ROLE models, education, and being part of groups are the keys to success, said Filipino-American Rear Adm. Victorino “Vic” Mercado, vice director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for US Central Command. US Central Command (better known as CENTCOM) is one of 9 combatant commands in the United States military which promotes cooperation among nations, responds…
Based on the latest National Statistics Office (NSO) Labor Force survey released on June 11, the number of jobless Filipinos increased “to a three-year high in April,” reported Philstar.com. “…Unemployment reached 7.5 percent in April, up from 6.9 percent in the same period last year. The current unemployment rate was the highest since the eight…
“I FELT sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” – Jewish Proverb During these tough times, it is very easy to wallow in self-pity especially when we have lost so much because of the recession. The “good life” we see our own friends experiencing and…
LAST week we talked about King David and his lust for Bathsheba. As punishment for King David’s sins of coveting Bathsheba who was Uriah’s wife and murdering Uriah so he could marry her even though he already had 6 wives and numerous concubines, the first born son of David and Bathsheba died several days after…
IN July of each year, the Franchise Tax Board of the State of California mails Questionnaire Form 4803 to taxpayers who claimed Head of Household status the previous year. Do not ignore this questionnaire. Mail it back within 20 days; otherwise, it becomes final. You’d have to go to appeals to fight it. If filled…
Q: I WORK as a kitchen staff in one of the busiest restaurants in Los Angeles. I often work 10-to 14-hour days but I am not paid overtime. Also, even though my supervisor says we are entitled to a 30-minute lunch break and 10-minute rest breaks, there is no one to relieve me from my…
MANY homeowners with first or purchase mortgages also add on second mortgages such as home equity loans. Unfortunately, job loss and tough economic times can cause homeowners to become delinquent or even default on second mortgages. Lenders holding defaulted second mortgages sometimes write them off, though those loans’ borrowers may still face certain consequences over…
LOS ANGELES – On Flag Day (June 14), the LA City Council joined the Filipino community in celebrating the 115th anniversary of Philippine Independence and passed a resolution that enjoins the city in this occasion. “The Los Angeles City Council hereby declares the month of June as Philippine Independence Month in the City of Los…
LOS ANGELES – Bicol 2nd District Representative Al Francis C. Bichara, who was a special guest at the Philippine Consulate General’s (PCG-LA) cocktail reception on June 12, Wednesday, enjoyed seeing many Filipinos in Los Angeles celebrating the 115th Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence. “I feel good about this,” Bichara told the Asian Journal. He…
BAY AREA – Anti-domestic violence groups applauded the California Supreme Court’s recent decision to reinstate the second-degree murder conviction of a man, who killed his Filipino girlfriend in 2000. In 2008, a Bay area court convicted Tare Ramirez (also known as Tare Beltran) of second-degree murder for the death of Claire Joyce Tempongko, who was…
He left me with a houseful of daughters, who are very young and adorable with the world on their side. In the face of adversity, we are not permitted to ask “Why me?” You can ask but you won’t get an answer. Through the years, I’ve learned the hard way why some poems don’t rhyme…
Summertime is here and the fiesta fever, once again, is in the air! As the festive ambiance pervades the atmosphere, the principal player in the annual celebration this side of the Northeast, the 2013 Fiesta in America, is currently loaded with strategic plans without a single stone left unturned preparing for its 15th year anniversary…
Summertime is here and the fiesta fever, once again, is in the air! As the festive ambiance pervades the atmosphere, the principal player in the annual celebration this side of the Northeast, the 2013 Fiesta in America, is currently loaded with strategic plans without a single stone left unturned preparing for its 15th year anniversary…
Cleaning your teeth properly includes cleaning between you teeth, and the best way to clean between your teeth, and the other places your toothbrush can’t reach, is with flossing. A great deal of attention is given to cosmetic dentistry these days. It’s easier that ever to get a bigger, brighter, whiter smile. But just as…
Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning that immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority…
Being humble, or being “mapakumbaba” is a virtue that every person should have—but very difficult to do. We all have our egotistical side, that putting down the shield of our success, power or wealth takes some time. In show business, there are a lot of personalities who have tried their best to keep their feet…
