Aklan gov, 16 others face graft over Boracay neglect
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed graft and administrative charges against Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores, Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling, and 15 other municipal officials on Wednesday, June 27, for neglect of duty that turned Boracay into what President Rodrigo Duterte described as a “cesspool.” Other provincial officials facing charges are Penro…
Diokno: PH economy one of region’s fastest-growing
The Philippine economy is “bound to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest-growing economy in the fastest-growing region in the world,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday, June 27. He disputed President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark that the country’s economy is “in the doldrums” and pointed out that economic data showed that the…
Chef Jessie and Chef Roberto special dinner
Wine is the perfect accompaniment for life experiences — everything is made more special and intimate with a glass of it. Which is how Chef Jessie Sincioco and Chef Musaro Rocco Roberto’s special dinner became even more noteworthy. Menhir Salento introduced their Italian wines through a wine pairing dinner at Chef Jessie Rockwell Club on…
CHR, PNP agree to meet on anti-tambay policy
Officials of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have agreed to set up a meeting so they can discuss the rules of the police’s campaign against loiterers who are violating city ordinances and other laws. Appearing as a guest on “The Chiefs,” a program over One News on Cignal…
Malacañang: Aquino militarized West PH Sea
Malacañang on Monday, June 25, said it was former President Benigno Aquino III’s administration that first militarized the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which led to the heightened Chinese presence in the disputed waters. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., in a news briefing in Cagayan de Oro City, mentioned the decision of President Rodrigo…
SolGen: Constitution does not allow same-sex marriage
GOVERNMENT lawyers remained steadfast in their opposition to the petition seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines. According to Solicitor General Jose Calida, the petition should be dismissed due to lack of merit. “Same-sex couples can live happily together but they cannot demand that the state recognize same-sex marriages because the Constitution doesn’t allow…
Left main: A killer
Heart attack is a vicious killer, responsible for one death every 34 seconds in the United States alone. Among Americans, more than 2,500 succumb to heart disease every day, and one person develops a heart attack every twenty seconds. While the fact that heart attack kills is a common knowledge, most people do not know…
July 2018 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 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…
Pres. Duterte: ‘Your God is not my God’
President Rodrigo Duterte, on Monday, June 25, remained resolute in his belief that God is “stupid” but clarified that he was insulting the God of his critics. “Your God is not my God because your God is stupid,” Duterte said during oath-taking ceremonies for village officials in Cagayan de Oro City. “Mine has a lot…
Malacañang sides with DepEd, opposing mandatory drug tests for elementary students
Malacañang said on Monday, June 25, that it would not support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) proposal to make drug tests mandatory for students as young as 10 years old, siding with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) stance that such testings are unconstitutional. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that no mandatory drug tests would…
Ombudsman indicts Abaya over MRT mess
FORMER Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya and 16 others has been charged by the office of the Ombudsman with graft and corruption before the Sandiganbayan, citing anomalies in the 2016 maintenance contract for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) in which the government stood to lose more than P4 billion. According to investigators,…
SBA Administrator Linda McMahon visits successful minority owned small business during nationwide tour
AMIDST a busy schedule, wrestling magnate turned Cabinet member Linda McMahon made way through an also busy Porto’s Bakery & Cafe in Glendale, California — her last stop in visiting small businesses in Los Angeles. McMahon has been making her way across the United States as part of her Small Business Association (SBA) Ignite Tour…
Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump’s travel ban
Asian American community reacts to the decision to allow the so-called “Muslim ban” THE Trump administration scored a major victory on Tuesday, June 26, when the Supreme Court decided to uphold President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban, further intensifying the national debate over United States immigration and conduct over immigrants, people of color and Muslims….
Trump calls for stripping right to due process for undocumented immigrants
Amid the crisis at the border after the began separating (and then reuniting) families at the border, President Donald Trump publicly advocated the denial of due process to undocumented immigrants crossing the border, thickening the plot in one of the most polarizing and convoluted political battles of this administration. Instead of bolstering the backlogged immigration courts…
‘Duterte won’t change South China Sea policy’
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, on Monday, June 25, said there is no way President Rodrigo Duterte will change his policy on the West Philippine Sea or apologize for it. He also blamed the previous Aquino administration for triggering the militarization of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. “When we had a confrontation with the Chinese, they drove us…
Solar energy credit for business and residential
THE solar investment tax credit is available to both commercial under section 48 and to residential under section 25D for both solar water heating systems and photovoltaics property to generate electricity from sunlight. To benefit from the credit, you must have a federal tax liability. You may be able to carry forward or carry back…
The bucket list: Whip up your signature dish
(Fifth of a series) “Food is a way of making a connection with others and making memories.” [Select a handful of those things on your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, this means before your life’s energy goes into ‘low batt mode’ and…
Business owner chooses Chapter 7 for $250K in personal guarantees on business loans
“Do not sign personal guarantees for business loans because you will be on the hook if the business cannot pay the loan.” THE client is 45. He is actually a medical professional in his country of origin. It would have been great for him if he could practice his profession here in the U.S. Unfortunately,…
Do I have 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…
A story about family, oppression and discrimination
EJ R. David’s “We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet: Letters to my Filipino-Athabascan Family” brings more light to racism in America IT is a fact that racism has existed (and is still existing) for as long as we can all remember. Especially with the current administration and the crackdown on immigration, the discrimination of minorities in the…
AlipayHK and GCash launch cross-border remittance service powered by Alipay’s blockchain technology
Real-time remittance service made available between Hong Kong and the Philippines HONG KONG and MANILA, 25 June 2018 – AlipayHK and GCash today announced the launch of a cross-border remittance service through their e-wallet platforms, powered by cutting-edge blockchain technology developed by Alipay, the online payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group (“Ant Financial”,…
Can you be deported for filing false tax returns?
YES, you can be. It’s terrible, but it happens. In a landmark case, the Supreme Court held that a conviction for willfully filing a false tax return is a deportable offense under our immigration laws. It reached the same conclusion with respect to a conviction for aiding and abetting in the preparation of a false…