ON SUNDAY, Sept. 21, 1972 former Philippine Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law. For today’s Filipinos, 42 years may seem like another lifetime—a bygone period with sketchy details of what martial law entailed for the people who had to endure it. But for those who lived through the wretched moments of this tumultuous era…
ONE of things that frustrates many Filipinos raising small kids in America is the thought that we cannot spank our kids to discipline them — the way we were disciplined growing up in the Philippines. Many Pinoy parents grew up with the belief, “Mabuti na yung may kinatatakutan ang bata,” so that kids will be…
CLIENT is a woman who is 72 years old. She worked as a mental health therapist for 40 years since she was actually a physician abroad. She was happy doing her job helping people to get their sanity back on track. She married her co-employee and they had two children. After 20 years, husband told…
LOS ANGELES — A fire that occurred around 6:30 pm Monday, Sept. 22 at the Port of Los Angeles was reportedly started by a welding torch, erupting a chemical-coated wharf into flames and forcing the closure of a nearby Catholic school. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the warehouse fire burned through thick 18-by-12…
OAKLAND—The Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ), a Bay Area organization dedicated to making social change and realizing democratic and human rights for all, is launching a new campaign to get Filipino and Fil-Am voters to get out there and vote in the upcoming November general elections. The “Get Out the Vote” campaign is part of…
I HAVE no expiration date. And I know more clearly than ever, that each day is a treasure gift to be lived to the fullest—till tomorrow comes. Having cancer invites the permanent temptation to be self-centered and even solipsistic as the population of Tumorville and Wellville continue to swell and interact, there is a growing…
Bill to be implemented in Jan. 2015 LOS ANGELES —The Department of Homeland Security has accepted new wording that distinguishes the driver’s licenses of undocumented immigrants in California, after rejecting an initial design. In a letter sent to Department of Motor Vehicles director Jean Shiomoto on Sept. 17, Homeland Security wrote that it “commends California’s…
LOS ANGELES — According to a new report, some Los Angeles schools have astoundingly low vaccination rates not far off from those in developing countries, such as parts of Africa. An investigation by The Hollywood Reporter found that vaccination rates are surprisingly low in wealthier LA neighborhoods including Malibu, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Beverly…
LOS ANGELES — Covered California acknowledged problems with enrollment delays and dropped health plan coverage for nearly 30,000 consumers over the weekend. The health insurance exchange is working to fix the issue before the next sign-up period this fall. According to officials, the health plan provider failed to promptly send insurance applications for 20,000 people,…
HAVE you ever wished that a delightful experience that you had recently should have happened earlier in your life? Well, I had this experience a few days ago. I was planning to attend the funeral of a former classmate in another city with a colleague when a well-known Church leader decided to join us. As…
ON Sept. 21, 1972, — 42 years ago — President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in the Philippines to suppress increasing civil strife and the threat of communist takeover following a series of bombings in Manila. “My countrymen, as of the twenty-first of this month, I signed Proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire Philippines under…
LAST week, I shared with you the “Health Care For All” bill” that is expected to be re-introduced by State Sen. Ricardo Lara in November, and like the previous bill, it is expected to be co-sponsored by Filipino American Assemblyman Rob Bonta. Explaining the bill to the public, Sen Lara said: “It’s going to save…
IN THE 1992 US presidential campaign, which pitted Bill Clinton against reelectionist George Bush (the elder), Clinton’s camp focused on the recession plaguing the country, while Bush was riding high on his successful handling of the war in Iraq. Thus the Clinton slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Bush lost. In the 2010 Philippine elections, corruption…
ABOUT a dozen of my clients have complained of receiving threatening phone calls from the “IRS” to pay up or be subject to criminal investigation. This is a problem for us taxpaying folks. And it’s growing. The IRS renewed its warning about an emerging phone scam that continues to target people across the nation, especially…
IN 2005, Carolyn Gregory was assigned by her employer, a home health care agency, to work in the home of 85-year-old Lorraine Cott, who had long suffered from Alzheimer‘s disease. Carolyn was trained and experienced in caring for Alzheimer‘s patients. She knew they could be violent. Lorraine was combative and would bite, kick, scratch, and…
IF YOU are facing the prospect of filing bankruptcy for the first time in your life, this could be a frightening process. You probably have a thousand questions going through your mind as you contemplate your next move. Is bankruptcy the right thing to do or will it only make my situation worse? Will I…
CULVER CITY — There is that saying: “Those who can, do; Those who can’t, teach.” It is insulting. The prestige is still there. Teaching is a very serious pursuit that starts with a calling and lives it as a purpose. People who think and believe teaching is a mediocre choice of profession do a deal…
LOS ANGELES – The Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) welcomed three different small businesses, all recent graduates of its entrepreneurship training program, as top winners of the Citi Business Plan Competition being presented at the Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra on Saturday, Sept. 20….
