AS students prepare for their first day at school, Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) is also making the necessary steps to ensure an orderly first day for students. In accordance with the preparations for the opening of classes on June 6, the DepEd recently launched this year’s Brigada Eskwela, an annual project that invites volunteers…
ACCORDING to Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but that its marine and wildlife riches are facing depletion due to intrusive man-made activities. Years and years of unmitigated and destructive human activities have taken its toll on the…
IT is a twisted irony that as the world celebrated Earth Day last April 22, a landslide set off by heavy rains occurred in a small-scale gold-mining community in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, destroying at least 20 houses at the foot of the mountain, burying at least 21 people alive, killing 8 miners, with 11 still…
A potential client arrived in our new Salt Lake City, Utah office last week looking for guidance on a petition that was to be filed on her behalf by her son. She mentioned that she had seen another immigration attorney in the area but felt pressured into signing a contract before she felt comfortable in…
PRESIDENT Aquino has come under fire as soon as reports were released of his intention to give defeated vice-presidential candidate Mar Roxas III a post in the Cabinet once the election ban expires by the end of June. At the time, PNoy hinted that the post will even be more “demanding” than the work of…
Despite the growing number of unfortunate events happening in different parts of the world, remittances made by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have soared higher by 5.9 percent or $4.6 billion this first quarter as compared to the same period last year according to Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, reported in…
“We are proud to stand by your side.” These were some of the words uttered by Ambassador Harry Thomas during a reception on board the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which docked in Manila Bay recently, saying that the US-PH relationship “is a commitment born of shared histories and close ties,” and that the United…
Sending a clear message to the state auditors of the Commission on Audit (COA), President Aquino delivered a speech at their 112th anniversary, emboldening them “to safeguard the public coffers without fear that they would be stopped.” “Being the eyes of the bureaucracy, you know that no one is blindfolding you in tracking down anomalies….
So much attention is being given to the pressing issues facing the country today such as poverty, the burgeoning population rate, educational inadequacies, and corruption and other irregularities in the government that the efforts to raise awareness on the importance of promoting and protecting our national heritage are often being overlooked. National heritage is described…
Hope sparked anew for the Philippine media that an absolute freedom of the press can still be attained with the recent release of the Freedom of the Press 2011: A Global Survey of Media Independence report stating that the liberty of press in the country had “improved marginally” in 2010 and have somewhat recovered by…
While the world is still reeling over two important and exciting events which happened recently—the matrimonial union of Britain’s Prince William and now Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and the beatification of Pope John Paul II—yet another significant incident ensued to cap the public’s elation over the weekend. Osama bin Laden is dead—and the entire…
The legendary David is back. He is back in the Philippines, battling the giants in the petroleum industry. Slowly but surely, he is creating a niche in an industry dominated by multinational oil companies. Our modern David goes by the name of Dennis Uy, founder and president of public listed Phoenix Petroleum Philippines. If you…
THE White House’s release of a certified copy of Pres. Barack Hussein Obama’s more detailed, long-form birth certificate on April 27 finally puts the protracted birther controversy, which started during his campaign trail for the presidency, to rest. The details of the original birth certificate verified that Pres. Obama was born in Hawaii, to an…
FAMILY businesses have both strengths and weaknesses. The overwhelming strength of the family business is the different atmosphere and feel that a family concern has. There can be a sense of belonging and common purpose, leading to improved performance. Furthermore, a family firm has greater flexibility, since the unity of management and shareholders provides the…
LENT prepares the Christian for the yearly commemoration of Christ’s Death and Resurrection. Forty weekdays – hence the term ‘Cuaresma’ in Spanish, are given over to prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and abstinence from meat. Christ’s forty-day retreat in the desert and His success in resisting the devil’s temptation to wealth, power, and glory inspires the Christian…
DESPITE the August 23, 2010 hostage drama incident which left 8 Hong Kong nationals dead, the Philippines is still optimistic that it will be able to double the number of tourist arrivals in the country – from 3 million to 6 million by 2016. This was what the country conveyed to China through the efforts…
MOST aliens that come to the United States do so under a B-1 or B-2 visa as a visitor which gives visitors up to 6 months stay in the US. However due to the recent policy of disfavoring extensions of visitors status, extending once visitors visa is almost no longer an option for a lot…
HERE’S what happened: In 2001, our client became a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He immediately petitioned for his 3 children back in the Philippines because as you know, children of derivative (preference) petitions cannot simultaneously immigrate to the United States. When he petitioned for his children, he was told that the priority…
True to its commitment to help the Philippines towards economic progress, Japanese Ambassador to Manila, Makoto Katsura, recently said in his speech during the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat, Bataan, that the Japanese government will still continue to provide developmental assistance to the country, particularly in Mindanao, amid the disorder brought about…
SO far the recent performance of the local economy appear resilient according to the recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF retained The Philippine economic growth forecast at 5 percent for 2011 and 2012, after taking into account the potential impact of both favorable and unfavorable factors. In its latest forecast, IMF also…
You’ve probable heard us talk about the “mouth-body connection” and how periodontal (gum) disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes, in addition to pregnant women’s chances of giving birth to pre-term, low-weight babies. Did you know, however, about the correlation between gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, and even certain cancers?…
WITH the Willie Revillame-Jan-Jan issue and a lot of bad news hogging the headlines lately, it would be good for everyone’s morale to take a nice, quick break – away from all the negativity to focus on the good, but lesser-noticed success stories. Recently, two inspiring, intelligent and achieving young people – both from the…
It’s good to be single. But to be happy being single is another story. Over the holidays, I did get kind of lonely being alone, without a significant other to spend it with. I honestly felt that I could be happier when I am with someone. One of my resolutions for this year was to…
IN A family business, it’s the third generation that presents the big problems. The first generation founds the company and has the drive and the dedication to move it forward. The second generation rides that wave. The third generation wants to do their own thing. They’ve seen Broadway; they’ve had all the advantages. – Gale…
WHILE the entire world watches and continues to hope and pray, that the seemingly unending chain reaction of problems in Japan’s tsunami-ravaged nuclear power complex will finally be put to a grinding halt – it is also time for us to stop, think and do a reality check on the imminent danger and effects that…
Being involved in an auto accident can be a frustrating and very disruptive experience to most people. Depending on your injuries, most likely you are unable to commute to work, unable to carry on your regular chores, or even unable to work at all. This is on top of all the pain and suffering that…
ANY foreign national who marries a US citizen, and is otherwise eligible, may apply to adjust their status to lawful permanent residency (“green card”). If married for less than two years at the time the case is approved, the foreign national will receive “conditional permanent residency.” This type of residency expires two years after the…
STARTING a family business presents unique challenges over and above the usual problems a start-up faces. That’s why only one in three family businesses survives to the next generation. Less than 1/3 survive the transition from 1st to 2nd generation ownership. Of those that do, about 1/2 do not survive the transition from 2nd to…
Armed with the intention to ultimately halt the corruption that has stained the reputation of some of its innocent members, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. has recently expressed its willingness to help the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the allegation of corruption within the AFP. Mabanta…
The RA. No. 8042, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022, provides that the State shall, at all times, uphold the dignity of its citizens whether in country or overseas, “continuously monitor international conventions, adopt/be signatory to and ratify those that guarantee protection…
