STARTING on December 10, 2018, the USCIS could waive (or not require) an interview for a married couple seeking to remove conditions on a conditional green card. Generally, when a U.S. citizen petitions a spouse for a green card, and the spouse receives their green card within two years of the date of marriage, they…
CHRISTMAS celebration the Filipino way is in full swing in New York as the lobby and glass windows of the Philippine Center along the bustling Fifth Avenue in mid-town Manhattan showcase a colorful collection of traditional parols (Christmas lanterns) and nativity scene. Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists pass by the Philippine Center everyday and…
CALIFORNIA Divorce – “No Fault.” California is a no-fault divorce state. A party filing for divorce does not need the consent of the other in order to file a Petition for Dissolution (Divorce) or, in some instances, to get a judgment of divorce. What needs to happen is that the other party (your soon-to-be ex-spouse)…
STARTING on December 10, 2018, the USCIS could waive (or not require) an interview for a married couple seeking to remove conditions on a conditional green card. Generally, when a U.S. citizen petitions a spouse for a green card, and the spouse receives their green card within two years of the date of marriage, they…
Last February 28, 2018, my wife, Farida, and I arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport from Manila, following our two medical missions in the Philippines. While waiting at the lounge for our flight back to Las Vegas, we received a call from our friend, Lynn Santos, a nurse, who relayed to us the sad…
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, December 11, said that the agency does not see Dengvaxia being used anytime soon despite its one-year ban coming to an end. DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo, in an interview, noted that the one-year suspension of the marketing license of Dengvaxia will likely get an extension after December 29….
Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and senatorial candidate Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Monday, December 10, visited Filipino-Americans in Las Vegas, Nevada to promote his personal advocacy to campaign against the proliferation of illegal drugs as well as talk about his senatorial bid. “I am roaming around, propagating my personal advocacy which is the…
According to a Social Weather Stations survey released Wednesday, three in five Filipinos believe that the United States’ defense commitment to the Philippines is strong. The survey showed 61 percent believe the U.S. will defend the country, with 31 percent answering strongly believe, and 30 percent somewhat believe. Meanwhile, 9 percent said they do not…
Las Vegas, NV – The following is a joint statement from One APIA Nevada Vice Chair Sanje Sedera and South Asia Young Professionals Alliance Founder Reuben D’Silva regarding the vacancies and candidates in Nevada’s 10th Assembly District: In Nevada, Asian Pacific Islander Americans played a decisive and vital role in the sweeping victories Democrats saw…
ON Tuesday, Dec. 11, TIME Magazine has released its yearly “Person of the Year” issue, and the magazine has chosen “The Guardians” — journalists who have been persecuted for their work. Among the journalists given a black-and-white cover included Maria Ressa, chief executive of Philippine news site Rappler; whose consistent, formidable reporting on the extrajudicial…
THE Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 61st Grammy Awards and 21-year-old R&B singer Gabi Wilson — known by her stage name H.E.R. — received five nominations, including Album of the Year. Wilson — who is half-Filipina, half-African American — was also nominated for Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance (for the song “Best…
“I think that LA can kind of be like a bubble sometimes. We don’t really realize how the world is,” said Caroline Raquel, a Filipina-American junior at the University of Pennsylvania. “Luckily, LA is really diverse and I’m very lucky to have grown up in LA, but I think keeping an awareness is something that…
IN this week’s column, we will address T nonimmigrant status, commonly known as the “T Visa.” This temporary immigration status may be available to human trafficking victims who are willing to assist law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of their traffickers. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, in which traffickers may lure…
“…Lose the remote control. Break free of your electronic leashes for a little while. Take the time to just be yourself…” IT’S that time of year again. And every year, whether we like it or not, we all go through the same rituals. This is a time of winnowing and thinning, just like the fall season when we…
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has extended the period of casting votes for the May 13, 2019 elections by an hour, making it end at 6 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m. As reported by the PNA, the decision is contained in the 49-page Comelec Resolution No. 10460 or the General Instructions for the…
PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s response to reporters last November when asked about who should be Person of the Year: “Trump…I can’t imagine anybody else other than Trump, can you imagine anybody else other than Trump?” His bubble of self-aggrandizing must have painfully burst when the very people he has been denigrating, demonizing and undermining have been…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 9, promised to continue his campaign against illegal drugs, crime, corruption, terrorism and insurgency campaign despite being labeled as the “biggest threat to human rights” by activists and human rights group. Presidential Human Rights Committee and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea issued a statement on the 70th anniversary of…
The House of Representatives on Monday, December 10, approved on third and final reading the Expanded Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children (E-VAWC), a measure that criminalizes electronic violence and involves the use of information and communication technology. With 207 affirmative votes, lawmakers unanimously approved House Bill 8655, which seeks to amend Republic Act 9262…
The woman arrived at the University of South Florida’s navigator office in Tampa a few weeks ago with a 40-page document describing a short-term health insurance plan she was considering. She was uncomfortable with what the broker had said about the coverage, she told Jodi Ray, a health insurance navigator who helps people enroll in…
THE plunder trial of former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile for allegedly receiving P172.8 million in kickbacks from projects funded by his office’s pork barrel will finally start in 2019 by the Sandiganbayan Third Division. It is set to begin on February 19, 2019 by the anti-graft court’s third division. Due to the Supreme Court granting…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 10, warned all candidates for the 2019 midterm elections not to intimidate Filipino voters into voting for them or their allies regardless of their political affiliations to the president. “Ke kasama kita sa gobyerno, kasama kita sa partido o kalaban kita sa politika (Whether you’re a colleague in…
PHIlIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte urged the two legislative chambers — the Senate and the House of Representatives — to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019. In a letter addressed to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dated December 6, Duterte noted that it is still necessary…
AS the end of 2018 approaches, expect to see a lot of ‘best of’ lists. One such roundup that Angelenos, in particular, look forward to is the Los Angeles Times’ ranking of the city’s top 101 restaurants. With the passing of Jonathan Gold this summer — whose annual 101 list became a bucket list of…
AARP celebrated its 2018 Asian American & Pacific Islander Hero Award winner Jon Melegrito of Kensington, Maryland for his volunteer work with the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) on Wednesday, December 5 in Washington, DC. Melegrito is the son of a Filipino World War II Veteran. From civil rights to the anti-apartheid movement,…
PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s train has been getting all the more derailed by the events of the recent week, and based on what has been happening under his leadership in the past two years, we may be in for a more exasperating bumpy ride ahead. First, the stock market has plummeted several times this week, erasing…
“When I think of 600 to 800 abused and neglected foster kids of Asian descent who need a home that meets their culture, that’s a lot of kids that need help.” – Connie Chung Joe The month of December is a time for family, for tradition, and for precious moments spent with loved ones; however,…
