10 excuses to abate penalties for late filing or paying taxes
IF YOU fail to file on time or pay on time, penalties kick in. Here are 10 reasonable causes to abate (forgive) penalties for late filing or late paying: 1….
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VA grants aid and attendance pension to Korean War marine veteran
BY RATING Decision dated January 8, 2014 (mailed March 13, 2014), the US Department of Veterans Affairs, through its Pension Management Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, granted a Marine Corps…
The many disguises of wage theft
(Are you paid for all hours worked?) THE cheer squad for the Oakland Raiders, the Raiderettes, recently sued their employer for back wages and reimbursements. The lawsuit claims that the…
H1-B cap is reached! Alternatives available
THE H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows business professionals to work in the United States for a specific amount of time. The purpose of the H-1B visa is…
Understanding the asylum backlog
USCIS recently informed representatives of the American Immigration Lawyers Association that about 40,000 asylum cases are currently pending at its asylum offices throughout the US An estimated 28,000 of those…
You don’t need to face your debt problems alone
ARE you having trouble paying your bills every month? Are you being harassed by bill collectors who will not leave you alone no matter how many times you tell them…
Parent’s right to change child’s residence to another state in custody cases
PARENTS that are going through divorce and legal separation sometimes have to make a decision to move out of state for various reasons. It may be because their family network…
What if you receive a Notice to Appear?
EVEN as the Obama Administration has espoused some more lenient policies toward persons who have violated their immigration status in the US, such as prosecutorial discretion, USCIS over the past…
You need a ‘qualifying relative’ for a fraud waiver
Dear Atty. Gurfinkel: Years ago, I entered the US under a different name but have been law-abiding and paying my taxes since then. My child, who was born in the…
Fil-Am elected as Bellflower mayor
LOS ANGELES – Another Filipino has been elected to a key city council position for a quaint suburban city in Southern California. 60-year-old Sonny R. Santa Ines, was recently elected…
Starting over again
For Christians, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the fulfillment of God’s promise for deliverance of man. But what precedes God’s…
Humility and sacrifice
“Humility provides everyone, even him who despairs in solitude, with the strongest relationship to his fellow man, and this immediately, though, of course, only in the case of complete and…
The glory of the Cross: An Easter message
I ALWAYS remember what my spiritual mentor, Nim Gonzales, once said: “At times, the unpleasant things that we reject in our lives, such as our struggles, our pains or our…
PH SC rules: RH law is constitutional
DESPITE opposition from the mighty Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, key provisions in the controversial Reproductive Health(RH) Bill have been upheld by the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) as constitutional …
Moving forward
IT was a hard-fought battle, but on April 8 success gleamed when the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) deemed the basic principles of the controversial Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RH)…
The Shoemakers: End-results of genetic dominance
The capacity to be skilled in the many facets of parenting remains to this day a gargantuan challenge for Singer-supermom Maureen Javier-Varco. Now that her kids are in the adolescent…
Are undocumented workers entitled to back wages if fired due to disability discrimination?
IN 2003, Vicente Salas started work for Sierra Chemical in its production line filling containers with chemicals used for water treatment. The company hires seasonal workers because demand for its…
Immigration consequences of domestic violence convictions
A CRIMINAL conviction for domestic violence might affect an alien’s eligibility for immigration relief or benefit. This conviction might qualify as a ground for inadmissibility under crime involving moral turpitude…
Facing foreclosure: Here’s one mistake you should avoid
YOU already know that your home is in foreclosure. You’ve received that dreaded Notice of Default. You know that after 90 days, your home can be scheduled for a Trustee…
H-1B cap reached in one week again: Alternatives?
ONCE again, the USCIS has announced that the H-1B cap has been reached within one week of opening on April 1, 2014. Even though we are talking about visas that…
The May 2014 Priority Dates
The May 2014 priority dates indicate that the F-2A priority date still remains at September 8, 2013, which is almost the same as being “current.” It is phenomenal news for spouses…
First Fil-Am elected to Sierra Madre City Council
LOS ANGELES – On April 8, Rachelle Arizmendi became the first non-white and first Filipino-American member of the Sierra Madre City Council. Arizmendi edged out re-electionist Gene Goss and two…
Edison International Awards $1.2 Million in Scholarships to Edison Scholars
ROSEMEAD, Calif. — Congratulations to 30 high school seniors across Southern California Edison’s (SCE) service territory who have been named 2014 Edison Scholars, each winning a $40,000 scholarship offered by Edison International,…
The unheard, unwept and unsung heroes of Bataan
There is always a legend of a hero — one who fights and dies in the name of freedom. The word freedom does not seem to have a synonym, only…
Does bankruptcy court have power to void debtor's homestead exemption?
The situation we are going to discuss involves the debtor’s homestead claim of exemption for his residence in a bankruptcy proceeding. In California, the homestead claim of exemption is $75,000,…
What if you receive a Notice to Appear?
Even as the Obama Administration has espoused some more lenient policies toward persons who have violated their immigration status in the US, such as prosecutorial discretion, USCIS over the past…
Crime-busting doesn't pay
In 2005, the late Samuel Ong, then deputy director of the NBI, blew the whistle on the Hello Garci phone calls that resulted in the “election” of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and…
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada opens up to Balitang America
Three senators believed to have been key players in the multi-billion pork barrel scam in the Philippines have already been charged with plunder. One of them, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, is…
Halo-Halo: Philippines’ ultimate summer quencher
Now that it’s summer in the Philippines, everybody’s looking for a way to beat the heat. And apart from the exciting getaways and road trips, there’s this one treat everybody…