IF YOU are buried in debt, you may be feeling trapped at the moment with no way out. You realize you need help but don’t know where to go for help. You may even be embarrassed about your situation that you find it uncomfortable to turn to family and friends for help. So you try…
CALIFORNIA would prohibit the charging of advance fees to homeowners in connection with a loan modification, and require anyone who wishes to charge a fee for loan modification services (after performing them) to provide a state mandated notice beforehand regarding the availability of non-fee options for the borrower. Tens of thousands of Californians face default…
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…
Every bride dreams of walking down the aisle, stunning white dress cascading behind her, beaming groom waiting to take her hand. But wait – are the smiles photographer-ready, all set to feature in photos that will be viewed for generations to come? Whether you’re the bride, groom, member of the wedding party or honored family…
In the game of chess, the game is over when the king falls or is checkmated. It is a representation of accepting defeat, but what it signifies is that when the king does fall, he takes a large part of the game with him. On Tuesday, July 9, the Philippines’ entertainment industry was dealt a…
ON June 15, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the DHS would consider granting Deferred Action Status (DAS) to many young people in the United States who would have qualified for the ill-fated policy. In the absence of any Congressional movement on Immigration Reform and Congress’ repeated failure to…
IF you are struggling with serious debt problems and the idea of filing for bankruptcy has crossed your mind, like most people, you may have some “fears” about bankruptcy that you have not been able to discuss with anyone. Usually, these “fears” stem from what we have heard about bankruptcy from co-workers, family or friends. …
ROYALTY graced the country last July 2 to 6 as Queen Sofia of Spain visited various parts of the Philippines. The official trip of the Queen of Spain was named Viaje de Cooperación de Su Majestad la Reina a la República de Filipinas (Travel Cooperation of Her Majesty the Queen to the Republic of the…
FIRST, the admiration, then, the rejection. “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and John?” And they took offense at him. As Jesus experienced this…
EARLIER this week (in an interview with dzBB radio) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile raised a question in jest: “Now that China has sent its own astronauts into space, would it eventually go to the moon and claim it as its territory?” The senate president asserted that it’s the Philippines “lack of military muscle to…
NOW when lenders pursue foreclosures and simultaneously negotiate with clients to modify their mortgages so that payments become more affordable. Homeowners will not wind up being evicted even though they had been working with the bank to modify their loans in order to avoid foreclosure. This Bill will favor banks because no lawsuit can go…
Retiring a few days ago, Anita Sanchez is the highest ranking and longest-serving government employee of the city and county of San Francisco. She lives to serve people, to empower them so that they can contribute in making the world a better place. Former Mayor Art Agnos praised Anita by saying that ” her greatest…
FOR those that have anticipated the DREAM Act to become reality, we are one step closer. On June 15, 2012, the Obama Administration revealed a new initiate which will orders the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to STOP DEPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE. The initiative is meant to allow children who came to the United States with…
“IF there were only one “success strategy” I could recommend to a family business, creating an Advisory Board would be that strategy. In times of crisis, the Advisory Board can act as a safety net for both the family and the family business,” says top family business expert Don Schwerzler., founder of the Family Business…
PREVIOUSLY, I discussed ways on how to request the IRS to reduce your tax liabilities, which is accomplished by means of an Offer in Compromise (OIC). In this article, I will discuss how you can pay your tax liabilities by installment if an OIC does not work for you. As discussed before, an OIC allows…
After the dramatic impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, comes the big question: Who will be the 24th Chief Justice of the Philippines? Last July 2, the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) had received 70 nominations and two applications for the post of chief justice. Members of the Judiciary who have chosen to accept…
Today, our country and many others around the world are faced with the epidemics of arthritis, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Obviously, our health prevention strategy of more than half a century has failed in our race and battle against these diseases. While the world has succeeded significantly in the area of…
Last week, a deeply divided US Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s health care initiative, the Affordable [Health] Care Act. But many are applauding this decision for the wrong reasons. LAST week, a deeply divided US Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s health care initiative, the Affordable [Health] Care Act. But many are applauding this decision for…
As most people are aware, on June 15, 2012, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that “effective immediately,” certain young people would be eligible for “Deferred Action” (relief from removal), provided they meet certain eligibility requirements: Be between the ages of 15 and 30, and entered the US before their 16th birthday. Were physically present…
ON this day, we are behooved to recall the history of how the United States of America came to be. The clarion call for independence is just as fundamental, and just as radical as it was 236 years ago. “Independence Day will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt…
GIVING new hope to thousands of individuals who would have been adversely impacted by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in De Osorio et. al v. Holder, The Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit Appeals recently announced that the case would be reheard en banc and that the previous three-judge panel decision is no…
NO ONE ever likes to talk about bankruptcy. However, it’s simply a fact of life. Things happen. Whether it’s losing your job, going through a divorce, having huge medical bills that you can’t pay – or sometimes simply making poor financial decisions- any of these can lead to bankruptcy. It’s a scary thing to a…
For more than 300 years, Asian Americans have been ignored and until recently, discriminated against. This includes the infamous incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese American citizens during the Second World War, frequent denials of landownership rights and until the 1960s, the official barring by many states of intermarriage between Asian Americans and whites. By dint…
ARE national honors, such as the title of National Artist, appropriate for a comedian? The French thought it was proper to confer the Legion of Honor on Jerry Lewis. Queen Elizabeth named Charlie Chaplin a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. And Bob Hope not only received the Congressional Gold Medal, the…
California law on the nature of spouses’ rights and obligations with respect to management and control of community property has evolved over the last thirty years from less stringent “good faith” standards to heightened “confidential duty” and “fiduciary duty’ standards. Under current law, the duties owed between spouses in transactions between themselves are the same…
Let us begin by calling it the way Ifugaos call it, Páy-yo. It has been around for 2,000 years in the Cordilleras. As their masterpiece, it becomes more impressive considering that it was built using “indigenous engineering” way before the arrival of our colonizers, the Spaniards. We all know this place as the 8th Wonder…
ACCORDING to reports, President Benigno S. Aquino III’s second year in office will be met with “little fanfare.” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that unlike last year, when PNoy had a town-hall meeting to discuss his accomplishments so far, there were no scheduled activities for the Chief Executive’s second year. However, Malacañang has released…
(Part 2) QUESTION: If I am about to be 30 years old, but over 30 when it is ruled upon, will that be ok? Answer: That is unclear at this point. However, it would be in your benefit to immediately file while you are under 30 years old. Question: If I have a crime that…
IT STARTED out simple. A local restaurant was up for sale near their home so Flores, then a commercial real estate agent in 1976, purchased it. It was a gift from a son to a mother — a gift to fulfill her immigrant dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and owning a restaurant one day. The…
WHAT started out as a possible excuse to go back to the Philippines brought international recognition and honor for a Filipino-American instead. A scientist, genetic engineer, professor, researcher, and evolutionary biologist, Dr. Michael D. Purugganan has uncovered the secrets of rice that has made him a leading authority on the subject. His work documented the…
