FOR most Filipinos, telenovelas have proven more affective to regular households than the evening news. The recognition and relevance that the audience accords to the narratives from the characters they follow reveal a meaningful social, cultural and even political function that can be attributed to telenovelas. Analogous to a telenovela, the historic impeachment of Supreme…
THE guys at my favorite watering hole in Daly City are, as usual, confused about the state of affairs in the Philippines. And, as usual, they turn to me for enlightenment. I oblige, of course, knowing that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed is king. Take the Sin Tax, hailed by President Noynoy…
INCOME taxes. For the lower income earner, it is a welcome relief as the government bestows tax credits and benefits. But for the medium to higher income earner, it’s usually dreadful experience as the idea of paying taxes creeps through their pockets and senses. Whether we like it or not, we have to file our…
QUESTION: I have heard that there is a new way that I can submit my Waiver of the 3/10 year bar. Is that true? Answer: Normally, you would have to leave the U.S to submit the Waiver and await adjudication outside the US However, it seems that will change. On Jan. 6, 2012, US Citizenship…
AS WE begin this New Year, we hope that 2012 will be good for all of you, especially in the area of immigration law. Traditionally, immigration law has seen positive changes during the years of the presidential elections. We remain optimistic that 2012 will not be different. One encouraging indicator that good immigration developments are…
TAKE small steps at a time. This has been a recurrent advice that we hear from people and read from magazines as we make our New Year’s resolutions. We can’t hurry success or achievement in any endeavor whether it is exercise, diet, studies, work. We’ll have to take everything in stride. If you’re like me,…
ON January 6, the much-awaited and much-anticipated new tourism campaign was launched by the Department of Tourism (spearheaded by DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.) to dispel the nation’s disappointment over the previous (and now debunked) “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” campaign. “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is the final product, born out of convoluted pitches and…
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has shown vicious contempt and grave disrespect for the Filipino physicians and the healthcare in the Philippines when she and her husband decided the quality of medical care in the Philippines was not good enough for her, the implied reason why they were attempting to go abroad for treatment. Apparently, they feel…
When we notice someone with discolored teeth, we usually assume it’s due to smoking, a high consumption of staining foods and drinks, or some other common reason. There’s another cause of stained teeth that doesn’t usually come to mind, though: swimmer’s calculus. Swimmer’s calculus is defined as being hard, brown, tartar deposits that appear predominantly…
TO commemorate the Feast of the Black Nazarene Monday, Jan. 9, some brave volunteers tried to secure the image of the Black Nazarene throughout the procession, while seven million maroon-clad devotees braved the streets of Manila hoping to touch, kiss or simply see the centuries-old image of Christ. Housed at Quiapo Church in Manila, the…
MORE and more taxpayers have been receiving it from the IRS….. the audit letter asking to substantiate tax deductible expenses claimed in a prior tax year. In fact, some taxpayers have been or will be receiving it for two to five consecutive years once their credibility with the IRS has been tarnished. There have been…
WITH the New Year comes the opportunity to reflect on our lives and to set goals for ourselves during 2012. Many of these goals will revolve around health, work, and family. It is also the perfect time to set a goal to seek answers and resolutions to immigration problems. One problem that is common and…
THE holidays are over and now we’re back to our normal routines. Like many of you, I think of the activities and the events that will unfold before me as I take the journey of 2013, some of them are set while the rest are still unknown. What is set is that I continue to…
The New Year is a usual time for Filipinos abroad to visit their loved ones in the Philippines. But for most Pinoys in the Middle East, it was an involuntary homecoming due to political turmoil that has been going on in the oil-rich countries. Giving utmost priority to the safety of our kababayans abroad, local…
Veggies protect the stomach Those taking NSAID drugs like ibuprofen, and other anti-arthritis pain medications regularly can be victims of stomach irritation which could result in ulcers and bleeding complication. To prevent stomach ulceration, ingesting 8 to 10 ounces of vegetables a day can work wonders by protecting the stomach wall lining, according to a…
“LEARN from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”- Albert Einstein Forget the past and start anew. This is perhaps a trend now as the world economy begins a new year. In his speech before year 2011 ended last week, Obama expressed his confidence for an economic comeback for the United States. Reflecting on a…
GOING to college is a good thing as it can open greater opportunities for employment and has the potential to transform someone to higher level of success. There are various ways to finance a college education, one of which, and maybe the most popular means, is by obtaining student loans. It might seem overwhelming as…
AT LEAST once a week, someone comes into my office panicking because their spouse or other relative has been picked up and detained by immigration authorities. The relative was arrested and placed in one of the county jails where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains those with immigration violations. This can happen in many different ways….
