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 priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is…
CAN tubal ligation be reversed? Ligation of the fallopian tubes, performed for birth control, can be reversed to allow pregnancy to take place, depending on how long a segment of the tubes were cut in the original operation. If the segments removed are too long to precluded re-anastomosis (re-connection or bridging), then it can’t be…
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno ensured on Tuesday, August 15, that no part of the proposed P3.76-trillion national budget will be allocated to pork finances. In a report from the Inquirer, the budget chief subdued the public’s fear that House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might distribute pork funding to lawmakers in…
The United States gave the Philippine Air Force a Special Airborne Mission Installation and Response (SABIR) system worth P807 million on Tuesday, August 14, at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. In a report from GMA News, Department of National Defense (DND) secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that the surveillance system will cover the regions surrounding…
After months of hearings, two committees of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, August 15, cleared former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the issue regarding the 2016 dengue vaccination program and the use of the controversial vaccine Dengvaxia. The Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chaired by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel…
Fil-Am point guard to join Team Philippines after delay in approval from the NBA The NBA decided on Tuesday, August 14 that Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers may play for the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games after previously ruling that NBA players couldn’t participate in the multi-sport event. Twenty-six-year-old Clarkson, who is part…
Ballerina, vegan, environmental activist, actor, photographer, social media influencer — these are some of the ways to describe Agnes Muljadi, an Indonesian-American who is based in Los Angeles. Known as @artsyagnes on with over 500,000 Instagram fans, Agnes has been the face of numerous brands including Amazon, NFL, Starbucks, Macy’s, True Religion, Reebok, Banana Republic,…
THEY say we start aging at 30. Now if you are in your 40s to 60s, that would mean about 10 to 30 years of aging process. But do we know how aging manifests in our skin, particularly in our face? And if so, is there a way to somehow delay that process? Well, today…
KIDS are heading back to school starting this week, and the task of packing their lunches falls on their parents again. As much as they want their children to eat healthier, the struggle of getting that balance — healthy but yummy, cheap and easy to prepare — seems to get harder. Of course, we…
FILIPINO food has, without a doubt, been heating up in the U.S. with Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike enjoying the burgeoning scene on both coasts. But while dishes like chicken adobo, sisig, lechon, and kare-kare can make mouths water, vegetables and fruits that Filipinos have for long enjoyed also deserve some spotlight as many of them…
Unpacking the Filipino community’s rocky relationship with mental illness acceptance HISTORICALLY, the study of mental illness has often been referred to as “abnormal psychology.” But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental or neurological disorder in their lifetime, making mental illness far more common than what is…
THE growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population in the U.S. is very diverse — encompassing a large number of unique ethnic identities with their own cultures, languages, and experiences. According to fact tank Pew Research Center, a whopping 20 million Asian Americans trace back to over 20 countries throughout East and Southeast Asia,…
By: Lou Marie Reyes IT is generally taboo to talk about domestic violence within the Filipino community due to certain values and norms that may shape our perceptions about relationships and domestic violence. Victims may stay silent as a result and remain in unhealthy and abusive relationships. Our goal through this week’s column is to help…
(Twelfth of a series – 1st of 2 parts) “…If life is like driving on the freeway, it is supposedly a time when you begin to downshift your gears, getting off thefast lane as you move to the middle lane and gradually sidle to the farthest right lane to find your exit…” WHAT’S your game…
(Part 4) IN part 1: we defined 1) who are resident aliens, nonresident aliens or both, 2) who are exempt individuals, and 3) closer connection exception. In part 2: we defined 1) how resident aliens and nonresident aliens are taxed, 2) when is income considered U.S. sourced, 3) withholding requirement and employee issues. In part…
(Part 2 of 2) Two months earlier we had visited Tehran, and we raised the chances of perhaps an almost impossible dream: we said Allah could certainly bless a dream of centuries: a reunion of Islam’s great Sunni and Shiite populations, akin to Christianity’s Catholic and Protestant wings whose sometimes bloody conflicts raged for centuries…
MANY KABABAYANS who voted for President Donald Trump tell me that they support him because they believe in his fight against undocumented immigrants. These Filipinos lament that they followed the laws, waited in line, paid their dues and it would be unfair if those who entered and are staying in the United States illegally would…
Wyoming officials have refused to return the Balangiga bells to the Philippines as they are deemed “memorials” to the casualties of the Philippine-American War. In a statement, the all-Republican delegation comprising of U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, said, “These bells are memorials to American war dead and should…
THE Filipino-American community across the United States is mourning the death of Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, a community leader, professor, author, historian and mentor. Mabalon, 46, died on Friday, August 10 while on a family vacation in Kauai, Hawaii. She was an associate professor of history at San Francisco State University, specializing in Philippine and Filipino-American…
Former Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo denied all corruption allegations hurled at her regarding the 60 million-peso advertisement deal with PTV4 at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, August 14. “With confidence, I can say that there’s nothing illegal in the said contract,” Tulfo-Teo said. The former tourism secretary testified before the Senate Blue…
The LA mayor shares his thoughts on maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea Amid rumors of a 2020 presidential candidacy, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti honed his expertise in foreign affairs by embarking on a 10-day tour of Asia to strengthen relations with key cities across the Pacific Rim. Last month, Garcetti and a…
LUMPIA, one of the traditional Filipino dishes, took center stage when Fil-Am Will Simbol won the 2018 Great Garlic Cook-off at the 40th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival with his original recipe: Savory Crunchy Freshy Tangy Shrimpy Herby Garlic Lumpia Wrap. He beat out seven other finalists who came from all around the country. The eight…
THE bustling SouthBay Pavilion Mall in Carson became the apex of the Filipino-American community last August 4 and 5 during the Travel, Trade and Consumer Roadshow (TTC). The event is the premiere foray of the Asian Journal into a more active effort to drive Filipino businesses into the forefront of U.S. enterprise. Project heads Cora…
SEVERAL options exist for a US citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/she resides, and file an I-130 immigrant petition, with the fiancé(e) to undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa when the I-130 petition is approved. However,…
BENEFICIARY spouse of marriage based immigrant petition’s where the marriage was less than 2 years old at the time of the immigrant visa or status was approved are issued a 2 year conditional green card. In order for these immigrants to obtain their permanent green card, the immigrant has to either file a joint petition…
Equal rights in parental leave benefits Q: I HAVE been working 4 years for a large company in Los Angeles. My wife just gave birth to our first child. When I asked my boss about parental leave, I was told that I could take off for 2 weeks and no more. I thought I was…
THE first senior is 73. He has been separated from his wife for 30 years but not divorced. So, for all intents and purposes, he is single because even if his wife makes a ton of money, her income is irrelevant under the means test since the client does not benefit from that income. Even…
