Vote for DACA fix, CHIP reauthorization pushed back to February 8 After receiving backlash for allowing the government to shut down on Friday, January 19, a bipartisan group of United States Congress members presented a bill on Monday, January 22 that would reopen the government and allow thousands of furloughed federal employees to return to…
Malacañang on Tuesday, January 23, has defended its earlier decision allowing China to carry out research in the Philippine Rise, formerly referred to as Benham Rise, which is located off Eastern Luzon. In a press briefing, Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque pointed out that “you do not need a permit for any Filipino corporation to conduct…
President Rodrigo Duterte has told the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to shoot him if he becomes a dictator or stays in power beyond his term expiration in 2022. The president made the remark in his speech during an army base visit on Monday, January 22, in Compostela…
Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has admitted that he made a “mistake” when he claimed that former Health Secretary Enrique Ona was present during his meeting with Sanofi Pasteur executives four years ago. During a Senate hearing last month, Aquino confirmed that Ona was present during his meeting with officials of Sanofi Pasteur,…
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has dismissed his recent threat to cut the budget of lawmakers who will oppose the proposed shift to a federal form of government as a mere “joke.” In a television interview on Monday, January 22, Alvarez clarified that he was “not serious” when he previously warned solons that they may receive…
The Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has begun the retrieval of ballot boxes in the province of Camarines Sur on Tuesday, January 23. Camarines Sur is among the three pilot provinces tagged by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his electoral protest against Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni”…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has denied that he had anything to do with the allegations tagging Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), also known as the pork barrel scam. Speaking before his departure to India on Wednesday, January 24, Duterte said he would not plot against Drilon as…
El Cerrito’s first Filipino-American and LGBT councilmember became the city’s first Fil-Am and LGBT mayor on Tuesday, December 19 during the reorganization of the city council at El Cerrito City Hall. In all of the city’s 100 year history, Gabriel Quinto is the third mayor of color. Those before him were El Cerrito’s first African…
THE client is a specialty food retailer who started operations in a commercial center two years ago. Five partners invested $50,000 each for a total of $250,000 for a food business that sells a specialty product that everyone likes to eat. The problem with a business that’s based on a retail outlet in a commercial…
KETRYN Cornell has been diagnosed as severely obese since childhood with a body mass index of over 50. Her weight interferes with daily life functions, including bathing and walking. She cannot stand for more than an hour, cannot walk more than a mile at a time, and experiences shortness of breath from engaging in basic…
1. MORTGAGE interest deduction has been lowered: Current homeowners can continue to deduct interest on loans of $1 million; however, new homeowners will be limited to interest on loans of $750,000. 2. State and local tax deduction is capped at $10,000: Yes, you can continue to deduct state and local taxes, but with a limit…
ARE you one of many people who needs to file bankruptcy but you are afraid that it may be the worst mistake you can ever make in your life? Are you thinking about what your friends and family may think if they ever find out about your filing? If you’ve never owned a home and…
According to critics, President Donald Trump is not just a racist, he is also a barefaced liar and a coward who doesn’t have the cojones to admit his spiteful attitude towards people of color. This biting criticism follows Trump’s denial that he had referred to African nations, as well as Haiti — all predominantly populated…
HAS it been only a year? Seems like a long long time since business mogul and reality show star Donald J. Trump took his oath of office to be the 45th president of the United States of America after winning the electoral college majority vote, despite his political opponent Hillary Clinton winning more votes among…
Trump’s authority to ban travelers from certain nations will be examined, justices to rule on case by June Amid the ongoing parlay in Washington over the nation’s immigration system, the Supreme Court announced on Friday, January 19 that it would consider reviewing a challenge to President Donald Trump’s latest version of his controversial travel ban. Concerning…
Northern California prepares for rumored massive ICE raid Following rumors of a major immigration crackdown in Northern California, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra said that new sanctuary state policies will be upheld in the event of a raid. The attorney general’s remarks at a press conference on Thursday, January 18 came after a report that…
Information on Filipina girlfriend included Recently released court documents regarding the 2017 Las Vegas shooting provide new information on the gunman’s activities prior to carrying out what became the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. The documents, however, do not provide a motive as to why gunman Stephen Paddock fired bullets over the 22,000 attendees…
THE House of Representatives barely passed a bill in a 230-197 vote on Thursday night, January 18, that would allow the federal government to stay open for about a month longer through a short-term budget measure, the fourth since the fiscal year began in October. With only hours left on Friday morning, the bill moved…
NBI also investigating site’s reported violation of cybercrime law The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) has maintained that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s probe into the alleged foreign ownership of news website Rappler is neither a “fishing expedition” nor an attack on press freedom. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said such an insinuation is…
The current human rights situation in the Philippines is at its “worst” since the dictatorship of late President Ferdinand Marcos, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed. In its World Report 2018, HRW said that President Rodrigo Duterte has “plunged” the country into “its worst human rights crisis,” citing, in particular, the deaths of…
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. — Mark 1:19 IT has been 11 days since my trip to the Philippines. I was joined by my sister, Raquel, her husband, Edmund, and their young children, Lauren, Francesca, and Gavin; and my other…
I HAVE written about John Lloyd Cruz in my column, and while the title (above) seems deprecating to him, allow me to say that it has nothing to do with his performance nor his overall personality. John Lloyd will always be John Lloyd. This has more to do with the fact that these two actors…
Fulfilling a campaign promise made by President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government on Thursday, January 18 launched the new Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB)—a bank that caters specifically to Filipinos abroad. This comes about four months since Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 44 on September 28, which approves the Land Bank of the Philippines’ (LBP) acquisition…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte raised the possibility of a war in Mindanao should Congress fails to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). In his speech during the launch of the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB) in Manila on Thursday, January 18, the president stressed that it was about time to address what he called the “historical…
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…
What makes a non-citizen deportable? An alien or non-citizen, including a lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) is deportable for having a conviction relating to controlled substances. Title 8 U.S.C. Section 1227(a)(2)(B)(i) states: “Any alien who at any time after admission has been convicted of a violation of . . . any law or regulation…
AMID the growing partisan divide in President Donald Trump’s chaotic first year in office, any criticism against his action, words, policy, and character have been deemed by our Republican kababayans as a personal attack against the president by Democrats and liberals, who could not wait to bring down the Trump presidency because they could not…
What is Sudden Cardiac Death? Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is a swift and unexpected death caused by a heart condition or mechanism, which may or may not be obvious. SCD varies in its range of definition. Usually, though, it applies to a situation where the person, who was thought to be free of heart disease,…
It is in the best interest of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to support a clean Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) bill and oppose efforts by Republicans to eliminate family reunification and the diversity visa. You may think that DACA does not apply to AAPIs, but thousands of the 800,000 young people who…
NYC foodies are in for a treat as regional Filipino cuisine makes it to the prestigious James Beard House. With its goal to preserve, promote and develop Filipino cuisine, Filipino Food Movement and JBKollaborations are presenting this gastronomic event, which involves five chefs from across the United States. Filipino American chefs, Francis Ang (Pinoy Heritage/San Francisco), Lou Boquila (Perla/ Philadelphia), Carlo…
