California’s high-speed rail, connecting Los Angeles with the San Francisco Bay Area, could take longer to build than previously estimated, and its overall cost is “difficult to predict,” said the head of the high-speed rail authority on Wednesday, Jan. 27. “It may take us a little longer than we said to do this,” rail authority…
A Filipino-American woman from Long Beach, California and her son have been charged with smuggling ammunition and firearm parts to the Philippines. Marlou Mendoza, 60, was arrested last week at Los Angeles International Airport upon returning from a trip to the Philippines, officials from the US Attorney’s Office said Wednesday, Jan. 27. Her 30-year-old son,…
INTERNATIONALLY known Filipina stage actress and singer Lea Salonga heads the list of prominent personalities celebrating their birthday this February. Lea will celebrate her birthday on Monday, February 22. Lea is most known for her role of Kim in the highly successful musical, “Miss Saigon,” for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer…
IF, years ago, you were petitioned by an employer, and that employer’s petition (Form I -140) was approved, but you never received a green card from that case, a new employer could petition you, and you could possibly have the old priority date transferred to the new case. This could save years of waiting time…
WE are what we eat and drink, philosophically and medically. Diet plays the most significant role in our health and longevity — more than genetics and exercise in most instances. Food provides us nutrition and also stimulates and controls the natural production of hormones, electrolytes, and other chemicals, good or bad, depending on our mood…
(Part 1 of 2) The issues surrounding the presidential candidacy of Senator Grace Poe will not seem to die down. Whether it is purely an honest attempt to search for the truth and comply with constitutional requirements or a political ploy to keep her out of the race, the issues are worth the Supreme Court’s…
All around the Las Vegas Valley, high school seniors are making important decisions about where to continue their education next fall. As the father of a college freshman, I know this is an exciting time. But preparing for post-secondary education can also be a daunting task when families start to think about costs and financial…
“FIGHTING multinationals was very tough. At first, everyone thought I was crazy. They told me, how would I survive this? True enough, it’s by the grace of God that I’m still here in the toothpaste industry after 20 years. God is good,” – Cecilio K. Pedro In our fast-paced, hectic world we all need a…
CONSIDER the common divorce scenario where the divorce judgment provides primary custody of the children to one spouse while the other spouse only gets visitation. The parties begin to file separate tax returns. What are the tax consequences of the non custodial parents with regards to claiming the children in his or her return? A…
THE United States’ role in Oplan Exodus that killed an international terrorist but led to the worst massacre of Philippine troops in recent history must be established if we are to understand and put closure to this national tragedy brought upon us by this incompetent president. A report by the respected Los Angeles Times on…
IN less than a week, the race to the White House takes off in Iowa for both the Democratic and the Republican parties. The voters of this state and all the others, as scheduled perhaps until summer, will head to the polls and choose the candidate who they believe will best represent the principles, vision…
IT has been a year since the bloodbath between the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private armed groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. That fateful Sunday on Jan. 25, 2015 left 44 elite policemen and 19 Moro rebels dead. The government’s…
“Once upon a time, the US Secret Service had to be an all-embracing elite force—self-respecting, fearless and valiant. They took charge of the security and decorum of every event that the president attends, and still do.” As newbies covering the Palace, they followed security and protocol as dictated by the Presidential Security Group (PSG) religiously. However, once in…
Experts say weather helps INFLUENZA was responsible for the deaths of 146 Californians between October 2014 and late January 2015. When the flu season ended that year, over 400 people had died of the infection—an outbreak the state rated “moderately severe.” Last year, California faced a huge improvement in the flu situation, when the season’s…
Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach returns to the Philippines FANS lined the streets of Manila to Makati City as Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, the newly-crowned Miss Universe 2015, traveled by float in her homecoming parade on January 25. The float traveled for more than three hours from the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Manila, down Roxas Boulevard…
THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will once again begin accepting petitions for H-1B working visas on April 1, 2016. Petitions may be submitted for employment to commence on or after October 1, 2016. It is imperative that interested applicants have their petition submitted to the USCIS between April 1-7, 2016, or it…
Client 1: Garment Factory CLIENT presents himself as a businessperson, who has been in the garment business since 2002. He has a factory with ten employees where he pays his sewers a little over the minimum wage. When business was good, his factory was humming along. Orders for his garments were pouring in. He never…
ON 1/19/2016, the US Supreme Court granted the writ of certiorari filed by the Obama Administration in the case United States, et al. v Texas. This means that the Supreme Court, in its discretion, has decided to review this particular case. (The Supreme Court does not have to hear a case unless the case is…
A SEPARATION package or a severance agreement is a contract between an employer and an employee who is about to leave the employer’s employment. In a typical severance agreement, the employer agrees to give the employee additional compensation (the severance pay) in exchange for the outgoing employee’s agreement not to sue the employer for any…
(Part 2 Of 2) J.P. Morgan Securities Philippines, Inc. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. – Manila Branch Land Bank of the Philippines Legazpi Savings Bank, Inc. Longmeadow Corporation Macquarie Capital Securities Philippines Macquarie Infrsture Advisory Philippines Malayan Bank Savings and Mortgage Bank Mandarin Securities Corporation Manulife Chinabank Life Assurance Corporation Manulife Financial Plans, Inc. Maybank ATR…
THE cost of a college education has spiraled out of control for most families. In the last 10 years, student loan debt has sharply risen from $240 billion to $1 trillion dollars. Almost 60 percent of this debt is held by households with less than $8500 in net worth. This makes sense because if these…
AFTER more than a year of debates and court battles, the US Supreme Court (SC) finally announced last Tuesday, Jan. 19 that it will decide if President Obama exceeded his authority when he announced his immigration programs aimed at allowing millions of undocumented immigrants to apply for programs that could make them eligible for work…
A MAN was inside a church kneeling in front of a big statue of Santo Niño. In his prayer, he said: “Santo Niño, please help me win the lottery. I promise that I will be here every day after work in front of you to pray a novena in your honor. And if I win…
IN his address to the state of California, Governor Jerry Brown warned residents about economic downturn, and challenged lawmakers to restrain from spending, despite surpluses in the state budget. “The challenge is to solve today’s problems without making those of tomorrow even worse,” Brown said on Thursday, Jan. 21 in a speech from the Assembly…
BY the year 2020, humans are expected to lose a net of 5.1 millions of jobs to robots and artificial intelligence, according to a report from the World Economic Forum (WEF). In the report, 15 economies that make up 65 percent – about 1.9 billion workers – of the total global workforce were surveyed. About…
KAMALA D. Harris, Attorney General of California, opened an investigation whether Exxon Mobil Corp. lied to the public and its shareholders about the risk to its business from climate change, and if such actions could amount to fraud and violations of environmental laws. Harris’ office is reviewing what Exxon Mobil knew about global warming and…
WHILE most people were closely watching the national Powerball lottery drawing live on television on Wednesday, Jan. 13, an 82-year-old Filipino man from Virginia Beach, Va. was not one of them. It wasn’t until he checked online when he realized he had a winning ticket. Teofilo Mesina won $1 million – before taxes – from…
THE Long Beach City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 20, voted 6-2 to create a pathway to gradually raise the minimum wage to $10.50 per hour by 2017, $12 in 2018 and $13 by 2019. The council approved the wage measure Wednesday morning after midnight, following a lengthy meeting that began the evening of Tuesday, Jan….
IT happened faster than it took her to draw a breath. Anybody can become a widow—there are no special qualifications. It did not require planning to become a wife, mother, or any other part of womanhood. It was a sunny afternoon when her husband suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest. He slipped into a coma and expired…
HAVING Manny Pacquiao in Congress has always been a lot like having Michael Jordan in a baseball uniform: It’s uncomfortable to watch, and one desperately hopes he figures out on his own that he’s a fish out of water, before someone has to tell him he’s making a fool of himself. Although Pacman is a…
