As we bid farewell to 2017 and greet the new year 2018, join me and the whole team of “Balitang America” (BA) in revisiting the stories of 2017 that made headlines in the Filipino American community. The Filipino Channel airs BA’s 2017 Year-end Report on December 29, with an encore presentation on January 1. This…
The year 2017 is coming to an end with 2018 coming in full force. With Christmas over, it seems that all there’s left to do is plan for New Year’s Eve festivities, and start making annual New Year’s resolutions. For those who enjoy resolutions, it most probably won’t be the first time making them —…
AN important part of Christmas and New Year is buying gifts for loved ones and making resolutions for the coming year. Filipinos are busy filling their balikbayan boxes with pasalubong, to send to their families “back home.” The pasalubong may consist of clothes, food items, electronics, or other useful items, given as a way of “sharing one’s blessings.”…
THE clients are husband and wife and they are still young. When I say young, this means anyone who is 65 and younger up to 17. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently classified people between 17 to 65 as young and 66 to 79 as middle-aged. Check it out on the internet — I…
IF you owe more than $50,000 in delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest to the IRS, you are considered seriously delinquent. This puts your passport in jeopardy. Take action now before the State Department revokes or denies an application to renew your passport. Here are 10 tips to avoid passport problems: 1. Renew your passport now….
TO many people, the New Year signifies a chance to have a fresh beginning. People dispose of old personal items and clean out the closet in order to make room for the new. This is also the time of the year many people realize when a marriage is not working out and it may be…
ARE you sick and tired of being in debt and having bad credit? Do you want to start over but simply don’t know where to begin? Is filing bankruptcy an option for you or are other options available? As we go into the New Year 2018, this is a good time to look at your…
If EDSA has become known as “carmageddon” (or the Armageddon of cars) because of the horrible traffic, Sucat Road AKA as Dr A Santos Avenue in Parañaque easily qualifies as zonageddon or the Armageddon of zoning. If the concept of zoning had ever crossed the minds of Parañaque officials, that must have been in the…
THE Philippines remains the deadliest country for journalists in Asia, according to a year-end overview of journalists killed, held hostage, detained, or reported missing around the world. The Philippines comes after warzone countries Syria, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Iraq. At least five journalists in the Philippines were targeted in 2017, with four of them dying from…
A Filipino doctor who was charged a year ago with sexually assaulting his 53-year-old male patient in Bridgeport, Connecticut was placed in a special probation program on Tuesday, December 19, according to a report. The judge agreed to grant former Bridgeport Hospital physician, Louie Mar Gangcuangco, his request for accelerated rehabilitation which is a pretrial…
HAVE you ever felt the profound love of another human being? Have you loved someone so deeply? If you did, then you have experienced what it is to be truly human. It’s because God created us for love and to be loved. It’s because we came from God, who is love. We Filipinos are very…
“Behind every man’s success is a woman,” but beside every strong woman is an even stronger man whose iconic existence demands a celebration filled with fun and dancing – Studio 54 style! Richard Maghanoy, COO of Image Body Spa and husband of celebrity aesthetician Imee (and co-owner of Image Spa MD) celebrated his 50th birthday…
The advent of the holiday season has incessantly ushered in isochronous celebrated organizational events that more than added sparkle and dazzle to the already highly spirited universal occasion. For what good is the much-awaited season of the year without portentously observing it with utmost grandiosity and ostentatious fête? My December calendar ran out of space…
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…
IN the past few months, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, beginning October 1, 2017, it will expand in-person interviews for employment-based adjustment of status (“AOS” or “green card”) applicants. Historically, since the 1990s, USCIS adjudicated employment-based green card applications at service centers, without in-person interviews. The recent change in policy and…
Gender inequality. Is it an issue some societies in the world have relegated to the past? The trend to recognize same-sex marriages is picking up. Women are accepted (sometimes grudgingly) as equals in areas of employment, world leadership and income generation. It would seem the biological difference between a male or a female are…
Around 71-72 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. The oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all water on this planet. The human body is between 50-75 percent water, about 57-60 percent in an average adult and about 75-78 percent in infants, dropping down to 65 percent by age one. Our brain and…
By Yana Gilbuena Ingredients: • 1 small shallot, finely chopped • ½ cup of celery, brunoised • ½ cup of carrots, brunoised • 2 tbsp freshly ground pepper • 2 lbs of ground turkey • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce • 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce • 3 tablespoons of sweet soy • 1 teaspoon…
Looking for the perfect stocking stuffers for those with a sweet tooth? Look no further than these packaged candy cubes from Sugarfina. “Penguin” Party ($8.50) is a box of penguin-shaped gummies flavored like peaches. “Santa” Gingerbread Cookie Bites ($8.50) are miniature cookies in creamy white chocolate and infused with cinnamon and sugar. “Reindeer” Noses ($8.50) are…
While the days leading to Christmas Day are usually festive, there is no denying that this season makes one wistful and sentimental. I recently received a message from a relative who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines earlier this year. She said she was feeling homesick and that the American Christmas season is not…
MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they…
THE bills described in this Rental Property Owner and Mangers Guide are rental housing related bills that were signed into law in 2016 and become effective January 1, 2017 unless otherwise specified. Certified Access Specialist Inspections AB 2093. Beginning January 1, 2017 to make sure that properties are in compliance with disability access laws, commercial…
We were at the United Nations headquarters in New York last week where we watched with admiration our articulate Philippine Ambassador to the U.N. Teodoro Locsin, Jr. deliver a well-researched speech on Refugees and Human Rights at the U.N. General Assembly. He spoke of the 10 million Filipinos “working in every corner of the world;…
CHRISTMAS Day is fast approaching and for many in the U.S., that means hustling to finalize Christmas gifts, finding the perfect tree, and sending out family Christmas cards. For the millions of Filipinos living in the U.S., it also means making sure balikbayan boxes are arriving on time to their loved ones back in the Philippines, placing…
THINKING about one’s demise is not something people want to spend time thinking about. However reality is that we all have to face this one day. It is just a matter of whether you depart this world prepared or unprepared. If you pass away with at least $150,000 in gross assets and you do not…
THE client is 50 and operates a business. There is a state court judgment against him for $80K. Is this judgment dischargeable in bankruptcy? The answer is: If the judgment is for breach of contract only, the $80,000 is dischargeable. If the judgment is affirmative for FRAUD, then the $80,000 fraud judgment is not dischargeable….
Q: I AM a part-time hourly employee working in retail. I work between 20 to 30 hours a week. I recently got sick and had to be out for three days. I was told that I was not entitled to paid sick leave because I was a part-time employee. Is this right? A: No, you…
1. CAN you get a passport if you owe taxes? Of course, you can. But if your taxes, penalties and interest total more than $50,000, you fall under a new category called “seriously delinquent” that subjects you to passport restrictions. 2. What exactly are passport restrictions? The State Department will deny your passport application or…
QUESTION: I am so afraid that I will be deported (even though I have legal status here) because I’m an immigrant. Is that the case? Answer: U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much confusion as to how it works. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration…
IF you’ve made the decision to file bankruptcy in order to get a fresh financial start, which type of bankruptcy is right for your situation: Chapter 7 or Chapter 13? Here are some things to consider in choosing between the two. Be aware, however, that your income and expenses have a lot to do with…
