PAY debt off completely There are, of course, different ways of getting rid of debt. The most obvious is just pay it off. Let’s say you owe $50,000 of credit cards. It’s costing you $1,500 a month of minimum payments to keep them current, or $18,000 a year, every year. Obviously, the simplest way is…
[COLUMN] Misclassified independent contractors are entitled to back pay and damages
Lime runs electric scooters, electric bikes, normal pedal bikes, electric mopeds and car sharing systems in metropolitan areas to customers through its mobile app. Lime hires persons known as “Juicers” to locate, recharge, and redistribute Lime’s scooters after being rented. Several “Juicers,” among them Jon Osuna, Yassin Olabi, and others, sued Lime claiming that the…
[COLUMN] On childlike leadership
IN his reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel, Fr. Ron Rolheiser asks us to imagine four persons in a room: “The first is a powerful dictator who rules a country. His word commands armies and his shifting moods intimidate subordinates. He wields a brutal power. Next to him sits a gifted athlete at the peak of…
Photoville 2021: Hopes, dreams and struggles of Filipino American frontline healthcare workers captured in photographs
Friends of the Philippines Society USA co-founders Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue took a ferry from 34th Street to Brooklyn Bridge Park last year to rediscover the city they love, months after the global pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. Sibal had just returned to New York after being stranded in the Philippines for…
Saweetie pays tribute to Filipino, Black heritage with Met Gala dress
SAWEETIE proudly put her Filipino and Black heritage on display at the 2021 Met Gala, where the theme was “American Independence.” The “Icy Girl” rapper on Monday, September 13, stunned everyone on the red carpet wearing a rose-colored Christian Cowan gown with an iridescent train split in two panels. One panel had the colors black…
A family’s wish finally comes true this Sunday, Sept. 19 on Citizen Pinoy
Popular show has a new time slot – 6:30 PM PT IT was 1996. Marjun (right) was 16 years old when his father, Marcelo Sr, (left) immigrated to the U.S. with Marjun’s three other siblings. Marjun’s name was missing from the list of his father’s accompanying family members. His father did not know what to…
California Gov. Newsom defeats recall attempt
CALIFORNIA Governor Gavin Newsom will remain in office after voters overwhelmingly voted “no” on the Republican-led recall effort. Results from the gubernatorial recall election, which took place on Tuesday, September 14, show that a majority of voters — 63.9% (5,840,283) — said the current governor should not be removed from office, according to the California…
AG Rob Bonta launches roundtable discussions on hate crimes across CA
IN an effort to address hate crimes in California, Filipino American Attorney General Rob Bonta has kicked off a series of roundtable discussions aimed at looking for better ways to prevent such incidents across the state. Outside the Visitacion Valley Branch Library in San Francisco, Bonta joined San Francisco Mayor London Breed and community leaders…