THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, May 7, began its final testing and sealing (FTS) of the 85,000 vote counting machines (VCMs). This will determine if the VCMs can count the votes accurately as well as if the results will be transmitted to the canvassing centers from the polling precincts. “We are ready,” said…
Marine scientists explain how our activities are the biggest threat to ecosystems THE sight of plastic waste and other floating garbage greeted a team of young marine scientists when they sailed the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to study its biodiversity. Led by the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute…
THE old cliché that health is wealth is timeless, always pertinent and relevant and a scientific truth many of us have taken for granted…until we later discover (sometimes too late) that, indeed, health is truly wealth. Steve Wynn, 77, with a net worth of $3 billion, owns six 5-star casinos in Las Vegas and one…
THE scheduled Senate investigation on Friday, May 10, regarding the allegations presented by Bikoy, the hooded figure in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos will no longer push through. In a Twitter post on Wednesday, May 8, Senate Committee on Public Order Senator Panfilo Lacson announced the cancellation of the said Senate hearing noting “enough of…
IT is often said that running your own business is like raising another child. Entrepreneurship is already a massive undertaking, and for some mothers, there’s an extra layer of being a single parent on top of all these responsibilities. Juggling multiple roles, however, hasn’t detracted this group of mompreneurs from recognizing their expertise and creating…
NO matter how rewarding motherhood is, it can still be a tad too stressful and overwhelming. Taking care of the family is always the topmost priority, but sometimes in doing so, you’re stretching yourself too thin. However, taking the time to relax seems like a waste of time nowadays — especially when you can be…
THE third time’s a charm for Filipino American chef Tom Cunanan of Washington, DC’s Bad Saint who finally won as Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic at the James Beard Awards held Monday night, May 6 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. He was also previously nominated in 2017 and 2018. The awards, presented to recognize culinary professionals…
“…The boy looked at him, shrugged his shoulders and went back to throwing one more jellyfish back to the water, and told him, ‘…Made a difference to that one…’” HOW about a double scoop of stories about the kindness of the human heart? The first story is that of Lou Xiaoying. Lou is one remarkable…
THE U.S. CONSTITUTION mandates that there are three co-equal branches of government — the executive, legislature and the judiciary — all tasked to provide checks and balance on each other to make sure that not one person, nor institution will abuse its power and put democracy at risk. It is the same spirit of the…
By Samantha Young/Kaiser Health News CALIFORNIA Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to provide health coverage to low-income young adults who are in the country illegally, but his plan would siphon public health dollars from several counties battling surging rates of sexually transmitted diseases and, in some cases, measles outbreaks. Public health officials describe the…
Not getting enough B vitamins in your diet can cause fatigue; the last thing someone with a busy lifestyle wants. Fatigue may be caused by so many factors out of our control: environment, social, professional, and personal. And the scary thing is fatigue can continue to cause a myriad of problems from an unhealthy work…
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar ensured the Filipinos that they will fight disinformation on Friday, May 3 as they commemorate the World Press Freedom Day. “Tayo naman po sa PCOO ay patuloy ang kampanya natin laban sa disinformation o pagpapakalat ng fake news sapagkat isa po ito sa sumisira sa malayang pamamahayag…
The Philippines’ recent credit rating upgrade from Standard and Poor’s (S&P) is due to the economic reforms under the Duterte administration, Malacañang asserted on Thursday, May 2. S&P upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating to BBB+ with a stable outlook, citing the country’s consistent growth, solid fiscal accounts, and the economy’s sound external settings. According to…
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti this week released the city’s Green New Deal, which creates a roadmap to confront the current issues revolving around climate change. Garcetti on Monday, April 29 spoke about the city’s sustainable future, which includes plans to tackle the climate emergency with accelerated targets and keep LA on track to be…
Former Texas congressman, who made a big splash during the 2018 midterms, announced his bid for the presidency last month IT was an uncharacteristically cloudy day in Los Angeles when Beto O’Rourke took to the stage at a campaign rally at the LA Trade-Technical College on Saturday, April 27. But that didn’t deter the hundreds…
