PHILIPPINE fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) is the latest brand to feel the impact of the coronavirus pandemic after it suffered financial losses due to enforced lockdowns in the country. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the fast-food giant reported a net loss of P10.171 billion from April to June, reversing…
After nearly five months, the U.S. State Department lifted its blanket global Level 4 Health Advisory that advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and returned to issuing its warnings to individual countries. “With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in…
Those traveling out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) now have access to personal protective equipment (PPE), such as hand sanitizer, face coverings and gloves via convenient vending machines located in the ticketing areas of most terminals. “Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is setting new standards for how the airport industry can help keep passengers…
As the Philippines this week became the country in Southeast Asia with the most coronavirus cases, the government said the increased number is due to its ramped-up testing capacity. On Thursday, August 6, the country surpassed Indonesia’s 118,753 cases after the Department of Health recorded 3,561 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the national count to 119,460….
THE United States’ policy shift on maritime disputes in the South China Sea was recently discussed by the top diplomats of Manila and Washington during a phone call. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also talked about the “U.S. support for Southeast Asian coastal states upholding their…
NOONG isang linggo ay aking tinalakay ang Removal of Conditions on Green Card. Sinabi ko na kapag ang green card ay nakuha sa pamamagitan ng kasal sa isang U.S. citizen (USC) at ang kasal ay wala pang 2 taon noong naaprubahan ng USCIS ang green card, ang green card na makukuha ng dayuhan ay conditional…
A PERSON who obtains his/her green card via marriage to a U.S. citizen spouse, and who is married for less than 2 years has conditional permanent resident status. A conditional permanent resident has a green card that is valid for 2 years. In order to continue to have permanent resident status after 2 years, the…
1. THE failure-to-file penalty is generally more than the failure-to-pay penalty. If you cannot pay all the taxes you owe, file anyway to prevent the more costly failure-to-file penalty. 2. The failure-to-file penalty is 5% per month of the unpaid taxes, not to exceed 25%. 3. The failure-to-pay penalty is only ½% per month, not…
Your work and your right to political expression Q: I CARE about today’s issues of social justice – from racial inequality to voting rights suppression to fighting for decent wages. I want to participate in peaceful demonstrations, but wanted to know its effect on my job. Can I be terminated from work if I join…
WE have another fascinating Gospel Reading (Matthew 14:-36) this Sunday. As the disciples were on a boat in the midst of fierce winds and waves, Jesus showed himself to them by walking on the water. Then the disciples shouted saying, “It is a ghost!” Jesus responded, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”…
IF you’re in debt and are considering bankruptcy as an option for you to get needed relief, perhaps just hearing the word “bankruptcy” makes you extremely nervous. Maybe the word conjures up images in your mind of losing everything you have and not having a financial future. Relax. It’s not what you think. Regardless of…
THE client is 53. He is married and owns a house. He used to have a business, which was a DBA sole proprietorship. “DBA” means “doing business as.” Sole proprietorship means that an individual conducts a business in his personal capacity, without a corporation, or other kind of business entity. Other business entities used to…
COUPLES get divorced for various reasons. California is a no fault state. The reasons why a couple is getting divorced are often irrelevant to the issues of the family law case. Divorce is often a difficult and negative experience for most families. However, getting divorce may have some unintended benefits in the immigration law arena….
THREE MONTHS until the 2020 presidential election and amid the rising death toll and infected COVID-19 cases in the United States, we are bombarded with even more mixed messages on social media that confuse us more than answer our questions. Unfortunately, there are people in power who capitalize on our despair as this pandemic has…
I ACTUALLY survived reading the online transcription of the recent SONA delivered by President Rodrigo Duterte before a joint session of Congress last July 27. I noted that it was remarkably substantive. Too bad, the Malacanang speech writers mixed up the key points, in a rambling and disjointed speech, much like pinakbet or chop suey….
The new horror show from Hollywood powerhouse Ryan Murphy follows the origins of the iconic screen villain Nurse Ratched As Hollywood and the entertainment industry embark on the long-awaited journey toward inclusion and diversity, there’s one Filipino American who continues to lead the way for the culture. Stage and screen actor Jon Jon Briones will…
FOUR Filipinos have died in the massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon this week, while 31 were injured, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, August 7 said. “We are saddened by the latest turn of developments. The higher figure comes as our Embassy personnel work to ascertain the condition of the Filipinos in…
SAN FRANCISCO — The Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) invites the community to virtually join San Francisco’s 27th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival. Traditionally held at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco each August with over 80,000 attendees in person, Pistahan has represented the largest celebration of Filipinos in the U.S. This year, Pistahan has…
The United States Census Bureau will be ending all of its 2020 counting efforts — including door-knocking, and online, mail, and phone responses — on September 30, a full month earlier than it had previously planned. The sudden deadline change, according to bureau director Steven Dillingham, was to “accelerate the completion of data collection and…
IN an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the November election draws closer, Nevada is the latest state to approve a plan to send absentee ballots to all active registered voters. Governor Steve Sisolak on Monday, August 3 signed Assembly Bill 4, which covers conducting elections “adversely affected by certain emergencies or…
Nowadays, the Philippines, much like every other country in the world, is facing a very challenging and difficult time. Filipinos’ day-to-day lives have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in many ways: the loss of some family members, jobs and income, mobility, and even homes because of travel restrictions. Because of such challenges, there is…
The Philippines has many heroes—living and dead, recognized and unsung—who helped shape the country’s destiny and honoring them is the least the nation can do for them. This is the essence that publisher and author Melandrew T. Velasco wanted to underscore when he wrote Twilight Glory: A Tribute to Filipino Heroes and Veterans with Philippine…
WITH a total of 119,460 cases of the novel coronavirus, the Philippines surpassed Indonesia’s 118,753 and became the country with the highest number of infections among member nations of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN). The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, August 6, recorded 3,561 additional COVID-19 cases, with the majority of them…
THE PHILIPPINE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, August 6, recorded 65 additional cases of the novel coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total number of infections to 9,692. “Figures today show a modest spike in the total number of COVID-19 cases among Filipino nationals abroad with 65 new confirmed cases in Asia and…
LUISA A. Igloria, an award-winning and prolific Filipina American poet and author, has a new title: Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally from Baguio City, Igloria currently teaches at Old Dominion University’s MFA Creative Writing Program and has written several books of poetry. She was informed in early May that her name was on…
As California saw a drop in COVID-19 numbers earlier this week, a top health official suggested that discrepancies in the state’s electronic data system may have resulted in undercounts of cases. California Health and Humans Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said on Tuesday, August 4 that “some discrepancies” have been discovered in the state system…
Emergency ordinance passes at Board of Supervisors meeting August 4 REDWOOD CITY – An emergency ordinance proposed by San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa to impose fines for individuals and businesses that violate the state’s COVID-19 health orders, including not wearing face masks in high risk settings, was unanimously passed by the county Board at…
