In a season five episode of NBC sitcom “Superstore,” Cloud 9 employees Mateo (Nico Santos) and Marcus (Jon Barinholtz) get into a heated argument in Tagalog, surprising many Filipino viewers to hear the language on American television. Mateo: “Tarantado ka talaga!” Marcus: “Narinig ko ‘yon, gago!” Mateo: “Kapal ng mukha mo, alam kong ikaw kumuha…
TOTAL AUTHORITY is what President Donald Trump now claims in relaxing the social distancing and other safety measures in place and in pushing to reopen the United States for business on May 1, despite the statement of health officials that this is premature, and that the United States isn’t there yet. Why? Trump wants and…
A Filipino American father of three from the Inland Empire was laid to rest on Wednesday, April 15, a week after succumbing to complications related to the novel coronavirus. Jorel Alfonso, 38, died of COVID-19 on April 7, according to his family. A resident of Eastvale in Riverside County, he is survived by his wife…
In response to small businesses affected by COVID-19, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has created the Small Business Recovery Loan Program, administered by the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA). The Small Business Recovery Loan Program provides easy to access, timely, and sufficient financial relief to small businesses that are most impacted by…
Nearly 14,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated back to the Philippines amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, April 13. The latest numbers from the agency total 13,368, with the majority being seafarers. On Monday afternoon, 668 new sailors arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport….
This current moment has been described as many things: a chance for self-reflection, a practice of selflessness, a collective meditative mental health reset. And, it is most certainly all those things. But it is also a case study in entrepreneurial spirit and how maintaining a sense of community — even during a period of physical…
The Philippines reportedly has a “low” number confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases compared to other countries, according to claims by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The country’s ratio of COVID-19 infection is two for every one million of the population, the secretary said on Thursday, April 9. “‘Pagka ihahambing po natin ang bilang ng mga…
THE major holiday of the spring season is this Sunday, April 12, marking the end of Holy Week (Mahal na Araw). But instead of heading to church, participating in a neighborhood egg hunt or having a large fiesta with relatives, Filipino American families are navigating how to celebrate Easter in this era of social distancing….
Adrien Salazar knocked on hundreds of doors ahead of the New Hampshire primary and organized #FilipinosforBernie gatherings in Oakland and Los Angeles leading up to Super Tuesday this past March. Salazar was one of the thousands of Filipino Americans across the country who rallied behind Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, actively shared his platform on social…
PRESIDENT Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18 to provide paid leave for workers and tax credits for small and midsize businesses to recover the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leaves. A recent IRS new release identified new credits for paid sick leave and child care. Paid sick leave credit For an…
Virus cases reach over 8K, with 500 Asians testing positive LOS ANGELES County officials on Friday, April 10 announced that the stay-at-home order will be extended until at least May 15 as new incidences of the novel coronavirus continue to be reported in the region. The previous directive, which was announced a month ago, was…
HAPPY Easter! This year’s celebration of Holy Week and Easter is unprecedented for all of us Christians, for we could not gather as a community to hold masses and services in our churches. It’s because of coronavirus pandemic that prohibited us from any public gatherings. Indeed, COVID-19 interrupted Lenten, Holy Week, and Easter celebrations all…
Garcetti expresses support for AAPI community, condemns uptick in COVID-19-related discrimination The City of Los Angeles has increased worker protections and requirements for “non-medical essential” employees across the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a press briefing on Tuesday, April 7. Effective Friday, April 10, the new order requires employees at grocery stores, drug stores,…
THE fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc on our economy. As a consequence of shutting down the global economy, businesses are forced to lay off a lot of workers. If you have an existing child support or spousal support obligation (court order) and you are laid off from your job causing a major…
FOR us Catholic Christians, Easter means the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after His agony and death in the cross — the fulfillment of the prophecy in the scriptures that the Messiah will come and live among us — the Son of the living God who would be the savior of…
Around 440 Filipino seafarers who worked on several ships in the United States returned to the Philippines on Friday, April 10 amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The individuals were among those onboard the the Norwegian Pearl, Sky, and Sun cruise ships, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a release. A total of…
THE dangerous coronavirus has brought the economy to a screeching halt. With no work and no paychecks, millions of homeowners are now wondering how they’re going to be able to keep their homes. It’s beginning to feel like 2008 all over again. If there’s any comfort in all this madness, everyone is in the same…
The Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday, April 10, urged Filipinos to reflect on how they can help the government in addressing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. “Let this Lenten Season be a time for us to reflect on how we can all be part of the…
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…
INSTACART is one of the largest grocery delivery services in the United States. Instacart allows its customers to shop their local grocery using a mobile app or the website. The virtual shopping cart is filled out by an Instacart worker, called a “personal shopper,” who goes out to buy the groceries at the grocery store…
BOTH Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 trustees are now implementing the new procedure required by the U.S. Trustee for social distancing to avoid spreading the virus. The lockdown and social distancing certainly make a lot of sense. Wearing face masks also makes a lot of sense. I now ask clients to wear a mask and…
IPINAHAYAG ng USCIS noong Abril 1, 2020 na ang mga H-1B cap-subject petition para sa fiscal year (FY) 2021 na napili sa mga nag-electronic registration ay maaari nang i-file. Kasama sa H-1B cap-subject petition ang mga visa numbers na may “statutory cap” na 65,000 na empleyado bawat FY, pati na rin ang karagdagang 20,000 “master’s…
Hopefully, none of our readers is positive for COVID-19. Nonetheless, I suggest that each one of us should think positively — meaning, we should consider ourselves positive for the disease. If that doesn’t make sense, believe me, it’s one effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If we consider ourselves as possible carriers of…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, April 9, announced that 13 more Filipinos abroad have contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the official count of overseas cases to 607. According to the agency, the additional cases are from the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe. The DFA also reported four new fatalities, raising the death…
THE Department of Health on Thursday, April 9, recorded 206 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Philippines, bringing the official count to 4,076. The agency also announced 21 new deaths, raising the death toll to 203. On the other hand, 28 new patients recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of…
President Rodrigo Duterte said he would consider selling government assets as a “ast resort” to generate funds to help address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the country. “What is the endgame? We will run out of money. I’ll sell all the property of the government. That Cultural Center of the Philippines, PICC [Philippine International…