WHILE nearly all articles relate to change, let’s depart from that norm and discuss a few deductions that won’t change. 1. Student Loan Interest Deduction: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) allows student loan borrowers to deduct up to $2,500 on the interest paid for student loans every year. Student loan interest is interest you pay…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign trips were something else. Their outcomes were not foreseeable, and at the outset, no promises are made. The government does not wish to risk inflating expectations. Always, it is just a sober assessment. After all, the president is aware that dealings with foreign trips require reliability, precision and finesse. Hangchow, at…
I have just filled out my ballot as an overseas Filipino qualified to vote in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections. While we are outside the Philippines, dual citizens like me are entitled to vote for party list contenders and for national officials – in this case, senatorial candidates. Despite being relatively familiar with the…
Is the Philippine government silencing the voices of the overseas absentee voters? FILIPINOS who are now working, are permanent residents in the U.S., or even dual citizens have been taking a more active role in participating in civic and democratic processes in the Philippines, never abandoning our love and concern for the Motherland, especially when…
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and then you will be my witnesses…” – Acts 1:8 “The Spirit calls us to share our faith with those who are near and far. It could be as simple as giving witness in our everyday lives. Or it might involve a vocation to…
The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, May 2 launched the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) crisis hotline which aims to help curb the rising suicide prevalence in the Philippines. According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the hotline will be operated by the NCMH 24/7 and will “respond to the needs of those…
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the Philippine government, is set to finance the construction of sidewalks in Metro Manila. The ADB is said to provide $100 million in loans to implement the Greenways project in the Philippines. This would lead to the construction of elevated walkways for pedestrians, with the possibility of…
A COMMON question that is asked by a person who has a pending immigration petition or application is “how much longer until USCIS makes a decision?” The question is understandable, in that an unreasonable delay in the USCIS’ adjudication of a petition or application can have adverse effects, including loss of employment and employment opportunities,…
ROSARIO Contreras-Velazquez worked for Family Health in its medical records department when she suffered a work-related repetitive strain injury to her right upper extremity. After surgery, she developed complex regional pain syndrome. She also suffered from a frozen shoulder, as well as inflammation in her right hand, which prevented her from being able to fully…
Life can change in an instant, whether it’s your health or your personal situation. Elvira of Los Angeles lost her health insurance when the auto dealership she worked for closed its doors suddenly at the end of January. “I did not want to be without a job and without health insurance. You never know…
ANG green card ay maaaring makuha ng isang dayuhan sa pamamagitan ng employment-based (EB) petitions. Kailangan ng sponsorship ng US employer para sa isang permanenteng posisyon sa kumpanya. May tatlong hakbang para sa mga EB petition: (1) ang PERM Labor Certification; (2) ang Immigrant Petition; at (3) ang Green Card Application sa USCIS o…
CLIENT is 72. He still works his normal job and makes about $3K a month. He also receives social security of $1K. So, his total income right now is $4K. He tells me that he is tired of working. His wife doesn’t want him to work anymore. His wife retired ahead of him at age…
MICAHEL Masteller, a seminarian who is doing an internship at Resurrection Church in East Los Angeles, wrote a reflection paper on his experience of visiting a parishioner, Maria, who had just arrived home from the hospital after surgery. During this visit, Michael remembered that a few months back he also came to see Maria’s sick…
THREE Filipino Americans are among the artists and creatives who received nominations for this year’s 73rd annual Tony Awards. Broadway star Eva Noblezada is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as Eurydice in “Hadestown.” This is Noblezada’s second Tony Award nomination after she was…
The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday, May 1, announced that the government will tighten rules on issuing work permits for foreigners “to ensure that jobs that can be done by Filipinos will not be given to foreigners.” In a BI press release, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the joint guidelines on the issuance of…
