[COLUMN] How to fight the infodemic
IT’S bad enough that the U.S. and the rest of the world have had to suffer a pandemic. But, along with the election of Donald Trump to the presidency and as a result of his failure to win a second term, America is now suffering what the media and pundits call an Infodemic—an epidemic of…
[COLUMN] Whose health? Our health! Filipinos organized to address chronic diseases
By Ruby N. Turalba Filipino Americans are disproportionately impacted by chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases including heart attack and stroke, type 2 diabetes, and overweight/obesity. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that Filipino Americans have the highest rate (23%) of experiencing multiple chronic health issues compared to all other Asian ethnic groups….
[COLUMN] The vax/mask confusion
Let us first take politics and political correctness out of the current controversy about the safety of the vaccines against COVID-19 and its variants and the use of masks. Let us stick to medical science, since this is a medical issue. As a cardiac surgeon, I am most familiar with the use and the value…
[COLUMN] Great news for F-1 students: No need to file nonimmigrant visa extension to ‘bridge the gap’
ON July 20, 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new policy that individuals applying for change of status (COS) from Visitor (B), or other non-immigrant status, to F-1 student, no longer need to also apply for an extension of status while their initial F-1 COS application is pending. According to the…
[COLUMN] DACA update: USCIS posts guidance on processing applications
AS I reported in a previous article, on July 16, 2021, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, was illegal. He issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the approval of any new applications. Fortunately, he did not call for a complete and immediate end to DACA, but…
[COLUMN] The bucket list: Watch the Perseids!
(Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, it means before your life’s energy goes into ‘low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.) There is a dumbing down going on in…
Fraud waiver and the latest developments in U.S. immigration this Sunday, July 25 on Citizen Pinoy
Jun (right) was a crewman who jumped ship in 2002. He overstayed in the U.S. for several months, before returning to the Philippines in 2003. In 2007, his mother petitioned him as a single child. Finally, after many years of waiting, Jun was interviewed at the U.S. Embassy, but he was denied due to fraud….
[COLUMN] Filing bankruptcy: Lose your debt, not your assets
Filing bankruptcy can be a big decision that most people put off until they realize that they have no other way out of debt. Unfortunately, however, sometimes people wait too long. When they finally do make the decision to file, they soon realize that they would actually have been better off if they had just…
Meet Eric Bauza, the Filipino voice actor behind Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’
AS a kid growing up in Canada, Eric Bauza was drawn to the world of animation — emulating characters’ voices and sketching along while sitting in front of the television. That childhood fascination is now Bauza’s career as he embodies some of the most famous animated characters out there, including several from the Looney Tunes…
[COLUMN] Act now to get affordable home internet
By Rachelle Arizmendi With over 4 million people in the United States, Filipino Americans are the 3rd largest Asian American group in the county. In California, we are the largest Asian American group with 1.6 million. Although Filipino Americans have an average household income higher than the average US household income, there are many Filipinos living…
[COLUMN] Rachel Alejandro joins cast of PH adaptation of BBC series, Doctor Foster
SINGER Rachel Alejandro is joining the cast of the Filipino adaptation of the hit BBC series “Doctor Foster.” The Philippine series is titled “The Broken Marriage Vow.” According to an article in the Philippine Star, Alejandro is set to play the role of Nathalia Lucero, an aspiring beauty queen before she fell in love and…
CDC: Delta variant now comprises 83% of all COVID-19 cases in US
Officials detail a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ as cases surge across the country WEEKS after counties and cities across the country began reopening public life and slackening social distancing mandates, public health officials are reporting dramatic surges in positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths, putting into sharper focus the dire situation in areas of low vaccination…
Santa Cruz, CA now has its first Fil-Am judge appointed to bench
A FILIPINO American defense attorney has made history after being appointed as the new Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge. Hon. Jerry Bustos Vinluan III, 49, is the county’s first Fil-Am judge, appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 9. He will fill out the position left by Judge Kim Baskett, who retired last…
Duterte calls for dialogue with US over VFA
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is looking to speak with the United States government about the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a treaty between the two countries that the president had previously wanted to terminate. In a prerecorded address aired Monday, July 19, the chief executive said that the proposed extension of the VFA is “on the…
[COLUMN] Myths vs facts: Why some people still refuse to be vaccinated despite the risk of COVID-19 and the Delta variant
SEPTEMBER is just weeks away and children are going back to school in person soon, even earlier in California where most schools begin in August. Yet, the coronavirus pandemic continues to haunt us through the more infectious Delta variant, which is now the cause of more than 83% of new cases in the United States,…
‘It allows us to live and be seen’: Leyna Bloom becomes first transgender model on cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
LEYNA Bloom, a Black and Filipina American model and actress, has become the first openly transgender woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. Bloom, 27, shared the historic cover, photographed by Yu Tsai, on her Instagram account, which has amassed over 400,000 followers. “This moment heals a lot of pain in the…
Q3 Medicare Tip #6: What kind of dental coverage is included with Original Medicare?
