WHAT do you expect of the country’s leading commercial city? In Makati, everything is in motion—so fast and busy that one forgets to slow down and take in the beauty of the surroundings. Since 2011, this has been changing annually every Christmas Season. The Ayala Triangle, the heart of Makati’s Central Business District located between…
THE Philippine government is more driven to institutionalize good governance and continue walking the “tuwid na daan” (straight path). To achieve this, Presdent Benigno Aquino III vowed to strengthen and rationalize the government’s reform measures in weeding out corruption. “We are working to rid the Philippines of the corruption that has tainted its reputation and…
MORE than five million undocumented immigrants, including Filipinos who are in the United States without legal status, are expected to benefit from a series of executive actions announced by President Barack Obama on Nov. 20, 2014. Kababayans who have followed the rules and are now green card holders will also be accorded help to become…
THE Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Terminal One is not simply a gateway to the Philippines. It is hallowed ground. Like Fort Santiago. And Bagumbayan. This is the where Ninoy Aquino demonstrated that the Filipino was worth dying for. It should be revered and cared for as devotedly as the sites of Jose Rizal’s incarceration and…
IT is the time I prepare myself for worship on Sunday, by reading beautiful and poetic stories from the Bible. Our knowledge of the Bible was limited to memorizing the Beatitudes, Psalms and part of the Story of Solomon, which my mother required of me to memorize. She considered those parts of the Bible as…
THE Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) struck down request to limit eastbound flights departing from Los Angeles International Airport between midnight to 6:30 am. Community groups state that such departures cause noise pollution in South Bay area neighborhoods. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) was mandated to request the flight restrictions as part of a 2006 settlement…
PRESIDENT Obama announced on Monday, Dec. 1 that he would tighten standards on the provision and use of military-style equipment by local police, responding to concerns during the recent violent protests in Ferguson, Mo. The president is preparing an executive order to better track the weapons and military gear flowing from the federal government to…
IF the cost of tuition at the University of California rises, taxpayers may find themselves contributing more money toward students’ education. On Thursday, Nov. 20, the UC Board of Regents approved a plan that would raise tuition by 5 percent by 2019 if the school system doesn’t receive any further funding from the state. Along…
IN AN anticipated, emboldened move on Thursday, Dec. 4, the Republican-led House of Representatives issued a stern rebuke to President Obama over his executive actions to protect up to 5 million immigrants from deportation. In a narrow 219 to 197 vote, the House passed a bill, which declares his actions to be “null and void…
AN aide to a Republican member of Congress resigned on Monday, Dec. 1 after criticizing President Barack Obama’s daughters, who were present during last week’s Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony, on Facebook. Elizabeth Lauten, communications director for Rep. Stephen Fincer (R-Tenn.), wrote words directed toward Obama’s teenage daughters, Sasha, 13, and Malia, 16. Her post has…
MANY California county jails are experiencing a rise in drug smuggling cases, and officials say it is partly because parolees want to bring drugs into prisons. Part of the the reason for these incidents may be traced back to the state’s 2011 Public Safety Realignment, according to officials, which reduced the number of inmates in…
A RELEASE from the National Retail Foundation (NRF) states that sales for this year’s Black Friday saw an 11 percent drop compared to those in 2013. Consumers spent a total of $50.9 billion this past weekend, down from last year’s $57.4 billion. On average, US shoppers spent $380.95 per person, 6.4 percent less than the…
THE Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) struck down request to limit eastbound flights departing from Los Angeles International Airport between midnight to 6:30 am. Community groups state that such departures cause noise pollution in South Bay area neighborhoods. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) was mandated to request the flight restrictions as part of a 2006 settlement…
MY fellow priest in the seminary, Fr. Leon, gave a beautiful homily last Tuesday, the day that the seminarians left for Thanksgiving break. He said that we’re like grains of wheat waiting to be harvested and to be ground so that we can become loaves of bread. We’re also like grapes waiting to be crushed…
Animating ice is complicated. And when it came to working on “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” that was a challenging part. “Ice is particularly difficult because it has a very complex lighting model,” said Lawrence Lee, head of effects for the film. “So we have to make sure when we crack it—before we crack…
DESPITE efforts from the current administration to maintain the Philippine economic growth, this year’s 3rd quarter Gross Domestic product (GDP) have decelerated from the previous quarter’s 6.4 percent gain and 7 percent growth posted the same period last year, Moody’s Analytics reported. The financial service company predicts that there would be a 5.9 percent growth….
