Three tax changes to estate, gift, AMT, and pass-through income
Estate and gift tax exemption: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) increased exemptions (nice) for estates and gifts to $11.2 million ($22.4 million for married couples). Before tax…
Welcoming the spring season — the Filipino way
HAVING four seasons in a year is an idea that is quite foreign to Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines. Back there, we only have dry (summer) and wet…
The birdman of Woodland Street
THIS might as well be a story for the birds — light, gay and cheery. I can’t recall any other welcome in my whole life as I had in Alan…
Filipino Restaurant Week 2019 is in full swing
This year’s Filipino Restaurant Week is up and running, and this year’s incarnation is bigger than ever, expanding to seven states with 23 restaurants participating. “Last year, we expanded to…
Comelec to announce winners within the week
Cayetano, Bato, Doc Willie top PCGNY results AS the members of the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) continue to process the election results which as of writing is at 53.29…
LA’s mental health festival is back May 18-27
Looking for activities in LA this weekend? Consider WE RISE LA, a 10-day pop-up immersive experience featuring performances, an art exhibition, and workshops around mental wellbeing, in time for May…
Admin-backed senators maintain lead, Bam Aquino momentarily holds spot in Magic 12
SENATORIAL candidates endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte maintained their lead in the partial and unofficial election results as of 10:44 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, with 96.54 percent of the…
Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg joins AAPI dinner in Las Vegas
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was the latest Democratic presidential contender to meet with Las Vegas’ Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Buttigieg on Saturday, May 11 joined…
‘Duterte and the war just won’ – Locsin
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday, May 14, said President Rodrigo Duterte and his drug war won as administration-backed senatorial candidates led the race in the 2019 election polls….
People urged to clean up ‘election trash’ after 2019 polls
Environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition implored candidates as well as the public to help clean up the remnants of the campaign season days after the 2019 Philippine midterm elections. Aileen Lucero,…
Two Chinese vessels spotted during BRP and USCGC training
Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Batangas and Kalanggaman along with United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Bertholf on Tuesday, May 14, spotted two Chinese coast guard vessels seemingly monitoring…
The calm in the eye of the storm: Celebrating 10 years of service to our community
RECENTLY, I was reminded that our law firm will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary this May 2019. Though I joined this amazing band of legal warriors only in 2012, I…
June 2019 priority dates
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A…
‘Post Colonial Survival Kit’: Addressing the challenges brought by centuries of colonization
COLONIALISM is defined as a system in which “one country creates an empire by taking over other lands and making them into colonies.” As such, colonies don’t have the power…
California bans pesticide linked to develop mental problems
by Ana B. Ibarra / Kaiser Health News CALIFORNIA will ban the use of a widely used pesticide in the face of “mounting evidence” that it causes developmental problems in…
Miracle of life
Wednesday last week, while waiting at O’Hare Airport in Chicago for our flight to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to attend the graduation of our granddaughter, Sydney, my wife, Farida, and I…
Asian Americans spent $1 trillion last year and brands are taking notice, says report
A new report released by Nielsen on Thursday, May 9 said that Asian Americans spent $1 trillion last year — a testament to the demographic’s growing spending power and influence…
Fil-Am coming-of-age immigration drama “Yellow Rose” awarded Grand Jury Prize at three film festivals in a row
‘Yellow Rose’ is an honest, visceral exploration on the complicated definition of ‘American’ THE much-anticipated feature film “Yellow Rose” by Filipina American filmmaker Diane Paragas premiered at the opening night…
‘The Sun is Also a Star’ author Nicola Yoon, actors Charles Melton and Jake Choi shine light on immigrant stories, Asian American visibility
CAN two individuals fall in love in a day? Does destiny exist? These are some of the questions put forth by “The Sun is Also a Star,” an upcoming movie…
Technical issues, election violations mar 2019 Philippine elections
ANY hopes for a smooth sailing election process were dashed as various issues involving vote-counting machines (VCMs) marred the 2019 midterm elections on Monday, May 13. Of the 85,000 VCMs…
2019 PH ELECTION: Senatorial admin bets take lead, Otso Diretso suffers loss
AFTER fixing a technical issue in its transparency server, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was able to release the partial unofficial results for the 2019 national elections. As of 9:51…
Trump signs executive order to reestablish AAPI commission
PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Monday, May 13 signed an executive order to advance the “economic empowerment” of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The order, which comes during Asian Pacific…
Philippine National Bank opens its new Los Angeles office
THE right place at the right time bodes good things for the right endeavor. PNB puts itself right smack dab in the heart of the Filipino American community. This is…
Domestic workers alliance launches hotline to report alleged labor violations
THE Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and the California Domestic Workers Coalition have unveiled the California Homecare Agency Labor Violations Tip Line, a hotline that allows caregivers, consumers and agencies in…
DOT hosts 2019 PATA Summit on sustainable tourism development in Cebu
CEBU CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) joined the rest of the Asia Pacific region’s cause for responsible development of travel and tourism as it hosted the Pacific Asia…