Ito ay serye ng Medicare Tips hatid ng Clever Care Health Plan, isang nangungunang tagapagbigay ng East meets West Medicare services na sensitibo sa kultura ng kanilang mga miyembro. Para sa malapit nang mag-65, maraming desisyon na kailangang gawin para sa inyong healthcare coverage. Maraming mahusay na serbisyo ang Medicare, pero karamihan sa dental services…
Pacquiao KO’d as PDP-Laban party president
PHILIPPINE Senator Manny Pacquiao has been ousted as the president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). During the national assembly held in Pampanga on Saturday, July 17, the ruling party announced the vacancies of all national officer positions and committee chairs, removing Pacquiao from his post. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi was later installed…
AG Bonta launches new community engagement office within CA DOJ
CALIFORNIA Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced the launch of the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement (CARE) within the California Department of Justice (DOJ). As part of the effort to advance justice for all Californians, CARE will work directly with community organizations, state and local elected officials, and members of the public to…
St. Jude pediatric cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux will be youngest American going to space at age 29
THIS September, Hayley Arceneaux will be the first pediatric cancer survivor and youngest American to go to space, all to raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Inspiration4 is the world’s first all-civilian mission to space led by commander Jared Isaacman. The 38-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments donated…
[COLUMN] Forensic scientist wins Binibining Pilipinas 2021 International crown
A forensic scientist representing the province of Masbate has won the Binibining Pilipinas 2021 top prize. Hannah Arnold beat out 33 other candidates to win the Binibining Pilipinas International crown on Monday, July 12 in ceremonies that took place at the Araneta Coliseum and hosted by 2018 Miss Universe winner Catriona Gray and Miss Grand…
California takes a nibble at offering food stamps to undocumented immigrants
SANTA ANA, Calif. — One week the food pantry had frozen crabmeat; other weeks, deli meat or plant-based “meat.” The week before the Fourth of July, there was no meat at all, and a reminder that the pantry would be closed the next two weeks. Even though she never knows exactly what she’ll get, Lesli…
[COLUMN] Glendale to God and God to Glendale!
That’s the tagline that several of us in the parish thought of as we face the challenge of evangelization. We’ve got to bring Glendale to God and God to Glendale! It’s overwhelming work, but it can happen if we all “tag-along” with those who want this to make this happen. After all, as I’ve shared…
[COLUMN] Insurance companies taking advantage of you
IT is no secret that the insurance industry wants claimants to be unrepresented in order to take advantage of them with lowball settlement offers and unfair denials of liability. For example, in nationwide class-action litigation, former Allstate employees testified that they were “trained to build rapport with customers and discourage them from hiring lawyers.” This…
[COLUMN] Maximizing recovery in personal injury cases
Dear Attorney Tan, I was driving home and was at a complete stop when another driver rear ended my car. I was not feeling well after the accident, as my back seemed very tight and stiff. I took some days off from work. After a week, I contacted the other driver’s insurance to report the…
[COLUMN] Bifurcation and status only divorce
THE decision to terminate one’s marriage typically brings to the forefront many issues all at once. Issues pertaining to property, support, and child custody need to be addressed in a divorce proceeding. In a long term marriage especially, these issues are often heavily litigated between the spouses, and can take a significant amount of time…