by Gloria T. Caoile In a unique and difficult holiday season, the Fil-Am NV Community Prayer Zoom brought together leaders from four different churches on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Pastor Sergio “Jun” Marcelo of Lord of Harvest, Larry King, an Elder at Paradise Seventh Day Adventist Church, Father Manny Guico, Retired and serves at several…
AS COVID-19 vaccines continue to be administered in the Los Angeles area, Filipino American health care workers are sharing their experiences and are reminding the community to continue following public health orders while ringing in the New Year. Dr. Antonio Moya, a neurologist and public health advocate, recently received his jab as part of LA…
A few weeks ago, I witnessed a wonderful change of leadership between the founding father and the next-generation successor, his son. The latter was not the eldest, but he was the most qualified. The generational transition was a culmination of more than five years of hard work reinforced with a lot of hand-holding exercises starting with the founder and the family…
METRO Manila and other areas around the country will continue to operate under general community quarantine (GCQ) status until January 31, 2021. In a taped public address, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 28, 2020 said the provinces of Batangas, Isabela, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and cities of Santiago, Iloilo, Tacloban, Iligan, and…
ANG U classification ay nagbibigay ng nonimmigrant status sa mga dayuhang biktima ng “qualifying criminal activity.” Noong naging batas ang Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 na siyang naglikha ng U nonimmigrant status, ang layunin nito ay protektahan ang mga biktima ng mga ilang krimen dahil ang mga biktima ay naglakas-loob na…
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…
LUCAS Mejia was a stocker for Walgreens, a nationwide pharmacy retail store chain. He and many other employees worked as hourly non-exempt employees in a Walgreens distribution center in California. Mejia filed a class action lawsuit against his employer on behalf of himself and his coworkers, claiming that Walgreens violated several California laws by failing…
THIS is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. The California Courts has the power to grant a divorce, annulment, or legal separation if either party is domiciled in the state. Domicile is where a person lives and intends to remain. However, there…
IF you are struggling with debt problems and are starting to feel hopeless about your situation because you are not getting anywhere in spite of your efforts, at what point do you consider filing bankruptcy as an option? Bankruptcy scares a lot of people, and that’s understandable because everything that they’ve heard about it from…
Friday marked Christmas Day as the the whole Christian world celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 2020 years ago. Christians also celebrate the fact that God the Father, Yahweh, “I am who am,” who preceded all creation and who created everything chose a mere human, the Blessed Mother Mary, to be…
2020 is about to end as the deadliest year in the history of the United States, and the coronavirus pandemic is the invisible enemy. Deaths due to COVID-19 are expected to top 3.2 million deaths by the end of the year, killing about 3,000 Americans per day. Those fighting on the frontlines are Filipino nurses,…
FILIPINO American musical drama “Yellow Rose” is now available to purchase or rent as video-on-demand (VOD) on several platforms. “Yellow Rose,” directed Filipina American Diane Paragas, is a story about an undocumented Filipina teenager named Rose (Eva Noblezada) from a small Texas town who fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while…
IT didn’t feel like Christmas last Friday with all the depressing news we heard about the pandemic. The headlines blared with the high death toll, the continuous rise of infections, and many of us quarantining. But it’s the Christmas Season! We’re celebrating the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God! The Gospel…
A MONTH before he’s set to step down, President Donald Trump once again is putting party loyalty to the test as he demands amendments to the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill that Congress passed earlier this week. Late on Tuesday, Dec. 22, Trump argued in a video posted to Twitter that the $600 stimulus check…
During the initial pandemic wave of the spring and summer, we were lucky not to have anyone within our family and social circle get COVID-19. But during the current wave, our social circle has been breached as infections have happened. I would like to share their stories to show how stealthy this virus can be….
A Filipino American attorney will serve as the mayor pro tem of Claremont, California for the coming year. Jed Leano, an immigration lawyer who was elected to the City Council in 2018, was sworn in as the city’s second-in-command this month. “I feel immense pride serving as Claremont Mayor Pro Tem. Pride for my family, for…
WITH the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in Los Angeles County, officials are warning residents to be aware of individuals offering to administer the vaccine in exchange for money. “If someone offers to sell you a chance to get vaccinated before it is your turn, it’s a scam,” the LA County Public Health Department said in…
THE Philippines ranks among the countries with the most retaliatory killings of journalists in 2020, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a new report. Globally, at least 30 journalists were killed from January 1 to December 15 this year, up from the 26 killings in 2019. Of the recent number, 21…
PHILIPPINE Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday, December 23, assured that Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca would face the full force of the law for shooting a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. Nuezca shot and killed Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. The…
KAPAMILYA actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo once again proved her mettle by bagging the Best Actress trophy in the recent Luna Awards held on December 18 for the movie “Mindanao.” The 42-year-old multi-awarded mother of two and wife to fellow actor Ryan Agoncillo won her second Luna award, with the first one coming in 2007 for…
DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I was born in the Philippines, and in 2015 my mother petitioned me in the F-2B category (unmarried adult child of immigrant). Recently, I received a “Notice of Immigrant Visa Case Creation” from the National Visa Center (NVC), advising I need to log on to the consular electronic application center (CEAC) and…
By Mark Hedin, Ethnic Media Services Los Angeles County officials from the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and Department of Health Services met ethnic media on Monday, Dec. 21, to discuss ways the county is looking out for its immigrant population — the largest in the U.S., with 35% of…
FOLLOWING months of inaction, the United States Congress on late Monday, Dec. 22, passed the long-awaited stimulus package that includes $600 in direct payments to millions of American taxpayers as well as a flurry of other funding measures that are unrelated to the COVID-19 economic crisis. The 5,593-page spending bill’s eleventh hour passing this week arrived…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has condemned the police officer who shot a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. In a taped speech, Duterte said Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca should be locked up for shooting and killing Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. “Ang…
THE Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 years old to 16 years old. According to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the country has one of the lowest ages of consent in the world, allowing adults to legally have sex with children as young as 12. “Child rights…
