Homeowners Bill of Rights IN JULY, California enacted the major pieces of legislation, which were introduced by Attorney General Kamala Harris. These provision, which will take effect January 1, 2013, will incorporate many of the provisions of the National Mortgage Settlement into California law and specifically will: 1) eliminate “dual tracking” of foreclosures during loan…
ON TUESDAY, March 5, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are urged to exercise their right to vote for the 2013 Primary Municipal Elections in the City of Los Angeles. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is advocating for these communities’ active participation in the municipal elections, through the Your Vote Matters!…
MANY people have the mistaken belief that back due income taxes cannot be discharged in bankruptcy because a debt owed to the Federal and State government cannot be wiped out. That belief is wrong. Since 1966, bankruptcy law allows the discharge of debt to the IRS. However, there are rules that must be followed to…
LOS ANGELES – A historic four Asian Americans are vying for a seat in the LA City Council — a place they have not had representation since the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Korean Americans John Choi and Emile Mack; and Filipino-American Alex De Ocampo, are among the 12 competitors aiming to replace mayoral candidate Eric…
LONG BEACH – College students gathered from all corners of Southern California for the 6th annual SCPASA Summit conference held at California State University at Long Beach (CSULB), on Saturday. Presented by the Southern California Pilipino American Student Alliance (SCPASA) in collaboration with the Pilipino American Coalition (PAC) and One Nation at Cal State Long…
OUR Roman Catholic Church has entered a period called “sede vacante” (the empty chair) since Benedict XVI’s retirement last Thursday. The Pope Emeritus has taken refuge at Castel Gondolfo, the palace used by popes as a summer retreat. He will be there temporarily until renovations on the monastery inside the walls of Vatican City are…
THIS week, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) started releasing undocumented immigrants being held in immigration jails around the country — days before mandatory budget cuts go into effect across the government. The White House was reportedly never consulted, but the Associated Press reported that President Obama’s spokesperson…
Kissing Disease, medically known as Infectious Mononucleosis, or Mono for short, is a viral illness that presents as fever, sore throat, enlarged neck lymph nodes, and fatigue (severe tiredness). Mono is very common, affecting children, adolescents and adults. In the United States, about half of the children population have had the infection, usually mild, before…
LOS ANGELES-Nearly 70 Pinoys gathered together on Feb. 25 at a church on Beverly Boulevard to commemorate the peaceful and bloodless revolution that overthrew a tyrannical and oppressive government. The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, in cooperation with the Overseas Filipinos for Good Governance (OFGG), hosted a mass in celebration of the 27th…
ANAHEIM-Filipino-American Bishop Oscar Solis believes Cardinal Roger Mahony should be able to vote for the new pope in the upcoming papal conclave despite the criticisms surrounding the embattled senior ecclesiastical official. “He’s still a cardinal and a bishop in good standing,” said Solis after presiding over the Filipino mass held during the Religious…
The EDSA People Power Revolution recently celebrated its 27th year last February 25. It has entered its rockstar age. But beyond the rockstar mythos, EDSA is tightrope-walking on a precarious thread. As the years roll by, those who participated in this glorious, nonviolent revolt are also moving in the timeline of humanity. What is left…
Some love it or hate it. Others write about it or repeat it. The obsession for gossip seems to be here to stay: from what we read and see, from the unholy and unchanging trinity of the subject. The reporter and the reader have stoked the human appetite for gossip, which dates back from the…
IS NOYNOY Aquino the Moses of the Philippines, leading our country to the Promised Land? Not by any measure of Charleton Heston’s walking stick. For sure, Aquino has repeatedly declared that he is intent on trekking the Straight Path towards institutional reforms. And there are indications that he is determined to do so. But the…
YES, it’s that time of year again: The H-1B visa quota (H-1B “cap”) for FY 2014 will finally open up on April 1, 2013, making 65,000 new H-1B visa numbers available for new employment beginning on October 1, 2013 as well as an additional 20,000 H-1Bs for persons who have attained a Master’s Degree or…
EVERY year, millions of Pinoys go to great and in some cases, drastic lengths to work abroad, in order to pursue better lives for themselves and their families. Many overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are often compelled to work despite unfair and harsh working conditions — enduring long hours, low pay and human rights abuses. We’ve…
