Under this agreement, qualified applicants would earn ‘American wages.’ With business and labor now in agreement, Congress is more comfortable moving forward with legislation. The pathway to legalization and citizenship suddenly looks brighter for the 11,000,000 illegal immigrants in the US. This is because the major organizations representing business and labor (US Chamber of Commerce…
Last April 2 was the 225th birth anniversary of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar. Activities were drawn up to drum up interest and pay tribute to the life of the great poet. Pandacan in Manila became festive once again as writers, artists, cultural workers, and lovers of the word welcomed another year of birthing for this poet…
IT IS identified in every contingency plan that disasters, terrorism and war, civil disturbances can all precipitate evacuation. Ironically, the imminent danger looming in the Korean peninsula has not yet prompted the Philippine government to evacuate at least 40,000 Filipinos embroiled in the tension. The situation remains at Alert Level 1 or “heightened alertness,” following…
(Part 1) MANY of our kababayans who are guided by their conservative views ask: Why do gay couples insist on their “right” to marry, when the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines “marriage” as legal a union between one man and one woman? They add that even the Bible defines marriage as such. Right now, there are…
ANAHEIM – A Filipino-American woman accused of driving while distracted causing a fatal accident is due back in court again for an arraignment hearing on Thursday, April 4. Prosecutors allege Jorene Ypante Nicolas was driving her Toyota Prius at 80 miles per hour on the 405 Freeway near Huntington Beach in April 2011, when she…
The lenten season for this year has finally ended, with the celebration of Easter last Sunday. Lent is the season when words and teachings of Christ are presented in a thousand pulpits across the nation — self-righteously, mournfully, nasally coldly, feebly, flamboyantly, blandly and violently. Ministers give the gospel its full beauty and power —…
Are you currently overwhelmed with debt problems that you can no longer handle on your own? Thinking about filing for bankruptcy but are afraid to make a decision? Do you feel stuck and paralyzed in your situation, unable to take any action? Maybe just thinking about your situation gives you this sick feeling in your…
Of late, the national dailies and broadcast networks have been reporting news that they apparently believe are of more importance to the Filipino masses than poverty, unemployment, criminality, and the RH Law I’m referring to the love affair of a senator and his movie star girlfriend and the marital spat of a presidential sister-cum-TV star…
IF YOU are looking for bargains on foreclosed houses, you are not alone and are probably having a harder time finding them. When the housing market crashed in 2007, a wave of foreclosures accelerated the plunge in prices, which created the biggest down spiral of home prices in history — worst than the depression. Now…
THE situation we envision in this discussion is where you have an offer in compromise which has been accepted by the IRS then you file for bankruptcy relief. Do you owe the original amount prior to the OIC or do you owe the compromised amount accepted by the IRS? For example, you owe the IRS…
AT THE conclusion of the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels last Monday, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez led the packed Church in cheers,”Viva El Nuevo Papa! Viva!” Everyone present, including bishops, priests, deacons and religious, followed his loud shouts of joy and excitement. We feel this enthusiasm and happiness about our…
LOS ANGELES – FilAm coach Bryan Camacho continues to cement his legacy in high school basketball. Camacho’s Bishop Alemany High School girls basketball team (31–5) captured the CIF Division III state championship on March 22 after defeating Sacred Heart of San Francisco (25 – 7) in a tough low-scoring game at Sleep Train Arena in…
LOS ANGELES – New evidence has been uncovered in the continuation of preliminary hearings on the case of Alvin Bulaoro, a 24-year-old Fil-Am Navy veteran who was allegedly killed by 23-year-old US marine Kevin Coset. Investigators reported in the hearing that they found the suspect’s journal where he wrote about killing the victim. At the…
LOS ANGELES – A group of Filipino-American health advocates continue to push for US Medicare portability, for Fil-Am retirees who want to live in the Philippines and bring their benefits with them. In February, US Medicare PH and US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) visited the Philippines, where they renewed partnerships and alliances with health…
Several weeks ago, a Filipino-American was posthumously honored in Hawaii. The Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced the inaugural Richard Caldito Government Service Scholarship for a college student majoring in Government, Political Science, or a related field. “The Richard Caldito Government Service Scholarship was created by the Maui Filipino Chamber Foundation to honor Mr….
