High court declines review of BP settlement case
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…
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Sy Accountancy Corp undergoes merger
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…
Mayor Garcetti announces earthquake safety plan for LA
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…
Fire engulfs downtown Los Angeles apartment complex and block
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…
Undocumented immigrants prepare for driver’s licenses
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…
Fil-Am arrested for alleged mortgage scam
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…
Filipino postal worker charged with mail theft
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…
Advent: a penitential season
“ 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…
Gawad Kalinga’s Genius of The Poor
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…
First Filipino-American Miss America releases memoir
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,…
Better safe than sorry
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:…
Do you feel safe or threatened when you see a police officer?
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,…
Client with large credit card debt used to pay college expenses of children seeks debt relief
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…
Executive actions on immigration announced on November 20, 2014
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…
Should you file a tax return even if you are not required to?
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…
Finding reprehensible conduct in employer’s gender and pregnancy discrimination
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…
To people facing a mountain of debt that they can’t pay
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…
Diosdado Rey Banatao: An inherited surname
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…
An unbounded amity defying all odds
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…
No indictment for NYPD officer involved in chokehold death
“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…
NYC to spend $130M to overhaul treatment of mentally ill in prisons
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…
Anonymous donation of $20 mil to renovate Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral
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…
HealthCare.gov average premiums to increase by next year
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…
The impact of grandparents
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…
World boxing champ Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao heads list of birthday celebrants this December
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…
Don’t let your insurance benefits go to waste
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…
DACA statistics: Philippines-5619; Mexico-627,142
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…
Anonymous donation of $20 mil to renovate Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral
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…
Fil-Am councilmembers sworn into Daly City office
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…
Christmas as told by lights and sounds
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…