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…
ON JUNE 15, 2012, President Obama announced that his administration through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will grant deferred action for undocumented youth that meet strict eligibility requirements. Deferred action is meant to address the immigration concerns of certain young people who were brought to the United States as children without any fault on…
EACH month, the visa Of- fice of the State Department publishes, in the visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that par- ticular 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…
It is very disheartening to witness children of immigrants work so hard to obtain good grades in school, achieve honor roll standing in high school, get accepted to top universities, only to find out that all doors to the American Dream are closed and locked. On June 15, 2012, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano…
Shoots down most others IN A 5-3 split decision, the US Supreme Court upheld one controversial provision of Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, SB 1070, that allows police officers to inquire into a person’s US immigration status during routine stops. The provision, which the State had previously been enjoined from enforcing by lower-court rulings, will now immediately…
WHEN your financial circumstances are forcing you to declare bankruptcy, it is one way of dealing with debts that you can no longer manage on your own. Of course, the decision should not be taken lightly and it is best to consult with an experienced bankruptcy attorney to see if it is best for your…
We know the man and his characters that are continually rolling on the film reels of our collective memories. He made us cry, whimper, ponder, and above all–laugh. Going beyond the five senses, having a knack for humor is an integral trait of the Filipino and Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr., aka “Dolphy” has given us…
SINCE I started informing my readers about the Harp Refinancing program, I have been getting a high volume of calls inquiring about this. Thanks so much for your support and I would like to further more explain the process and hopefully shed more light to your concerns. We started our recession in 2008 and the…
IF YOU owe a huge amount of taxes and are experiencing financial difficulties, don’t despair as there are remedies under the law which will help you avoid paying the whole amount. There are two ways to do it: either you propose a reduced amount to pay off the entire debt at a discount (what we…
LITTLE Gavin fixed his eyes on every ritual of the Mass that I was celebrating for our family a few weekends ago. A photo of him on Facebook shows his curiosity and awe. “How cute,” one of my priest-friends commented. The photo, indeed, worth a thousand words, is something to behold and to cherish for…
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…
