THE recent BusinessWorld (BW)-Social Weather Station (SWS) presidential preference survey, conducted from February 5 to 7, tells us that Vice President Jejomar Binay is ahead of the pack with a 29 percent rating. While this is lower than the 31 percent that he got in the January 8-10 BW-SWS reading, one could conjecture that Binay’s…
DAN Duggan, the President of Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, heads the list of March birthday celebrants. He will be celebrating his birthday on Easter Sunday, March 27. Duggan’s Serra Mortuary is highly trusted by Filipino-Americans in the Peninsula, especially during their most trying times as they honor and pay respects to their loved ones who…
MARRIAGES are usually governed by the laws of the place of celebration. In the Philippines, the Family Code deals with the validity, invalidity, and termination of local marriages. Despite these laws, some people “invent” their own marriage laws, based on gossip, rumors, hearsay, or statements from friends, relatives or barangay captains. However, this can be…
WITH all the news surrounding Immigration, noncitizens cannot lose sight of current programs still in place for those who are eligible. For example, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, first initiated in 2012. Many young individuals have already taken advantage of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was first announced…
1. HEALTH COVERAGE. Information Reporting. The provider of your health coverage is required to send Form 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C with list of individuals included in your family health coverage in 2015. Health Coverage Tax Credit. Has been reinstated retroactive January 1, 2014 (expired end of 2013), pays 72.5% of qualified health insurance premiums for…
ON June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional in the landmark case US. V. Windsor. The BIA shortly thereafter issued a decision in Matter of Zeleniak holding that DOMA is no longer an impediment in recognizing same-sex couples under the immigration and…
FIL-AM Aries Dela Cruz spearheaded an online petition for Nike to drop the Philippines’ Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao as its endorser after the boxing congressman compared people in homosexual relationships to animals. Now, this kababayan from New Jersey is getting death threats online. The harassment and threats are reportedly not only aimed at Dela Cruz,…
30 YEARS ago—on Feb. 25, 1986—the People Power Revolution on EDSA trampled the 20-year-old dictatorship of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. For the generation who witnessed this peaceful uprising, the echoes of the People Power Revolution reverberated not only in the air, but in the consciousness of the Filipinos who were awakened to their senses about…
Getting old is a natural thing and no one should not be afraid of the natural— trees, animals age, and everything that is alive. I am not afraid to look old. I don’t know indifference, I ignore bitterness. If something unpleasant happens to me, I put it behind. Women of that certain age are in…
IN the last two years, the US economy saw its fastest decline in unemployment since the 1980s and concluded its best years of job growth since the 1990s, according to the 70th annual Economic Report of the President. The most recent version of the report, released Monday, Feb. 22, by the Council of Economic Advisers,…
DAYS after Nike dropped its endorsement contract with Manny Pacquiao due to his controversial remarks on same-sex couples, the Filipino boxer has reportedly begun negotiating new deals with other sports apparel companies. “There are several already now in the pipeline,” Pacquiao’s business manager, Eric Pineda, told Agence France-Presse without identifying the companies. “They [the Pacquiao…
SATURDAY, Feb. 20 proved an important day for big-name candidates, including Donald Trump, who won his second consecutive presidential primary in South Carolina, advancing in the race for the Republican Party. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also took home the prize in Nevada’s Democratic caucuses. Clinton, using organization as her performance tactic, declared…
Young client seeks chapter 7 relief for $$70K credit card debt Business owner files chapter 7 as losses mount CLIENTS are spouses who own and run a business together. They own an S-corporation that has been in business for 20 years. They have 10 employees. An S-corporation, as distinguished from a C-corporation, is one where…
Are you wondering why the vice presidential campaign of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is making significant headway despite his being the son of a former authoritarian President? This phenomenon, according to University of the Philippines (UP) professor Popoy de Vera, has an explanation. He said 70 percent of the voters are 34 years old and…
