10 facts about gambling winnings
1. GAMBLING winnings are always taxable and must be reported on your tax return – with or without form W-2G. 2. Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse and…
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A Guardian of Electoral Transparency
While the entire world was eagerly watching the US presidential elections this week, a most noteworthy event was also happening in America. From November 4-7, the International Foundation for Electoral…
Failure to schedule rental income may be bad faith in bankruptcy
SECTION 707 of the bankruptcy code provides for the court’s authority to dismiss a bankruptcy case for abuse. What kind of conduct amounts to abuse of bankruptcy law by the…
Nebraska and California service centers granted deferred action to 2 Filipino college students
BY APPROVAL Notice dated October 19, 2012, the Nebraska Service Center granted deferred action on Form I-812D and the corresponding employment authorization on Form I-765, valid from October 17, 2012…
Death Of An Impossible Dreamer
Alex Esclamado is dead. He passed away last Sunday, November 4, in Cebu City from a lingering ailment. His demise is a loss for Filipinos in America, as well as…
Now that Obama has been re-elected, file for DACA!
On June 15, 2012, the Obama Administration announced a new policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is now being referred to as “DACA.” Under this program, the government…
How to help prevent giant utility rate increases and advance the interests of Asian Americans
Six million Asian Americans in California are deeply affected by the actions of one of the most powerful California government agencies, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The CPUC influences…
President Obama wins: Four more years!
THE verdict of the American people is out: President Barack Obama wins over his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, after going over the top of the required absolute majority (magic number…
A killer in our kitchen
Quietly sitting in our kitchen is a good friend but a bad enemy, a killer, when “abused.” We are not talking about fire or boiling water, or knives, or even…
The Perfect Storm
US News and World Report writer Mary Brophy Marcus wrote an article a few years back about the critical shortages of physicians in the United States and the escalating cost…
Priority date retention and automatic conversion of visa petitions
The twin cases of De Osorio v. Mukasey and Costelo v. Napolitano, both decided by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 26, 2012 now allows many children who…
Our native soil
Memories were spread across the archipelago in a time before we were made to submit before a colonial power. These memories make up our native history—one filled with gods, our…
The myth of ‘litigation explosion’ should not limit consumer rights
FOR years, special interest groups funded by big business have been perpetuating the myth of “litigation explosion” to justify limiting the legal rights of consumers. Under the guise of “tort…
Goal-oriented
ONLY two years in office, yet President Aquino’s government has been constantly making efforts to improve the lives of its constituents. Amid upgraded credit ratings, huge investments and renewed business…
Reunite with your children
IN 1988, Maria, a US citizen, petitioned her brother, Edgar from the Philippines. Although the petition was approved, the priority date was not current. In fact the priority date did…
How will this election affect the real estate market?
WE HAVE earned a right to vote here in this great nation. We should all make time to exercise that right and study the issue and vote according to our…
12 tips to keep the IRS away
THE name of the game is keeping a low audit profile. It means getting lost in the crowd. It reduces the risk of an audit. Here are 12 tips to…
Strengthening the Mandate of the UN SPT in Torture Prevention
DR. JUNE Caridad Pagaduan-Lopez reached another milestone in her long and distinguished career. On October 25, the United Nations elected the well-renowned Filipina doctor to its Sub-committee on Prevention of…
Large mortgage payments from sale of assets may be evidence of fraud in bankruptcy
IMAGINE you won the new Prius in your church lottery. Instead of keeping the car, you sold it for $25,000. You use the $25,000 to pay down the mortgage on…
Musing on this solemn November
WE began this month of November with two feast days that are close to our hearts as Catholics: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These subsequent feast days set…
Food and arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), commonly known as arthritis, which causes the usual aches and pains in the various joints in the body, especially among the elderly, affected about 47.8 million people…
Days of veneration
IT’S that time of the year again — for a celebration universally known as Halloween. Spooky decorations of skeletons, ghosts, witches and pumpkins dangle on windows and lawns with almost…
Filing mandamus actions in federal court
ALTHOUGH the volume of newly-filed applications for benefits is down at the USCIS, the processing times for some applications pending at the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) are longer…
Creating Competition and Lower Costs for Asian Americans
SoftBank, a major Japanese telecommunications company, is seeking to acquire America’s third largest telecommunications company, Sprint, for $20 billion. It is possible that a combination of anti-foreign investment politicians, community…
Clarifying family business boundaries: Operational responsibilities vs. strategic financial decisions
One of the most dangerous survival tests for family businesses is their succession. It is no surprise therefore that many successors and heirs feel relief and complacency once the transition…
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…
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…
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…