QUESTION: I have just received my Green Card. It took years of waiting and I’m so happy. I have heard about getting a Living Trust, but I really don’t see the point. I have my Green Card and all is well. What do you think? Answer: Actually, this could not be further from the truth….
1. TAX Day is April 18, 2017: While we are accustomed to a filing tax deadline of April 15, this day falls on a Saturday so the deadline is moved to Monday April 17, but the District of Columbia observes this day as Emancipation Day, so this year’s tax deadline is pushed further back to…
IF you’re looking for a similarity between new U.S. President Donald Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte, it is the fact that when they say something, it’s difficult to tell what they really mean. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar is at his wit’s end trying to explain to a sensation-prone Philippine media that the blustery things that…
Participants take on Eating Challenges, HiFi Trivia, and More for a Good Cause What: Hidden Hi-Fi is an exhilarating day of adventure for all ages! Teams of 2-4 will travel to locations all over Historic Filipinotown while performing fun tasks, solving puzzles and answering trivia at each destination– all while racing against other teams toward…
On January 25, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order on “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” In that executive order, he lists those people who would now be considered “enforcement priorities,” and would be put on the top of the list for deportation/removal. It is truly a scary and chilling…
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I entered the US in 2005 under a different name on my passport and visitor’s visa. I recently married a US citizen, who petitioned me. This was the first time that any petition had ever been filed for either my family or me. When I filed for adjustment of status (Form…
ALMOST every home has Vaseline jelly or some other items with petroleum in it, like lip stick, lip moisturizer, other cosmetics, paint, shoe/leather polish, nylons, ink, roof shingles, etc. One of its famous forms is Vaseline jelly: a skin protector (shield), a very effective skin softener for flaky foot callouses and as protection against diaper…
WITH the incoming Trump presidency, there is a lot of fear and a lot of questions and uncertainties on what happens to immigration policies and enforcement when he takes office in January 2017. Mr. Trump’s campaign promises include banning Muslims; building a wall along the US-Mexico border; and immediately detaining and deporting all the…
DIVORCING couples with children sometimes worry about who is going to pay for their children’s college education after the divorce once their children graduates high school. They want a guarantee that their soon to be ex-spouse will share in the college expenses of their children. This is specially the case when the other spouse has…
DONALD J. Trump won the presidency because more Americans voted for him is an “alternative fact”. A lie. A misrepresentation of the will of the citizens of America who casted their sacred vote in the November 8 presidential election. The truth as substantiated by election results data verified and confirmed by both Republicans and Democrats…
A NEW dawn awaits as the United States is perceived to undergo dramatic changes in its political, economic and social arenas under Donald Trump’s presidency. The coming change is also expected to impact not just its people, but America’s relationship with other nations, including with the Philippines. Under the rapprochement between the U.S. and the…
The memory of what is irrevocably lost is the true meaning of Hell in The Divine Comedy. Dante Alighieri is considered as the Father of Italian Poetry. The poetry of the Comedy is immortal. It is an unequaled phenomenon, as well as a brilliant work of art. Written in the vernacular (Italian) rather than in…
Is non-admission of guilt the same as innocence? SONNY Low is a 71-year old San Diego resident, who took the free introductory Trump University seminar. Trump University persuaded Low to pay $1,500 in order to attend another seminar. During the second seminar, Low was told that he needed to have a mentor in order to succeed…
QUESTION: I don’t know what to do. Trump will become president and I’m afraid he will deport everyone who is not here legally? What can I do? Answer: First of all, while the president certainly has a lot of power, he cannot simply order that 11 million people be deported. In fact, there are many…
“ Workers in ‘substantially similar’ jobs but of different races or ethnicity will need to be paid equal wages.” (Part 2 of 2) TEXTING While Driving: Texting is already forbidden, but new law further prohibits drivers from using smartphones for other purposes while behind the wheel — unless they’re in hands-free mode. The state’s ban on…
IF you are experiencing debt problems, you may find it difficult to talk to other people about it to the point that you are not getting the help that you need to find a solution. I understand. Debt is a very personal matter so most people don’t feel comfortable discussing it with anyone. So they…
ONE THING that we the people in the news industry will surely miss about Former President Barack Obama is his acknowledgement of the important role the PRESS (news media) plays in a healthy and vibrant democracy. The press is referred to as the fourth estate — in relation to the other three traditional estates of…
Once upon a time, there was a press club in the heart of a city where everyone lived in harmony. Photographers and writers were affable and comrades among themselves. They had a clubhouse in the midst of a hill — oh, so magnificent, almost celestial but not fancy or exclusive. It was famous for its…
Nov. 4, 2008 was the day President Obama was elected president of the United States. He entered humbly into the ‘land of milk and honey’ where he would later bring about the change that he envisioned for this promising country. He took over the presidency after eight years of the Bush administration and managed to…
Gender equality or gender egalitarianism has long been resolved following a series of international decrees stipulating non-discrimination among sexes…thus, the plodding emergence of the outright recognition of women to stand at par with those of their male counterparts. Women enjoy the same opportunities, rights, and obligations just like men in all spheres of life. The…
THE Miss Universe pageant that reels off in the Philippines this January and will culminate in the final selection of winners in Metro Manila on January 30 is much more than just a contest among the world’s most beautiful women. It is a tug-of-war between two starkly contrasting images of our beloved country. On one…
MARIO, was admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) when he was 18 years old. Now he wants to apply for citizenship, but the application is asking about something called “selective service.” He doesn’t know what this is. Will this bar him from his application to become a U.S….
IF a person is ever caught in a fi xed marriage (married solely to obtain immigration benefits), the consequences (or punishment) could be severe. A fixed marriage finding by the USCIS could result in a lifetime ban from ever having any other petition approved. For example, if a person was caught in a fixed marriage,…
Alarming news, warning to all “PUBLIC health officials from Nevada are reporting on a case of a woman who died in Reno in September from an incurable infection. Testing showed the superbug that had spread throughout her system could fend off 26 different antibiotics.” “It was tested against everything that’s available in the United States…
IT was President Barack Obama who welcomed me and my family when we took our oaths as new citizens of the United States of America in 2012. It was during his presidency when I first exercised my sacred right and duty as an adopted daughter of America. I have followed President Obama’s rise to the…
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is turning 50 years old this year. The 10-member organization will celebrate a milestone, from starting as a loosely constructed regional association at the height of the Cold War to becoming a stable organization that has overcome a myriad of challenges that have come its way. Perhaps the…
Guys, seriously. Is Ian Veneracion a vampire? I was looking at his pictures from the time he started showbiz and pictures from his newest teleserye, “A Love to Last,” and I swear, this guy has not aged a day! Talk about the ultimate hashtag #foreveryoung, #ngitipalangulamna, #hotdad. It’s impressive to how well he’s kept his…
If you haven’t had a chance to go to the Hollywood Pantages to see “The King and I,” then you still have time before they leave town. The final performance is January 21, 2017. Make sure you see Fil-Ams Jose Llana as the King and Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang. And since Joan Almedilla is…
CLIENT is 64, a young senior. I say young because I consider seniors in their sixties as still active and robust. Except for more white hair, they still feel like they are 30. The problem with being in the sixties is that seventy is just around the corner. Now when one becomes 70, after ten…
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…
