WYNONA Harris was hired to drive Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus. About 40 days into her training period, she had an accident, which the City said was “preventable.” About three months later, Harris had a second preventable accident. Per the City’s guidelines, those who drive unsafely will not pass probation. Weeks later, Harris reported late…
THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER RELIEF ACT OF 2012 THIS fiscal cliff legislation includes lots of tax changes that could turn into a novel; accordingly, I summarized the provisions for simple reading. Even this condensed version is still long. In brief, the new law: – Cancels most other income tax increases that would have resulted in added…
THERE’S no question the economy has not been kind for many California families who bought and borrowed more than they can chew in the mid 2000s’. Bad things happen to good people and many folks fell victim to bankruptcy, foreclosures, and lost a home either through short sale. Buying a home after this type of…
ACCORDING to a survey conducted by Gallup, Filipinos get the most love in the world. “The world leader in love is the Philippines, where fully 93 percent of the population reported feeling love,” said University of Michigan Professor and author of the study, Justin Wolfers, in a blog post on Tuesday. Rwanda ranked second at…
THE announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation on Monday shocked the Catholic community around the world, including our kababayans. This has never happened in 600 years, and many wondered why the pope would step down from his post, after only seven years of leading the Roman Catholic Church. But during the Ash Wednesday mass in Saint…
THERE is always a conflict between actual expenses and expenses allowed in the means test. Actual expenses are usually more than those allowed by the means test. As between actual and means test expenses, the latter prevails when computing disposable income. Disposable income is net income minus allowable deductible expenses using IRS standards of the…
MULTITUDES of people flocked our Catholic Churches again last Ash Wednesday to observe the beginning of Lent, a forty-day period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Despite the fact that some came on this day only “to get ash” on their foreheads, still we could see people manifesting their…
Legends of different versions have been around for centuries tracing the origin of Valentine’s Day. Invariably, they all go back to ancient Roman history. The most widely popular one relates the story of a priest named Valentine during the early days of Christianity. It was said that during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II…
This week, I would like to share to you my interview with the award winning concert director Vic Perez, his insight and experience on his latest project. Fides Ecclesiae(Latin for Faith of the Church) is a musical play featuring the lives of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native American saint and St. Pedro Calungsod, the…
THE Philippines’ Queen of All Media Kris Aquino, the youngest sister of His Excellency Philippine President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, heads the list of birthday celebrants this month. Kris will be turning 42 on Valentine’s Day, February 14. Other prominent personalities celebrating their birthdays this February are: • February 1 – Filipino make-up and…
DOS should consider consuls’ requests for additional information or documentation in a similar vein, and if the visa is eventually issued, then there should be no problem or adverse consequences. Asking for more information should not be considered a denial, setting up the person for a potential charge of fraud or misrepresentation. Sometimes, when a…
Devotees of the Nuestro Senior Padre Jesus Nazareno de Quiapo flocked the residence of beauty impresario Ferdie Syquia de Villar in South San Francisco to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the miraculous image. The nine-day festivity started on New Year’s day, January 1, and ended last January 9. Rev. Father Mark Reburiano, Pastor of Saint…
Nora Aunor, the one and only Superstar of the Philippines and matinee idol Dingdong Dantes bagged the Best Actress and Best Actor awards at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival held last December 27 at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City. La Aunor won for her role in the movie Thy Womb, while Dingdong bagged…
SINCE 2008, we have heard the topic of immigration reform repeatedly. However, discussion has never led to any substance. After Obama’s reelection, the public has made it clear that immigration reform is a key priority. He is finally listening. In January 2013, the President Obama stated that “Now is the time” for immigration reform. The…
IT is that month again. A time when urges surge to an all-time high as they course through bodies that become conduits to a myriad of strokes and brandishes. Music, akin to melodic moans, tends to sensuously float in the air. Positions get juxtaposed into a series of images pleasing to the palate. It is…
Why do some people experience enduring love (which lasts a lifetime), while others are only destined to love for a short time? Why are there those who separate, either by choice or by fate? These questions, we sometimes ask ourselves. Love is the blossom and fragrance of all human feelings, thoughts, passion and longing, which…
IN THE wake of Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down, many were startled and lamented the resignation of the pontiff as the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Speaking in Latin in a meeting with Vatican cardinals, the pope revealed his decision “of great importance for the life of the church.” “In today’s…
PRESIDENT Obama is expected to make a further pitch for his vision of Immigration Reform when he delivers his annual State of The Union Address to the nation this week. Riding on momentum from last month’s introduction of a blueprint for immigration reform by a Bipartisan group of Senators known as the “Gang of Eight,”…
WHO will be the next Pope? This has been the question many people have been asking after the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI last Monday. Kababayans from all over the world even went as far as to ask: Could the next leader of the Catholic Church be Filipino? According to Reuters, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio…
YOU already know that your home is in foreclosure. You’ve received that dreaded Notice of Default. You know that after 90 days, your home can be scheduled for a Trustee Sale. You don’t have a lot of time left. Your home with all its memories, hopes and dreams will be gone. What are you going…
You might think that a deportation order would ruin your immigration options but you would be surprised to find out that it’s not always the case. Removal is the compulsory movement of an inadmissible or deportable alien out of the US based on a final order of removal. Deportation is the popular term for removal…
WHEN Dr. Christopher M. Guerrero received the Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award, President Benigno Aquino III gave him this advice: “Continue what you have been doing.” Dr. Guerrero is among the 29 outstanding overseas Filipinos and/ foreign organizations who received the 2012 Presidential Award. The Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award is given to “Filipino individuals…
Jay Valencia would have loved the community tribute organized by his friends at FACLA. It had decorum and dash that were his special style — it was both style and spontaneous. There were children, all his loyal friends, politicians, civic leaders and members of the media. The weather was clear and crisp, as he would’ve…
Q: WORKING in a processing company, I am required to put on a special uniform and undergo sanitary inspections before I can start work. I have to come to work about 15 to 20 minutes early to do this to be able to clock in on time. When my shift is done, I clock out…
ACCORDING to the latest ABC News/Washington Postpoll (the survey was conducted by landline and cellphone from January 30-February 3, 2013, among a random national sample of 1,038 adults), there was a boost in public approval for President Barack Obama’s handling of immigration, brought about by “majority support for a path to citizenship” for the undocumented and…
LIKE most people, you’ve probably had your fair share of financial indiscretions: a few pricey shoes, a car bigger than what you really need, a few frivolous pieces of furniture, and an unused fitness club membership. An occasional splurge doesn’t hurt, but you might have gotten carried away at some point, spending more than you…
LAST Wednesday, I wrote about President Barack Obama’s call for Americans “to keep the pressure on the members of Congress to do the right thing and “support common-sense reforms like requiring universal background checks, or restoring the ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines…to tell them there’s no legislation to eliminate all guns; there’s…
THE advantage of a prenuptial agreement is clear when one of the spouses files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy soon after the marriage. But even in a community property state, money that belongs to each spouse is his or her exclusive property. Therefore, money belonging to the non filing spouse should not be affected by the…
I’VE heard them preach for the first time in class, all nineteen of them who have followed Jesus to be his future priests. They come from varied ages, some in their 20’s and others in their 30’s and 40’s. They also come from different cultures, states, dioceses, and religious orders. There are some who heard…
Question: I have a child that I want to adopt, but do not know the immigration procedures. Can you help? Answer: The US is now a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, 29 May 1993, entered into force Apr. 1, 2008. The Hague Convention applies when both countries are signatories…