LOS ANGELES – The Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) welcomed three different small businesses, all recent graduates of its entrepreneurship training program, as top winners of the Citi Business Plan Competition being presented at the Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra on Saturday, Sept. 20….
Includes public urination and walking dogs w/o leashes LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council recently adopted a new program that will allow police officers to issue citations and fines for minor “quality of life” crimes. Through the pilot program — being called as Administrative Citation Enforcement — the LAPD and the Department of…
Includes public urination and walking dogs w/o leashes LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council recently adopted a new program that will allow police officers to issue citations and fines for minor “quality of life” crimes. Through the pilot program — being called as Administrative Citation Enforcement — the LAPD and the Department of…
USCIS official encourages use of vast educational resources on naturalization LOS ANGELES — In this city, Filipinos ranked third among countries with the most number of people set to become naturalized US citizens on September 17, Citizenship Day. As many as 506 Filipinos joined a total of 6,658 people from 133 different countries in taking…
A major Catholic church meeting on a longstanding family issue is taking place in September 2015, and Pope Francis’ decision is the ultimate deal breaker. The World Meeting of Families will take place in Philadelphia next September, serving as a forum for “debating issues on the agenda for the world Synod of Bishops at the…
Several men accused of helping the Islamic State terrorist group by plotting to kill Shia Muslims and US military members pleaded not guilty on Thursday, Sept. 18 in Rochester, NY. Mufid Elfgeeh, 30, entered the plea to three counts of attempting to provide resources, materials, and new recruits to Islamic State extremists in Syria and…
AGE does not matter they say, especially when it involves love. For top comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas, the age difference with her new boyfriend is not a hindrance to their relationship. Just last September 13, during the birthday celebration of director Wenn Deramas, Ai-Ai finally introduced her 20-year-old boyfriend, Gerald Sibayan, to her friends in…
TODAY there are as many women as there are men in dental schools. But 150 years ago it was very different. We admire and honor those women who paved the way. Women in dentistry Unofficially, women in dentistry go back a long way. Although a dental education wasn’t available to women until fairly recently, women have…
The October 2014 Visa Bulletin provides more great news for Filipinos, as the priority dates in the various family and employment categories continue to move forward. Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories….
The big “C” is arguably the most dreaded of all diseases, with its general reputation as a fast killer. While other serious illnesses are also horrible, including Alzheimer’s dementia, the devastating nature of almost all forms of cancer understandably instills extreme fear in all of us. The estimated new cases of all varieties of cancer…
WITH the launch of the iPhone 6 and new products, Apple has faced much scrutiny and media attention. Now the tech company faces protests, as two dozen of its employees were believed to have been unfairly fired from a supplier in the Philippines. NXP, a Dutch-based company that supplies parts for Apple, fired 24 union…
In a report last year by the US Census Bureau, the poverty rate dropped significantly to 14.5 percent, the first drop since 2006. The Latino population was the only ethnic group with a significant 2.1 percentage drop, from 25.6 percent to 23.5 percent. It was a heartening change all around, with the number of Latinos…
