MANY of us need to have a wider understanding of the concept of prayer. Some of us think that prayer is just coming to church for an hour on Sunday, praying a decade of the Holy Rosary, or spending twenty minutes of silence before the Blessed Sacrament. All these forms of prayer are good, but…
Fall ushered in a series of eventful October activities aptly culminated by one of the most anticipated global celebrations there is, Halloween, a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. One of the world’s oldest holidays, Halloween ushers in several exciting activities which include trick or treating, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted houses, carving…
Eight years ago, Congress passed new federal laws that made it tougher to file personal bankruptcy. This happened at a time when thousands of families were living in financial distress and were facing an uncertain future. Out of fear that they could no longer get the debt relief that they needed, hundreds of thousands of…
The Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 (IMFA) requires an alien obtaining a green card through a marriage less than two years old to come back at the end of that two years with the petitioning spouse and show that they are still married or, if the marriage was terminated, to show that the marriage…
Fall ushered in a series of eventful October activities aptly culminated by one of the most anticipated global celebrations there is, Halloween, a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. One of the world’s oldest holidays, Halloween ushers in several exciting activities which include trick or treating, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted houses, carving…
Even with the passage of immigration reform stalled in Congress, the State of California has been enacting laws benefitting the undocumented population of the State. Notable among these immigration related legislation was a bill allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. These licenses are expected to be made available no later than January 2015. However,…
If you have ever filed a petition on behalf of a relative (i.e. a brother, sister, adult child, etc.), and then moved to a new home, you must notify the National Visa Center (NVC) of the change of address. If you don’t, how do you expect the NVC to know that you moved, so that…
WITH the coming Christmas season, it is always nice to have that “someone special” for the holidays who you can cuddle with and celebrate. Since the holidays come early in the Philippines, one would think that aside from Valentine’s Day, this season should be filled with love. However, a number of showbiz couples have suddenly…
“For ladies who want larger breasts, men who want larger and longer penises, for those who want to be taller, and for older people who want to have instant rejuvenation and a sex drive and performance of a teenager, send me your money and I will make your dream come true!” While the last dozen…
I CAN never quell a stir of fascination, dread and longing when the house lights dim and the curtains part. But the enjoyment of an opera can begin, not with the rise of the curtains but with the first bars of the overture. To understand and enjoy the opera is the recognition of certain irreconcilable…
THE stakes in uncovering the truth behind the controversial pork barrel scam just got higher. On November 7, the stage is set at a Senate public hearing, for a face off between the whistleblowers, who bore the truth in the misuse of Filipinos’ tax money and the alleged mastermind, who allegedly siphoned off P10 billion…
IN the past, the epitome of the Filipina lola has been painted as an old woman in a rocking chair, gray hair in a bun (pusod), wearing eye glasses, a bit on the heavier side, holding a rosary and praying. Although loved and appreciated for doting on her grandchildren, the Filipina lola has been deemed…
MARK Twain is said to have quipped, “A cat who sits on a hot stove will never sit on a hot stove again. But he won’t sit on a cold stove, either.” Of course people are supposed to be more intelligent than cats. But we’re seeing the same cat-and-the-hot-stove attitude currently taking hold in our…
THE vibrant past of the Philippines is among the many great things it is known for. As one of the most-visited destinations, it is home to a great number of historical attractions—from native houses and colonial establishments to former battlegrounds. Along with all these, one of the riches that Filipinos are genuinely proud of is…
LOS ANGELES – As the partial shutdown of federal government ended on Thursday, Oct. 17, Filipino American advocates continued to push for immigration reform as if the stoppage never happened. In Pasadena, Filipinos joined immigrant rights activists and religious groups for a prayer vigil calling for the US Congress to come up with a comprehensive…
LOS ANGELES – Jeane Napoles, daughter of the accused mastermind behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam, is no longer selling her unit in the posh Ritz Carlton in Los Angeles. Her mother, Janet Napoles, who witnesses said was linked to the pork barrel and Malampaya fund scams, had earlier admitted having bought the property as…
One may acquire U.S. citizenship either at birth or through naturalization. Birth in the U.S. is the common way of acquiring citizenship. Under INA 101(a)(38), the incorporated territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands are part of the U.S. for purposes of nationality laws. Birth in these incorporated…
Who said downtown Los Angeles gets crowded only when the Lakers are playing? Last week, the only game in the town was the Shaolin Temple Cultural Festival in this City. There was nothing like it. On any given schedule, parking lots around burst with cars and revelers to catch a glimpse of the venerable Abbot of…
A NON-CITIZEN in the US that has committed a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT) may be inadmissible to the US This means the person will likely not be issued a visa to come to the US or might be refused admission to the US at a port of entry. If the person is in the…
THE magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck central Philippines last Tuesday, October 15, has claimed 161 lives according to authorities. About 400 people were reported injured and some are still missing as of press time. Landslides were reported in some areas. Nearly 3,000 houses were destroyed and another 16,000 were damaged in Bohol and Cebu, officials reported…
LOS ANGELES—The second Philippine-born US citizen to be promoted to the officer rank of General in the US Army, is the AARP’s newest endorser. Gen. Taguba, or Tony to his friends and family, is a decorated military hero known for his advocacy work to break down racial barriers in the army. Born in the Philippines…
WHEN is a woman too old to rock? When a Filipina becomes a lola, should she stop taking care of her self as she used to in her younger years when to look good and feel good? Is there a new “life” that awaits a woman when she becomes old and gray, and has earned…
MANY debtors feel that their debt problems have placed them in a lions’ den because they feel that their debts will swallow them up alive. Every month every creditor must have their minimum bites from debtors’ household income. Creditors are compared to lions that eat debtors alive. This situation is not hard to imagine. Just…
ESTATE planning for sophisticated individuals with significant net worth should consider using family business entities, primarily for income, gift, and estate tax planning, and even tax saving through valuation discounts and asset protection. Indeed, under the American Tax-prayer Relief Act of 2013 (ATRA), the 2013 exemption for each of the estate, gift, and generation skipping…
OUR column usually focuses on serious (and sometimes boring) subjects of tax and finance. Let’s depart from that dull setting and explore the lighter world of Murphy’s Law: 1. If something can go wrong, it will. At the worst possible time. 2. Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. 3. Brain cells come and brain…
ON Sept. 26, 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that entitles personal attendants, which include caregivers and nannies working in private households, to overtime pay if they work more than 9 hours in a day. Personal attendants were previously exempt from overtime law. The Industrial Welfare Commission’s Wage Order 15 currently defines…
QUESTION: It seems years ago I supposedly received a notice to go to court, but never went because I never really received the notice. What can I do? Answer: An in absentia order may be rescinded by the immigration judge upon the filing of a motion to reopen if the respondent did not receive proper…
ANAHEIM – Seeing the need for a more diverse political base, California Republican leaders earlier this month vowed to expand its party and place a concerted effort to reach out to the Asian American community, the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.. In its third Asian Pacific American Roundtable at the California Republican Party…
“THE word of God is not chained,” St. Paul says in his letter to Timothy as he was suffering in prison, chained because of his passion for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such words are meaningful to us in this present time as we continue to face the problems of violence, war, poverty, and…
What sets Filipino singer Marco Sison apart from the rest of his contemporaries? What made him survive the stiff competition against new singers post his generation? What could have been his well-kept secret to stay young and keep his unmatched masculine virility? The prevailing questions always fail to gather sufficient and concrete answers. Whispers that…
