San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas awarded $100,000 NEA grant to increase Filipino community visibility
Invisible no more: Filipino Cultural Heritage District to develop new design concepts for public art, cultural markers on Filipino community’s history and contributions in San Francisco THE National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District a $100,000 “Our Town” arts grant to fund the planning process for…
Duterte orders Trillanes’ arrest
Makati RTC sets hearing, DOJ files hold departure order The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Wednesday, September 5, scheduled the hearing on Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s arrest for September 13. This follows the motion filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting for the issuance of an alias warrant of arrest and hold departure…
“The Hows of Us” – From hopeful dreams to unbearable misery, is love worth fighting for?
DALY CITY, Calif. — How does a relationship that started cozy and happy, and has progressed to shared fantasies of making it big in their respective careers, reach unbearable feelings of frustration and regret? How do the fire and hopeful dreams of youth shift into the indifference and unbearable misery of adulthood? TFC at the…
California divorce with a twist: The military spouse
SAN Diego is “military town” and Navy and Marine Corps families abound, as well as retirees from different branches of our military. The military life is a test of resilience and grit for many families with divorce as almost an expectation rather than the exception. The following seeks to address or clarify some common misconceptions…
The Philippine consulate will not report you to DHS
WHEN applying for almost all USCIS benefits, the USCIS usually requires a person to have a valid, unexpired passport. This is especially true in connection with adjustment of status or obtaining various non-immigrant visas. There are also many situations where a person is required to have a government-issued photo identification, such as when they travel…
Lacto A: Friendly bacteria
What is Lacobacillus acidophilus? L. acidophilus is the most popularly used probiotic or “friendly bacteria.” They live in the intestines and vagina and prevent the entrance and proliferation of disease-causing organisms, thus protecting the individual. Are there other friendly bacteria in the body? Yes. Actually there are several trillion friendly bacteria (over 400 species) in…
The bucket list: Divest early
“…You won’t need a U-Haul truck when you pass. Jesus did say it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle…” (Thirteenth of a series) [Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of…
His loyalty to party ended where loyalty to country began
In death Sen. John McCain was honored by colleagues whom he disagreed with, even fought with and who considered him a disloyal maverick during his long tenure as a politician. Former Vice-President Joe Biden summed up the attitude of the usually partisan personalities who crossed John McCain’s life before brain cancer took it at age…
DILG exec: Boracay can only accommodate 55,000 per day
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco Densing III confirmed on Monday, September 3, that Boracay Island can only accommodate 55,000 people daily. Prior to its rehabilitation in April, the internationally-known resort island takes in an average of 70,000 people daily. This means that the 1,032-hectare island in Aklan welcomed 15,000…
Kavanaugh hearing: Democrats outraged over unreleased documents, push to postpone proceedings
First day of hearings for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee sparks partisan battle and protests One of the most concerning things for Democrats as soon as Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States was the inevitability that the former reality television star will be poised to nominate a Supreme Court Justice, which will…
FVR’S enduring love for Ming
When one talks about enduring love, one love song easily comes to mind and it’s Crystal Gale’s “A Long and Lasting Love.” Here are some enchanting lines of Gale’s song: “A long and lasting love Not many people find it But those who do their whole life through Put their heart and soul behind it A long and lasting…
Legislature bans referral payments that hurt patients in recovery from addiction
Substance Use Disorder Patient Protection Act (Senate Bill 1228) will prevent patient brokering in state-licensed and certified treatment facilities SACRAMENTO – Responding to reports of fraud and abuse of patients in recovery from opioid and other addictions, the California Legislature passed the state’s first bill that outlaws patient brokering in the treatment industry. Senator Ricardo Lara…
Cancer, schmancer — In California, coffee is king
by Anna B. Ibarra SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It turns out that California and the Trump administration do agree on at least one thing: Don’t mess with coffee. Trump’s hand-picked food and drug czar, Scott Gottlieb, said Wednesday, August 29, that he “strongly supports” a proposal by officials in Sacramento to exempt the morning elixir from…
Bill to help human trafficking victims heads to Governor
SACRAMENTO – The Senate unanimously approved bipartisan measure co-authored by Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) that would help human trafficking victims get back on their feet. Specifically, Assembly Bill 900 by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D-San Diego) would: 1. Make it easier for victims to receive compensation for any income they lost, similar to how…
Companies cease sales of e-liquids with labeling or advertising that resembled kid-friendly foods following FDA, FTC warnings
Warning letters for products that looked like juice boxes, cookies and candy part of efforts to protect youth from dangers of nicotine and tobacco product The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last August 23 that all 17 manufacturers, distributors and retailers that were warned by the agency in May, have stopped selling the nicotine-containing e-liquids…
