MANY Americans who didn’t have health coverage last year saw an average penalty more than twice as high as that in 2014, according to a report from tax services company H&R Block. On average, H&R customers owe a penalty of $383, up from $172 for 2014. Furthermore, 60 percent of taxpayers who had subsidized healthcare…
THE IRS requires specified individuals who file FBAR forms with an interest in “specified foreign financial asset” have a further requirement to file From 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) if on the last day of the tax year the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $50,000 or $75,000 at any time during…
ALL property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in California is community property. Family Code 760. However, there are situations in which the marriage may be held to be null and void. These situations include, but are not limited to entering into a bigamous marriage, fraud…
WHAT is going on in the Republican Party nomination contest has become more of a nail-biter than most reality shows, thanks to the unexpected sprint to the front by reality show star and business mogul Donald Trump. Perhaps the Republican Party establishment did not see this coming, thinking that the Grand Old Party (GOP) electorate’s…
ON MARCH 8, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. It has been designated to acknowledge and celebrate the many social, economic, cultural and political achievements and contributions of women around the world. According to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the observance of International Women’s Day (IWD) was a result of the organizing activities of…
February 26, 1986. There was something odd happening, Camp Crame was the center of army revolt. I wish I could remember it all better without weakening the vitality of the narrative. At Malacañang Palace, Where the vegetable garden had been, now lay an empty lawn. All the concrete statues were being smashed and carried away….
According to a Los Angeles Police Department report made public on Mar. 8, over one third of the people shot by Los Angeles police last year had documented signs of mental illness–nearly triple the number from 2014. The report also found that African Americans continued to account for a disproportionately high number of people shot…
A NATIONAL coalition of local government leaders has submitted an amicus brief with the Supreme Court to urge it to reverse a lower court’s decision that blocks President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. “Withholding and delaying these programs [brings] irreparable harms to family unity, the health and welfare of children and families, our public…
POMONA, Calif. — Filipino and Hispanic community members rallied at the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center on Friday, March 4 to launch the campaign for Senate Bill 1015, aimed at protecting the dignity and rights of domestic workers and families. Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), who championed the bill, joined with community members, activists, leaders, and…
According to a Los Angeles Police Department report made public on Mar. 8, over one third of the people shot by Los Angeles police last year had documented signs of mental illness–nearly triple the number from 2014. The report also found that African Americans continued to account for a disproportionately high number of people shot…
THE E nonimmigrant visa category allows nationals of countries who are a party to certain treaties with the United States to receive visa benefits in order to invest in a US business or conduct trade between the foreign treaty country and the US. The Philippines entered into such a treaty with the US as of…
DECIDING to file bankruptcy is a difficult decision for most. On one hand, people recognize the immediate relief filing bankruptcy could bring. Once filed, all collection efforts from creditors stops – no more constant barrage of phone calls from collection agencies or flood of letters threatening legal action and statements of delinquent accounts. On the…
Q. MY employer brought me to America to work as live-in nanny for their youngest child. I would be paid $1,000 per month with weekends off. When we arrived in Los Angeles, my employer took my passport. At their home, I work 7 days a week, 14 to 16 hours per day. I take care…
IF you paid someone to care for your child, spouse, or dependent, you may be able to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit on your federal income tax return. Here are 10 tips on claiming a credit for child and dependent care expenses. • The expense for child and dependent care must be provided…
WHILE doing research at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on the presence of natives of Las Islas Filipinas in Louisiana in the 1700s, I chanced upon a compilation of “Manuscripts and materials relating to the Philippines,” prepared by Charles O. Houston of the library’s manuscript division. In the preface, Houston wrote: “The library’s…
AFTER the Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao’s controversial statement comparing people in gay and lesbian relationship to animals, the big question during this political cycle looms: would such remarks that have been criticized worldwide affect the fighting congressman’s chances of winning a seat in the Senate in the May election? The results of the latest Pulse…
When James Reid and Nadine Lustre—a.k.a JaDine—started making some buzz, I wasn’t paying much attention. I love their tandem but I didn’t think they would be the phenomenal loveteam that they are now. Things changed when I went home (Philippines) for a vacation and really saw it for myself—The JaDine craze is beyond imaginable! ABS-CBN’s…
Hollywood: His was an era of the musician pianists, faithful to the music in their fashion. Touched by God, he is no longer beholden to the pianistic musicality of fantasies, the improvisations, and acrobatic exhibition of the 1830s nostalgia of Parisian Salons. Through the years, as several major schools began to appear, the severe German…
SACRED Heart Church in Covina, California held a “24 Hours for the Lord” celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. From 12 pm on Friday, March 4, to 12 pm on Saturday, March 5, priests from the parish and the surrounding parishes of the deanery were scheduled to hear confessions. To prepare for this event, parishioners…
THE US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of a Known Employer pilot program on Thursday, March 3, assessing a new process for employers who seek to hire workers through employment-based visa categories. Modifying the process US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) already uses to review an employer’s eligibility to sponsor individuals (under certain…
AFTER Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump claimed victory in seven of 11 states on Super Tuesday, several prominent public figures and news publications expressed that they do not believe Trump is fit for the presidency. “The reality is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in government, interacting with the machinery of state only as a…
THE battle between Silicon Valley-based tech industry giant Apple and federal law enforcement over access to encrypted cell phone data has continued, with privacy concerns against an investigation over national security as the hot topic. The dispute has sparked a nationwide debate, and has garnered the attention of the families of the victims of the…
CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday, March 1, signed into law three bills designed to avoid a $1.1-billion cutoff in federal funding for Medi-Cal, which provides health insurance coverage to nearly one-third of Californians. The state’s current tax, which would have expired on July 1, applies to only 26 plans that accept Medi-Cal patients. Revenue…
A statement issued by the Ateneo de Manila staff pontificated: “The Marcos regime’s economics of debt-driven growth was disastrous for the Philippines. The regime was not interested in inclusive development, long-term state-building, nor genuine social transformation of the country.” And they demanded that Ferdinand Marcos 2nd apologize for this. It is such a sad commentary…
LIFE is a reverie for the judicious but simply a game for hoodwinks… an entertaining tryout for the affluent but a catastrophe for the underprivileged…and a never-ending encounter with uncertainty for those who relentlessly struggle for life isn’t just about finding one’s self but creating it… for life is what and how we make it!…
In our Filipino community, there seems to be a reluctance to engage in comprehensive estate planning through the execution of living trusts, wills, and powers of attorney. Instead, many families have traditionally relied on adding the children and other chosen heirs on the home’s title as joint tenants. This is not a smart solution. Joint…
Tuesday, March 1 was a big day on the road to November’s presidential elections. Unofficially nicknamed “Super Tuesday,” it is when a dozen states (and one US territory) held nominating contests to narrow down party candidates during the primaries. Also known as the “SEC Primary,” 661 Republican delegates and 865 Democratic delegates were allocated on Super…
GONE too soon—that is how many people in Philippine showbiz have described how they feel about the passing of box-office director Wenn Deramas last Monday, Feb. 29 due to cardiac arrest. He was only 49 years old. Deramas’ friend, talent manager June Rufino, told ANC that the director was rushed Capitol Medical Center at 2am,…
MANY people, desiring to save money, try to handle their immigration matters on their own, rather than hiring an attorney. They may have a relative in the Philippines being processed for an immigrant visa, and when they have any questions, they call or email the National Visa Center (NVC) for advice and guidance on what…
A LEGAL permanent resident is eligible to apply for citizenship if he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five (5) years and meets all the eligibility requirements. The legal permanent resident may file early if he or she has been a resident for at least three (3) years and has…
