ON Monday, Dec. 8, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed an ambitious earthquake plan calling for a retrofitting of thousands of at-risk buildings. The report released Monday afternoon detailed action steps on seismic safety “to address the city’s greatest earthquake vulnerabilities. The recommendations include building retrofitting and steps to secure our water supply and communications…
THE US Supreme Court on Monday, Dec. 8 refused to consider a BP case claiming that the company has been forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to claimants who experienced losses unrelated to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. According to the company’s brief to the court, paid claimants include those “whose…
TWELVE hours exceeds the average workday. But for the last 47 years, that has been the norm for accountant Victor Sy. “I’m a workaholic,” he said. “I guess it’s a good formula for success if you combine the characteristics of a workaholic, the systems of an SGV alumnus, thrifty habits of an Ilocano, and hard…
ON Monday, Dec. 8, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed an ambitious earthquake plan calling for a retrofitting of thousands of at-risk buildings. The report released Monday afternoon detailed action steps on seismic safety “to address the city’s greatest earthquake vulnerabilities. The recommendations include building retrofitting and steps to secure our water supply and communications…
A HUGE fire occurred the morning of Monday Dec. 8 in downtown Los Angeles and the nearby Westlake area, destroying an entire apartment complex under construction and temporarily shutting down the 101 and 110 freeways. The area engulfed was about the size of a city block, according to fire department officials. Over 250 firefighters responded…
AB 60 takes effect on Jan. 1 STARTING Jan 1. 2015, undocumented immigrants in California will be able to apply for a state driver’s license under Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60), which was passed earlier this year. “AB 60 is a victory for our immigrant communities and groups who have advocated for this issue for…
A Filipino-American man from Anaheim was charged on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with six counts of grand theft and four counts of elder abuse after allegedly swindling $50,000 from six individuals in a mortgage scam. Sajid Geronimo, 35, called victims facing home foreclosures, allegedly claiming he could cut down their monthly mortgage payments by hundreds of dollars…
A FILIPINO postal service worker in Fremont, Calif. was charged with mail theft for allegedly stealing numerous cellphones meant to be delivered to customers. Romeo Moog Talag, 56, of Hayward was named in a complaint filed Dec. 2 in a US District Court in Oakland. The investigation began in January 2013 when employees at the…
“ Advent is the time to strengthen the uneven and crooked shapes of our lives, to broaden our horizons, and to reform of our ways.” THERE is still a great need for conversion in each of us. When we think that we’re doing well with the practice of our faith, other people call our attention to…
By: Charisse Trinidad The Gawad Kalinga Community proudly hosted the book launch of renowned British journalist Thomas Graham’s newly published book Gawad Kalinga’s The Genius Of The Poor. The event was held at ground floor of Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street last Saturday (29 November 2014) where highly regarded bloggers, book buyers, and important contributors…
AT a recent book signing, Miss America 2001 was approached and hugged by a girl who admitted she had pondered ending her life for some time. She attended the event, not knowing what to expect. Except, she did have one plan in mind. “’I was going to commit suicide today and you changed my mind,”…
JUST when everyone thought that the worst has passed, another super typhoon is doomed to devastate parts of the Philippines once more. A year after the dreadful Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), a typhoon carrying maximum sustained winds of 195 km/hour and gusts of up to 230 km/hour is bound to hit 66.6 million Filipinos from…
THIS is the question The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast Balitang America asked its viewers, amid nationwide protests denouncing two separate grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Mo. and another in Staten Island, NY, not to prosecute two white police officers in the killing of two unarmed black men. Law enforcement officials and their supporters contend the police officers…
FOR those with children in high school, the next big expense item they can look forward to, or shall we say, worry about are the college expenses that are just around the corner. Some people started saving for this expense early on but with college tuition even at the UC system increasing every year, only…
ON November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive actions that would benefit some undocumented aliens and improve some business-related aspects of the immigration process. Due to the scope of these executive actions, we shall first focus on actions that benefit undocumented aliens, which are expected to be the bulk of the beneficiaries…
LET’S discuss reasons why you should consider filing, even you are not required to: • You expect a refund. You have credits that can generate a refund – from taxes withheld from your paycheck, estimated tax payments, or a prior-year overpayments applied to this year. • You may qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)…
ROSARIO Juarez, a former female employee of AutoZone, Inc., the auto-parts retailer, sued her employer for discriminating against her because she was a woman, for demoting her after learning she was pregnant, and for firing her when she filed a discrimination claim. The case was tried before a jury of three women and five men….
