The September 2013 priority dates have phenomenal news for spouses and minor children of green cardholders (Category F – 2A). That means that spouses and minor children of green cardholders would be eligible to file for adjustment of status and work authorization, if they are in the US, and are otherwise eligible! That is the case…
A mystery stomach bug that has sickened 275 persons in eight states in the USA since mid-June 2013 has been reported by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection causing prolonged diarrhea, with or without vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, and weight loss from dehydration. The Cyclospora cayetanensis one-celled parasite contamination was linked…
LOS ANGELES—Ask Dubai-based Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco how he would describe his fashion couture style and he would immediately tell you, “Impalpable!” Ethereal. Unreal. Dream-like. Otherworldly. Too perfect for this world, for sure. “Michael Cinco is in a league of his own,” commented Los Angeles-based fashion designer Carlyn Nuyda-Calloway of Thumbelina Couture. “Remember his…
I have always thought growing older was a quiet time. My 20’s and 40’s were interesting, fairly serene. But my 60’s are passionate. I grow more intense as I age — to my surprise, I burst out with hot convictions, unrestricted by the outer world of human quality in general, as I attempt to put…
AFTER months of strained relations, the Philippines and Taiwan have settled their differences — letting diplomacy prevail. Tensions rose on May 9, when a standoff ignited between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a Taiwanese fishing vessel, boarded by alleged poachers, in waters where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of both countries overlap. The incident…
How do we solve a problem like China, with its continued “bullying” and claim on a million square miles of the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea including some Philippine territories? As we reported on Balitang America, community leader Loida Nicolas Lewis and the US Pinoys for Good Governance have spearheaded the “boycott everything about China”…
Usually during rush hour, it takes Ian two hours from his home in Kamias, Quezon City to his office in Intramuros, Manila. Now, his travel time is reduced to only an hour and a half. Thirty minutes can make a big difference. Based on a study, it is believed that one of the major causes…
CHAPTER 13 is the section of the US Bankruptcy Code that allows individuals in the United States to reorganize their finances. If you are having difficulty paying your debts (credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, taxes, late mortgage payments and property taxes- all kinds of debts) due to insufficient income, don’t despair. Chapter 13 may…
THE United States Department of State has issued guidance for same-sex visa applications in light of the June 26, 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court that held Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional. The decision, in holding that each of the 50 states may define “marriage” according to their…
LOS ANGELES – On Monday, a mobile photo booth truck, a group of young artists, and eager young Angelenos turned the office facade of a non-profit organization in Los Angeles into a monument that literally puts a face on the issue of immigration reform. Through a partnership with the “Inside Out/11M” project, the Asian Americans…
The Bani Pangasinan-California Association (BPCA) will be hosting its 35th Anniversary Celebration and Miss BP-CA Coronation Ball on August 31, 2013, at the elegant Marriott South Bay in Torrance, CA. Started in 1978, BPCA has now grown to include over 700 members from across the state of California and the world over. The members come…
INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i) bars an alien from receiving a visa or admission into the U.S. if this alien has previously obtained or attempted to obtain a visa, other documentation, admission or other benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), by means of fraud or by willfully misrepresenting a material fact. Fraud is a false representation…
SOLARMAX TELLS CONGEN DURING HQ VISIT RIVERSIDE—According to SolarMax Technology Inc., the solar panels made in the Philippines are among the best in the world. SolarMax officials revealed this to Philippine Consul General (ConGen) Ma. Hellen Barber-De La Vega during her visit to the company’s headquarters in Rivierside on Friday, August 9. SolarMax is a…
SACRAMENTO — Yesterday, legislation authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and supported by a broad coalition of environmental justice groups which include The Greenlining Institute, Coalition for Clean Air, Public Advocates Inc., and Asian Pacific Environmental Network, passed out of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. “Today is a small victory for some of…