The Bible was written for the heart, as well as for the mind and the will. It was written for us. It can enlighten, enable, enrich and encourage us, if we will let it. We may read the Bible in so many ways, through its divine teachings or as the purest literature we have in…
DENISE Steffens was a building manager for Regus Group, PLC, a company that rents out staffed office spaces. After Ms. Steffens raised concerns about possible employment violations by the company, she was fired. She sued the employer for wrongful termination in violation of public policy. The case went to trial and the jury awarded her…
FOR those of you who itemize, the table below should be of special interest. For those of you who play the odds (you know what I mean), this table should be of very special interest. Having claimed too many exemptions at work to increase your take-home pay, you suddenly find yourself owing Uncle Sam a…
AFTER going through the dead of winter, one can’t wait to bathe in the warmth and joy that the promise of spring brings to our life. This is also the message of Easter for us Christians: a rebirth…a new life…in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In reality, though, we experience so many winters…
AFTER vetoing the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III faced the ire of The Catholic Bishops of the Conference (CBCP) — including the proponents of the said bill. Executive Secretary of the CBCP–National Secretariat for Social Action Fr. Edu Gariguez expressed disappointment over the president’s decision. “If this government will…
The month of March was made even more significant by the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) when it celebrated Women’s History Month last Sunday, March 24 at the Crystal Ballroom of Ramada Plaza Hotel where the organization duly recognized the outstanding achievements of eleven Filipino-American women in different fields of endeavor. The…
President Obama has nominated a prominent and generally well-qualified civil rights attorney for Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez. Mr. Perez is presently Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division. He is being attacked by Republicans who may block his confirmation because of his contentious civil rights positions. Although…
The month of March was made even more significant by the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) when it celebrated Women’s History Month last Sunday, March 24 at the Crystal Ballroom of Ramada Plaza Hotel where the organization duly recognized the outstanding achievements of eleven Filipino-American women in different fields of endeavor. The…
If there was a pill that would be an effective substitute for daily physical exercise to maintain health and stamina, wouldn’t you prefer it? Most people would, of course! Even scientists, who know the value of exercise to our body and health, are trying to find ways to come up with an effortless way that…
Recently, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (which is one court below the US Supreme Court) ruled that the BIA’s “blanket rule against recognizing states’ nunc pro tunc adoption decrees brackets [is] an unreasonable and impermissible construction of” the law. One of the requirements to petition an adopted child is that the adoption must take…
Spring has sprung. It is upon us in a scent that grows deeper, dizzying, improbable. It is too heady, too provocative to be diminished. Seeping through open windows, under doors, as you slip out of a doorway or slide out of a car. There it is—a scent that dominates the air, your bed clothes. It’s…
LOS ANGELES – President Barack Obama on Monday pushed for immigration reform at a citizenship oath-taking ceremony for 28 immigrants, and called for ‘political courage’ in doing ‘what’s required’ in making lasting changes to the flawed US immigration system. The president asked lawmakers to come up with legislation on comprehensive reform so that they may…
IN THE Central American Republic of Santa Banana, public opinion polls are routinely conducted to determine how candidates for political office rank, ostensibly based on the preferences of the voters. But the way the surveys are conducted is pretty much like the system used by the most popular photographic studio in the country, the Santa…
CATHOLICS all over the world celebrate Holy Week with a new pope: His Eminence, Pope Francis I. Chosen by a conclave of 115 cardinals on March 13, Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, a 76-year old Jesuit priest from Argentina, is now the leader of more than 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. He has made history…
BEFORE we look forward to Easter Sunday, we are given a week-long final reminder of the implications of Christ’s Resurrection, from the cross to our daily lives. Far more than the happy ending is the journey we must all share with God’s only begotten son. Last Sunday, newly installed Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to be…
