AS soon as she took a stand against the rising cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, Sen. Leila De Lima put a target on her back. When she criticized the government’s bloody war on drugs, she was chastised. Some lawmakers are now hell-bent on linking the senator to the illegal drug trade at…
LOS ANGELES — Vandals defaced a 21-year-old mural in Historic Filipinotown celebrating historical and multicultural elements of Filipino heritage sometime before Tuesday, November 22. Photos circulating on social media show black graffiti spray painted over a central portion of the massive outdoor acrylic painting titled “Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana (A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy)”…
WHEN it comes to bioscience, the state universities that flank downtown Los Angeles—Cal State LA to the east and UCLA in the west—are teaming up. A new training program between the two schools will provide recently graduated UCLA doctoral students doing postdoctoral research with experience in integrating lab work with innovative teaching in the fields…
There is no better place than to be than in your own country. I realized that there are a lot to discover in the Philippines. This is my most memorable vacation and I want to share this incredible experience to all my readers. Aside from meeting a lot of good people and spending quality time…
I WILL always remember Fr. Anthony Lee’s homily last week in the seminary when our community celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass. To start his homily he shared a “culture shock” he had during his first years of immigrating to America from Korea. It was about opening gifts on Christmas Day. He was stunned to see how…
THE blitzkrieg burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani of the remains of the late President Ferdinand Marcos has aroused fears of more surprises from the Supreme Court. Among those fears is a bona fide nightmare for those who experienced two decades of the Marcos dictatorship: the proclamation of Bongbong Marcos as vice-president in lieu…
THANKSGIVING DAY goes beyond turkey dinner and Black Friday shopping. It is that season when families get together not just to wine and dine and be merry. It is also that time when we remind ourselves of the blessings we have already received and the things that matter most to us. Let me share with…
(Liabilities of “joint employers”) Q: I WORK as a manager for a fast-food franchisee with three stores in Los Angeles. While my title is “manager” I spend 70 percent of my time doing cashier and cook duties. I work 10 to 12 hours per day, 6- 7 days per week, but not paid overtime. The…
Widower seeks Chapter 13 for $50K credit cards CLIENT is 53 and recently widowed. She works as a caregiver and met her now deceased husband through her job. At first, husband was her patient. She provided caregiving services to the man in his house. He was 70, divorced and lived by himself. As part of…
YOU have just received an invitation to visit an office of the Internal Revenue Service to examine (meaning audit) your tax returns. Don’t panic. You have stashed funds for a rainy day, and this is it – a gathering storm. Take a minute to compose yourself, then read these tactics to shelter you from the…
THE E-1/E-2 visa is available to citizens of countries with which the U.S. maintains treaties of commerce and navigation. The Philippines is a participating country, and therefore, Philippine citizens are eligible to apply for an E-1/E-2 visa. The purpose of the E-1/E-2 visa is for the Filipino national to engage in substantial trade principally between…
SLEEPLESS nights… Stressed out… Worried about the future.. Always broke no matter how hard they work…Feeling hopeless about their situation. This is what most people are going through when they are considering bankruptcy in order to get out of debt. The word “bankruptcy” often produces negative feelings because some people equate it with failure. They…
THE soul of a great music never dies…but merely fades to oblivion, takes a brief respite after a top-chart supremacy, and resurfaces anew with a recharged dominant influence geared up to invade (once again) the airwaves only to relive the not-so-distant-past with that unchanged pulsating sentiment. After more than two decades, Archie D’s original hit…
“Neither of us would ever die of love, we will grieve, part and separate. For we were not meant to be tragedians. We were meant to be comedians.” – Graham Greene, The Comedians I have always wanted to write something that will make Graham green. Something that would certainly be funny. Much of today’s laughter is…
THANKSGIVING is when people take a step back and reflect on all of the wonderful things and events to be grateful for, and to give thanks to those people who played such a key role in helping us achieve them. At this Thanksgiving, I would like to once again give thanks to all of the…
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…
What is an allergy? An allergy is a condition where the body overreacts following “contact” with an allergen (dust, molds, pollen, flower, dander, fur, animal protein from hair, perfume, cosmetics, medications—applied to skin or swallowed—food or drink, etc.). Symptoms could be as trivial as sneezing or as serious as sudden inability to breathe, shock and…
THE remains of the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos was schemingly buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) last Friday, despite a motion for reconsideration pending in the Supreme Court. The highest court of the land decided in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to allow the burial of Marcos in the National Heroes’ Cemetery,…
WHEN news broke out on Friday, November 18 that former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos has interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery), it lit a fire. Public opposition is at high as more people mounting protests and unfurling banners saying that the former president “is no hero.” For some, the LNMB hold’s the…
Everybody has a story. Each story bears a fascinating reason that explains why the characters are the way they are. I’ve always believed in how our past could mold our present. It doesn’t define our future, but it sure does help us become what we are now. I love hearing stories with a rags-to-riches, Cinderella…
“HE is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…” (Colossians 1:15-16) I tell my students in homiletics class that preaching is about proclaiming Jesus Christ, the King of our lives. I tell them to…
Client needs Chapter 13 to handle $50K personal guaranty CLIENTS are young seniors at 62. Husband took an early retirement as he has a serious illness. Two years ago, husband was diagnosed with stage 3 leukemia. He has been undergoing treatment with a new cancer-fighting drug that is still experimental. The cancer went into remission…
AS you may be aware, the USCIS has started implementation last June 2016 the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (“FWVP”). The program allows certain family members of Filipino World War II veterans (“FWV”) who are beneficiaries of an approved I-130 Petition to apply for parole with the USCIS so they can come to…
Q: I HAVE a heart condition that has become worse recently. I need to see my doctor periodically or when I feel dizzy or short of breath. This means I need to request a half day off every now and then to see my doctor. I am afraid to tell my boss because I may…
GUARANTEED? Too good to be true? Read on. The IRS cannot deny your application if you satisfy all of the following requirements: 1. The tax is not more than $10,000. 2. You timely filed and paid all income tax returns for the past five years. 3. You did not enter into any installment agreement. 4….
IF you are doing your best to pay your debts but simply do not have enough income to pay what your creditors are demanding from you, it may just be a matter of time before you face harsh collection actions. One legal option that most people don’t know about is debt consolidation through Chapter 13…
THOSE who are outraged by the Supreme Court decision to allow the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani may take heart in this old folk proverb: “Ang matsing kahit bihisan, matsing pa rin!” (A monkey, even if dressed up, is still a monkey). Internment in a cemetery for…
“HISTORY is written by the victors,” an old adage says. After decades of contentious debates spanning different presidencies, deposed dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos has schemingly been laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, thanks to newly elected president Rodrigo Duterte. Like a thief in the night, Duterte was interestingly out of the country…
THIS great holiday of thanks and giving is not a date on a calendar, but a state of mind. It is about our capacity to realize things that we can, sometimes, only imagine. No matter how difficult the election was for each of us, there are always others who are going through more severe hardships….
By Luisa Blue, BSN Many of our parents fled repressive regimes for America to be able to freely voice their opinions and pursue their dreams. At a time when authoritarian candidates are getting elected here and abroad, we must remember we came to this country because America allows the people a voice in how they…