THE U Visa is a non-immigrant visa intended for certain people who have been victims of one or more of specific crimes or similar activities punishable under federal, state, or local criminal laws and who are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. These crimes include rape,…
ZELMA Brawner worked for Bank of America (BOA) for about 28 years, occupying the positions of “Dedicated Service Director” later renamed “Treasury Services Consultant,” and “Treasury Services Senior Advisor” for the last 13 years of her tenure. Brawner claimed that throughout her work as a “director,” “consultant” and “advisor,” her employer classified her and about…
HERE are the top 10 things the Internal Revenue Service wants you to know about this valuable credit: 1. EITC not only reduces the federal tax you owe, but could result in a refund. 2. The amount of your EITC is based on the amount of your earned income and whether or not there are…
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 wondering if today might be the day when the IRS shows up at work, your home or your business; or if today might be the…
FAMILY Code 760 provides that all property acquired by the spouse during the marriage is community property. That means each spouse has a half interest on any assets that are acquired during the marriage, with certain exceptions, since it is generally characterized as community property. On the same token, Family Code 771(a) provides that earnings…
It’s well into the second month of the year — how many individuals have ditched their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy and shed some pounds? But if you’ve stuck to your word or are looking for another way to stay active, there’s a new app for that. Nikko Mendoza, a 30-year-old Filipino from Fairfield,…
Why President Obama should quickly nominate an Asian American to the US Supreme Court PRESIDENT Obama, as a result of the unexpected death of US Supreme Court Justice Antonio Scalia, has an opportunity to appoint the first Asian American to the US Supreme Court in its more than 225 year history. As the late Justice Scalia…
THE recent BusinessWorld (BW)-Social Weather Station (SWS) presidential preference survey, conducted from February 5 to 7, tells us that Vice President Jejomar Binay is ahead of the pack with a 29 percent rating. While this is lower than the 31 percent that he got in the January 8-10 BW-SWS reading, one could conjecture that Binay’s…
IN the Asian Journal’s Midweek edition on Wednesday, Feb. 17, I shared the advice of Atty. Lou Tancinco, The Filipino Channel’s Pinoy Panawagan Legal Counsel, on why eligible kababayans should apply for naturalization to be US citizens. Tancinco outlined the benefits: family unity, avoiding separation, vivic engagement, federal employment, ease of travel. This topic has…
I STILL remember an incident when a parishioner confronted me after Mass to tell me how delighted she was to see me change. “Father, you’ve grown so much, you’ve changed,” she told me. Upon hearing her words, two things flashed in my mind: something that was wrong with me needed to change, and something that…
WHILE the fate of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on programs to expand deferred action for undocumented immigrants has yet to be decided by the US Supreme Court, individuals eligible for the programs are encouraged to continue preparing for their implementation. “We believe that these programs are perfectly legal and will be of help, and…
LOS ANGELES — President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday, Feb. 17, met with the Filipino community at the end of his working visit to the United States. More than 800 members of Filipino community groups from the southwestern United States gathered inside the Hilton LAX ballroom on Wednesday evening, where Aquino spent more than an…
THE dimly lit posh entertainment venue was almost full to the rafters when I inched my way after a burly, stern doorman stamped my right wrist with an indelible admission insignia. Slithering in rectilinear locomotion like a snake hunting for its prey, my blinded sight prevented me to execute spontaneous steps for fear I might…
Successor to Scalia PRESIDENT Obama, as a result of the unexpected death of US Supreme Court Justice Antonio Scalia, has an opportunity to appoint the first Asian American to the US Supreme Court in its more than 225 year history. As the late Justice Scalia has frequently stated, the court needs more diversity. In America’s…
With the Nevada Democratic Caucus approaching on February 20 and big issues at stake in 2016, I know that we Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters will make our voices heard. The number of AAPIs eligible to vote in Nevada has grown by 55 percent over 2000 to 2010 to 134,000 - a critical 7.3…
It’s that time again, the time every four years when candidates start paying attention to different constituencies and the media assesses the relative value. Asian American Pacific Islander voters matter in Nevada, and we can be the difference in a close election. As a veteran of a few Nevada campaigns, I’ve had people ask me…