“ If you file for bankruptcy, timing is critical. The IRS cannot and will not entertain your OIC after you file bankruptcy.” AN offer in compromise (OIC) allows you to settle assessments for tax, penalties, and interests at less than the assessed amounts. You can apply for an OIC if there is doubt as to…
“ According to EPI, even though the restaurant industry is one of the fastest growing sector of the economy, its workers are some of the lowest paid and are much more likely than other workers to live in poverty or near-poverty level.” THE Economic Policy Institute (EPI) recently published a study on restaurant workers, how…
READ this if you owe the IRS money and can’t pay. IRS problems have a way of ruining all aspects of your life. They take a toll on you FINANCIALLY, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. They’re there when you go to bed at night and they’re there when you wake up in the morning. The IRS is…
“To have lived a meaningful and productive life is such a wonderful thing, but to live a life that will be remembered for the wisdom it shared with others is admirable, and a blessing to the people it has touched.” The late Sudono Salim also known as Liem Sioe Liong’s legacy remained for the world…
Animating ice is complicated. And when it came to working on “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” that was a challenging part. “Ice is particularly difficult because it has a very complex lighting model,” said Lawrence Lee, head of effects for the film. “So we have to make sure when we crack it—before we crack…
THE boxing arena has all the great literary themes. Money, power, romance get played out in the careers of the these elite marquee fighters—perhaps a little bigger, a little gaudier than the strict facts of fistic delights. A boxer’s skills erode a lot quicker in this crazy roulette like no other sports can offer. Here…
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a process to convert human feces into rocket fuel, per NASA’s request. Pratap Pullammanappallil, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida who was part of the research team, said researchers worked on calculating how much methane could be produced from food packaging,…
Sony has released the Fes Watch, an e-paper device, developed by the company to test how well the material would fare with fashion items. With a minimalist design, the watch does not have any advanced features like the Apple Watch. E-paper, also referred to as electronic ink or intelligent paper, is similar to technology used…
ACCORDING to a federal report, over half a million enrollees selected or renewed their health insurance plans during the first week of the 2015 enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21st, the US Department of Health and Human Services reported that around 462,125 people signed…
Mixed reactions and different benefits for immigrants under Pres. Obama’s new order LAST week’s major announcement by President Obama to expand the deferred action program affects many, including 5 million undocumented immigrants shielded from deportation. However, while the impact is numerous, it also varies significantly by state—largely because it focuses on the parents of children…
THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday a proposal to cut ozone emissions, a pollutant that causes smog and is linked to health problems such as heart disease, asthma and premature death. The suggested standards would lower emissions to a range between 65 to 70 parts per billion. This is down from the current standard…
LOS ANGELES—California voters may be faced with up to four initiatives in the 2016 election that would create, extend or increase taxes to generate revenues for the state. Among options being examined include the extension of Proposition 30, an initiative passed in 2012 that raised tax rates on high-income earners and increased sales tax throughout…
For the third consecutive year, Walmart employees went on strike on Black Friday to protest for a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour and for more consistent work hours. Barbara Gertz, a Walmart worker who decided to participate, makes $12.40 an hour, but still encounters financial difficulties with that wage. “I have dental…
Burial workers in Sierra Leone have left corpses on a street outside a hospital in the city of Kenema in protest of not having received pay bonuses for managing victims of Ebola. A spokesperson for workers on strike said they have gone on for seven weeks without their weekly hazard allowance. Although officials recognized the…
