Amnesty Int’l: PH drug war reaches ‘new depths of barbarity’ after 32 killed in single day

The Philippine government is “plumbing new depths of barbarity” after President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “drug war” reached its highest single-day death toll this week, human rights group Amnesty International (AI) said on Thursday, August 17. Thirty-two alleged drug offenders were killed at the province-wide “one time, big time” simultaneous bloody raids in Bulacan on Wednesday,…

Read More

PH economy grows 6.5% in 2nd quarter

MANILA – The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2017, according to the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday, August 17. While the figure is lower compared to the 7.1 percent growth in the same period last year, it is higher than the…

Read More

The September 2017 priority dates

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…

Read More

Petitioning children of your spouse from a previous marriage

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 tepchild elationship should have been created before a stepchild turns 18 years old.  This means that the stepparent and the…

Read More

Superbug pandemic

While terrorism is holding peace hostage around the world today, a more rampant but under the radar killer is on the loose and becoming more widespread, wiping out lives, as the medical community helplessly battles this pandemic situation of super bugs resistant to all drugs we currently have. Being at the mercy of these powerful…

Read More

Common health myths and new food trends to try 

Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, once said, “let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”  These words still hold true today.  Yet, with various opinions on diet and exercise, and new foods frequently being dubbed superfoods, it can be tough deciding which advice to take. The Asian Journal got insight from Philippine-based…

Read More

Group eyes second impeachment complaint against Comelec chief

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) is planning to file a second impeachment complaint against Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista. Earlier this week, former Negros Oriental Representative and current VACC member Jacinto Paras requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for copies of documents related to the allegations made by Bautista’s…

Read More

Extending malunggay shelf life by dehydrating/drying

In the U.S., Filipinos have access to fresh malunggay leaves from their backyards, Filipino/Asian groceries, or farmers markets.  But in the winter, malunggay is not readily available or if you can find it in at Seafood City, it is prohibitively expensive.   Often we have to wait until the following spring or use substitutes such…

Read More

Bittersweet: The lowdown on sugar

EVEN as children, we know all too well that sugar is in our favorite chocolates, candies and other food high in glucose, which can be detrimental to our health and well-being. Through the years, our relationship with this sweet, edible, crystalline carbohydrate continues to be a paradoxical one and, in a sense, perverse.  As we grow older,…

Read More

Disclosure of text messages, e-mails and Facebook info of a spouse or significant other may constitute domestic violence

DOMESTIC violence is abuse perpetrated against a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, the mother or father of your child, your child.  Family Code Section 6211.  Abuse is not limited to the actual infliction of physical injury or assault. Family Code, § 6203(b). A court may issue an order enjoining specific acts of “abuse” (§ 6218,…

Read More

Senior with $60K in credit card debt wants relief

Chapter 7 trustee stipulates to dismiss adversary against client before trial CLIENT is 70. She is a widow, her beloved husband having passed away 5 years ago at 65. She owns a house with a reverse mortgage of half a million. She took the reverse mortgage 5 years ago when her husband died. The mortgage accumulates…

Read More

Sale of real property outside of the US

PART 1 U.S. itizens re enerally taxed on their worldwide income regardless of where the income is earned or received. Facts • US Citizen sold residential property outside of U.S. • Property is located in the Philippines Income from Sale of Real Property U.S. Code 862: Gain from the disposition of real property is sourced according to the…

Read More

Worst-case scenario

NORTH Korea has been firing and testing missiles—18 test launches this year—at an unprecedented pace. Amid its rising tensions with the U.S., it recently announced a detailed plan to redirect some of its intercontinental ballistic missiles toward Guam, an American territory in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. Guam is one of America’s major military hubs…

Read More

The future of Obamacare, health care in California

EVER since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year, the future of American health care has become a central issue that has left millions of Americans uncertain of their health coverage. One of the president’s campaign promises involved the repealing and replacing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, which he…

Read More

Sotto calls Callamard, UN rights execs ‘helicopter experts’

SENATE Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Monday, August 14, took a swipe at United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard and two other UN executives for criticizing the drug war and human rights situation in the Philippines. The Philippine senator described Callamard and UN special rapporteurs Michel Forst and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio…

Read More

CA rejects Taguiwalo’s appointment as DSWD chief

The Philippine Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, August 16, rejected the ad interim appointment of Judy Taguiwalo as the country’s Social Welfare Secretary. Taguiwalo is President Rodrigo Duterte’s third cabinet official rejected by the appointments body. The other two were Gina Lopez as Environment Secretary and Perfecto Yasay Jr. as Foreign Affairs Secretary. While…

Read More

Palace: Duterte supports impeachment of corrupt officials

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is going to support any move—including impeaching any official regardless of position—that would help in ridding the government of corruption, Malacañang said on Monday, August 14. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella stressed that keeping the administration clean from any irregularities has been among Duterte’s major campaign promises. “Without making references to any…

Read More

Should you sign that severance agreement from your employer?

A SEPARATION package or a severance agreement is a contract between an employer and an employee who is about to leave the employer’s employment.  In a typical severance agreement, the employer agrees to give the employee additional compensation (the severance pay) in exchange for the outgoing employee’s agreement not to sue the employer for any employment-related claims…

Read More

‘My husband beat me’

Now it is possible  to apply for asylum QUESTION: My husband beat me and I was afraid for my life, so I escaped to the United States. Can I apply for something so I do not have to go back to my home country? Answer: Yes, it may be possible to apply for gender-based asylum….

Read More

Benefits and drawbacks of IRS appeals

AFTER an audit of your tax returns by the IRS, pay if you are happy with the results or don’t want to extend the agony of dealing with the IRS. Appeal if you are not happy or feel that you have not been treated fairly. Let’s explore the benefits & drawbacks of going to the…

Read More
Back To Top