The Nevada Supreme Court heard a nearly 10-year-old state lawsuit on Tuesday, Feb. 3, filed by the Philippine island province of Marinduque for contamination it endured from a 1996 mining waste disaster involving Barrick Gold Corporation. Attorney James McCarthy, who represented Marinduque, told the justices that Philippine courts ruled Barrick couldn’t be sued in the…
Out of the millions of ladies, one who hails from Mindanao’s war-torn provinces—North Cotabato, gained the right to have represented the Philippines at the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant. Among the 88 candidates, the country’s beautiful bet—27-year old Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa, is an epitome of an independent modern-day Filipina. Through the support of three scholarships,…
“I don’t want to be an ‘anti,’ against anybody. I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation: the affirmation of God, who loves us and who wants to save us.” The words of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980 by the military regime in El Salvador, still echo in the…
“WHAT was the direct line of command between the President and the operators? It was not clear whether he just approved the operation at the very start and then let it have its own life or he approved the particular operation. If so, whose advice is he taking and what precautions were taken to protect…
IN light of the current measles outbreak in the United States, Americans are debating: Should children in the nation be required to be vaccinated? What should prevail – parental choice or public health and welfare? While in the Philippines, measles (or “tigdas” as we call it back home) continues to be a problem among the…
MOST Americans are unaware that modern day slavery exists in the form of human trafficking. To many, the phrase “human trafficking” elicits connotations of a tragedy present only in far flung, third world countries. And while trafficking of men, women and children truly is an international evil of epidemic proportions, it hits much closer to…
THE Obama administration has ordered immigration officials to find out if undocumented immigrants they encounter are eligible for President Barack Obama’s recent plans to spare them from deportation. Agents at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been instructed “to immediately begin identifying persons in their custody, as well as newly encountered…
The national debate over vaccinations has spilled over into the 2016 race for the White House. Potential Republican candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, brought up an ongoing nationwide debate over whether parents should have a say in vaccinating their kids. Following the recent measles outbreak in California, which rapidly spread from…
“About a week after arriving in the Philippines, I happened to wake up one day at 7 o’clock in the morning. My father got angry and he scolded me. As a newcomer in the country, he said, I had to work harder than the people here. “You cannot wake up at 7 o’clock. You must…
The budget proposal unveiled by President Barack Obama to Congress on Monday earmarks more than $1 billion for California transportation and construction projects, including $330 million that Los Angeles city officials called crucial to extending an essential transportation line. Overall, Obama would spend more than $800 million on transit throughout the state: including $165 million…
New case prompts daycare center closure A baby is one of the latest victims of the California measles outbreak, prompting the closure of a child-care center on the Santa Monica High School campus which regularly cares for 24 infants and toddlers. The infant is younger than 12 months and therefore hasn’t been immunized for the…
NO-BURN ALERT: MANDATORY WOODBURNING BAN IN EFFECT TOMORROW FOR RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH COAST AIR BASIN All Indoor and Outdoor Residential Wood Burning Prohibited Due to High Air Pollution Predicted for Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 4, 2015. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has issued a residential no-burn alert effective Wednesday, February 4, 2015, for all those living in…
President Barack Obama sent Congress a record $4 trillion budget on Monday, Feb. 2, pushing past tight federal spending caps. As outlined in his State of the Union address in January, the new budget plan would boost taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations and provide relief to the middle-class. Obama’s budget, which will likely set…
New case prompts daycare center closure A baby is one of the latest victims of the California measles outbreak, prompting the closure of a child-care center on the Santa Monica High School campus which regularly cares for 24 infants and toddlers. The infant is younger than 12 months and therefore hasn’t been immunized for the…
French authorities filed preliminary terrorism charges last week against a wanted Frenchman extradited from Bulgaria, who admitted his connection to the gunmen behind the terrorist massacres in Paris. Fritz-Joly Joachin, 29, was arrested Jan. 1 on an unrelated warrant while trying to cross from Bulgaria into Turkey. Police say that he was an associate of…