PH, Israel ink 3 agreements in landmark visit
The governments of the Philippines and the State of Israel have signed three agreements that would strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu witnessed the signing of the agreements, including a Memorandum Of Agreement on the temporary employment of home-based Filipino caregivers, a Memorandum Of…
Asian Americans in hip-hop discuss authenticity and making a cultural mark on the genre
Exploring the importance of respecting hip-hop’s uniquely racial foundation, and establishing a clear difference between cultural appreciation vs. appropriation Since the start of the new millennium, hip-hop has expanded to become the de facto popular music genre for the new generation. Capitalizing on the popularity and the endless creative potential of the genre, non-black rappers…
Arnold T. Gonzales, Tourism Promotions Board Officer-in-Charge, on empowering employees and officials in promoting the Philippines all over the world
MARKETING veteran Arnold T. Gonzales was chosen unanimously by the Board of Directors, chaired by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), following the resignation of TPB COO, Cesar Montano. Gonzales graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1982 with a degree in Tourism. He finished his…
Celebrate the Moon Festival at Pechanga Resort Casino with a 2018 Mercedes Benz giveaway and great prizes
JOIN us at Pechanga Resort Casino this September to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with our exciting “Harvest Moon Grand Drawing”. There will be 50 winners of EasyPlay and one lucky winner will drive away in a new 2018 Mercedes Benz. In addition, with our three days “Harvest Moon – Swipe & Win” promotion, Club members…
DOJ criticizes Harvard University over alleged discrimination of Asian Americans
Groups including Asian Americans pledge support to the Ivy League university’s affirmative action policy The U.S. Department of Justice this week came out against Harvard University’s admission practices by announcing its support of an anti-affirmative action group that sued the Ivy League university for allegedly discriminating against Asian American applicants in its admission policies. In a…
Serenata Filipina Ver. 2 goes onstage at the Ford Theatres Oct. 7
All-female headliners perform Filipino-penned songs in English and Tagalog THE historic Ford Theatres will be the venue where prominent Filipina-American singers converge for an evening of nostalgic Filipino hits and more! Heading the pack are jazz diva Louie Reyes and vocalist Annie Nepomuceno, both of whom have graced the Ford stage multiple times. Audiences will…
Should employees pay the cost of “dress code” required at work?
ALEXANDER Brown and Arik Silva worked as retail sales associates at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., a company that operates retail clothing stores throughout the United States. Brown and Silva sued their employer in a class action, claiming that the employer compelled them to patronize Abercrombie products in violation of California law. The employees claim that…
Rescinding removal/deportation order to allow for adjustment of status
WE have all heard the popular saying, “Timing is everything.” Unfortunately, this saying often adversely applies to those persons who have found an avenue from which to obtain a green card, only to be prohibited from doing so because he/she has a prior removal/deportation order. A typical scenario involves a person who entered the US…
Do I have a community property interest in a house which my spouse acquired before our marriage?
GENERALLY, in California, property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage is considered separate property under family code section 770 while those acquired after marriage are considered community assets under family code section 760. How do you characterize real property purchased prior to marriage but with the mortgage principal paid down using community income or…
Warning: Before you hire a debt settlement company
IF you are delinquent on your debts, you may be able to avoid dealing with the bill collectors for a few months but sooner or later, you will still need to face the reality of your debt problems and do something to protect yourself. For example, creditors will probably wait until you are 60 days…
Does rental property attract IRS audit?
NO, merely renting out your house, condo, or apartment does not attract IRS audits. But yes, there are rental items that attract IRS scrutiny: • Deducting expenses that are disproportionately high compared to rent collected. • Deducting capital items that should be capitalized and depreciated. • Claiming to be real estate professional. Let’s discuss these…
Maserati Alfa Romeo of Puente Hills holds grand opening, seeks to be No. 1 dealership in SoCal
FOR those who are eyeing to buy a Maserati or Alfa Romeo in Southern California, look no further than Maserati Alfa Romeo of Puente Hills. Maserati Alfa Romeo of Puente Hills now occupies a brand new facility in the City of Industry, which was formally opened to the public in a grand opening ceremony last…
Find your place under the sun and shine
IN my many years of counseling and looking through people, one of the most common of all questions is this: “Where am I heading for in life?” or “What is destined for me?” For most, this question bothers them and affects major decisions in their lives. They either stall or make hurried decisions, thinking that…
The ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ of the Beautiful Life celebration
There’s a lot of hype around this book-turned-movie, “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan and I can understand why. First of all, it’s a rom-com flick, plus the characters are just so relatable! As Asians, among the qualities I think we have in common are our resilience and our insatiable need to prove ourselves. And…