“ When you are overwhelmed with debt problems, the situation becomes even more challenging when you have a family that you are supporting. Your paycheck may not even be enough to pay for basic living expenses like mortgage payments or rent, food, clothing, etc., let alone pay your monthly debt obligations.” ARE your debt problems…
ON June 11, 2013, President Obama pushed the US Congress to send him a bill by fall providing for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), just as the full US Senate began to vote on the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s proposal introduced earlier this year. The Gang of Eight, including Senators Shumer, McCain, Durbin, Graham, Menendez, Rubio,…
THIS week is all color (blue, red, white and yellow) and splendor, as Filipinos all over the world once again gather to commemorate the 115th anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence on June 12, 1898. “Ambagan,” which means “contribution, share in a collective affair,” is the highlight of this year’s celebrations. With the theme, “Kalayaan…
WE, Fil-Am parents, uprooted ourselves and our families from the Philippines with the dream of giving our kids a better life than we had growing up back home. All we wanted was for them to be happy and successful. But as we navigate our new life in America, many of our us would every now…
BAY AREA – A Bay area news station believes a mechanical failure inside the limousine led to the fire which killed 5 Filipino nurses, who were on their way to a wedding party last month. San Francisco-based ABC7 News reported on June 5 the weight of the passengers might have ruptured the air springs in the rear…
LOS ANGELES – The Filipino student who emerged as a local hero on Friday’s grim shooting in Santa Monica remains humble, amid praises from fellow students and online netizens for his bravery. Marcel Khan, a 22-year old student and library staff of Santa Monica College, was on his last day of work when the shooting…
The president wears a prestigious crown. The protocol, the linguistic circumlocution are intimidating at first, but then become a second language. There is something about the aura of the President that makes everyone behave in a reverential manner. The air changes when you’re talking to the President. It alters the way you behave around him….
“Forget not your motherland and always endeavor to inculcate the Filipino values of sacrifice, valor, patriotism, love of God, country, people and the environment especially to the new generation of Filipino-Americans as you observe the 115th Philippine Independence Day here in the United States.” This was the core message of former Philippine President Fidel V….
In the United States Army, the term “commander” is officially applied to the commanding officer of a unit; hence, there are company commanders, battalion commanders and brigade commanders. On June 6, at a ceremony at General’s Field, Honolulu, Hawaii, a young Filipino-American Captain in the US Army was promoted to the position of Company Commander….
At the 22nd World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia, President Benigno S. Aquino III told businessmen that the Philippines, as the “brightest spark” in Southeast Asia and as “Asia’s Rising Tiger,” is now ripe for investments, touting “the reforms and the new mandate his administration received from the Filipino people in the last midterm…
DURING the course of the heated and contentious debate about immigration reform, we have heard how many of our kababayans, who are already US citizens or green card holders characterize Pinoys without legal papers in America as law breakers, leeches sucking up taxpayers’ money, lazy, selfish, pabigat sa America, etc. This stereotyping is also among…
SOMETIMES you wonder why you acquire so much debt without really thinking about it. Client makes $20,000 a month which is high income. When his home increased in value in 2006, he obtained a home equity loan of $300,000 and used that as down payment to buy two McMansions. With 3 houses and $1.5 M…
HERE are 10 tips for students with summer jobs: 1. Fill out Form W-4 (Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate). This form is used by employers to determine the amount of tax that will be withheld from your paycheck. If you have multiple summer jobs, make sure all your employers withhold adequate amount of taxes to cover…
DRIVING under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or narcotics is a serious threat to public safety. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for DUI in the US in 2010. In the same year, there were 10,228 fatalities in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Thus, law enforcement officials are…
