State mails head of household questionnaire
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…
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May restaurant employees recover additional wages for employment violations?
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…
How do you negotiate to discount your second mortgages?
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…
LA City Council joins in the celebration of PH independence
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…
PCG-LA celebrates PH Independence Day, fiesta-style
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…
Anti-domestic violence groups hail CA SC decision on Tempongko case
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…
Sonata for a good man and for fatherless daughters
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…
Philippine Fiesta’s ‘Araw ng Parangal’ honors Fil-Am talents
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…
Philippine Fiesta’s ‘Araw ng Parangal’ honors Fil-Am talents
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…
Squeaky clean, in-between
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…
The July 2013 Priority Dates
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…
Humility in showbusiness
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…
Don’t let your family suffer because of your debt problems
“ 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…
Immigration reform heats up as Obama pressures Congress
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…
Independence Day 2013
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…
Understanding teen depression
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…
Mechanical failure caused limo fire – ABC7 News
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…
Khan: Modest Pinoy hero in Santa Monica shooting
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…
FVR and the Malacañang Press Corps
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…
FVR to Fil-Ams: “Forget not our motherland Pilipinas”
“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…
An Honor and A Privilege
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…
Ripe for investments
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…
The Filipino Champion: A remarkable undocumented young Fil-Am
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…
Your debts and King David’s lust
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…
Tax tips for students working at a summer job
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…
Immigration consequences of a DUI conviction
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…
What to do when injured on someone else’s property
WHILE visiting someone else’s home or place of business, a person may become seriously injured. Such injuries may have arisen as a result of wet floors, uneven steps or floors,…
How higher interest rates will affect your home buying power
FANNIE Mae and Freddie Mac are the leading indicator and director of mortgage interest rates. You and I are at their mercy to keep rates low in order for more…
Filipinos need to stand up for immigration reform – Vargas
WESTWOOD – Acclaimed journalist and spokesperson for undocumented peoples Jose Antonio Vargas said the voices of Filipinos are missing in the comprehensive immigration reform debate and it’s time to be…
Gov. Brown’s revised CA budget proposal could leave millions without health coverage
HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES WARN LOS ANGELES – California Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget proposal for the state has been announced, and health care advocates are not happy. In Brown’s revised…