THIS upcoming November election, California voters will get to decide whether or not the state should restore affirmative action after a measure was approved by the state Senate on Wednesday, June 24. The state Senate voted 30-10 to include ACA 5, a proposed constitutional amendment that would reverse Proposition 209, a prohibition on affirmative action,…
A RECENT Social Weather Stations survey found that 43% of Filipinos expect their quality of life to worsen in the next 12 months. “The 43% proportion of ‘pessimists’ in May is the new peak in the 37-year history of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 34% in March 2005,” the pollster said Tuesday,…
Malacañang on Wednesday, June 24, said that seeking help from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enforce the enhanced community quarantine in Cebu City should not be compared to being under martial law. “We’ve normally done this, resorted to asking the Armed Forces to perform civilian duties. So this is not martial law. This…
ALL Nevada residents and visitors are now required to wear face coverings while in public in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Governor Steve Sisolak announced this week. In his remarks on Wednesday, June 24, Sisolak said he signed a directive requiring everyone to wear face coverings while in public, including while…
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, June 23, confirmed that it has identified and traced the location of the man who threatened Frankie Pangilinan, daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and actress Sharon Cuneta. “The DOJ-Office of Cybercrime has ascertained the identity and location of the person who allegedly threatened Frankie Pangilinan,” Justice Undersecretary and…
THE massive poverty in the Philippines, compounded by frequent natural calamities, causes untold tragedy to the almost 110 million Filipinos, especially to the more than 3.5 million of them who are indigent members of society. As could be expected, medical care is absent, if not scarce, in many areas of the country. The Montero Medical…
In response to President Donald Trump’s usage of a racist term related to the coronavirus, Filipino American Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and California Medical Association President Dr. Peter N. Bretan released a joint statement denouncing the president’s choice of words. Trump recently used the racist term “kung flu” at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on…
IN partnership with community groups, organizations and foundations, as well as more than sixty individual donors, Filipino Advocates for Justice has raised awareness and funds for the Bayanihan COVID-19 Relief Fund. The power of community members coming together to organize in a crisis has led to more than $175,000 raised funds, surpassing the original goal of…
By Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Whitley NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain – A 2014 Reseda High School graduate and Tarzana, California native is currently serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) . Petty Officer 3rd Class Neil Vallejo is an information systems technician aboard the destroyer. As an information systems technician, Vallejo…
ON June 22, 2020, President Trump issued another Executive Order (EO) or Proclamation, extending his April 22, 2020 proclamation to December 31, 2020, and expanding its scope to also include H-1B, H-2B, J-1, and L-1 non-immigrants and their derivative spouses and children from entering the U.S., as they may compete for jobs with unemployed Americans…
THE Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 23, dismissed Solicitor General Jose Calida’s quo warranto petition against broadcast giant ABS-CBN on the “ground of mootness.” “I was able to confirm with Chief Justice [Diosdado] Peralta that the Supreme Court dismissed today during their en banc meeting the quo warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General…
A GARDEN City, New York man on Friday, June 19, was indicted by a federal court in the United States for traveling to the Philippines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The indictment was filed with the U.S. Attorney’s…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 22, said that the number of overseas Filipinos facing repatriation could exceed 100,000 in the coming months due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). He noted reports from cruise line companies saying 29,963 more seafarers are expected to be repatriated. Likewise, foreign service posts of the Department of Foreign Affairs…
I came to the United States in the late 1960s to pursue graduate studies at UCLA. Like almost everyone who was college-educated in the Philippines, and immigrated after the passage of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, we were beneficiaries of the removal of race-based immigration policies from the lawbooks. Many of us and…
CADET Lieutenant Jesson Peñaflor graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point on Saturday, June 13 with a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering. Peñaflor, who comes from the town of Kalilangan, Bukidnon spent a year at the Philippine Military Academy in 2015 before being accepted to West Point the following year, becoming…
THE controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is still being reviewed by Malacañang’s legal team, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, June 22. The bill, which has passed Congress, is awaiting Duterte’s signature. “My legal [team] is still reviewing it. My legal team sa Malacañang. There’s only — hindi ko pa natanggap (I haven’t received it…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa faces yet another complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng, just days after her cyber libel conviction. The businessman — who was the same private complainant who sued Ressa and former Rappler staffer Reynaldo Santos Jr. — said he filed a separate cyber libel complaint on February 13,…
Over 52,000 overseas Filipinos have returned to the Philippines since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA on Tuesday, June 23 repatriated 60 stranded Filipinos from New Delhi, India, while the day before, it brought home a total of 667 overseas Filipinos from…
WITH the United States presidential election less than five months away, the campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will court Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters — considered the fastest-growing segment of eligible voters in the United States — in a virtual town hall on Saturday, June 27. Biden…
CERTAIN foreign workers will be barred from seeking employment in the United States as President Donald Trump on Monday, June 22 signed an executive order that places a temporary freeze on work visas through the end of the year. Those affected include the H-1B visas for tech workers, H-2B visas for low-skill jobs, H-4 visas for…
TRAVELERS at Los Angeles International Airport will be asked to undergo another screening before getting to the security checkpoint to help slow the spread of coronavirus. Starting on Tuesday, June 23, thermal cameras will be deployed at two locations inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal — at the main entrance on the departures level and…
BEFORE Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016, the nations and people of the free world looked up to America to lead the global community in matters of shared concerns like peace, human rights, hunger, the threat of nuclear arms, climate change, protection of the environment and pandemics. That was then….
Critics of the new addition to the curriculum argue the state should not impose academic decisions UNDER new state legislation passed last week, students attending California State University (CSU) schools will now be required to take courses in ethnic studies. Starting in the 2021-2022 academic year, the CSU is required to offer courses focusing on…
THE Philippines is among the top 10 dangerous places for workers in 2020, according to the latest International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index. In the 2020 index released Saturday, June 20, 144 countries were rated on a scale from one to five — with one being the best rating, and five the worst —…
People with overwhelming debt problems during this difficult time are asking a lot of questions. Are you scared of being sued and having creditors getting judgments against you and garnishing your wages and levying your bank account? What would happen to your home or business if you fall behind on your debt obligations and are…
1. You can amend to correct a previously filed tax return Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ. 2. Amend your return if you discover errors such as filing status, dependents, total income, deductions, or credits. 3. Use Form 1040X to amend your U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. 4. You can also use Form 1040X to correct…
Ang green card o permanent resident card ang patunay na ang isang indibidwal ay may lawful permanent resident (LPR) status sa U.S. Subalit ang LPR status ay hindi talagang permanente sapagkat maaaring magkaroon ng determinasyon na tinalikuran ng green card holder ang kanyang LPR status. Ang pag-abandona ay maaaring maging isyu kapag ang LPR ay…
THE World Health Organization reported 183,020 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, June 21, the largest single-day increase of the disease by count. According to the United Nations health agency, Brazil recorded the most cases with 54,771, followed by the United States at 36,617. There were a total of 8,708,008 COVID-19 cases with 461,715 fatalities worldwide…
On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its DACA decision, but it did not actually uphold DACA. Instead, it based its decision on procedural technicalities, that the government did not properly terminate or rescind it. The DACA decision is more like a temporary reprieve, rather than a victory. Pres. Trump has vowed to…
Despite early statements alluding to the possible extended lockdown, California lawmakers re-open dine-in restaurants and grooming services Four months after cities and states across the United States first began shutting due to the coronavirus pandemic, businesses and public places are quickly reopening despite the increase in cases and deaths associated with the virus. Los Angeles…
