Filipino bishops expressed their dismay over the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) order to deport the 71-year-old Australian missionary Sister Patricia Fox on the grounds of being an undesirable alien and an alleged violator of her missionary visa. In a Facebook post, Caloocan bishop Pablo Virgilio David criticized BI’s resolve on identifying Fox as an undesirable…
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo’s election as speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday, July 23, not only surprised the entire nation, but also posed as a grave threat to the existence of the ruling party Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). In a Manila Times report, an unknown source revealed that members plan on bolting…
MAD Travel co-founder Tom Graham shares journey towards social tourism platform Whether it’s family, friends, pristine beaches, food, shopping, or business — people find themselves in the Philippines for a number of reasons. For former business journalist Thomas Graham, his journey to the Philippines came by way of an assignment — to report on business and investment…
LOS ANGELES — In an effort to uplift the jobs market in the Philippines, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center and the Philippine Consulate General of LA hosted a “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan” seminar on Thursday, July 26 at the Consulate office in Koreatown. Conceived from the AmBisyon Natin 2040 and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development…
by Alex Smith Jose Belardo of Lansing, Kan., spent most of his career in the U.S. Public Health Service. He worked on the front lines of disasters in such other countries as Haiti, Colombia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. At home with his three kids and wife, Elaine, he’d always been unfailingly reliable, so when…
Thousands from international science community warn of wall’s consequences Efforts on the proposal to continue construction along the U.S. and Mexico border has without a doubt negatively impacted thousands of lives, most notably the thousands of migrant families still hoping to be reunited after being separated at the border. But the international scientific community is adding…
by Chad Terhune SAN FRANCISCO — Stepping into the land of the Trump resistance, Seema Verma flatly rejected California’s pursuit of single-payer health care as unworkable and dismissed the Affordable Care Act as too flawed to ever succeed. Speaking Wednesday at the Commonwealth Club here, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the Philippines ranks third in mortality rate caused by air pollution. In an article from Rappler, a WHO study revealed that the Philippines had 45.3 deaths per 100,000 individuals due to outdoor air pollution. China ranked first at 81.5 deaths recorded while Mongolia was second at 48.8 deaths. …
More than a hundred participants in wheelchairs, crutches and accompanied by caregivers, attended the first Emergency Preparedness Forum at the SMX Convention Center. Hosted by SM Cares, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, the forum enlightened the audience on the possibility of a potential earthquake in Metro Manila, as well as other…
Being a martial artist recognized as one of the best in the world brings with it a lot of influence, perhaps even more so than athletes sometimes realize. The willingness to use that influence for the good of others, it’s a special trait. For ONE Championship bantamweight contender Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, his position as…
Sen. Nancy Binay today said the recommendation of the Task Force Boracay to revoke and suspend all Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) and business permits of establishments operating in Boracay may be necessary but government must make sure that re-applications will have guidelines that are clear, simple, practical and the procedures are efficient, transparent and corruption-free….
26 JULY 2018 – SINGAPORE: Ringstar Boxing, Asia’s fastest growing sports media property, headed by its Founder & CEO Scott Farrell, has just announced his intention to co-produce Manny Pacquiao’s next bout in Manila, Philippines, early next year. If it happens, this can be an event which can see the boxing champ defend his recently…
Exhibit runs until September 14 A PICTURE or a painting may be inanimate, but it can always tell a whole story. Even the most abstract painting can be interpreted in so many ways — either by the artist, or by the people who see it. With its objective to show the audience the use of…
AL-HAJ Murad Ebrahim, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman, celebrated the impending signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), after it was ratified by the Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 24. “We really thank the new leadership of the House. We want to extend our appreciation. We are hoping that this is key…
International non-government organization The Global Witness said 48 environmental campaigners were murdered in the Philippines last year — making the country the most dangerous for environmental defenders in Asia. It’s a 71 percent increase from the 28 killings in the country in 2016. Based on Global Witness’ 2017 report, 207 land and environmental activists were…
FORMER President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s election as Speaker of the House of representatives was slammed by her critics on Tuesday, July 24, as they claimed it might be part of a plan to put her back at the top as prime minister. The coup that Arroyo and her allies pulled on Monday, July 23, to topple…
SHORTLY after issuing a policy memorandum that significantly expands its authority to issue Notices to Appear (NTAs) referring individuals to immigration court for deportation proceedings, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a new policy memorandum giving USCIS adjudicators greater discretion to deny applications for immigration benefits. The policy memorandum issued on July 13,…
In a previous article, I wrote about USCIS issuing a Policy Memorandum (PM) about the various categories of cases where a person could face deportation/removal if USCIS denied their petition, application, or other immigration benefit. Here are some possible real-life situations where people could face deportation/removal: 1. A person enters the U.S. as a visitor…
LAST year, my wife, Farida, and I were out to lunch with some friends, the youngest ones in their early 70s. During our conversation, a surgical colleague, UP Class ’57, who was in his mid-80s — sharp, brilliant, and witty as ever — said in a serious tone of total surrender as he clasped his…
Newly-appointed Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) head Arnold Gonzales has reached out to young Filipinos urging them to travel around the Philippines. He also added that the country still has a lot of attractions for them to discover. “Discovering the Philippines is a rewarding experience as it allow us to deeply understand our culture and reconnect…
AHEAD of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s yearly State of the Nation (SONA), Filipino-American activist groups in Los Angeles, on Sunday, July 22, held their yearly People’s State of the Nation Address (PSONA) denouncing Duterte’s policies and voicing the concerns of working-class Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). More than 80 people gathered in front of…
US government has until July 26 to meet reunification deadline U.S. Justice Department attorneys said in a court filing Monday, July 23, that over 460 migrant parents separated from their children under the government’s “zero-tolerance” policy may have already been deported without their kids. The report comes just days ahead of a deadline to reunite over…
No other issue has embattled voters more than immigration. In California, which is home to the largest undocumented immigrant population in the country, that issue has divided the state’s leaders along party lines, especially with the battle of SB 54, also known as the California Values Act which serves as the state’s “sanctuary” law. Generally,…
