In a previous column, I wrote that soft drinks, which I called “liquid candy,” cola or uncola, diet or regular, “are unhealthy for all of us, especially for children. Not only because the regular ones are loaded with sugar (high carb, super calories), but because of the other adverse effects all these soft drinks (without…
THE first day of May commemorates International Workers’ or Labor Day around the world. Contrary to popular belief, May 1 is not entirely dedicated to today’s workers and their demands. This day is meant to remember those heroes who struggled, fought and even died, for the rights of workers that we enjoy today. As the…
SO, the latest question hanging around these days is: Are you Team Gretchen or are you Team Claudine/Inday. Sadly enough, a (showbiz) family in feud is almost one of the best piece of news in town. It all started with Twitter, with messages bouncing back and forth supposedly between the two older Barretto sisters, Gretchen…
“In making an application for adjustment of status, an applicant must also prove that he is not “inadmissible” to the US. Certain grounds of inadmissibility may be “waived”during the process, such as prior criminal convictions or immigration violations.“ THE US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit granted a joint motion to dismiss a case…
Remember, the I-94 is a long form, and CBP tears off the lower portion of the I-94 and staples it to your passport. The longer portion is retained by CBP, and the information is entered in their database. Recently, a young person came to my office, brokenhearted, because she had filed for Deferred Action for…
San Francisco city officials led by Mayor Edwin Lee, along with Asian American community leaders, kicked off the month-long celebration of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with a briefing held at the Mayor’s Balcony in the 2nd Floor of the San Francisco City Hall on May 1, 2013. Along with the ever-growing street…
COME the May 13 elections, we should be in the process of recovering from the assaults that were inflicted upon our senses. These assaults include the jingles that haunt our eardrums as they set camp there for the sake of recall. How about the primetime commercials with their taglines, scenes “in-action” and “here’s what I’ve…
Free presentation at the SF Public Library on May 5 SIX days, 80 miles, under the searing heat of the sun—that was what made the Bataan Death March a treacherous journey. Although history books will tell to say that that approximately 2,500-10,000 Filipino and 100-650 American soldiers prisoners of war died before they reached their…
THE other night, a retrospective on the Watergate scandal that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon was aired on US television. Among the interesting commentaries was the role that social media could have played in exposing Nixon and his White House cohorts much sooner, had the Internet phenomenon been available at the time….
THE United Nations (UN) estimates that more than 70,000 people have died since the Syrian government started battling a rebellion two years ago. The international community has condemned the Assad regime for the violence it has perpetrated against its own people. Pleas for greater international assistance have been mounting, especially from the United States —…
LAST month, we discussed how unpaid wages were sought in a class action lawsuit filed against Dole Food Company by employees who claimed they were not paid for the time they spent putting on mandatory protective and sanitary clothing. Other companies had similar practices where off-the-clock work was not paid. Best Buy, for instance, required…
I HAVE recently been following this website called, SellYourHome.com it has a lot of interesting topics about the real estate industry including a certain topics about homeowners in need of Mortgage Salvation thru Loan Modification. Now days, here are my thoughts on how our housing crisis is unfolding. To observe the crisis we have been…
CAN real love exist in a community where people are related not by blood but by common faith and beliefs? Can neighbors genuinely care for one another without sacrificing privacy? Can strangers become instant friends? Can a friendship of two persons endure despite a long absence from each other? To all these questions, I say…
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was recognized on April 24 by nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence (POV) on Wednesday for his efforts in raising awareness about issues surrounding sexual assault and abuse. Villaraigosa was the first city mayor to declare Denim Day in any city, and went on to preside over…
SOMETIMES parents put their children’s names on title to their residence even if the parents intend to keep the residence as their own as they continue to pay all expenses connected to their residence. The usual reason is for estate planning purposes of the parents. A major problem arises when the residence has a lot…
THE Beverly Hills Country Club was the perfect venue. It’s where tradition, elegance and memories met in a night of music, accolade, drama, dancing and the much-vaunted “celebrity roast” of prominent members of the community, who came for a charity roast to support the Fil-American Press Club of California. Rapid repartees, quick comeback, stinging barbs…
DID the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) miss out on an opportunity to prevent the Boston Marathon terror attack from happening? This was the question raised by CBS, when it broke the news that the FBI was able to interview Tamerlan Tsarnaev (one of the two bombing suspects, the other is his brother, Dzhokhar A….
THE scheduled week-long investment roadshow by a topnotch business delegation from the Philippines has officially begun. The 2nd Investment Roadshow was organized by the Philippine Embassy with the Philippine Consulates General in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York (sponsored by the Phil. Trade and Investment Center, in cooperation with the Council on Trade and Investment…
ON MARCH 4, 2013, CNN reported the incredible news that a baby was cured of HIV, as announced at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta. The baby girl from Mississippi is the first child to be “functionally cured” of HIV. Filipinos the world over will be proud to know that a…
On April 17, 2013, a bipartisan group of senators filed the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act” bill in the U.S. Senate in an effort to start the process of reforming the nation’s immigration system. The bill’s broad scope and sensible approach are impressive. However, since the bill is a compromise proposal that…
Multi-awarded Nora Aunor, now residing in Los Angeles, will celebrate her 60th birthday on Tuesday, May 21. La Aunor, internationally known as the one and only Superstar of the Philippine entertainment industry, was born in Iriga, Camarines Sur. She was the grand champion of the Darigold Jamboree Singing Contest at that time. She represented her…
The head of the SBA, Karen Mills, has announced her resignation. During her four years in office, the 98% of Asian American-owned businesses that are small received very few loans and close to zero technical assistance. President Obama, however, has a unique opportunity to ensure that the SBA is truly a small business agency that…
An I-94, or information about a person’s arrival in the US can be very important in connection with future immigration benefits, such as extension of status, adjustment of status, or the like. Whenever a non-immigrant arrives in the US by air or sea, he or she usually fills out a white arrival/departure record, called a…
To dream of Quezon is to have a dream of coconut trees, their outlines swaying as they get bathed by the sunshine. There is something liquid and moist in that dream, like the clouds that ominously surround Mt. Banahaw—that majestic mountain whose penchant for myths and oft-ridiculous stories fill up conversations and speculations as one…
Did you know that most people whose medical conditions, including cancer, when detected and treated early, would survive? Next to the best strategy, which is prevention, early diagnosis of any condition offers the best chances for either a cure or reduction in the morbidity (complications) and mortality (death). This is the rationale for the popular…
THE princes of the CBCP should be happy with the results of the SWS survey on whether Catholics have thought about leaving the Church. In fact, I’m surprised that only 9.2 percent of respondents “agreed” that the notion has occurred to them. You see, whether on purpose or through plain incompetence, SWS framed the premise…
ON April 15, three people were killed and more than 200 were wounded, when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, allegedly perpetrated by two young immigrant brothers from Russia. The older brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died after a shootout with police early Friday. The younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was…
THE Philippines is enjoying a steady economic momentum and has been branded as the next Asian tiger economy. Last week, the United Nations Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) said in its latest survey that the local economy is expected to grow by 6.2 percent this year. The currency has been…
LOS ANGELES – Nine Filipino-American authors were given their time in the spotlight on Friday night in an intimate event organized by the Philippine Expressions Bookshop at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) in Los Angeles. Philippine Expressions Bookshop magnate Linda Nietes emphasized the importance of Filipino literature in helping Fil-Am youth in learning…
YOUR debt problems may be undeniable. You know they are there and they will not go away until you do something about them. Perhaps at some point, you took the first step towards a resolution but failed to follow through. This week, I received a frantic call from a woman who found out that her…
