The attorney-client relationship
As attorneys, we get frantic or panicked phone calls from our clients worried about their cases. It’s a natural response – nobody wants to be in a place of unknowing – and we try our best to walk people through the process. For the most part, the panic comes from information gathered from the wonderful…
Safeguarding your petition, Part 1
MOST family-based petitions take years to be processed and for the priority date to finally become current. For example, it could take nine or more years for USCIS to process a petition for a married son or daughter or a sibling, and then up to 30 years for the priority date to become current, or…
Ombudsman metes out suspension on BuCor legal chief, 2 other execs
OMBUDSMAN Samuel Martires on Tuesday, September 10, suspended the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal chief and two other BuCor executives as the investigation into the anomalies surrounding the good conduct time allowance law continues. Martires gave out three separate orders that imposed six months of preventive suspensions without pay on BuCor legal chief Fredric Santos,…
CPAP: Benefits and risks
“While there are gadgets on the market claiming to be ‘treatments’ for sleep apnea, which are ALL unscientific and ineffective since they are not addressing the pathology (collapsing soft tissues in the throat blocking the airway), only CPAP is the evidence-based, gold standard, effective medical therapy for sleep apnea.” Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a…
Once upon a time series… Meet Elaine, the rock
(Part 2of 2) “…Elaine and Neil were more like two Mexican jumping beans trapped in a pod. …” (Continued from the previous week…) There were happy times too and she chose to dwell on them. Elaine imagined herself to be like a film editor retaining the reels of fun and laughter they had during the…
PSA: Filipina overseas workers outnumber males
A SURVEY by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released earlier this summer showed that an estimated number of 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2018. Of the 2.3 million, female OFWs comprised 55.8 percent of the total number. Additionally, female OFWs were generally younger than…
Criminal investigation is underway over deadly Santa Cruz Island boat fire that killed 34, including Fil-Am family
The Labor Day tragedy becomes one of California’s worst maritime disasters AFTER the tragic Labor Day fire on the diving vessel Conception that claimed 34 victims, a joint investigation conducted by federal and state authorities has gone underway, a law enforcement source said on Monday, Sept. 9. Initial reporting from the Los Angeles Times and…
African swine fever reaches the Philippines
Health officials assure public that pork meat still safe for consumption The Department of Agriculture on Monday, September 9, confirmed that the African swine fever was the cause of death of pigs in some parts of the Philippines, but quickly reassured that pork in the country remains safe for human consumption. According to Agriculture chief…
Number of Americans without insurance rises in 2018
by Phil Galewitz FOR the first time in a decade, the number of Americans without health insurance has risen — by about 2 million people in 2018 — according to the annual U.S. Census Bureau report released on Tuesday, September 10. The Census found that 8.5% of the U.S. population went without medical insurance for…
House OKs bill allowing more foreigners to practice profession in PH
THE House of Representatives gave its nod to a bill allowing more foreigners to practice their profession in the country and lowering the direct local hires required of foreign investors. Voting 201-6, the chamber favored House Bill No. 300 that will amend Republic Act No. 7042 or the Foreign Investment Act of 1997 if enacted…
Ombudsman metes out suspension of BuCor legal chief, 2 other execs
Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Tuesday, September 10, suspended the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal chief and two other BuCor executives as the investigation into the anomalies surrounding the good conduct time allowance law continues. Martires gave out three separate orders that imposed six months of preventive suspensions without pay on BuCor legal chief Fredric Santos,…
Home economics, house repairs and child care: Schools should bring back survival skill classes for ALL students
STUDENTS of today’s generation are so well trained and proficient in a lot of high-tech skills like computer and internet use, camera techniques, music mixing, editing, online publishing and social media distribution — skills that the older generation is just coming to terms and even struggling with. However, we notice that there seems to be…
This FREE LA pop-up features Filipino lumpia musubi and Spam soft-serve
For many people around the world — especially Filipinos — Spam is a beloved staple in their meals, whether served with egg and rice for breakfast or wrapped with seaweed as a snack. To celebrate the universal appeal and popularity of Spam, a FREE pop-up event in Los Angeles this September 14 and 21 takes…
