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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…
Business owner choose 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…
AC 21: Changing the employer of your employment-based green card application
DEAR Attorney Tan, I have an approved I-140 immigrant petition which was filed by Company A on my behalf. Company A would like to employ me as a bookkeeper. …
Employee misclassification results in serious injustice to workers
(“Independent contractors” lose employment rights) EDUARDO Garcia worked 15-hour days as a port truck driver for Tradelink Transport. Even after working 15 hours, his boss would wave him back to…
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…
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Top 3 Medi-Cal myths debunked
MEDICARE, Medicaid, Medi-Cal. If your 65th birthday is on the horizon, then these terms may have begun to appear on your radar. Unfortunately, because the three are so similar in…
To be prophets of our time
“WHAT, then, will this child be?” It was the question that Zachariah and Elizabeth’s relatives and neighbors asked one another at seeing God’s hand working in the life of this…
Waiting to file for bankruptcy can sometimes hurt you
A LOT of people in debt often already know what they need to do once they realize that bankruptcy is their only way out. But they usually delay the decision…
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1 in 5 immigrant children detained during ‘zero tolerance’ border policy are under 13
by Shefali Luthra and Marisa Taylor The Trump administration has detained 2,322 children 12 years old or younger amid its border crackdown, a Department of Health and Human Services official…
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‘PH not yet ready for same-sex marriage’
Malacañang on Thursday, June 21 said that the Philippines may not be ready yet for same-sex marriage despite the start of oral arguments before the Supreme Court (SC) for a…
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Maria Lourdes Baltazar: A conversation on her unexpected role in Malacañang, knowing Duterte, and ‘political will’
These days, Maria Lourdes Baltazar — more often referred to as “Girlie” — spends a good amount of her time working at the Philippines’ presidential Malacañang Palace. However, she…
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Confusion ensues at the US border following Trump’s executive order
FLOTUS visits Texas detention center, sparks outrage over “insensitive” jacket choice AFTER President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week to seize separating families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico…
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Palace: More Aquino allies should be charged over DAP
More allies of former Philippine President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III should face charges in connection with the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), Malacañang said on Thursday, June 21. The…
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Spotted: Two Filipino food innovators who are making waves in the San Fernando Valley
“A lot of traditional Filipino food has sour and bitter notes, which are very unfamiliar to American palates of a few years ago. American palates have changed drastically. I think…
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Resetting your life
(Part 2 of 3) In my previous column, we had part one of resetting your life. Now here are the other tips on how to do it. Ready? Now let’s…
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Mental Health Law finally in the Philippines
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the long awaited Philippine Mental Health Law, which would equip Filipinos with accessible and affordable mental health services. “Help is finally here,” posted Senator…
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Anthony Bourdain made us reach beyond our biases
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” on Channel 7, KABC was the last television show I developed an attachment for, which lasted 25 years. On her shows, she had a way of…
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Duterte slams De Lima for her ‘kiss remark’
President Rodrigo Duterte slammed Senator Leila de Lima for criticizing his gesture of kissing a married overseas Filipino worker (OFW) during his recent visit to Seoul, South Korea. De Lima…
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Mangudadatu clan hopeful for a conviction in Maguindanao massacre case this year
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu is optimistic of an initial judgment this year for the 2009 Maguindanao massacre as wished by President Rodrigo Duterte. “We look forward to that. We fought…
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PH won’t follow US withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council
Despite President Rodrigo Duterte voicing out his opinions against the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on multiple occasions, Malacañang announced that the Philippines will not be following the move…
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Bongbong considers returning to Malacañang as president
In an interview with London-based newspaper Financial Times, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expressed his desire to run for presidency and return to Malacañang after President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends. “My…
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Celebrating Ilocano food and culture in NYC
Inabrao, pinapaitan, tupig. Dinardaraan, igado, dinakdakan. These are just a few of the distinctly Ilocano dishes that guests sampled and devoured at the Ilocano Food Tasting event held last week…
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Ariel Layug: A chef fulfills his potential with dream job at Cirque du Soleil
When he was a young boy growing up in the Philippines, Ariel Layug would look at his school’s atlas and collection of encyclopedias and wonder in general about life in…
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Depression and its alarming consequences
THE persistent feeling of wretchedness, despondency, and loss of interest in regular activities are indubitably alarming signs of depressive mood and unusual behavioral pattern that are unquestionably signs of depression….