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…
Are you ready to conquer fear and unleash that innate “public speaker” in you? Are you looking for your next career move or just getting out of school and is getting ready to face the real world? The Los Angeles Chapter of the International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting (ISFFA) will be holding…
A priest flew thousands of miles to spent a month with the community of Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. He was in a stage of discernment for God’s further purpose in his priestly life. On the first morning that he met Mother Teresa, the pious nun asked him, “What do you want me to pray…
Handsome actor and singer Jericho Rosales has a lot to smile out these days. Of course, aside from the fact that he has been making it in the international scene with him winning Best Actor/Outstanding Acting Achievement award at the recent Newport Beach Film Fest for the film Alagwa (Breakaway), Echo is now engaged to…
Recently, the Department of State (DOS) issued a cable, providing guidance to the embassies around the world on how to handle immigration cases involving same-sex couples. This means that US embassies must follow the DOS’s cable or guidance. Among the matters discussed in that cable are that, “Beginning immediately, consular officers should review visa applications…
Some years ago, when Manny Pacquiao was just beginning to make waves in the boxing world, he starred in a full length Tagalog movie. A special screening of the film was held in San Francisco, to which I was invited. After the screening, I was among those asked for our opinion on Pacquiao’s acting. My…
A WOMAN’S breasts have always been regarded very precious, a symbol of femininity, sexiness, sensuality, and during the child-bearing age, the wonderful breasts of a mother have yet to be equaled, even with today’s great advances in science and technology, in their ability to naturally produce, not only life-sustaining milk for the baby, but one…
What a noble trade, being a street sweeper. It’s about sweeping the filth we produce, of making our existence less infected. Mindless and ungrateful are those who use the word “sweeper” in a disparaging way — who do not understand how extraordinary and how precious sweepers are. We would die of stench, shame and plague…
Discrimination and racist laws from the US Congress Dear Editor, We write you this letter in light of some new developments in the US Senate last week. In a final act of insult, your newspaper reported the sad news that the US Senate marked up the Heller Bill, recycled it to be called Sanders’ Bill…
Joseph Estrada. Ramon Revilla. John F. Kennedy. Bill Clinton. These are powerful men in the political arena, who are also known for philandering. Additionally, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner also engage in the same behavior. The question is: should this disqualify them from…
NATIONAL security is of paramount importance to any country and to everyone. One terrorist act/attack, no matter how small or localized, is enough to incite fear into the hearts and minds of an entire nation. Over the weekend, the US State Department issued a worldwide travel alert, following a recent al-Qaida threat. “Current information suggests…
You need to be aware that if foreclosing proceedings have begun and your application has been denied, you may not have enough time to submit a new application andre-apply especially if a trustee sale date has been scheduled. According to a recent government report, nearly 50 percent of loan modifications approved under HAMP are back in…
Even viewed in its best light, AB 1159 interferes with the attorney-client relationship and redundantly ‘prohibits’ conduct that is already condemned as unethical under the State Bar rules and the California Code of Professional Responsibility. In anticipation of the US Congress passing some sort of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) later this year, the California State…
THE megalopolis region of the Philippines is composed of 16 cities and a town, and is home to almost eleven million people. Despite having several different districts, each city depicts a unique disposition that sets them apart from each other. However the country’s capital city, Manila, is highly recognized as one of the world’s treasures….
LOS ANGELES — The K.W. Lee Center for Leadership is a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles that offers students the opportunity to improve and enrich the quality of life in their communities. Through the Korean American Youth Leaders in Training (KAYLT) Program, program participants research critical issues and develop a project that benefits the…
LOS ANGELES – The extradition hearing for Grace Grande (ex-mistress of a Philippine congressman) has been put on hold, according to a Filipino-American woman’s rights groups. US government prosecutors and a legal defense team representing Grande, who is accused of theft, have agreed to adjourn the extradition proceedings against her, while alternative resolutions to the…
Councilman Mitch O’Farrell (13th Council District) and City Clerk June Lagmay, inducting official and LAFACE adviser, center, pose with newly inducted officers of the Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees at the LAPD headquarters building on 1st Street, on July 26. From left: Graphics Designer Norlito Medrano, Auditor Veronica Salumbides, Recording Secretary Joan Alexandria Tagle, Asst….
At the heart of every presscon is a message told well, transformed into some meaningful and productive experience. It becomes a story. On a recent Thursday, the spotlight was on VG Wellness and on its brilliant co-founders: Dr. Michael Cruz, who is a surgeon, a colonel in the US Army and a former Senator from…
Nothing remains unreachable when one extends his hands far and no dream remains a dream when one decrees with tremendous effort to have it realized. Attaining one’s magnificent obsession while using his potentials to the fullest makes him not only a goal chaser but a dream catcher, as well. Such is upcoming tenor Jared Martin…
“I DON’T have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and just think of your people. It’s always the people who make things happen.” – Corazon C. Aquino (1933-2009) On August 1, Pres. Noynoy “PNoy” Aquino commemorated the 4th death anniversary of his mother,…
A FILIPINO advertising agency found an innovative solution to the perennial problem faced by elementary school kids in the Philippines: carrying heavy textbooks. Elementary school kids in the Philippines have become susceptible to scoliosis or other physical ailments related to carrying such heavy books to school on a day to day. The solution? Old analog…
WHAT is it with Filipinos and beauty pageants? I experienced firsthand the Pinoys’ love affair with beauty pageants, when I was invited to be among the esteemed panel of judges in the first ever Binibining Pilipinas-USA. The pageant was held on July 27 at the Centinela Valley Performing Arts Auditorium in Lawndale, Los Angeles. Nineteen…
MOST people have heard of Noah and his ark. But why did God, the God of Moses and Israel, my God, whose only Son Jesus Christ, willingly became incarnate through the Blessed Virgin Mary, and died on the cross to redeem man from the consequences of sin, so that we may have eternal life with…
