The Supreme Court (SC), sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has ordered Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to explain why they should not be cited in contempt for disclosing information on the vote recount. The PET, in a resolution made public on Thursday, April 12, issued a…
Amid escalating tensions, a United States aircraft carrier en route to Manila sailed through the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, April 10. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was reportedly carrying 65 supersonic F18 jets, spy planes and helicopters, the nuclear-powered carrier. Also aboard the nuclear-powered vessel were a small group of Philippine generals, officials and…
More than 50 activist organizations call upon Angelenos to rally for workers and immigrants Last year, the May Day march in downtown Los Angeles made a vociferous impact in its demonstration against the election of President Donald Trump and his policy proposals. Joining other May Day marches across the country, the May Day Coalition of LA…
Mayors from California’s 11 largest cities lobbied at the state Capitol in Sacramento this week for AB 3171, which would allocate $1.5 billion from the state budget to cities addressing the growing homelessness crisis in the state. “Cities are on the front lines in the fight against homelessness, and Los Angeles is already investing billions…
Deputy Mayor Nina Hachigian, consulate reps volunteer at community-based food prep organization LA Kitchen On the morning of Wednesday, March 5, the meeting room of the Lincoln Heights-based LA Kitchen was abuzz with excitement. Feeling like a miniature version of the United Nations, the meeting room was filled with representatives from the Los Angeles Consular…
A Filipino-American group has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to file a motion seeking the revocation of the approval of former senator Jinggoy Estrada’s trip to United States. In a letter dated April 9, the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG) clarified that they did not invite Estrada to speak before its members in…
Assemblymember Phil Ting announces expanding changes including higher income eligibility limit, and self-employed worker qualification With the tax filing deadline a few days away, qualifying Californians are being urged to claim money through the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) program, which puts money back into the pockets of low-income California families and individuals. At…
PH and China ink six bilateral agreements Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, April 13 said he wants the P4 billion in assistance from China to be used for repairing and equipping hospitals in Mindanao, particularly in Jolo and Basilan. Earlier this week, Duterte left for back-to-back trips to China and Hong Kong, taking home…
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday, April 12, maintained that the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign is “constitutional, legal, and is implemented in the interest of public safety.” In a statement, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. John Bulalacao dismissed anew the allegations that the deaths related to the drug war are state-sanctioned. “We maintain that the…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, April 13, lashed out anew against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, calling her “ignorant” and “dumb.” As he continued his series of word attacks against the top magistrate, Duterte said Sereno — who is currently facing a possible impeachment trial — should have quit her position a long time…
Despite a “provisional license” granted to a Chinese gaming firm, there will be no construction of any casino in Boracay, Malacañang said on Thursday, April 12. Last month, Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. and its Filipino partner, Leisure and Resorts World Corp., announced their plan to construct a casino-resort in Boracay after securing a provisional…
Hong Kong — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Thursday, April 12, apologized to the Chinese for the hostage-taking incident in Manila in 2010 that left eight tourists dead. “May I address myself to the Chinese people who are here, who are with us, who joined us. From the bottom of my heart, as the…
DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on early Friday morning, April 13, arrived from his visit to China and Hong Kong, underscoring that his visit would yield 10,000 jobs for Filipinos. President Duterte was in Hainan, China earlier this week for his attendance to the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference as well as his…
Hong Kong — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his family on Thursday, April 12, visited a branch of Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee at Whampoa, Hung Hom. On the last day of his working visit here, the President dropped by Jollibee along with his partner Honeylet Avanceña, daughters Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Kitty, and…
Stress is a feeling we’re all familiar with. It’s how we feel while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic to and from work, why we often dread Mondays, our responses when people ask how we’re doing, and what may keep many of us void of a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, we even use it as…
As the Philippines commemorate the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) on Monday, April 9, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana asked Filipinos to always remember the World War II veterans, who fought for the country’s freedom. “Let us continue to celebrate and commemorate the valor and gallantry of our WW2 Veterans. Let us perpetuate the memory of their…
The Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to be to be transferred from Camp Bagong Diwa to the custody of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Witness Protection Program (WPP). In a resolution dated April 5, the anti-graft court’s First Division denied Napoles’ motion due to lack of merit,…
“It’s a disgrace. It’s, frankly, a real disgrace. It’s an attack on our country, in a true sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for,” President Donald Trump lamented on Monday, April 9, in response to the news about the FBI raiding the office of Trump’s long-time personal attorney, Michael Cohen. As the New York…
A new study released on Equal Pay Day demonstrates the wage gap along intersectional gender lines Filipina-American Tessy Rivera is a single mother of two daughters. She is currently a case manager at a behavioral health facility in Torrance, California. She’s just like a lot of other single mothers, she says. She gets up very early…
The U.S. Commerce Department recently announced that it will “restore a question about citizenship” to the upcoming 2020 census questionnaire. The move adds to already existing concerns of risking a fair and accurate count of the U.S. population. Advocates pushing for an accurate count have long been addressing issues that would affect proper processes of…
As the recount of 2016 vice presidential polls continues, more wet ballots were discovered in ballot boxes from Naga City, Camarines Sur. Aside from wet ballots, the camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said cut grass was also discovered in ballot boxes from the hometown of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. The…
The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is considering the idea of hosting the Miss Universe pageant in 2019 after the rehabilitation of Boracay island. According to Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, it was President Rodrigo Duterte himself who suggested the hosting of another Miss Universe pageant in the country to help in reintroducing Boracay to the…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte formally declared war against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, calling the latter his “enemy.” In a press conference on Monday, April 9, at the Davao International Airport, Duterte vowed to do everything in his power to remove the top magistrate from her office. “I’m putting you on notice that I’m now…
The Philippines will urge the United States and China to exercise restraint and resume dialogue in order to prevent a “trade war” between the world’s biggest economies. Expressing concern over the worsening trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana on Monday, April 9, cautioned that there would be…
DID you know that every 35 minutes an older American dies from a traumatic brain and head injuries precipitated by a fall? In fact, each year 2 million American seniors are taken to hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than one-third of adults age…
THE client is a senior at 67. He is married but has been separated from his wife for some time. He lives with a woman but is not married to her obviously because he is only separated from his wife. You can’t remarry until you have divorced. Separation, whether de facto or legal, does not…
DEAR Attorney Tan,I WOULD like to know if there is any way for my family and I to stay in the US if I invest in a US business. While I do have some money to invest, I do not have the $500k-$1m that I read was necessary to get a green card through investment. …
Q: AFTER 12 weeks of medical leave for a surgery, I suffered new complications and my doctor told me I needed to take more leave time. I told my employer I could not go back to work yet and submitted my doctor’s note. Three days after I was supposed to be due back at work,…
COUPLES get divorced for various reasons. California is a no fault state. The reasons why a couple is getting divorced are often irrelevant to the issues of the family law case. Divorce is often a difficult and negative experience for most families. However, getting divorce may have some unintended benefits in the immigration law arena. …
* * * Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. * * * He has 50 years of…
