THE battle lines have been drawn. On one side, high caliber apologists have been harnessed to justify the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) of Noynoy Aquino and Butch Abad, in the face of the Supreme Court decision decreeing it unconstitutional. On the other side are a mixture of well-meaning individuals, sharp legal minds, political enemies, Aquino…
WHEN I emceed the Peoples’ Ball, celebrating Philippine Independence with more than 1000 kababayans in Washington DC last June, I had the privilege of being serenaded by amazaing vocal talents singing classic arias and love songs. They were among the performers of Noli Me Tangere the Opera. It premiered in New York City and is…
THE Philippines joins the international community in extending its sympathies to the families of the passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 that crashed in Ukraine on Thursday, July 17. “At this difficult time, we stand with them in solidarity as one people and one country,” Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte. The Philippine government is…
THIS article, a continuation of last week’s, was originally intended for outdoor activities during the rainy season in the Philippines. However, with the present condition, it would be nonsensical and insensitive to suggest items on how people can try to enjoy the heavy downpour outside their houses—when, really, people should take necessary precautions. Therefore, let…
LOS ANGELES – The Philippines yet again won big at the world’s stage by snatching a grandslam win by taking home the top two awards at the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA). On Friday, July 18, 11-year old Lloyd Montebon of Davao and the Xtreme Dancers duo of Raymark Alminasa (22) and Eddie Melody…
There was once a press club in the heart of a city where everyone lived in harmony with each other and their surroundings. Photographers and writers: they were affable and comrades among themselves. They had a club house in the midst of a hill– oh, magnificent, almost celestial. It was not fancy, exclusive nor isolated, but was famous…
Eid’l Fitr marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims all around the world. It is an event that brings together brothers and sisters ofIslam with a chance to celebrate their faith together. The end offasting brings a clean start to the Muslim community, allowing them a look at the world with a clearer perspective. For this year’s Eid’l Fitr Festival, the concept for the art exhibit will…
Family based petitions and some employment-based petitions (where a relative owns a 5% interest in the petitioning company) require the petitioner to submit an affidavit of support (Form I – 864) in order for the beneficiary to adjust status or obtain an immigrant visa. The petitioner must be domiciled (or living) in the US to…
THE PHYSICIAN Members of the professions are normally doing well financially in the United States because they are highly paid for their skills. However, even with high gross incomes, wrong decisions, or illness can result in financial problems that require bankruptcy relief. This is what happened to my client who is a member of the…
Q: I AM a salaried employee receiving exactly twice the minimum wage per hour. I have a heavy workload and I supervise a few employees but I can’t hire or fire them. My employer insists that since I am salaried and paid double the hourly minimum wage, I am exempt from overtime pay. Is it…
WHEN debts spiral out of control, bankruptcy can become an invaluable financial recovery tool in stemming the tide and getting you back on the right track. Without the “fresh start” that bankruptcy provides, it would be impossible for a lot of people to ever pay back what they owe and they will simply remain stuck…
LAST week, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Jeh Johnson announced that the USCIS is ready for the first round of applications for extensions of deferred action and work authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Effective immediately, USCIS will begin accepting renewal requests. USCIS will also continue to accept…
THE song of Tony Orlando and the Dawns once again kept playing in my mind upon reading about President Benigno Aquino III’s call for Filipinos to wear yellow ribbon to show their support for his administration’s protest against the Supreme Courts’ decision, ruling that PNoy’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is unconstitutional. As quoted by ABS-CBN…
WITH an average of 20 typhoons every year, there is no reason why the Philippines should not always be prepared for calamities. On Wednesday, July 16, Typhoon Glenda (international name Rammasun) traversed the same path Typhoon Milenyo took way back in 2006—giving Manila whips of strong wind and heavy downpours of rain. This was the…
The piece began as an act of friendship, arranged by super lawyer Roman P. Mosqueda. It was a conversation-interview supposed to draw a portrait of Dr. Mariedel Leviste, a portrait without physical features. Everyone knows this already: to describe her wouldn’t be telling anything new. At her swearing in as LA Commissioner of Community and Family…
