Q: I was diagnosed with herniated disc and severe anxiety. I want to request leave but want to keep my privacy at work. Do I need to tell my employer about my medical or psychological condition? A: No. The employee is not required to disclose the nature of the employee’s medical condition or disability (i.e.,…
THIS week is Holy Week again. The whole Christian world observes the passion of Jesus Christ. In many countries, the faithful reenact the passion and suffering of Jesus. They wear a crown made from thorns, flagellate themselves, and some even carry a heavy wooden cross on which they may be tied or nailed to it,…
WE were all in shock at seeing on television and social media the historic Notre-Dame De Paris Cathedral engulfed in flames last Monday, April 15. How could this 850-year-old gothic style cathedral, Paris’ symbol of Catholicism, be gone before our eyes? Those of us who have visited and seen this magnificent work of art and…
THERE are two types of income tax – regular tax that you are familiar with, and an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) that you may not have encountered. If you had experienced a bout with AMT, you’d not forget it. It hurts like a Pacquiao punch to your gut. What exactly is AMT? AMT is a…
“It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bothers me; it is that part I do understand.” – Mark Twain IT is the time I prepare myself for worship on Sunday, by reading beautiful and poetic stories from the Bible. Our knowledge of the Bible was limited to memorizing the Beatitudes,…
IN this week’s column, we will address immigration issues that may come up for lawful permanent residents (green card holders) who travel outside of the United States. Lawful permanent residents can travel outside the United States for temporary or brief travel purposes, and the departures typically should not affect the permanent resident status, assuming there…
DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a US Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and 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 petition…
One of the most touching chapters in “El Filibusterismo,” Jose Rizal’s sequel to the “Noli Me Tangere,” was when Padre Florentino asked plaintively, “Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions, and their enthusiasm to the welfare of their native land? Where are the youth who will generously pour out their blood to wash…
by Ashlee Monton [Writer’s note: Once a year, an essay competition is held at CSUN, amongst Asian American Studies and Education majors, as part of an endowment set up by Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz for her deceased mother, Asuncion Castro Abarquez and her deceased sister, Rosalinda Abarquez Alcantara to provide a scholarship grant to deserving students. The essays…
“MY brother’s neighbor’s girlfriend’s uncle had the same exact case and it got approved and they did not use an attorney.” I’ve heard this many times to have developed a well-curated response: Nothing. A person who has set out to hear only what s/he wants to hear can hear nothing else but what s/he wants…
BILLIONS of people around the world use painkillers, and some of them like water, because they are readily available over the counter and mostly inexpensive. There is a survey that showed 1 in 20 people take as many as 6 tablets of painkillers for pain or headache. Some even consume more than 365 pain pills…
RECENTLY, officials from the U.S. State Department discussed the monthly Visa Bulletin and the movement of priority dates. (A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for an immigrant visa, and is typically based on the date the petition was filed. The monthly Visa Bulletin reports which priority dates are now eligible to be…
The Philippines’ Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) questioned the United States State Department list of countries with high kidnapping list as it included the country among the 35 countries in the travel advisory. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año doubted the accuracy of the list as he emphasized that the kidnapping cases decreased significantly…
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday, April 13, claimed some journalists are being paid to produce “false reports” to serve their “clients” while he dismissed reports about the increase of his wealth while in public service. “They accept (payment) from clients to (write) political attacks. AC/DC (attack and collect, defend and collect). You attack to get…
As the overseas absentee voting (OAV) program commenced on Saturday, April 13, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) eyed the possibility of fake news proliferation as observed in the previous elections. COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez assured the public that the commission is on the alert for those who plan to spread false information as a propaganda…
ON March 5, the Vatican named Monsignor Alejandro “Alex” Aclan the newest auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, making him the second Filipino to ever be presented as bishop in the United States. “I really see that as an acknowledgement of the church and the Vatican, of the contribution of the Filipino…
The Department of Tourism (DOT), through its regional offices, has coordinated with various local government units and other concerned government agencies to ensure that tourist destinations are equipped to handle the influx of tourists and pilgrims this Holy Week. As part of the preparations, all DOT regional offices have communicated with the government agencies to…
CLIENT no. 1 is 50 years old and is the manager of a big retail store. He’s been working there for 30 years. His spouse got into an accident and is now on disability. He owns a house with $200,000 of equity. He has, believe it or not, 11 children from age 2 to 18….
HOLY WEEK is a good time for us to slow down a little and introspect on the meaning of this season in our life. This is particularly important these days when our day-to-day existence has been saddled with challenges, noise, hatred, doubts and fear because of the complexity and toxicity of today’s life. Most of…
by Sarah Varney It’s Saturday morning and the women of the Contreras family are busy in Montclair, Calif., making pupusas, tamales and tacos. They’re working to replace the income of José Contreras, who has been held since last June at Southern California’s Adelanto ICE Processing Center, a privately run immigration detention center. José’s daughter, Giselle,…
THE Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was recently enacted into law, impact various issues in a divorce case. These changes are effective beginning 2018 through 2025. Spousal Support. Spousal Support will no longer be deductible by the paying spouse and will not be taxable income to the supported spouse for post 2017 divorce judgments…
The United States on Friday, April 12, maintained it will continue its operations in the South China Sea (SCS) despite China’s protest about American forces stirring trouble in the waters. “The U.S. will fly, sail and operate everywhere international law allows. That’s it. Wish we had a longer statement for you, but that’s the simple…
15th of a series “Don’t be shy about asking for help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, it only means you’re wise.” — Anonymous WE live in the Age of Information. You could say it is both a blessing and a curse to live during what could very well be “the best of times, the worst of…
