(Part 1 of 3) An underrated personal investment and oftentimes a lavish opportunity many are deprived of, traveling is an excellent escape from reality… a luxurious trek that offers more-than-life know-how while simultaneously broadening one’s awareness about people, places and events around the world…thus, bringing forth a renewed lifestyle and restructured direction. They say: “The…
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…
My wife, Farida, and I just returned to Las Vegas from an 11-day Japan Explorer Cruise on the Celebrity Millennium with some colleagues, claimed to be the largest cruise vessel in Asia, at 91,000 tons, 965 ft. long, 105 beam, and an occupancy of 2,138. There were more than 300 Filipinos working admirably onboard. We…
Twenty-four-year-old Mary Joyce Jaime’s highest level of completed education was 6th grade. She doesn’t work and had her first child at 18 years old. In six years, she had five more pregnancies, one which she miscarried. She sits in a corner of a bustling, loud maternity ward being questioned by a hospital staffer for her…
VP Leni Robredo praises Switzerland as example for PH health-focused tech solutions The health technology competition seeking homegrown solutions to expand Filipinos’ access to Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) was organized by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines in partnership with Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and TechTalks.ph to celebrate 60 years of PH-Switzerland diplomatic…
“The Philippines is in a position to join the ranks of countries whose Duty Free industry is expected to grow by an average of 40 percent in the next decade,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo at the recently-concluded 2017 Duty Free & Travel Retail Global Summit held at Cannes, France. Teo expressed…
After a decade of hiatus, the mother of all beauty pageants in Southeast Asia is back. Last year, the official re-launching of the pageant took place in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, specifically at the renowned Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa. 22-year old stunner, Tessa Helena Le Conge from the Netherlands is the current titleholder. She bested…
Philippines, 16 October 2017 – HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announced the local availability of the highly anticipated Nokia 3310 3G with fresh new colors and a new user interface. This 3G-enabled modern classic which boasts an amazing 24-day standby time is now available nationwide at a suggested retail price of P2,790. Combining…
MANILA, Philippines – Hino Motors Philippines (HMP), the exclusive distributor of Japan’s leading brand of trucks and buses in the country, celebrates another milestone with the grand opening of its newest dealership along United Nations Avenue in Manila on October 12. This recent dealership was awarded to One Alliance Motor Source, Inc. (OAMSI) under the…
BEGINNING January 2018, the IRS will start certification of individuals with delinquent tax debt to the State Department. How will the IRS certification impacts you? • Upon receipt of certification. The State Department will either deny application or revoke current passport or both. • You are overseas. Limited validity passport for direct return to the…
Filipino-American Hollywood star and former WWE champion Dave Bautista co-stars in the much-anticipated movie “Blade Runner 2049”, a sequel from the 1982 hit movie “Blade Runner” that was directed by Ridley Scott and starred by Harrison Ford. Three decades after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge…
SAN RANCISCO—Governance is everywhere. I am slated to deliver a talk related to Ownership and Succession today to the students, faculty members and business owners at the Community College of San Francisco Ocean Campus (CCSF). This will be another interesting exchange of ideas with business owners and the academia similar to the one I did exactly…
Upon deciding to form your own business, the next question is – what type of entity should you operate – as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, LLC, or LLP? Which entity is most beneficial for you? Choosing the wrong form could cause unnecessary taxes, increased liability, and unnecessary exposure to lawsuits. What you should not…
(This article is part 2 of 2 parts) HERE are some more misconceptions about bankruptcy that we did not discuss last week: 1. Will I lose my house? Normally, debtors get to keep their residence as long as their equity in the house does not exceed the applicable homestead exemption. If the equity of the…
The media is awash with reports regarding Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of movie companies Miramax and the Weinstein Company. Weinstein is accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault by employees and actresses. The complaints came from women both unknown (a temporary employee for one) and famous (Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Ashley Judd). As of…