Benefit Concert for PhilDev at The Nourse Auditorium on Saturday, October 5th, 2013 at 8PM SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., August 12, 2013—Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) is proud to announce its annual fundraising gala with a live performance by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga at San Francisco’s Nourse Auditorium at City Arts on Saturday, October 5th at…
What is it about Janet Lim-Napoles that reminds me of the Mafia? Oh, yes, Napoles sounds like Napoli or Naples in Italy, the original turf of The Mob, which subsequently took control of the rackets in such cities as Chicago and New York. The current showbiz spectacle on the alleged 10 billion peso PDAF scams…
It was a presscon like no other. The LA media stopped, watched and stayed — only to start vibrating like tuning forks, stimulated by the night, the music, Bernardo Bernardo’s ribbing and antics, and Dr. Marge Holmes unbridled “lecture.” they stopped to find out if if all those colorful and raunchy teasers and come-ons had…
Once again, Philippine Fiesta fever pervades the air and just like in the past festive events, this year’s celebration presents a bevy of pulsating sights and sounds. To be showcased are intensely colorful vignettes and canticles of our cultural traditions and a myriad of ingeniously creative products These and more will offer an emotional dose…
Over 99 percent of all issues decided by the federal government that affect our nation’s 20 million Asian Americans are decided with little or no Asian American input. Largely, this exclusion is self-inflicted. We still think and act as if we are just temporary guests. Yet, we are citizens, have many Asian American legislators and…
Once again, Philippine Fiesta fever pervades the air and just like in the past festive events, this year’s celebration presents a bevy of pulsating sights and sounds. To be showcased are intensely colorful vignettes and canticles of our cultural traditions and a myriad of ingeniously creative products These and more will offer an emotional dose…
MOVE over, teenagers! Lolos and lolas are now on Facebook and it seems that they are here to stay! According to a new report from Pew Internet & American Life project, 43 percent of internet users aged 65 and older say they use social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This is a big leap, compared…
“Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.” – Jose P. Rizal PURSUANT to Presidential Decree No. 1041(s. 1997), August has been declared as Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) in the Philippines. The theme for this year is Wika Natin ang Daang Matuwid, with the Department of Education and…
On July 8, 2013, Commissioner Dennis W. Carroll of Department 8 of the Long Beach Superior Court sentenced a Filipino client, who pled “no-contest” to first driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offense, to: suspended sentence, 3-year summary probation, 3-month, 30-hour alcohol AB-541 program, 10 days of CalTrans community service, and total fine of $2,000 plus. The Author represents…
(Part 3) We ended last week with God, my God, the God of Moses and Israel, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to this world, and through the Blessed Virgin Mary, He became man and willingly died on the cross for our sins, to redeem us from the consequences of sin, so that we…
Couples have different spending habits and different philosophy in handling marital finances. Some spouses are conservative in managing their finances and stick with a budget while other spouses do not even set budgets. What is your exposure if your spouse is a shop-a-holic and runs though his/her credit card like there is no tomorrow? What…
A short sale occurs when you sell your property for a price that is short of the balance owed to avoid a foreclosure – with the consent of your lender. Let’s define recourse and non-recourse loans and discuss variations when the property is outside California or if you move into or out of California. Here…
FOR the past year or so there has been real signs of the inventory of houses for sale to be really low, in fact all time lows. Usually an average city hold about a three month inventory of homes for sale, that means, if within that three month period all of the existing houses were…
Pay stub case settles for $8.25 million We have previously written about the issue of confusing pay stubs and the employees’ remedies should they have trouble figuring out what they’re paid based on their pay stubs. How serious is the law regarding pay stubs? In the case of McKenzie v. FedEx, FedEx was sued for…
LOS ANGELES – A gay Filipino man won a reprieve from deportation after a US federal appeals court reversed an immigration judge’s decision to deport him. Judge Harry Pregerson of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 24 granted 37-year-old Dennis Quiambao Vitug’s petition to remain in the US, after finding…
LOS ANGELES – I never thought that Samsung would find a way to out-do the Galaxy S3. But somehow, they did. Enter the Galaxy S4. With all the TV commercials and web clips showing the new nifty stuff that Samsung’s “Next Big Thing” could do, the S4’s popularity went from viral to bat-poop crazy. Right…
