WHO said that, first is chance, twice is coincidence and third is habit? I have two new clients who are actually previous clients. The first is 55 and she filed jointly with her husband 12 years ago for Chapter 7 relief of credit card debt. To tell you the truth, I still remember mostly everything…
THE Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requires foreign financial Institutions and other non-financial foreign entities to report on the foreign assets held by their U.S. account holders or be subject to withholding on certain payments. 1. Form 8938 Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets: U.S. taxpayers holding financial assets outside the United States must…
(Part 1 of 3) (Remarks of Hon. Jose De Venecia, Former Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives; Founding Chairman, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); Co-Chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); Chairman Emeritus, Universal Peace Federation (UPF); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and for Intercultural Dialogue at…
‘No Collusion’ WHAT’S THE RUSH? Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee this week ended the year-long Russia probe without informing the Democrats in the committee, announcing that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not trying to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election. They also concluded, “there was no collusion” between the Trump campaign and…
TINDER is a smartphone-based dating app. Subscribers use the app to find people whom they would like to date. Tinder presents users with photos of potential dates. In March 2015, Tinder released a premium service called “Tinder Plus,” which allows users to access additional features of the app for a monthly fee. The monthly fee…
THERE seems to be a misconception in the general public that you can only obtain a divorce in California if your spouse will sign the divorce papers. I get this question a lot from our family law clients. The fact is that California is a no fault state and you do not need your spouse’s…
YOU’VE probably seen a lot of these ads: “Settle your debts for pennies on the dollar!”, “Reduce your debts legally without filing bankruptcy!” “Stop bill collectors now and pay them only what you can!” Are all these just exaggerated claims? Or are any of these ads true? How can you protect yourself from being scammed?…
With nearly 5 million Asian Americans residing in California—approximately one-third of the U.S.’s estimated 15 million Asian Americans—we have an immense responsibility to take care of the state where we work and live. Unsurprisingly, reducing our carbon footprint and improving our overall behaviors to become more energy efficient is a priority for California. Moreover, it…
AFTER months of kindergarten playground bickering and name-calling long distance between these two unpredictable and narcissistic leaders as to who has a bigger nuclear arsenal that works, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have agreed to meet sometime in May in a location that has yet to be determined. This is…
I ADMIT that there have been times in my life when my faith and prayer have run dry. What do I mean? It means that even in my life as a priest, I have experienced doubt in my faith and have questioned its disciplines and practices. It means that I too have experienced the humdrum…
“Every man bears surreptitious pains which the world knows not…and oftentimes his silence is mistaken for taciturnity when it was merely reticence…for there are wounds that never show swelling but throb much more than those that bleed.” Music aficionado Romy Orillaza Robielos, more prevalently addressed as Jerome, first saw the light of day on…
As part of its “enforcement priorities,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the recent arrest of over two dozen people with DUI convictions in connection with “Operation Secure Streets.” According to ICE’s press release, 24 of the people apprehended “have been convicted of violations concerning the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence…
APPROXIMATELY 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats are owned in the United States (ASPCA Pet Statistics). About 52% of California households own a pet (American Veterinary Medical Association 2011 survey) and in San Francisco, “dogs outnumber children” (U.S. census figures from 2000 and 2005). Pets are a very important part of the American home. …
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. Based on that approved I-140 petition, I filed an application for green card (I-485 adjustment of status) in August 2014. Since that time, my green…
A Filipino and his U.S. citizen wife came to my office recently for a consultation. They drove several hours to see me in person. He came to my office crying, and begging me to accept his case. But I advised him to wait until there would be further changes in law. He is not eligible…
ICE Raids in the Bay Area. Calls for Congress to act on DREAMers rights. The Supreme Court declines to take on DACA. These are just a few headlines of late, as lives are put on hold and families wonder: “what will tomorrow look like for us?” We do not hold all the answers to the…
For some people, to even think that the church could be persuaded to endorse porn or abortion is ridiculously absurd! The title is a satirical statement to highlight the stupidity of the suggestion that the Philippine Department of Health (DoH), the very guardian and sentinel of health of our country, should endorse vaping! The health…
MARRIAGE for many persons is the culmination of one’s life. Getting married signifies the beginning of a new phase in life, both socially and economically. For those persons who lack permanent residency in the United States and have married a United States citizen, marriage also presents an opportunity to obtain permanent residency. However, although the…
WHAT hold does Russian President Vladimir Putin have on U.S. President Donald Trump that up to this day, despite U.S. intelligence reports and indictments against Russians, the hard-hitting, name-calling, and supposed defender of the United States against foreign adversaries has remained the number one guardian of Russia? During a joint press conference with Swedish Prime…
BRAVO President Donald Trump! That was quite a very moving televised meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as you spoke such powerful words that shocked the members of the Republican party and their best friends at the powerful and generous campaign contributors, the National Rifle Association (NRA). “I’m a big fan of NRA (National Rifle…
I am Raji Rab and my name is on the June 5, 2018 ballot for the U.S. House of Representatives. I am a seasoned aviator, an educator and an entrepreneur, but above all, I am a humanitarian. My life has been blessed with accomplishments and selfless endeavors. Professionally at the age of 18, I got…
A FILIPINA domestic employee won her wage claims against her former employers after a court trial held in Los Angeles Superior Court. Linda Alzate (not her real name), an immigrant worker represented by Filipino-American employment lawyer, Joe Sayas, obtained a court judgment in the amount of $827,506, representing wages, legal interest, penalties, and attorneys’ fees….
THE Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1978 by the United States Congress to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors. Note, however, that the FDCPA applies only to third-party collectors who collect debt for original creditors. It does not apply to the original creditor itself who uses…
DEBORAH Pierce, an emergency room doctor, brought a sex discrimination claim against the employer that had fired her. She had evidence that the employer had a pattern of denying women partnerships. However, because she signed an arbitration agreement, she was blocked from court and forced into private arbitration. The arbitrator was not a judge but…
1. THE new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cuts corporate taxes from eight graduated rates of 15 percent to 35 percent to a flat rate of 21 percent. 2. The Act provides a 20 percent deduction for owners, partners and shareholders of pass-through entities such as S-corporations, LLCs and partnerships. However, the 20 percent deduction…
WITHIN the last few years, Korean food has become a hit in the United States, and it’s not very surprising to see why. It’s just so good. There is no other way to put it! Given the rise of Korean food in the U.S., the options have exponentially expanded, giving food lovers their choices of…
HAVE debt problems taken over your life? Do you lie awake at night thinking how in the world you’re going to pay back your debts while still being able to support yourself and your family? Do you ever feel like you are working for nothing because all your income just goes to paying creditors every…
H MART, a leading International supermarket chain has made a final announcement of H Mart San Jose-Oakland Grand Opening and is set to open its doors at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 88, 2018. H Mart San Jose-Oakland has over 42,000 square feet of retail price and the store is located in an area of…
PRES. Trump is fiercely opposed to family “chain migration” and wants to limit family petitions to spouses and minor children of green card holders or U.S. citizens. He wants to eliminate petitions for parents (IR), married (F-3) and adult single children (F-1), and siblings (F-4) of U.S. citizens, and adult unmarried children of green card…
REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn, one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art (1606-1669), portrays this Sunday’s Gospel in his painting, Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple, with vividness, realism, passion, and conviction. It’s the exact message that the Gospel of John conveys. Jesus came to fulfill his Father’s will and mission…
