Gokongweis’ commandment no. 3: No conflict of interest
“TO set aside one’s prejudices, one’s present needs, and one’s own self interest in making a decision as a director for a company is an intellectual exercise that takes constant…
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Overcoming the ‘Public Charge’ Ground of Inadmissibility
As far back as he could remember, Doogie wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Upon his graduation from college his family immigrated to the United States. However, instead…
Making waves
PICTURESQUE beaches. Teeming diverse marine life in and around the Philippine waters. Marvelous dive sites. A perfect getaway, more reasons to consider why “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” While…
Leaving the US with Advance Parole is not a ‘departure’
REVERSING years of its own jurisprudence and in opposition to various Federal Court interpretations, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a case holding that a departure from the US pursuant…
Baguio beckons
It’s summertime and the heat is on. One can feel it building, the waft of warm air into the nostrils heading straight to the lungs. Clothes becoming heavy and skin…
Estate planning: It’s never too early or too late
T WAS a typical appointment on a busy tax season last April. A representative for a Hispanic male in his mid-60s visited my office for a living trust preparation. So…
Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize
FOR Father Edwin “Edu” Gariguez, the environment of Mindoro (his hometown province) is worth dying for. Gariguez (better known as Fr. Edu) has long been recognized as the man leading…
Revisiting the 245(i) law
ALTHOUGH over ten years have passed since the most recent amendment pertaining to the law commonly referred to as “245i” was enacted, the law remains to be the subject of…
Intimacy with God
“LOOK at my hands, and my feet, that it is I, myself. Touch me and see me… he showed them his hands and his feet.” This was how the Disciples…
True independence
In the essence of camaraderie and reaffirmation of alliances, military exercises between the Philippines and the United States have begun once again through the annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises. The 12-day…
I’m 17 and abandoned. What can I do?
QUESTION: I’m 17 and my mother died and my father abandoned me. What can I do? Is there any help for me? Answer: Yes, There is what is known as…
The truth about eggs
In this more health-conscious era, eggs, a very popular item in most any breakfast menus around the world, have been a controversial food item because of its high cholesterol content….
The hip bone’s connected to the…jaw bone?
The lyrics to the old song, Dem Bones don’t connect the hipbone directly to your mouth, but a surgeon might, by canceling hip surgery if the patient is suffering from…
Peaceful resolution
INTERNATIONAL law signifies the essence of the progress of civilization towards a world ruled by principle and not by force. It took millions of lives, thousands of years and hundreds…
What constitutes ‘lawful admission’ to the US?
THE Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has restored its prior ruling that “admission” for the purposes of a later adjustment of status means a procedurally regular admission, and not an…
What constitutes ‘lawful admission’ to the US?
THE Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has restored its prior ruling that “admission” for the purposes of a later adjustment of status means a procedurally regular admission, and not an…
Meet the USCIS Entrepreneurs in Residence Tactical Team
USCIS has partnered with business experts to improve the way we approach the employment-based and high-skilled visa categories used by immigrant entrepreneurs. Director Alejandro Mayorkas kicked-off this innovative program, called…
The Scarborough (Af)fair
YOU might be wondering how a foreign-sounding “group of islands and reefs in an atoll shape” can be found in Philippine waters. According to a dead-linked source from Wikipedia (Diary…
Things you should know about Loan Modification scams
LOAN Modification Scams are growing like wild fire and its consider white collar crime. In my opinion these types of crime are hard to prosecute and if prosecuted it gets…
Dr. Rommel G. Bacabac, Multi-awarded Scientist and Professor
EVERY two years, from around the world, the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) gives its most prestigious award, the S.M. Perren Research Award, to the first author of the best…
Don’t tell me – show me!
“UNLESS I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put may hand into his side, I will not believe.”…
Proposed Provisional Waiver of Unlawful Presence
USCIS has published a very important proposed change in processing petitions for certain alien relatives called “Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives.” How does this proposed…
Violence on television
The cultures of corruption and of violence in society are close cousins, if not twins. They are intertwined. Where there is corruption, there is violence, and vice versa. Violence is…
10 commandments of the Gokongweis in family business
No in-laws! THIS is the first of 10 unwritten commandments which John Gokongwei, founder of the Gokongwei group of companies, followed in running the family business “the Gokongwei way.” (I…
Independent contractor on 1099-MISC?
TAXPAYERS who have filed income tax returns using Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, usually get surprised when they receive a notice from the Los Angeles City requiring them…
Obama’s help for ‘responsible homeowners’
WE HAVE been getting a lot of calls in regards to the new Obama Refinancing Programs and the supposedly more aggressive “Loan Modification Programs” that is geared more towards “Responsible…
Cora Basa Cortes Tomalinas, Multi-Awarded Community Activist
Dealing with rebellious children amidst a drug epidemic in the 1980s, Corazon “Cora” Basa Cortes Tomalinas knew she had to do something or lose her children for good. She lived…
H-1B season starts
THE H-1B visa category opened again recently. As usual, we are seeing much interest by individuals and employers seeking obtain the H-1B nonimmigrant visa. In the last two years, the…
An Easter message
DURING the Chrism Mass last Monday at the Cathedral of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez told us, the priests of the archdiocese, to value our priesthood — for God…