ARE you facing a mountain of debt that you can’t pay and don’t know what to do about it? Perhaps this situation is causing you a lot of sleepless nights and making you very nervous. What should you do? Debt problems can wreak havoc on your personal life in many ways. And left unsolved, they…
WITHOUT question, this interview is due to a name, to a relationship, to the fact that he is Disodado Banatao’s son. This may sound unfair and discourteous, perhaps it is. The curiosity and interest he arouse everywhere are also due to the same thing. He is the typical case of a son, who became someone, even…
The invite in blue and silvery white indicated the specially conceptualized party to celebrate Aaron Tupaz Frias’ 46th birthday last Saturday, November 29, would start at 8:15 PM and so with the ever indefatigable Helen Castillo behind the wheel, Jujo Conol and me as passengers, left Jersey City an hour earlier so as not to…
“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man from Staten Island, screamed as New York Police Department officers caught and put him in a chokehold, slamming his head against the sidewalk in front of a beauty supply store. He was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. Within moments of the incident…
New York City will invest $130 million to reform its criminal justice system by expanding access to public health services for mentally ill inmates. “For years, the criminal justice has been the default for dealing with behavioral and mental health issues, but that approach alone does not best serve public health or public safety,” New…
The Diocese of Orange received a $20 million donation to help revamp the famous glass-sided Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. Outside of land donations, it is the largest gift ever received by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which is home to more than 1.2 million Catholics. The donor asked not to be named. “I…
Many HealthCare.gov customers will face slightly higher costs next year, the Obama administration acknowledged Thursday, Dec. 4 in a report that shows average healthcare premiums rising modestly. However, officials said, millions of consumers currently enrolled in plans can mitigate the financial consequences if they are willing to shop around for another plan in a more competitive marketplace….
Countless scientific studies in different countries have been done on the influence of grandparents on their grandkids concerning various facets in the life of the children. The better known researches were performed in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The main objective of the investigations was to determine if there was any significant impact of…
FOR the merry month of December, world boxing champion and Sarangani Congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao heads the list of prominent celebrities who will be celebrating their birthdays. Fresh from his victorious fight against Chris Algieri, Pacman will be turning 40 years old on December 17. Other personalities celebrating their special day this month are: December…
THE end of the year is fast approaching! Before year’s end, our team wants to remind you to take a look at your dental insurance benefits. Insurance benefits typically don’t roll over to next year Each year your dental insurance company probably gives you a maximum amount of available benefits. Since those benefits don’t typically roll over…
Recently, the USCIS published 2014 statistics concerning filing of DACA applications, by the various countries. Although the Philippines has traditionally been one of the top-filing countries when it comes to immigration benefits, for some reason, Filipinos are not fully taking advantage of the marvelous immigration benefits presented through DACA. Those benefits include: • work authorization…
The Diocese of Orange received a $20 million donation to help revamp the famous glass-sided Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. Outside of land donations, it is the largest gift ever received by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, which is home to more than 1.2 million Catholics. The donor asked not to be named. “I…
DALY CITY—Reelected Daly City Councilmembers Ray Buenaventura and Michael Guingona were sworn into office, along with Judith Christensen, at the City Hall on December 2. Buenaventura, Guingona and Christensen join fellow Councilmembers David Canepa and Sal Torres to comprise the 53rd City Council of a city whose motto is “Gateway to the Peninsula.” Buenaventura was…