MY best Christmas gift this year was not another gadget or a nice polo shirt or a sweater. It was not a gift card or a ticket to a concert. It was something different. It was a surprise visit from someone I knew a long time ago, when I was a young associate pastor. The…
Poorly cooked pork/seafood Unlike beef which could be eaten rare or medium, pork is safe only when fully cooked, especially in barbeque. Improperly cooked pork could lead to a micro worm infestation called trichinosis, where the tiny roundworms enter the muscles, even in the eyelids, the heart, etc. and pose a danger not only to…
NO MATTER how good our intentions are in helping others, we will often find ourselves misunderstood, mistreated or misjudged by some people. I have found this true in my twenty years of ministry as priest and as someone who has been involved in works of charity. For example, some people would throw hurtful and harmful…
THE Bush-Era Tax Cuts was set to expire on December 31, 2011 and one of those that would have been greatly impacted is the Child Tax Credit (CTC), one of the most popular tax credits for families and children. Had the Obama administration not extended the Bush-Era Tax cuts for another year, the CTC would…
Is there an illness called Christmas Disease? Yes, there is, but it has nothing to do with the Christmas season. Christmas Disease is a blood disease, also known as Hemophilia B or factor IX hemophilia. It is a hereditary bleeding disorder due to deficiency in coagulation factor IX. This condition is X-linked recessive inheritance, affecting…
DURING this holiday season, we are bombarded with advertisements about the latest and greatest deals on how we can celebrate Christmas with awesome gifts and welcome New Year with a bang. It is easy to get caught up in the hoopla of purchasing that perfect something, or scoring a sweet deal on the hottest items…
IT’S the season of gift-giving. And President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) wasted no time looking for the perfect gift for his nemesis, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) – a suite befitting of a former president, in jail. Now, only a few weeks after GMA’s arrest and before Christmas, PNoy and his constituents in Congress have…
DESIGNED to supplement the wages or earned income through self-employment of working families, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits taxpayers who are either low or moderate income earners by providing generous tax credits. It is believed to have helped alleviate poverty for around 6.5 million families, affecting 15 million children every year. As part…
ONE of America’s top construction companies is Hawaii-based Group Builders, Inc., founded and owned by Filipino-American Anacleto “Lito” Alcantara. Group Builders Inc. ranked 186 among the Top 600 Specialty Contractors in the US(2007). It has consistently been in Hawaii’s Top 250 Largest Companies since 1998, presented by Hawaii Business; the First Filipino Company included in…
THE Good News is within us – within our minds and hearts. It’s the change that is happening within our lives, in the way we think about or perceive our everyday experiences and challenges. It’s the new way we feel towards others and about our selves. The Good news is our awakened hearts, our enlightened…
Since Benigno Aquino III assumed the position of president, he made his intentions very clear of weeding out officials who did the country wrong during their terms. The aggressiveness of the current administration in going after those who have allegedly betrayed the public trust, was seen in the recent hospital arrest of Former President Gloria…
IT IS hard to believe that we will be greeting a new year in less than three weeks. If you are like me, you are in the midst of Christmas-related hustle and bustle, trying to prepare for the holidays and the end of 2011. While it is the season of celebrating and being grateful for…
