“It’s not the first “prominent/wealthy family” inheritance battle waged nor will it certainly be the last, but the on-going estate litigation of Potenciano ‘Nanoy’ Ilusorio’s heirs has emerged as one of the longest, nastiest, most public, no-holds-barred litigious family feuds in Philippine history or in the annals of jurisprudence.” That is how the Ilusorio Family…
THESE Filipino-American beauties prove they are ‘confidently beautiful with a heart’ and with brains. Danielle Nicole Viray Dahl Aesthetic Skin Care’s endorser, Danielle is a sophomore at San Fernando Valley Academy, a member of The National Honor Society and Beta Club and is currently on the varsity volleyball team. In addition to her social and…
“MAY the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call… – (Ephesians 1:18)” What is an “enlightened heart”? This question is what we should ask one another and ourselves as we celebrate Ascension Sunday. For it seems that an “enlightened heart” is what each of…
One gets rid of debt, while the other attempts to collect monies lent I GOT my senior’s week last week. Two different seniors, both over 80 came to see me for different reasons. The first was 83. He was in good health, just a little stooped. Still works full time and receives social security. Wife…
FOR married couples who are contemplating bankruptcy, one of the primary concerns they have is whether or not they can file singly. Stated otherwise, if you are married, can you file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy without your spouse? Yes, you can. Actually, you have three (3) options as to your status when filing…
MS. Olivares worked as a dental assistant for Colton Dental Group (CDG) which is owned by dentist, Sam Dason. In May 2011, Dason told Olivares that employees from his San Bernardino office would be attending a dental convention in Las Vegas and invited her to come. After confirming that her coworker, Karen, can join her,…
DON’T let this happen to you! A client of mine said he never saw it coming. Everything he ever wanted in life, he always purchased on credit. The “pre-approved” credit cards just kept coming in the mail and he never said NO to any of them. Buy now and pay later, why not? As long…
1. YOUR legal marital status is determined as of December 31 of each year. Even if you were married for the previous 364 days if you were divorced on the 365th day of the year, you are considered unmarried for the entire year. 2. You can file single only if you receive a final decree…
“MABUHAY ang NPA!” Rodrigo Duterte has exhorted in his speeches. And Jose Maria Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army founder has acknowledged Duterte’s promise that if he becomes president, the NPA will have one foot in Malacañang. Said Sison: “Sabi niya, kapag ako ang presidente, isang paa ng NPA nasa Malacañang…
I COULD not believe my ears when I heard Pres. Benigno Aquino III say in a television interview that he is working on an alliance among presidential candidates so they could come together and work out something to defeat Philippine Presidential Election front-runner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. It seemed as though Aquino was lifting…
The most demanding view of motherhood is this romanticized notion: that no woman is complete or fulfilled unless she has kids. In addition to this, the world’s view about motherhood is that she must remain the best primary caregiver of her children, devote her entire physical, emotional and intellectual well-being 24/7. This old perception…
Employment standards needed AMID a rising demand for domestic work and an unprecedented elder boom, a new report from the UCLA Labor Center has found that an estimated 2 million households in California hire domestic workers for childcare, house cleaning and home care services. The report, “Profile, Practices and Needs of California’s Domestic Work Employers,”…
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday, May 4, signed into law a package of bills that changes the state’s legal smoking age from 18 to 21, among other new regulations. The legislation makes California the second state in the nation, following Hawaii, to raise its smoking age to 21. “[These laws] will save countless lives,…
MANY people were ordered removed/deported “in absentia” (in their absence) because they did not appear at their removal hearing. However, if they were not properly notified of the hearing date, there could be hope to have the case reopened and have the removal/deportation order canceled. By law, an alien must provide the government with their…
The Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM), a Jersey City-based socio-civic service-oriented organization, has long journeyed and rousingly established its dedicated advocacy of providing community service and assistance programs which enormously covered various activities that have brought about effectual social well-being and sustainable assistance in many Jersey City communities. This year, as the organization turns another…
Political jousts in this country are eternally exciting, entertaining, somehow also enlightening and, from the point of view of those who become objects of vicious black propaganda attacks, absolutely infuriating. Remember the malicious tag of “Brenda” hurled against a leading presidential candidate a few years ago that was intended to put her mental faculty in…
As a common presumption goes, “one isolated incident of bad breath, like a first-time thief who is caught, permanently tarnishes the reputation, and the condemnation sticks for life.” What is halitosis? Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. Dental reports in the United States say there are about 65 million Americans who have bad…
MANILA—Former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito denied on Monday, May 2 the money laundering charges filed against her in connection with the $80.9 million stolen by hackers from the Bangladesh Bank and laundered to the country. In a 15-page counter-affidavit, Deguito asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to dismiss the complaint…
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. At every turn in our history, we have become stronger and closer by recognizing the richness in each of our many cultures. Nevada, like America, is stronger for its diversity – not only from the greater Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, but also the great…
The last failure of the economic elite–and their surrogates in the media and civil society– was the one involving Mrs. Arroyo. They wanted her out of power right after the 2004 elections through means fair or foul, and preferably via the Nicaraguan version of crippling the capital with massive protest actions. There were constraints, though….
WE talked about tax consequences of short sales, foreclosures, and abandonments of homes. Let us now talk about tax consequences of cancelled debt on qualified real property – including rental units. Debt forgiven from short sales, foreclosures, and abandonments creates debt relief income – taxable income, taxed at ordinary rates. Hard for property owners who…
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may have had the most challenging week of his campaign, just a week before the all-important presidential election in the Philippines, following allegations made by VP candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes. Trillanes alleged that the Philippine presidential front-runner has multiple bank accounts with millions of pesos not declared in his Statement…
THESE last few days leading up to May 9—the Philippine national elections—are critical. This moment is intense as aspiring leaders are rushing to mount campaigns that will boost in public support, which in turn, they hope will manifest in actual votes. For Filipino voters, this moment is a chance for them to relish the power…
I had a wonderful time exchanging notes with the participants of my Family Business Talk last Friday at the Holiday Inn in Makati. It was a sold out event with whole families coming in droves and occupying several tables armed with loads of questions related to governance. To those who attended, many thanks! It is…
Los Angeles, CA – The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) is saddened by the December 2015 fatal shooting of Mharloun Saycon, a Filipino-American resident of Carson. PABA, which serves the Filipino-American community in Southern California, extends our condolences to the Saycon family, and we eagerly await the results of the Long Beach Police Department and…
I was told on numerous occasions that everybody eventually turns into their parents when they grow old. I believe that now to be true as I see so much of my “Nanay” (as I fondly call her) in me – now more than ever. Things like her gestures, or when giving advice, I just can’t…
A LONGTIME theology professor of St. John’s Seminary once gave a homily that struck me. He said that in his forty years of teaching the dogmas of the Catholic Church and serving as a priest, he has seen how the Holy Spirit has played a big part in the life of the church. “Dogmas are…
CLIENT and husband are the only stockholders of an S corporation that has been doing well for the last 15 years. In fact, it’s still doing well and had a great year last year. What is the difference between and S corporation and a C corporation? In an S corporation, the business income is declared…
YOWAN Yang worked for ActioNet as an information technology technician. ActioNet is a contractor providing technical support to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Cy Tymony was another technician who worked with Yang on the same team. Yang worked four feet away from Tymony’s cubicle. On July 24, 2012, Yang and Tymony had an argument about…
MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they…
