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…
How does a woman feel when she turns 70? Does she feel fulfilled, empty, or missing something? Is she flooded by a voluminous reflection of her past? Knowing the “end” is eminent, will she feel remorseful and start to repent and save her soul? Does aging give her downheartedness and depression? One of the well-loved…
PRESIDENT Donald 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…
I JUST moved to California last month, and I’d like to file for divorce. Can I file now? To file for divorce in the State of California, the person filing (called the “Petitioner”) must first meet the jurisdictional requirements: (i) residence in the state of California from the past 6 months; and (ii) residence in…
OUR team from Las Vegas and other states just completed our annual medical missions, first in Alaminos, Laguna (February 4-8), followed by another in Kamay ni Hesus Pilgrimage Center in Lucban, Quezon, (February 8-12). The following morning after we returned to Manila on February 12, my wife, Farida, and I, took a cab to San…
For Susan Gross-Niedermeyer, a realtor in Phoenix, Arizona since 1989, there is no better place to be a resident, tourist, pilgrim, visitor, or investor than at Lombard By The Bay. “Lombard By The Bay is in Montemaria where natural beauty is beyond compare,” she answered when asked why she bought a penthouse unit with the…
Push for Entrepreneurship” will be celebrated during induction gala ON the eve of welcoming a new president and a new board for 2018-2019, a revolutionary upheaval of the cultural mindset will be officially launched by the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACC-GLA). The “Push for Entrepreneurship” movement is the brainchild of incoming…
Part 1 WHAT you need to know when your loved one dies or when you die? What is meant by Final Form 1040, filing of Form 1041 and Form 706? • Final Form 1040: When you die your final year ends with the date of your death. Your Final Form 1040 income tax return is…
I left the Philippines for the U.S. 50 years ago and had my last vacation five years ago. Things have changed for the better — especially in the area of discipline — shades of the first few years of the Marcos regime. Here are my impressions from the outside looking in at people’s behaviors under…
(Part 3 of 3) *Remarks of Hon. Jose de Venecia – Former Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives; Founding Chairman and Chairman of Standing Committee, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); Co-Founder, Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA); Chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)…
ENOUGH! This is the battle cry of Americans following the massacre of 14 students and three staff members in Parkland, Florida — one of the worst in U.S. history — and just another in the series of many mass shootings that have killed students and civilians in just a few years. President Donald Trump and…
THE client is a young senior in his early 60s who took an early retirement last year. He owes $15,000 of credit card debt and nothing else. He has a community property house that is fully paid with a current market value of $500,000. Fortunately for the client, he did not refinance his fully paid…
JAMES Pearl was hired in 2002 by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. In 2006, he was promoted as a wastewater collection supervisor. In 2011, he was transferred to an office in Reseda. Pearl complained, alleging that it was retaliation for his complaint about a fellow worker’s misconduct. Pearl filed a discrimination complaint with California’s…
HERE’S a list of tax provisions of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act affecting individuals like you and me. 1. The new Tax Cut and Jobs Act keeps seven tax brackets with six of them at lower rates. Most of us will benefit from the new rates, even if the press says the opposite. 2….
ON June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional in the landmark case US. V. Windsor. The BIA shortly thereafter issued a decision in Matter of Zeleniak holding that DOMA is no longer an impediment in recognizing same-sex couples under the immigration and…