“If your finances are out of control, you need to do something about this situation- the sooner the better. You don’t need to face debt problems alone. Help is available but you need to take action.” One of the things that stop people in finding a solution to their debt problems is the fact that…
By Imee Ong-Maghanoy ‘Be Alive, Be Yourself, Be Strong’ “Being alive in all aspects of it is making sure that you’re present in the moment and feeling what it feels like to be you. Making sure that when you are going through these things (weight-loss journey)…, you understand that the end-goal is for you to…
CURRENT developments in the Philippines are bringing back the specter of martial law. President Rodrigo Duterte has given not-too-subtle hints about declaring it. And while he has been quick to take back those hints — in his trademark flip-flopping style — the threats he has made against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and…
Globe Business, the enterprise information and communications technology arm of Globe Telecom, has gathered top Philippine conglomerates in the retail industry to help them future proof their businesses through ICT. The Globe Enterprise Retail Forum was attended by over 80 key figures from leading retail companies such as Rustan’s Supercenter Inc., Megaworld Lifestyle, PMFTC, San…
Fil-Am Thomas Orlina shares personal stories, discusses pop culture, fashion and dating in new web series We live in a world where content creation and digital storytelling is becoming more accessible for filmmakers, musicians and aspiring entertainment moguls. One of those dreamers is Filipino-American Thomas Orlina, who decided to utilize all the available tools of…
“ The garment that we need to wear when God invites us to his “wedding banquet” is hope. We can be religious and righteous, but if we don’t have hope for ourselves and others, our faith becomes shallow.” This Sunday’s Scripture readings provide us a clear vision of the richness and the promise of the Kingdom…
Politics and show business seem like two sides of the same coin. Both filled with scandals, power struggle, hypocrisy, lies, deception and sex offenders. While there’s a lot to gain from both of these sectors, there is, sadly, also a lot of disgrace that is just too disturbing for our sanity. I’ve been in the entertainment industry…
ORDINARILY, there is no appeal process for visa refusals at the Embassy. Under the doctrine of “consular non-reviewability,” a person cannot even sue the embassy or appeal their visa refusals in U.S. federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Embassy is not even required to provide a “detailed explanation” of the reasons for the…
A STEPPARENT may file an immigrant petition for a stepchild even without the stepparent having to legally adopt the stepchild. However, before a stepparent may be able to file an immigrant petition for a stepchild, the stepparent–stepchild relationship should have been created before a stepchild turns 18 years old. This means that the stepparent and the…
What are renal calculi? Renal calculi (kidney stones) are chemical crystals that form into a hard salt solid structure that looks like and feels like a common stone we find on the streets. They vary in size, shape, and consistency, according to their chemical composition. They could be calcium oxalate stone, cystine stone, uric acid…
With Filipino-American History Month underway, communities across the United States have planned events throughout October, such as parades, literary fairs and food fests, to showcase Fil-Am influence in the country. In Los Angeles, one of the most-anticipated celebrations is the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) organized by the Association for the Advancement of…
PENALTY could still be relived even if you fail to file your tax returns and pay taxes owed if you have reasonable cause. How to establish reasonable cause • Facts. Provide facts, situations, circumstances that have not allowed you to file your tax return timely and pay taxes owed. • Ability. How the facts, situations,…
THE White House is calling on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas to investigate a Fil-Am history professor after she expressed an opinion critical of President Donald Trump during one of her lectures. This comes in the wake of the deadly massacre in Las Vegas that claimed the lives of 58 people and injured about 500…
LAS VEGAS has always been a magnet, drawing millions for the inspiration provided by its symbols and characters, and what it says about us and our society – viewed as a ceaseful for the crass or pleasure palace for the masses and its denizens, writers look at it as a religion, a disease, a nightmare or a paradise…
THE IRS developed a guide for its agents in auditing consultants to focus on: 1. Travel and meals, 2. Bartering, 3. Independent ontractor 1099 versus employee W2, 4. Shifting or assignment of income by a taxpayer to a related entity, 5. ersonal ervice orporation, and 6. Internal controls, books and records, electronic software, and use of the Internet. Travel: The…