US woman faces human trafficking charges after attempting to smuggle baby out of PH
THE Philipine National Bureau of Investigation has charged an American woman with human trafficking after she was caught attempting to fly a 6-day-old baby out of the country without proper documentation, officials said on Thursday, September 5. The woman in question is 43-year-old Jennifer Erin Talbot, who also faces child abuse and kidnapping with serious…
Fil-Am family among those unaccounted for in Santa Cruz Island boat fire
34 dead, names of 9 victims have been released SANTA Barbara County authorities on Friday, September 6 have identified 18 victims and released the names of nine who perished in the tragic boat fire in Santa Barbara County over Labor Day weekend. Those still unidentified and unaccounted for include a Filipino American family: Michael Quitasol,…
Wisconsin teacher accused of enslaving Filipina mother and son after bringing them to US
A HIGH school teacher from Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been accused of human trafficking and sexual assault after he allegedly forced a Filipina woman and her son into servitude after promising them a better life in the United States. Christian Mothershead, 46, made his initial court appearance on Tuesday, September 3. He faces two counts of…
Immigrants rights orgs, advocates join forces to fight Trump’s public charge rule
The controversial rule change that could affect to take effect Oct. 15 NEXT month, the Trump administration’s changes to the public charge rule will take effect but not before immigrant rights’ groups have a chance to challenge it. In August, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized the changes made to the federal public charge…
Robredo pushes for gender equality: ‘We can do more’
PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, September 5, challenged the public to do more in terms of promoting gender equality, noting that there are still “subtle acts” of discrimination that should be focused on to achieve true equality. “Since the #MeToo Movement, and due to the watchfulness of the ‘woke’ generation, so many things…
Palace: ‘Bato’ dela Rosa to be investigated over freed convicts
Malacañang on Thursday, September 5, said newly-elected Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa will also face investigation for signing release papers of heinous crime convicts during his term as chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). In a press briefing on Wednesday night, September 4, President Rodrigo Duterte said he will have the other BuCor officials…
Part II: One mistake erases all the good one has done
A sad reality on being judgmental and unforgiving IN the last article, we discussed how people can be so unforgiving and judgmental beyond reason. Antonio made a big mistake by being too personal with a teener. He knew it was wrong and now he suffers the consequences of a mistake that never physically materialized. He…
Lawmakers send contested vaccine bill to CA governor
by Ana B. Ibarra CALIFORNIA lawmakers dropped this year’s most controversial public health bill into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lap on Wednesday, but it’s not clear whether he will sign the measure, which would tighten the rules for exempting children from routine vaccinations. The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve SB-276 by state Sen. Richard Pan…
Starving seniors: How California’s aging are falling through the cracks
by Laura Ungar and Trudy Lieberman SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the neighborhoods around San Jose, more than 1 in 9 seniors struggle to get enough to eat. They are among the millions of seniors across the country who quietly go hungry as the safety net designed to catch them frays. Nearly 8% of Americans…
Do I need a premarital agreement before getting married?
IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides “ ….all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.” Family Code 760. This becomes a problem if you…
Children’s book author Carmelita Suarez wants to help you
THERE in the Abrahamic religions exists story upon story about prophets, conduits to God who were chosen by the Big Man himself. The stories we learned about Abraham and Moses have taught us that there are gifted people chosen by the Lord to deliver his Word and to relay his wishes for humankind. Carmelita Suarez…
Selective service registration for naturalization
ANG isang lawful permanent resident (LPR) o green card holder na nasa pagitan ng 18 hanggang 26 taon gulang ay kailangan magrehistro para sa Selective Service at magpakita ng ebidensiya ng pagrehistro para sa kanyang N-400 Application for Naturalization. Ayon sa USCIS Policy Manual, ang isang aplikante para sa naturalization ay kailangang magpakita na siya…
Amid the growing gun violence in America, do you agree that the NRA is a ‘domestic terrorist’ organization?
TERRORISM, as defined by Britannica, is the systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective. The Federal Bureau of Investigation describes “domestic terrorism” as “perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist…