MONTHS after the botched terror mission in Mamasapano that claimed the lives of at least 65 people, including 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers, the trust and approval rating of President Benigno Aquino III has fallen to its lowest level yet. The President’s addition to the confusion about the issue could have contributed to this,…
White House appeals amnesty restraing order to Court of Appeals Client no. 1 CLIENT no. 1 is in her fifties. She comes to see me regarding a lawsuit by a credit card collecting $7K. Aside from this, she owes another $11K, for a total of $18K total credit card debt. She has a story to…
Q: I AM a body builder and just won a big amateur contest. Can I come and work in the US on some type of visa? A: Yes, there is what is known as the P Visa. The P-1A is for a Person who performs as an athlete, individually or as part of a group…
IN a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy petition, the debtor is required to list down in the bankruptcy petition all his assets in the applicable schedules which are part of the bankruptcy petition. These assets are classified as real or personal property. The debtor is also required to list down all secured assets. From all the assets…
FOR those of you who itemize, the table below should be of special interest. For those of you who play the odds (you know what I mean), this table should be of very special interest. Having claimed too many exemptions at work to increase your take-home pay, you suddenly find yourself owing Uncle Sam a…
Q: I WORKED in a company for over 10 years. A new supervisor and I do not get along. Last week, the company let me go without any explanation. I don’t have any disciplinary record. Can the company just fire me without a good reason? A: Yes, an employer may fire an employee without a…
HAVE you ever faced a situation in your life where you needed help so badly but you were just too afraid or embarrassed to ask for it? Perhaps you felt confused and overwhelmed with the problem that you spent sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do. As a bankruptcy attorney, over the years…
ON Tuesday November 4, 2014, California Voters approved Proposition 47, which brings sweeping changes to California criminal law and procedure that will affect thousands of immigrants facing deportation due to pending and prior criminal cases. The “Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act,” known as “Prop 47,” reduces certain felony and “wobbler” offenses for simple drug possession…
The third Emirates lounge in the United States was officially unveiled on Wednesday, March 18, at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). After more than two years in the making and an investment over $6.2 million, the new lounge, located on the sixth floor at LAX, is now available exclusively to Emirates first and business class…
In corporate America, life can get hectic. But for 20 years, Allison Kim, thrived in that work environment as a civil engineer in transportation. She would arrive at her office between 7 to 8 am and put in 12 to 15 hours on a daily basis. Throughout her career, she has worked on land development…
LOS ANGELES – Community leaders, activists and political leaders in the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and Los Angeles County on Thursday, March 19, gathered in Downtown LA’s Chinatown to demonstrate support for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she chooses to run for president in 2016. “We want to send a very…
State water board approves new conservation regulations AS California enters its fourth year of drought, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday, March 19 proposed legislation to accelerate more than $1 billion in drought-relief spending. “We need to get the money out the door now for shovel-ready projects and existing water programs that only…
Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) held its 43rd anniversary awards and benefit dinner on Thursday, March 12 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. A Filipino-owned restaurant called the Park’s Finest was among the awardees, receiving the business achievement award, or “Kalampusan.” The popular eatery, tucked along Temple Street near the 101 freeway, was founded by…
Automaker Honda announced Thursday, March 19, the addition of nearly 105,000 vehicles to its increasing number of recalls due to defective driver’s side air bags. Vehicles added to the list include about 89,000 Pilot SUVs from the 2008 model year, 11,000 Civics from 2004 and 5,000 Accords from 2001. At least five deaths deaths worldwide…
Retail giant Target will raise the minimum wage next month for all its employees to $9 per hour. Target’s announcement signifies the growing competition for lower paid workers, as unemployment has declined to 5.5 percent and consumer confidence has risen. It also comes as labor groups pressure retailers and fast-food restaurants nationwide to boost workers’ pay, calling…
In every connubial set-up, regardless of creed, religion, color or orientation, the state of muliebrity has always considerably been on the paramount level of recognition and in high esteem simply because the revered status of a woman as a potential quintessence of motherhood is unquestionably the defining line that separates her from man. But what…
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows an alien spouse of a US citizen or green card holder to self-petition if they have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty. The purpose of this law is to prevent the citizen or green card holder petitioner from holding the person “hostage,” either through physical or mental…
For many families, tax season is the time of the year when people will have a large sum of money available to spend on things that normally would be out of financial reach. Many families look forward to the extra cash to purchase new items for their home, take vacations, etc. Some will use the…
Under INA 101(a)(43)(A), sexual abuse of a minor is an aggravated felony. A conviction for an offense classified as an aggravated felony would disqualify an alien from most immigration benefits or relief. A common problem is how to determine whether a state conviction constitutes an aggravated felony within the meaning of INA 101(a)(43)(A). Recently, in…
In corporate America, life can get hectic. But for 20 years, Allison Kim, thrived in that work environment as a civil engineer in transportation. She would arrive at her office between 7 to 8 am and put in 12 to 15 hours on a daily basis. Throughout her career, she has worked on land development…
The City of Fullerton was sued Wednesday, March 18, over an at-large election system that Asian-American advocates say harms a certain community’s voting rights. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice – LA), the Law Office of Robert Rubin, and Sidley Austin,…
Alzheimer’s Disease is an ailment more dreaded and feared than most illnesses, including cancer. The mere thought of losing ones mind, of having a brain with less capacity than of a helpless newborn, is very scary, to say the least. The severe stage of dementia robs the victim of all thought processes, memories, and intelligence,…
Actress Liezl Sumilang Martinez died in her sleep last March 14 at the Medical City in Pasig City, after a long batter with cancer. She was only 47 years old. Showbusiness has always been in Liezl’s blood. The daughter of veteran actors Amalia Fuentes and Romeo “Bobby” Vasquez (who is based in California), she…
The City of Fullerton was sued Wednesday, March 18, over an at-large election system that Asian-American advocates say harms a certain community’s voting rights. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice – LA), the Law Office of Robert Rubin, and Sidley Austin,…
LENT is a season of Christ’s teachings which are presented self-righteously, mournfully, nasally, coldly, feebly, flamboyantly, blandly in a thousand pulpits across the nation. If I were asked the rationale of my faith, I’d say: First, I believe in a grand universal order and meaning, and in a power that is both greater than us…
Though epidemiologists have not yet identified the original source of the Disneyland measles outbreak in December, which has since spread internationally, researchers now say that parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids are probably to blame. With simple math, researchers were able to show that the vaccination rate among people who were exposed to the…
JUDICIAL reform remains to be an important policy issue in the Philippines. The institution is still haunted with problems relating to corruption, incompetence, delay in the administration of justice and access to justice by the poor. The current situation in Makati City is not helping resolve such a herculean task. Tension enveloped the city after…
Is the President and Commander-in-Chief Benigno Aquino III “ultimately responsible” for the botched Mamasapano anti-terror operation that claimed the lives of at least 60 people, including 44 elite Special Action Force troopers last January 25? This was the question that begged to be answered throughout the investigations conducted on Oplan Exodus, the mission to neutralize…
THE current focus of Malacañ ang and Congress is the crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which has been denounced by detractors as a means of carving out a portion of the Philippines as a sub-state for the Bangsamoro or Moro nation. The BBL has, on the other hand, been presented by its sponsors…
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…