A California lawmaker introduced legislation Thursday, Jan. 29, that would raise the legal minimum smoking age in the state from 18 to 21. “Tobacco companies know that people are more likely to become addicted to smoking if they start at a young age,” state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) said in a statement. “We can…
IF I could look into a soldier’s heart and know everyone’s story, I’d ask: why are they fighting? Who will tell them (if the reasons exist)? Who is going to kill them, or who they’re going to kill? To understand a soldier’s life is to find out what he’s looking for. When he kills another…
SHE exuded passion and love for her ministry to undocumented migrants as she spoke powerfully to the participants of the Biennial Consultation of the Association of Theological Field Education last week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Jesus is a migrant too,” she proclaimed, “and so we need to treat migrants, those who illegally cross the…
IS peace between the government and the Muslim extremist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attainable? In a pessimist’s point of view, there might not be any remedy to the insurgency in Mindanao, which has spanned four decades long, especially now that the notorious group is behind the bloody slaughter of 44 Philippine National Police-Special Action…
#NasaanAngPangulo has been a trending topic among Filipinos all over the world on social media, asking where Philippine President Benigno Aquino was, and why he was not at Villamor Airbase last Thursday, Jan. 29 to welcome and honor the remains of the 44 Special Action Force commandos brutally killed in a botched mission against terrorists…
Single client seeks BK relief CLIENT is 48 years old, single and works as a licensed vocational nurse. She used to gross $75K a year with two jobs but recently lost the 2nd job, which used to pay her $24K a year. She owes $80K of credit card debt, which requires a minimum of $2,400…
* * * Sy Al-os Accountancy Corporation provides accounting and tax services to individuals, corporations, LLCs and business entities. The Firm has a niche in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS and other governmental agencies. The firm celebrates its 38th anniversary in 2015. * * * Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE…
BY now most people already know that President Obama unveiled numerous executive proposals, which will provide deportation relief to many hardworking immigrants, documented and undocumented. The proposals are also aimed at securing our borders and ensuring that dangerous criminals are a top priority in deportation. We expect that approximately 5 million illegal immigrants will benefit…
MYRA Becraft was a full-time staff psychiatrist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at its facility in San Diego. According to the Daily Journal, Ms. Becraft sued her employer for wrongful termination based on disability discrimination. She alleged that her workload increased so dramatically that by 2011, she had to take several leaves…
DO you want to get out of debt but are afraid that filing bankruptcy may only make things worse for you? Facing difficult financial times can be a frightening thing for a lot of people. When bill collectors are calling day and night, at some point, you realize that something must be done but you…
AN inadmissible alien cannot receive a visa and he cannot be admitted into the US. An alien may be inadmissible due to certain conduct, conditions, criminal convictions or events. Nevertheless, an inadmissible alien may receive a visa or be admitted into the US if the alien is granted a waiver of inadmissibility. Not all grounds…
Many parents hold firm to anti-vaccine beliefs With the state gripped by a measles outbreak, many California families are taking different approaches to protecting their kids from the severely contagious virus. Gary Monahan, a councilman for the city of Costa Mesa, remembers his son’s temperature spiking after getting the first dose of the MMR (measles,…
The Malaysian government declared on Thursday, Jan. 29 that the loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 last March was an accident, according to the terms of an international air agreement, and that the 239 passengers and crew members aboard the plane were presumed dead. The official declaration by Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation should clear…
I woke up last Monday morning with a bit of apprehension as to whether I had to go to work or merely stay home after being cautious about the prevailing alert watch regarding a major snowstorm to hit the area. Despite the early signs of the dreaded natural calamity I still proceeded only to regret…
The measles outbreak that started in California’s Disneyland most likely began with a person who had been in another country, a top health official said Thursday, Jan. 29, NBC News reported. To date, the outbreak has spread to more than 80 people in eight states, more than health officials usually see per year, the Centers…
