2016 Miss World America Audra Mari is part Filipina
The new 2016 Miss World America is a Fil-Am from North Dakota! Twenty-year-old Audra Mari, a dean’s lister at the North Dakota State University taking up Public Relations and Communications,…
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The August 2016 priority dates
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…
A DUI can get you deported or have your visa revoked and other friendly reminders for the summer
SUMMER is here, and it’s time for summer barbecues and bonfires by the beach! Before partaking in summer fun, however, know where you stand: If you are a non-U.S. citizen,…
Gluten, junk foods, etc.
What is gluten? Gluten is protein substance found in cereal grains, barley, rye, and triticale, especially wheat, which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough, an ingredient that “glues”…
Top 5 things overseas Filipinos send back to the Philippines
AS of 2014, there were around 10.5 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), a number that is only increasing. Many Filipinos living abroad ship their families back home balikbayan boxes, large…
Basics of IRS appeals process
AFTER an audit of your tax returns by the IRS and you disagree with the determination, you have the option to either accept the assessment and settle the tax you…
Fil-Am leaders speak up on the Philippines’ victory over China in UN tribunal decision
KUDOS to former Philippine Pres. Benigno Aquino III, former DFA Sec. Albert del Rosario and the whole team which, on behalf of the Filipino people, filed, argued, and won the…
War on drugs
A FORMER agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that the illegal drug trade in the country is thriving, and has become a P200-billion “industry.” An even more…
A night at Dodgers Stadium
It was one of those Padres-Dodgers slugfests — where 43,588 people in a wave of blue collectively sent out ear splitting displays of offensive chants throughout that evening at Dodgers…
The nearness and concreteness of love
Twenty-five years of service in the priesthood! It’s a significant number of years in ministry. How fast the years went by! It seemed like yesterday when I was just a…
Business owner chooses Chapter 7 for $250k personal guaranties on business loans
Senior files same for $55k credit cards “Do not sign personal guaranties for business loans because you will be on the hook if the business cannot pay the loans. If…
Remedies for employees who blow the whistle on employers
Ninoos Benjamin worked as a Director of Economic Division of the City of Los Angeles’ Community Development Department (CDD). According to several news outlets, Benjamin sued the city claiming retaliation…
Should you go to IRS appeals?
After losing an audit to the IRS, you have the option of paying or appealing. Pay if you are happy with the results or don’t want to extend the agony…
Do you owe money to the IRS?
IRS problems have a way of ruining all aspects of your life. They can take a toll on you financially, emotionally and physically. When you owe the IRS, you’re always…
Cruising through history, culture and grandeur: My first Mediterranean cruise
Have you ever been in one of those cruises that just took your breath away? If not, I highly encourage you to try it at least once in your life….
Farewells never need to be rackety, just heartfelt
LOS ANGELES — Farewells are always both sad and bright like after the rain. June has been a string of goodbye parties for LA Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim Out of…
US citizenship – the gift my parents gave me
I COULD list off the ways I’ve been lucky in life, but it all stems from my parents’ decision to leave home and become American citizens. The Vietnam War had…
Wellness, cooking show and franchising at Fiesta In America
The east coast’s biggest Filipino and multicultural indoor expo will revolve around a Total Wellness theme, according to Nanding Mendez, Fiesta In America’s President. Fiesta In America will celebrate its…
Pachada Band’s frontman Chad Baluran’s tumultuous journey
Man can neither be judged by merely based on his failures nor through the vast wealth accumulated but by the macadamized roads he traveled from where his journey commenced. The…
If Duterte fails, we all lose
I WAS one of the most severe critics of Rodrigo Duterte as a presidential candidate. But now that he has assumed the presidency, I believe he should be given every…
Actress Toni Gonzaga is having a baby boy!
OUR congratulations in advance to actress and host Toni Gonzaga and her husband, director Paul Soriano for their upcoming baby boy! The baby’s gender was revealed in an interview with…
Being waved across the border could constitute ‘inspection’ for adjustment of status
IN most cases, in order for a person to adjust status (obtain a green card) in the U.S., the person must prove he or she was “inspected and admitted” by…
Applying for naturalization with expired green cards
OFTEN, many immigrants have kept pushing back their decision to apply for US citizenship. Many of them have also failed to keep track of the validity of their permanent resident…
Electromagnetic risks
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,”…
Fil-Am WWII veterans: The long wait is over
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in October 2015 that it is creating the “Filipino WWII Veterans Parole Program” to enable some family members of these veterans to…
Seniors file chapter 13 to rescue house and handle tax liens
Client files chapter 7 for $40K credit cards CLIENTS are seniors. Husband is 72. Wife is 71. Both are retired and receiving combined social security and pension total of $4,015/mo….
Fil-Ams hopeful about Duterte presidency and the plight of overseas Filipinos
A RECENT “Balitang America” online viewer poll revealed that a large majority of Filipinos in America are feeling very hopeful under the Duterte presidency. Eighty-seven percent of kababayans who voted…
Still in danger
“TODAY, we continue the long journey toward an America and a world where liberty and equality are not reserved for some, but extended to all. Across the globe, including right…
Summertime in Las Vegas
Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport was crowded with people determined to get an early start on the long weekend rush. Las Vegas is already hot — it is 103 degrees in…
When God pursues
“ We need more priests in this critical time when we need to imbue the world with the values of the Gospel.” “THE harvest is abundant but the laborers are…