Father’s Day weekend is just around the corner, and Cafe Sierra’s Father’s Day Weekend Bash is the perfect way to celebrate your old man’s special day. Cafe Sierra is known throughout the Filipino-American community for providing top-flight service and cuisine, and its Father’s Day Celebration on Sunday, June 19 will surely be no different. The…
A complete account of the origin and background history of the graduation gown would fill a book. But to make a very long story short, the early academic dress in colleges and universities came from Medieval Europe. Sometimes also known as academical dress, academic regalia, and graduation cap and gown, it has its origins in…
DURING and after the recession, many borrowers who were financially distressed lost their homes and had their loans cancelled. It was a relief to have their debts reduced or forgiven, but the same debt relief also triggered tax consequences that they were not aware of. Some homeowners were in disbelief when they learn that they…
GRIM news of insurgency and terror attacks are thrust onto international headlines every day. Although modernization demolishes geographical barriers and moves the world toward an amalgamated economy, clashes among cultures continue to have a damaging impact on world peace and security. Because of cross-cultural ignorance, the essence of civilization is compromised. In one senseless act…
There is in all work of service a deep soul — something that has called those who participate in it and sustains it. Tangible and visible, whose objects had been brought by nurses, doctors, telephone operators, cleaning women, file clerks, social workers, to name a few, but it is not possible to tell what had…
NO one is ever late for God’s mercy and forgiveness. This contention is what Pope Francis has always reflected on in all his actions and words, especially in promulgating 2016 as a Year of Mercy. This Sunday’s Gospel powerfully illustrates God’s mercy in the story of a woman who came to wipe Jesus’ feet with…
Business owner seeks to discharge $100K credit cards used to buy business; Clinton beats Trump to become first woman president of America 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…
THE government is more lenient to people with low-incomes and assets in the sense that they can get Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) anytime of the year. That leniency to get Medi-Cal anytime is even more obvious to children and pregnant women whose household income is not more than 266 percent of the Federal Poverty Level…
(Part 2) IN an earlier article, I discussed about the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (“FWVP”). The FWVP allows certain family members of Filipino World War II veterans (“FWV”) are beneficiaries of an approved I-130 Petition to apply for parole with the USCIS so they can come to the US while waiting for…
ON January 1, 2016, the minimum wage in California became $10.00 per hour. Most employees in California are entitled to be paid at least the minimum wage. On April 4, 2016, California’s governor approved a new law that will increase California’s minimum wage every year until it becomes $15 per hour by 2022. This new…
IF you run your own business, consider employing your children this summer vacation. Employing your children gives you a triple benefit: 1. It teaches your children the virtue of work and the value of money. 2. It could save you taxes by shifting income down from your rate of about 33% to 39% for federal…
A LOT of people in need of debt relief are often hesitant to file bankruptcy for fear that it will ‘ruin’ their credit and that they will never be able to purchase a car or home again, or that they will never be able to rent an apartment if they ever have to move. First…
Jess Matubis, who has worked under more Philippine presidents at close quarters than most broadcast journalists, recently posted the following blog by president-elect Duterte’s Agriculture Secretary- designate, Manny Piñol: “NO MORE JUNKETS, NO MORE FIRST CLASS TICKETS, NO MORE EXPENSIVE SUVS, NO MORE EXPENSIVE LUNCHES FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN THE DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION “1. All officials…
They say, “Anyone can be a father but it takes a real man to be a dad.” As Father’s Day approaches, I would like to pay tribute to all the amazing fathers of the world. And what better way to do that but to talk about how great fathers are in spite of all the…
Hollywood—Peerless on its grace and splendor with changes subtle and grand, noble and patriotic this unending testimony of class, tradition and old world elegance has left even the most eloquent of connoisseurs bereft of words: a mix of restored pieces, paintings, chandeliers of the most skillful Murano, glass blowers, its mirrors and fireplaces are the…
As beauty authorities often say: “A beautiful woman has the most probability to explore every possibility but failure sets in the absence of an excellent head on her shoulders.” Realistically, beauty isn’t all that a woman needs to be able to confront what challenges her, or strive on her own when relying mainly on her…
FILIPINO workers, who prevailed in a yearlong legal battle against the owners of a French bakery in Southern California, now have temporary authorization to live and work in the US. After winning a $15.2 million case against the owners of the now shuttered L’Amande Bakery (which had locations in Torrance and Beverly Hills), the 11…
MOST artists don’t want the public to know if they are undergoing a medical procedure, especially those have serious health conditions. But since they live under the public eye, it’s hard to keep something out of the news. For Claudine Barretto, she actually posted a photo of herself on Instagram. However in the photo, she…
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…
ABOUT 20 percent of people in the United States (323.58 million population) have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) of some type, a condition that is not well-understood and is under-diagnosed. I could not determine its prevalence/incidence in the Philippines (The UN population estimate of the country as of April 7, 2016 is 101,884,176), but I would…
Hearing the “An” last name immediately draws a connection to Crustacean, a fine-dining institution with locations in Beverly Hills and San Francisco. For three generations, the An family has successfully elevated Vietnamese-inspired cuisine and built up the multi-million dollar food and hospitality conglomerate House of An. So when I heard that one of the daughters, Hannah,…
CLIENTS are young seniors at 60. Husband has a stable middle management job that pays $5K a month. Wife is not employed. They don’t own a house. They rent for $1200 a month and pay for a 2016 Lexus SUV 3.0. They enjoy travelling by SUV. This is the little luxury that they indulge in….
YOU may be subject to harsh penalties – penalties that are more severe than you expect, penalties that can even exceed balances in your accounts if you are a US citizen (or dual citizen) residing outside the US who do not report your foreign accounts. Therefore, it is critical that you learn the new rules…
SEVERAL emerging markets in the world have experienced exceptional economic strides. These nations are mostly highly export-driven with strong inflows of capital and investment and well-capitalized banking institutions. Many emerging markets have already “emerged.” Now that it is no longer the “Sick Man of Asia,” it is high time for the Philippines to experience this…
VACATIONS are nothing more than series of moments that you remember between all the exhaustion, moving from one place to another. It’s the special times obliterated by little things that you remember, as one tries desperately to cling to joyous carefree days and all the cultural enrichment you experienced on a trip. But when vacation…
LOS ANGELES—Spend an evening feasting with friends and supporting a great charity with Chef Alvin Cailan and Michael Hung at their Filipino Backyard BBQ in support of No Kid Hungry, held on Thursday, June 9, 2016 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. The two chefs will transform the mezzanine level of Chinatown’s Far East Plaza into a…
I had the pleasure of meeting this fashion guru at the Golden Globe Awards two years ago. He and Business Manager Arsi Baltazar were there. And I-being-me, I wouldn’t pass up the rare chance of meeting them. Thanks to my friends, Janet and Ruben Nepales who invited me to the event that such an opportunity…
“WE worry a great deal about the problem of church and state. Now, what about church and God? Sometimes there seems to be a greater separation between the church and God than between church and state.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel A lot of arguments have risen in the Philippines regarding the separation of church and…
MY last article discussed the reasons why everyone should have a power of attorney for assets as well as a power of attorney for healthcare. But what if a loved one has an incapacitating accident without executing a power of attorney? What if Mom is suffering from the beginning stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease…
CLIENTS are young seniors at 60. Husband has a stable middle management job that pays $5K a month. Wife is not employed. They don’t own a house. They rent for $1200 a month and pay for a 2016 Lexus SUV 3.0. They enjoy travelling by SUV. This is the little luxury that they indulge in….
