FOR Christina Nester, the pandemic lull in Massachusetts lasted about three months through summer into early fall. In late June, St. Vincent Hospital had resumed elective surgeries, and the unit the 48-year-old nurse works on switched back from taking care of only COVID-19 patients to its pre-pandemic roster of patients recovering from gallbladder operations, mastectomies…
THE Philippines on Friday, November 27, will sign a tripartite agreement for two million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to the country’s vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. “This coming Friday, pipirma po tayo ng tripartite agreement na kung saan tayo po ay makakabili ng dalawang milyong doses ng bakuna mula sa…
THE United States ranked 18th and the Philippines 46th among 53 countries when it came to handling the novel coronavirus pandemic most effectively, according to a Bloomberg study released this week. In the report entitled ‘The Best and Worst Places to Be in the Coronavirus Era,’ published on Tuesday, Nov. 24, Bloomberg surveyed 53 economies…
FORMER Filipino citizens or “balikbayans” will be allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free starting December 7, Malacañang said on Friday, November 27. Their spouses and children, regardless of age, are permitted entry into the country without a visa requirement as well. According to Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution…
MAKATI, Baguio and Davao City are among the areas in the Philippines at high-risk for coronavirus transmission, according to a new report. Experts from the Octa Research Group on Wednesday, November 25, listed several parts of the Philippines as high-risk after observing an uptick in new COVID-19 cases for the past several days. In its…
More than 5,000 cases reported on Thanksgiving as more residents ignore government recommendations to stay home for the holidays DESPITE the persistent urging of lawmakers to stay at home for the holidays, Los Angeles County residents continue to break social distancing and pandemic protocols to celebrate as coronavirus-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to surge…
Malacañang on Thursday, November 28, confirmed that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as his adviser for the Clark Freeport Zone programs and projects. Arroyo was chosen for her “vast experience” leading the country and for her “great concern” for Pampanga. She will be compensated P1 per year, according to Presidential Spokesperson…
by: Martin Santiago, Broker-Associate THE average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($510,400 or less) decreased to a survey low of 2.92% from 2.99%, with points falling to 0.35 from 0.37 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. While more than 4 million borrowers have already…
BACK in July, Filipino American coach Mike Magpayo made history by becoming the first U.S. NCAA Division 1 head coach of Asian descent. He was named head coach of University of California (UC) Riverside, which is a feat in and of itself. “People of Asian descent make up a disproportionately small number of professional athletes…
KAPAG ang USCIS ay nag-deny ng application for naturalization, ang USCIS ay magbibigay ng Notice of Denial na nagsasaad ng legal at factual na dahilan sa denial. Maaaring tanggapin ng aplikante ang denial decision; maaari ring ang aplikante ay hindi sumang-ayon sa denial decision at siya ay mag-file ng Form N-336 Request for Hearing on…
It’s the start of Advent—a four-week preparation for Christmas. But let’s not forget that it’s the dual invitation of anticipating the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s Christ’s Second Coming that seems to bring discomfort, fear, and restlessness to us. Why? It’s…
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…
“The law does not require payment of overtime or other special premiums for work during holidays, unless such work goes beyond 8 hours per workday or 40 hours per workweek.” Q: I WORKED on Thanksgiving Day and the Day after Thanksgiving. Am I entitled to holiday pay? A: Around this time of year, we get…
THE Internal Revenue Service has about 2.5 million of unopened paper-filed income tax returns. Total pieces of mail (including income tax returns) stands at about 5 million pieces. This number is even down compared with 12 million in June and 23 million pieces in March 2020. Amusing, but listen. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig described the…
THE seniors are husband and wife aged 70 and 65. The wife is a young and healthy 65, while the husband is a healthy 70 who still looks strong. Both are still working with good income. The husband grosses about $100,000 a year and the wife grosses about $70,000 a year. With $170,000 gross for…
THERE seems to be a misconception in the general public that you can only obtain a divorce in California if your spouse will sign the divorce papers. I get this question a lot from our family law clients. The fact is that California is a no fault state and you do not need your spouse’s…
A WORKSHOP that I enjoy leading, pre-COVID-19, is one I developed for our Filipino immigrant community. It is based on Stanford University’s Chronic Disease Self Management Program, a program that is now widely adopted by several organizations including AARP. The focus of this program is to assist those with chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma and…
WHAT are we grateful for as a nation this Thanksgiving? While President Donald Trump has not yet conceded defeat in the election declared by his own election officials to be clean and secure, despite Biden winning both the electoral vote and the popular vote using the same process that made Trump “President-Elect” in 2016, we…
SEVERAL musical artists of Filipino descent are among the nominees for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. R&B star H.E.R. — who is Filipina and Black — will be up for three Grammys, including Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe,” going up against several pop stars like Taylor Swift (“Cardigan”), Dua Lipa (“Don’t Start…
Gold House, the non-profit collective of Asian and Pacific Islander cultural leaders behind pioneering movements like Gold Open, announced its Gold Rush sale for Fall 2020 — featuring a lineup of limited-time deals that will run from November 27 (Black Friday) 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT to December 1 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT. This…
ARE anti-radiation patches for cellphones effective? There are oblong patches and similar gadgets being sold as anti-radiation shield for cell phones. The claim that this “earpiece” attached to the cellphone will minimize or abolish radiation exposure is not scientifically proven. We think this is a useless item that might even give users a false sense…
THE Philippines’ House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 24, approved on the third and final reading the proposed “Eddie Garcia Act,” which seeks to institute workplace safety protocols for television and movie productions. With 235 affirmative votes, the lower chamber passed House Bill 7762, named after veteran actor Garcia, who died following an accident on…
THE United States on Wednesday, November 25, reaffirmed its steadfast military partnership with the Philippines during the visit of U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett in Manila. Barrett was welcomed by Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Cardozo Luna and senior Philippine military officials. She also met by Armed Forces of the…
Opening a restaurant is tough. Opening one in the middle of a global pandemic makes it tons harder, yet three Filipino restaurants in New York and New Jersey defied the odds, rolled the dice and made it happen. The restaurants and food business are among the industries hit hard by the pandemic with numerous closures…
David Dinkins, New York City’s first Black mayor, died in his Manhattan home on Monday, Nov. 23. He was 93. His death comes weeks after the death of his wife Joyce, who passed away on Oct. 11 at the age of 89. Dinkins won the mayoral race in 1989, beating Rudy Giuliani by 47,000 votes…
