ESTATE planning is defined as “the process of putting an individual’s personal and financial affairs in order”, by Richard S. Kinyon and Genevieve M. Moore in their “Overview of Estate Planning Practice” in California Estate Planning publication of the Continuing Education of the Bar. The two main objectives of estate planning are: (1) the maximization…
SENATORS Edgardo Angara and Jinggoy Estrada have filed a bill that would provide a subsidy to political parties involved in an election, with funds from government coffers, and would penalize “turncoatism” among politicians. This is SBN 3214, “The Political Party Development Act of 2011,” which pundits have nicknamed “the Anti-Balimbing Bill.” For those still struggling…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) alerts eligible individuals NOT to submit a deferred action request under the Deferred Action Process for Young People memorandum issued by Secretary Napolitano on June 15. If you submit now, your application will be rejected. The Secretary’s directive gives USCIS 60 days to create a process to accept these…
Since 1938, US immigration regulations have provided for the automatic revocation of the approved visa petition upon the death of the Petitioner. However, immigration regulations since 2006 provided that automatic revocation provisions does not apply to a spousal immediate relative petition if the deceased petitioner and the alien widower had been married at least two…
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) and work authorization, 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 in the…
THE “automatic stay” in bankruptcy is a powerful tool available to debtors to prevent collection efforts from creditors, including foreclosures. Whether you file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition, an “automatic stay” is in effect immediately once a bankruptcy petition is filed, i.e., most creditors (with a few exemptions) cannot take any action…
ON FRIDAY, June 15, 2012, 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 US who would have qualified for the ill-fated DREAM ACT. In the absence of any Congressional movement on Immigration Reform and Congress’ repeated failure to…
IF YOU are like a lot of people who have old, unpaid debts, collection accounts and judgments from their past that they don’t even remember, you may feel that it is too late to get a fresh start and rebuild your credit. Over the years, I have met a lot of people in this situation. …
AS celebrations to Jose Rizal’s sesquicentennial came to a close on his 151st birthday last June 19, another chapter opens on his revered status as the National Hero of the Philippines. Knowing Rizal and the greatness attributed to him can be a tough task. It all starts in the formative years of Filipinos who are…
AT TIMES, we become blind to the enormous graces that are around us. It’s because we tend to measure grace according to the vain values of the world, particularly popularity, money, power, and prestige. We feel blessed if we have attained a high level of success in our profession; we feel blessed if we belong…
For qualified borrowers who might not have any equity to Refinance ASK about the the NEW FHA Streamline started June 11, 2012 with much lower PMI and almost 0 MIP. Finally The government’s new HARP 2.0 Refinance Program is available to US homeowners as of March 17, 2012. If you’re property has negative equity or …
MANNY Pacquiao didn’t lose to Timothy Bradley. That much is clear, no matter what Bradley says. Like a recently impeached midnight appointee, Bradley has to rationalize wearing his corona. But no one believes him. And until he fights Pacquiao again, he’ll always sense that folks are raising their eyebrows at him whenever he talks about…
A DEBTOR who gets a discharge in a bankruptcy petition is no longer personally liable for most of the debts listed in the petition. This means that creditors of the debtor are permanently barred from taking collection efforts against him such as lawsuits, phone calls and/or other forms of communication or contact. After all, the…
OVER the past three years, this Administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to transform the immigration enforcement system into one that focuses on public safety, border security and the integrity of the immigration system. As DHS continues to focus its limited enforcement resources on the removal of individuals who pose a danger to national security…
On June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, announced that, effective immediately, those who were brought to the U.S. as young children and who meet certain eligibility requirements, will be considered for “deferred action” (relief from removal or from being put in to removal proceedings). They will be eligible to receive deferred…
SATURDAY’S outcome of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight came as a shocker, not only to Filipinos across the globe, but even to former boxing champs, fierce critics and former Pacquiao opponents, boxing experts, the media and some celebrities. Among well-respected individuals in the boxing arena who were outraged were Evander Holyfield, Oscar Dela Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Sr….
“ The decision, which had held that an “aged out” derivative beneficiary of a family or employment-based petition for immigrant status cannot benefit from the original priority date assigned to his or her parent, contrary to what many argue was Congress’ intent in passing the “Child Status Protection Act” (CSPA) in 2002.” GIVING new hope…
THE tenth and most important rule is that “there can only be one boss.” Lance explained that this rule is related to succession. The role of the family and owners is to prepare a board to appoint a successor. “You must establish a process to appoint the leaders. My dad and his brothers established a…
So it has happened. After an impressive streak of 15 wins in 7 years, the taste of a loss does not only linger in Manny Pacquiao’s mouth, but to ours as well. We all witnessed the Pacman’s successful pugilistic campaigns, conquering his opponents as he moved up the scales, and we now have to deal…
THE key and only answer is because they are keeping lending rates at all time lows. I suggest you better stop, listen and act on this. Why? Because if you can reduce your mortgage interest rate on your home, you will be saving money. There is a famous saying: “Money saved is Money earned.” Hard…
Now it’s time for some serious business. President Benigno Aquino III, who is now holding meetings with the dignitaries of the United States, has accumulated for the country a whopping $1 billion worth of business investments from his recent successful trip in the United Kingdom (UK). During his three-day European trip, President Aquino was able…
ON TUESDAY, the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution”calling for increased defense and security cooperation with the Philippines.” The US Senate said that “Washington is fully committed to honoring its mutual obligations with Manila.” Senate Resolution 481, which was sponsored by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), got a unanimous approval from the chamber, on the eve…
IN THE 2007 elections in Canada, Flor Marcelino, a Filipina businesswoman, made history as the first woman of color and first Filipina elected to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly for the electoral division of Wellington. Her outstanding performance as a public servant resulted in her appointment by Premier Greg Selinger as Minister for Culture, Heritage and…
How is Miriam Defensor-Santiago regarded by her colleagues in the Senate? No more than a sick joke. This was obvious in the way they were chuckling and exchanging mischievous whispers while she ranted and roared and called them “gago” to their faces, while rationalizing her verdict of not guilty in the impeachment of ex-Chief Justice…
Starting June 4, 2012, people applying for immigrant visas at the Embassy, but have been found ineligible (or inadmissible) by a US consular officer, will nowfile their waiver requests in the US, vs. filing them in Manila. (In the past when applicants applied for immigrant visas, butwere found to be “inadmissible”at the US Embassy (i.e….
Question: I was raped years ago. I heard there is some type of visa. Can I get this visa? Answer: You may be eligible for a U nonimmigrant visa. If You are the victim of qualifying criminal activity. You have to have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a…
Brugada Syndrome is a baffling condition where a person, who appears to be healthy, unexpectedly develops cardiac arrest, for no apparent reason. Most victims do not survive the episode. This condition is now believed to be responsible for countless sudden deaths among young people – athletes, students, etc., – who suddenly dropped dead. Did the…
By this time most of you must have filed your 2011 tax returns already, as the filing deadline on April 17 had long passed. But if you are among those who failed to file their tax returns, including those with unfiled tax returns on previous years, the IRS may go after you and impose penalties….
AFTER 44 days of trial, the world witnessed the guilty verdict passed for Chief Justice Renato Corona, who is now impeached. Although it took five months to deliver, the conclusion has brought a sigh of relief, a sign that justice in the country may have gained momentum. It took a long time to enforce the…
THE USCIS has announced that its Stateside Provisional Waiver process to allow immigrant visa applicants to overcome the 3 and ten year “unlawful presence” bars should be in full force by the end of 2012. Earlier this year, the US Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced that it has promulgated new regulations to allow for…