DO YOU wish to support the cause of our kababayans, who will benefit from the passage of a true comprehensive immigration reform? Do you email? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms? Then, there is something you can do. As we reported on The Filipino Channel’s Balitang America last Monday, high-tech leaders…
LIKE most people, you’ve worked hard and have done your best to pay all your bills on time. But in life, at one time or another, all of us get into a situation where debt can be overwhelming. Money problems can easily overlap into other areas of our lives. Many people feel hopeless and powerless…
If you listen to the news these days, you get the impression that immigration reform is inevitable. Never mind that it also felt this way in 2007 before the immigration deal collapsed. If you’re excited about these recent developments, try to understand the forces that propel and resist reform and you’ll know whether there will…
IN response to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) inquiry on the $5-million reimbursement check released to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the United Nations (UN) has denied releasing such a payment. The inquiry was requested by the House of Representatives to the DFA, following the revelations made by former government auditor Heidi…
FILIPINOS support other Filipinos. However, sometimes, that could be a bad thing. Just ask Rob Bautista Villeza, who is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Early in his career, Villeza recalls that being Filipino actually hurt him, in a case he was…
FILIPINOS support other Filipinos. However, sometimes, that could be a bad thing. Just ask Rob Bautista Villeza, who is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Early in his career, Villeza recalls that being Filipino actually hurt him, in a case he was…
Part of the weekly excitement of LA Weekend Asian Journal is to record events that matter in pictures and words: its pleasure, joys, even the little crises. Pictures matter because they mirror the Fil-Am communities temper and taste, their stature and their fundamental pursuit of excellence. We are enriched or diminished, informed or influenced by decisions we…
MING Qu and Ying Wu were from China and enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) to study electronic engineering. They were fatally shot while sitting in a parked BMW on Raymond Avenue, less than a mile from campus. Police say the students were killed during a robbery. The students’ parents filed a wrongful…
THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER RELIEF ACT OF 2012 Tax breaks for education expenses American Opportunity Higher Education Tax Credit extended The American Opportunity Credit, which can be worth up to $2,500 and can be claimed for up to four years of undergraduate education, was extended by the Act through 2017. College tuition deduction extended -This write-off,…
For 12-year-old Jervin Barcenas, getting on an airplane is one thing. However, being able to fly one is an entirely different story. A student of Saint Anne Catholic School in Santa Monica, CA, Jervin was always interested in aircrafts from his very first plane ride to Manila aboard the Philippine Airlines. Jervin became more interested in…
LOS ANGELES – Filipino-American motivational speaker Jessica Cox Chamberlain will be bringing her unique inspirational message, “think outside the shoe” to Africa in April. The 32-year-old Cox, who was born with no arms because of a rare birth defect, is visiting Ethiopia as part of Handicap International’s efforts to foster inclusion of children with disabilities…
What are my options? AS I have mentioned on my previous columns before that if you are in a position where your property value is much lower than your current mortgage balance (underwater value) you will need to ride out this very scary real waves for the next 3-5 years before you see any real…
IN PREVIOUS editions of this article, the process of obtaining permanent residence through marriage was explored. Discussion of that procedure began with the supposition that the couple was married, and continued with the various steps to ultimately gain permanent residence. In many cases, however, a problem exists in even getting to the point at which…
ON MONDAY, the Philippines will be commemorating the 27th anniversary of EDSA 1 — The 1986 People Power Revolution which freed us from the clutches of a tyrannical ruler. To mark the momentous occasion, President Benigno Aquino III will likely sign a landmark bill that would provide just compensation to thousands of human rights victims…
CALIFORNIA is home to the biggest number of Filipinos in America. It is also the biggest state in the nation in terms of population. According to the new findings released by the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice based on the 2010 US Census, Filipinos have now become the largest Asian American group in California….