“BUT though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance…
Away from the bustling hubbub of the asphalt jungle where the “predatory struggle” for survival seem unbounded and the tiring restlessness of the daily grind exists exuberantly, a multitude of medical doctors and related practitioners in the field find Toms River, New Jersey, an idyllic township in Ocean County about 70 miles south of Manhattan…
On March 4, 2013, the Final Rule on Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers for Certain Immediate Relatives took effect. The new law provided a significant benefit to spouses, children and parents of US citizens by allowing them to apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers before they leave the United States. This process allows individuals, who only…
CONGRATULATIONS are in order for actress KC Concepcion and actor/politician ER Ejercito for bagging the Best Actress and Best Actor awards respectively at the 62nd Film Academey of Movie Arts and Sciences (better known as FAMAS) Awards last July 13 at the Grand Ballroom of Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque City. The two were…
Foundation Funding Supports Seven Nonprofit Health Organizations With $35,000 Grants To Cover Chief Executives’ Paid Time Off Los Angeles — Seven nonprofit health-sector executives will be recognized with The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) Sabbatical Program Award at a luncheon in Los Angeles on September 9, 2014. The leadership support program — now in its 11th year —…
The substitute sponsors include spouse, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother or sister, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, or legal guardian. Family based petitions and some employment-based petitions (where a relative owns a 5% interest in the petitioning company) require the petitioner to submit an affidavit of support (Form I – 864) in order for…
WE believe in preventive dentistry and yes, much of that depends on you! Cleaning your teeth after you eat is important, but the effects of good habits also have a lot to do with what you eat. Keep your smile healthy by packing great lunches. Eating on-the-go can be problematic. In the morning, grabbing a donut is much…
IT may be perhaps the biggest challenge of his presidency. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III faces impeachment cases to oust him from office, following the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) that the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is unconstitutional. In a televised speech, PNoy responded to the highest court’s ruling, and tried to explain to the…
The noontime sunlight no longer keeps their brows frowned and the stars at night are already absent from their view. More importantly, beds become a favorite and cuddling becomes a hobby. All these are because the rainy season, although almost two months late, is finally in the Philippines. The heavy downpour and the flooded roads…
The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) allows an applicant for immigration benefit under a preference category, either as a direct or a derivative beneficiary, to retain his classification as a “child” even if he has reached the age of 21 by means of the following formula. First, determine the child’s age on the date his…
Women called it “pause.” It is a new perspective coming into view in every woman’s major life passage: A midlife agitation, literal and poignant. First, the gushing, like the reddening of a dying tree as it blazes out in the funeral autumn, and now reduced to basics, forced to lie fallow…in an emptiness watered by…
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino man being suspected of killing three people is now asking for a public attorney to represent him in court. Carlo Mercado, 30, is the primary suspect in an unsolved triple murder case in San Diego, and is charged with three counts of first degree murder in connection to the shooting…
DESPITE controversies surrounding the Philippine government and its leaders, Pinoys have always remained auspicious. With notable democratic icons as his parents (the late Former Sen. Ninoy Aquino and and Former Philippine President Cory Aquino) Pres. Benigno Aquino III had the “Yellow Magic.” It catapulted him from being Tarlac’s 2nd district representative, a senator and now…
AFTER kababayans found out via social media about how a Catholic priest from Cebu insulted and humiliated a 17-year old mother during the solemn sacrament of baptism of her baby, many ask: what right has this priest to do that, especially in front of the public to witness? Speaking in the vernacular Cebuano, the priest…
The physician MEMBERS of the professions are normally doing well financially in the United States because they are highly paid for their skills. However, even with high gross incomes, wrong decisions, or illness can result in financial problems that require bankruptcy relief. This is what happened to my client who is a member of the…
