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…
If it’s knocked out, the first thing to do is find your tooth and, holding it by the crown, gently rinse off the root of the tooth with clean water. From oral irritations to dental disasters, your dentist is your best source of information on how to best soothe your dental distress. MOUTH SORES. Canker…
The sunlight glistens as it touches the water and the eyes. You can feel that you are heading to a territory where the sun holds its dominion. It is a place where bodies worship and revere the presence of that grand ball despite the physical and cultural differences present. You’ve read all about it before,…
It is the new perspective coming into view in every woman’s major life passage: a mid-life agitation, literal and poignant. First, the gushing, like the reddening of a dying tree as it blazes out in the funeral autumn with a flowing canopy, and now reduced to basics, forced to lie fallow — in an emptiness watered…
DESPITE the ongoing recovery operations on the dismantling of the US Navy minesweeper, USS Guardian (which remains aground at the Tubbataha Reef), Pinoysremain vehement weeks after the incident. The US government reiterated its commitment to pay for the damages caused by the Tubbataha Reef mishap. “In view of damages caused by the USS Guardian accident at…
“ Those persons who have an immigrant visa available to them, but who are ineligible to adjust status in the US, however, must make a difficult decision to leave the US and their loved ones behind to apply for a waiver in conjunction with their immigrant visa application at the US Embassy or Consulate in…
ARE your debt problems putting your family’s welfare at risk? No one ever wants to be in this situation but I see it every day in my work as a bankruptcy attorney. When you are overwhelmed with debt problems, the situation becomes even more challenging when you have a family that you are supporting. Your…
He Attributes His Success To Hardwork, Right Choices, Right Attitude and Pure Luck If there’s one notable restaurant in the Cerritos area that pioneered in the fastfood business, Pinoy Pinay Filipino Fastfood comes to the fore. It was established in mid-1991 on South St. corner Pioneer Blvd. in the upscale City of Cerritos when…
Chances are, most women share the same thoughts on men. I would never say it out loud, but recently, I started making a list of important characteristics I should look for and want in a man. I tried to finish my list, but decided to keep it open so I can edit, add and delete…
Chopin’s music—confided and played from the heart by Maestro Dexter Grey — was like listening to mingled prayers of broken hearts, the revolt of fettered souls, the pain of slavery, the loss of freedom’s ache, the cursing of tyrants, the extended songs of victory. You could hear Paderewski sighing. The castle is beautiful, peerless in…
Why immigrant employees should fight for their rights IN December, just a few days before International Migrants Day, a federal jury ruled that a Los Angeles-based recruitment agency, Universal Placement International (“UPI”), and its owner, Lourdes Navarro, must pay $4.5 million to 350 Filipino teachers who were forced into exploitative employment contracts with UPI. The jurors found…
AS A former Immigration Officer and as a practicing attorney for 14 years, I have been around long enough to know that when a great opportunity presents itself my clients should act immediately. Most of my fellow practitioners will tell you that the last 15 years or so have not been kind to immigrants. Things…
YOU have just received an invitation to the offices of the Internal Revenue Service. They want to examine your return. Don’t panic. All these years, you have stashed funds for a rainy day. This is a rainy day. Compose yourself. Then go to battle. Don’t be over confident though. I am just boosting your morale….
THE verdict is out. On January 28, performance artist and cultural activist Charles P. “Carlos” Celdran was convicted for “offending religious feelings” by Judge Juan Bermejo of the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court’s Branch 4. Celdran was sentenced to a prison term — ranging from 2 months and 21 days, up to 13 months and 11…
