Travelogues: Sagada Part II

There is a presence, grand and mystic, that lurks in caves. History harkens the images of men seeking shelter in caves as they made the first paintings of the beasts they’ve encountered. Moving away from the caves marked a monumental change in our psyche for we became individuals who were out to conquer the vast…

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Filing bankruptcy when you face a financial crisis

A LOT of people end up filing bankruptcy when they get to the point of feeling hopeless about their financial problems. Despite what others may think, there is no shame in needing a second chance to secure your financial future. Bad things can happen to good people as the saying goes. Sometimes, people simply make…

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Thicker than blood

HISTORICALLY, it has long been a natural occurrence in Philippine politics that family members or relatives of a political figure  would eventually run for a position in government — more popularly known as “political dynasties.” With the 2013 elections fast approaching, expect the same scenario to unravel, as several prominent (both old and new) politicians…

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California life insurance beneficiaries to receive about $138M

IN 2008, the California State Controller’s office led a multi-state audit of the practices of 21 national insurance companies, to determine these companies’ compliance with state unclaimed property laws.  California’s unclaimed property program generally provides that businesses must send lost or abandoned financial accounts to the State after three years of inactivity in order to…

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Moros and Indians

Back in 1996, when President Ramos signed what was described as a “final peace agreement” with Nur Misuari’s MNLF, I wrote a piece guardedly welcoming the initiative and expressing relief over the possibility of peace in Mindanao. The pact was, concededly, not perfect, and the signatories on both sides had well-founded apprehensions over certain provisions….

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Short sale for 2013: What are the consequences?

ADVANTAGES of home sales for 2013 is that there will be fewer short sales and hopefully more regular listing coming back on the market.  Lenders have pulled together finally and decided to streamline the short sale process, meaning they are setting time limits as short as 30 days to get a short sale approval.  Now…

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A Life Dedicated to Showcasing Pinoys’ Best

ONE of the greatest American expos that have been showcasing the best of the Philippines is  the Philippine Fiesta in America, which is held in New Jersey every year for the past 14 years. Appropriately, the great lady, who was the driving force  behind the annual event ,also showcased the best of the Filipino character…

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Jesus’ desire for us

WHAT do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked Bartimaeus, the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel. Wasn’t this the same question he raised to James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in last Sunday’s Gospel when the two brothers asked him for a favor? This seemed to be a recurring behavior of…

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The November 2012 Priority Dates

Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning that immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority…

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Voter guide on key California initiatives for November 6: How Asian Americans can finally make a difference

The National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) is a nonprofit bi-partisan organization. It is offering its suggestions and advice on the four most crucial California ballot measures (propositions) before the voters on November 6th, 2012. We offer our observations with reservations since we believe the initiative (proposition process), once the hallmark of California’s democratic system, is…

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Come to our Sweet Swap Post-Halloween party!

IF this Halloween proves to be too much candy for your children’s teeth, then come join us at Millbrae Smile Center on November 2nd for a Sweet Swap Post-Halloween party and have the opportunity in supporting our troops. At our Sweet Swap event, we’ll be giving children the chance to trade leftover candies for other…

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Probiotics and health

Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when ingested, confer a health benefits. The most common types of microbes used as probiotics are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria, but some yeasts and bacilli may also provide good physiologic effects. Fermented foods with added active live cultures, like yogurt, soy yogurt, or certain dietary supplements are available…

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Abandonment of US residence

Jon and Kate own and operate a successful real estate business in California. In addition to owning a beautiful home, they had acquired several homes and apartment buildings which they rented out. In 2008, when the US economy was struggling and the real estate business was sluggish, Jon and Kate decided to take a long…

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Gray area

THE Philippines dodged a bullet when it was spared from a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist. After making a “high-level political commitment” to address deficiencies in its law against money laundering, the country was granted four months to render necessary amendments, with a condition to fast-track implementation of compliance efforts with international regulations, before…

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A United Heritage

October marks a month’s worth of observing Filipino-American history in the United States. With a population of a million and growing, this is an appropriate action in understanding our deep ties in the land of the free. “Filipino Americans: Making History for 425 Years,” is this year’s theme and activities are lined up to showcase…

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Bankruptcy: Debt forgiveness for honest debtors

CONTRARY to what others may think, the majority of people who file for bankruptcy are honest, hard working people who simply need to get a fresh financial start.  Because life is not perfect, there are times when we are so way in over our heads in debt that filing for debt relief becomes unavoidable. Filing…

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Advocating for Active Participation among Fil-Ams

WHEN the Director of the Census Bureau appointed Ditas Katague to a new national advisory committee, it was just another milestone accomplishment for one of the highest-ranking Filipino-American officials in the United States. Groves appointed the 47-year-old Katague as a member of the new National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations. The purpose…

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Round two

Overall, the general view on the outcome of Tuesday’s second presidential debate is that Pres. Obama dominated (to make up for his lackluster performance in the first debate), while Republican presidential candidate Gov. Romney kept his ground. In the CNN/ORC International poll of 457 registered voters, it indicated that  Pres. Obama won round 2 of…

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Can we?

JESUS, can we drink the cup that you drink or be baptized with the baptism with which you are baptized? Can we really do this? Can we accept failures? Can we accept imperfections in people, in church, in government, in business? Can we forgive and understand those who annoy us, who do not share our…

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