Like so many pet owners, Filipino American Alex De Ocampo takes his dogs on a regular route in his neighborhood. The neighborhood in question, Mount Washington, is a microcosm of Los Angeles: left-leaning, socially progressive and, most importantly, gentrified. As a resident for the last decade, the Los Angeles native considers the inclusive, artsy neighborhood…
VERMONT Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, July 28 introduced new legislation to provide masks for every American as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The senator — a former presidential contender whose platform was largely on ‘Medicare For All’ — said the reusable masks would be free of charge for people in the United States. “Masks save…
Los Angeles County has 51 new deaths and 2,708 new cases of COVID-19, officials announced on Tuesday, July 28. To date, LA County Department of Public Health has identified 178,642 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas across the county, and a total of 4,426 deaths. In the coming days, the department said it will start…
UNITED States immigrant officials recently announced that new foreign students will not be allowed to obtain visas to the United States if their courses are completely online this coming fall semester. The clarification on Friday, July 24 from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program comes after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously retracted…
PHILIPPINE Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon denied that he was defending the Lopez family, owners of media network ABS-CBN, after President Rodrigo Duterte called him out in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27. “I was defending freedom of the press, not the Lopezes. The closure of the ABS-CBN sent…
A day after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, several Filipino lawmakers and key public figures publicly reacted to the points highlighted in the chief executive’s speech. Senator Grace Poe noted that reviving the death penalty without judicial reforms would put…
THE United States will not return to its former naval base in Subic Bay in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte said. During his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27, the Philippine leader said that he would not allow American forces to reestablish a military base in the country. According to the…
New applications will not be accepted for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that has prevented certain young undocumented immigrants from being deported, the Department of Homeland Security said in a memo on Tuesday, July 28. This move comes despite the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, June 18 that said the Trump administration’s…
ONLY one new case of the novel coronavirus was recorded in the overseas Filipino community, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday, July 28. This brings the total number of infected individuals to 9,305. The agency also logged in six new recovered persons, raising the official tally of recoveries to 5,426. Meanwhile, the…
DESPITE the enforced nationwide lockdown to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27. “We live in a troubled time. Our dream of prosperity for our country was suddenly snuffed by a pandemic virulent virus. No nation was spared….
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be providing $5 billion to nursing homes among other actions to help them deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration said Wednesday, July 22. The fund is part of the Provider Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)…
The United States recently donated P14.8 million ($300,000) worth of personal protective equipment to the Philippine General Hospital and other coronavirus treatment centers in the Philippines. The U.S. Embassy in Manila said that the donation was made through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)….
Determining the legality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 would be up to the Philippine Supreme Court, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Friday, July 24. The justice secretary argued that resolving the legal challenges is under the purview of the high court based on the merits of the suits, not the number of petitions…
Rappler co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa on Wednesday, July 22, pleaded not guilty to her fifth tax evasion case before the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC). Ressa was arraigned by Pasig RTC Branch 157 Judge Ana Teresa Cornejo-Tomacruz over her alleged failure to supply correct information to Rappler’s value-added tax (VAT) return for…
LA County cracks down on businesses, infection rate among younger adults increases As Californians grow more restless over the coronavirus pandemic, the state continues to break its own records. This week, California now, cumulatively, has the most COVID-19 cases in the country with over 409,000 cases, surpassing New York, the former leader in cases, according…
Asian American labor force and businesses disproportionately disrupted by COVID-19 compared to whites, UCLA report finds LAST week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that closures were once again being put in place as cases in the state continue to rise. On Friday, July 24, the state reached yet another grim milestone of 159 new COVID-19…
JOURNEY at Pechanga, the par 72, 7,219-yard golf course at Pechanga Resort Casino, is now open with limited operations to maintain the health and safety of guests, team members and the community. The greens on all 18 holes were aerified before opening in late April to provide the best playing conditions possible for many months…
GLENDALE is the latest Southern California city that has approved imposing a fine to those who are not wearing a facial covering in public. The city council on Tuesday, July 21 approved a measure that would fine individuals with $400 for a first violation. The fees escalate to $1,000 for a second violation and $2,000…
ANG isang U.S. citizen (USC) ay maaaring mag-file ng petition upang madala ang kanyang fiancé(e) bilang K1 nonimmigrant at magpakasal sila sa US. Kailangang maipakita ng USC ang mga sumusunod: (1) sila ay nagkita ng personal sa loob ng 2 taon bago i-file ang fiancé(e) petition (2-year requisite period); (2) sila ay may totoong intensyon…
For a typical summer, you might have planned to go hiking, camping, visiting family or even travelling to other countries. This summer, however, is different than most due to the coronavirus outbreak. While some states have lifted their stay-at-home orders, many local businesses are still not up-and-running, which means it is harder to take normal…
DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a U.S. Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and a green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf. The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa…
ESTABLISHING parentage rights for Moms is a lot easier than establishing one for unmarried Dads. Moms can establish this by simply showing proof of her having given birth to the child. Family Code §7610. Establishing parentage rights, including custody and visitation rights, becomes more problematic with unmarried Dads because proving yourself as the biological father…
A FRIEND of mine called me to say that he needed to talk. He and his aunt just had a heated conversation about the coming U.S. presidential election. “I’m confused, Father,” he told me. “I’m not sure who to vote. As a Catholic, I need to vote for someone who upholds our values.” We then…
All forms of secondhand smoke can damage lungs. Make your time at home as safe as possible. Even as COVID-19 restrictions ease, most Californians are staying home to play it safe. But unless you live in a smokefree building, the safety of your home is worth a closer look. Did you know that secondhand smoke…
KAREN Martinez worked as a Case Manager for John Muir Health, a health care service corporation operating primarily in Contra Costa County, CA. Martinez was an hourly non-exempt employee who was regularly scheduled to work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with supposedly a 30-minute unpaid off-duty meal period. When the employer instituted cost cutting…
IRS penalties have been consolidated into two groups: A uniform accuracy-related penalty and a fraud penalty. 1. Accuracy-related penalties are computed at 20% of underpayments attributable to any of the following: A. Negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, B. Substantial understatement of income tax, C. Substantial valuation overstatement, D. Substantial overstatement of pension liabilities….
THE client is 67. Her husband passed away five years ago after a long fight with kidney failure. He was on dialysis for eight years waiting for a kidney transplant. It’s a long wait to get new kidneys from a donor. The average waiting period is 10 years. However, just because it’s been 10 years…
COVID-19 has made us realize how far away we are from the Motherland despite the conveniences of modern technology and apps like cellphones, Facetime, Viber, Zoom, Facebook, etc. While these help us keep in touch with our families back home, we have come to terms with the sad fact that without freedom of navigation, these…
