What could have been a wonderful day to welcome the fall season became a day of mourning. It was indeed the start of the “fall”– only, I wasn’t talking about crisp leaves and beautiful autumn colors. It’s the fall of my all-time favorite power couple. The end of an era: It’s “Brangelina” no more. I speak for most people…
If there is any international theater production in the world that has had Filipinos front row and center as part of the cast, It is Cameron Macintosh’s “Miss Saigon.” And this week, “Miss Saigon” celebrates its 27th anniversary. It’s been 27 years since the original production of “Miss Saigon” first opened at the Theatre Royal…
IN the year 1973, Rizal Governor Adelina Rodriguez sponsored the first Green Revolution Trade and Exposition Industrial Fair in Pasig. It was highlighted by the nationwide search for candidates for the Miss Green Revolution beauty pageant, which yours truly was the chairman. The winner of that prestigious beauty and talent competition was none other than…
PEOPLE are justifiably concerned, anxious, and even terrified over Donald Trump’s proposed plan to deport the approximate 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US. However, let’s remember that the executive branch does NOT pass laws, nor is the president in charge of funding or the budget. Those powers, duties, and functions belong to Congress, as…
THE following seeks to address or clarify some common misconceptions about divorce. “What if my husband/wife does not want to sign the divorce?” or “My husband/wife does not want to sign the divorce papers, what can I do?” California is a no-fault divorce state. A party filing for divorce does not need the consent of…
Is there a vaccine that prevents cancer? Yes, there is. It’s called Gardasil, a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, found to be “effective 100 percent, in the short term, at blocking the cancer and lesions likely to turn to cancer” (like the pre-invasive lesions), according to drug manufacturer, Merck & Co. The vaccine, which is…
by Gwynne R. Dumbrigue, Esq. IN Ms. Noeth’s opinion piece, “Why am I a Filipino-American Republican?” — published in the Las Vegas Asian Journal on Sept. 1 — she writes that her Republican identity comes from the party’s embrace of her Catholicism and family values. She tells her parents’ story of coming to the United…
Nonresident Alien NRA tax withholding is applicable to U.S sourced income paid to foreign person and does not apply to payments made to U.S. persons. Foreign persons include nonresident alien individual, foreign partnerships, foreign corporations, foreign estates, and foreign trusts. The tax generally must be withheld from the payment made to the foreign persons. If…
SENATOR Leila de Lima should not have been ousted, but instead, should have inhibited herself from being chairman of the Senate Justice Committee even before any hearing started. After all, she has also been accused of being part of the drug syndicate while she was still justice secretary during Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s term. This…
OVER the past three months, more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and traffickers have been killed amidst the Philippine government’s current bloody war against drugs. More than 600,00 others—mostly drug users—have surrendered to authorities for fear that they might be next on the “Kill List.” Officials said there are about 3.7 million drug addicts in…
It was a day on the brink of autumn that came with ribbons of mist under an impossibly blue sky. Clear and temperate burnished it as a perfect day to celebrate the 42nd Penafrancia Eucharistic celebration in honor of Our Lady of Penafrancia at the Lincoln Park lake. The great gathering unleashed a kind of…
ONE night my brother Randy, my brother-in-law Ed, and I were sitting around the dining table at our family’s home, talking about work, travels, and other personal plans. Our discussion took a deep turn when I recounted a conversation I had a few years ago with a friend. Here’s how that conversation went: “Rodel,” my…
U.S. Pinoys for Real Change (USPRC), a Fil-Am group created to support Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and criminality in the Philippines, recently held a prayer vigil in front of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC. Simultaneously, USPRC acts as a watchdog to make sure the Duterte administration follows the rule of law and…
IN our prior article, it was pointed out that an application for an immigrant visa and certain non-immigrant visas may be denied due to certain criminal grounds of inadmissibility. In some cases, the applicant can request for a waiver so a visa can be issued despite that ground. A waiver is a request by the…
Business owner seeks to discharge $100K credit cards used to buy business CLIENT is 65 and recently widowed. Her husband was suddenly taken ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer even though he doesn’t smoke. Strange. Husband was in the pinnacle of good health, so it seemed. He had no known illness. His blood pressure was…
Q: I AM a Filipino worker petitioned by my U.S. employer to work as part of its IT staff in California. My employer pays me only half the agreed rate and there are a lot of “fees” that are deducted from my pay. I work 10 to 12 hours, 5 to 6 days per week,…
MANY people try to file and open their own divorce case without an attorney in an effort to save on legal fees. Often, the self-represented divorce litigant would seek the assistance of the court facilitator’s office in preparing the papers to open their own divorce case. However once the divorce case is opened, many…
ASIDE from your cars, you also want your other properties to be protected. Properties can be personal properties or real properties. Personal properties are movable while real properties are fixed. Examples of personal properties in a house include furniture, clothing, books, electronic gadgets, arts, jewelry, etc. Examples of real properties can be your singlefamily detached…
LIMITED Liability Company (LLC) is a hybrid that combines the pass-through attributes of a partnership with the limited liability of a corporation. The owners are called “members” who hold “interests” and are governed by an “operating agreement.” An LLC with more than one member is taxed as a partnership. This is a relatively new form…
DECIDING if bankruptcy is right for you can be one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life. As much as possible, most people try to avoid it, of course. But sometimes, the hole you’ve dug up is too deep that there is no other way out. For example, perhaps you owe…
Last Saturday, Sept. 10, an enchanting indoor concert with a profusion of unique talents in the musical world of songs, settled briefly at the Envision Center in Van Nuys, California. The center was a haven patronized for its artistic, social and business prestige. Behind its lights and nuggets of musical lines was producer and director…
I have always been a fan of our indie films. So many of our great actors and actresses started out with playing lead roles in such an interesting movie genre. There’s something raw about these types of films and in one way or another, it separates the real actors from those who are just popular…
Overoptimistic and starry-eyed romantics are conscientiously defensive and closely guarded with their loved ones and whatever relationships they have kept for years. They value life and treasure every minute not only for themselves but for the persons they consider their very reason for living. A person seriously “married” to his marital union constantly envisions of…
I learned what it means to be a U.S. citizen at the family dinner table. My earliest memories are of the vivid stories my parents told me, stories that shaped the values I hold to this day and that emphasized the importance of citizens playing an active role in shaping and improving our world. Over…
If you are a United States citizen or green card holder, you may be able to petition for certain members of your family to come and live permanently in the United States (U.S.). Your relative’s eligibility and waiting time depends on your U.S. status and the familial relationship. Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens Immediate relatives…
After weeks of rumors and silence from Kris Aquino’s camp, the Queen of All Media finally confirmed on social media that she is indeed leaving ABS-CBN, which had been her home network for 20 years. In a three-part Instagram post early Monday morning, Sept. 12, Kris shared her side on why she is leaving 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…
PRIOR to the implementation of the Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver, undocumented individuals who are beneficiaries of an approved immigrant petition but are not eligible to adjust their status in the United States must travel to their home country to obtain an immigrant visa. Individuals who have accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence…
Acid reducers and their side effects Preliminary studies suspect Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) and H2 Blockers, which reduce the secretion of stomach acid used by millions to treat gastro-esophageal reflux “heartburns,” may also have adverse effects on the kidneys when used regularly. Presently known side-effects of PPI and the H2 Blocker drugs, popular before the…
by Rina Jimenez-David WHEN you come to think of it, Mary Jane Veloso, who is still—as this is being written—held captive in an Indonesian jail even as she faces execution on drugs charges, has received better treatment at the hands of her captors than thousands of Filipinos suspected of being either drug pushers or users. Veloso…
