THE issue of former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos’ burial continues to be a fiery topic of discussion – even for Pinoys abroad. On Sunday, Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay flew back to the Philippines from an official trip to the United States, carrying an excess baggage – a message from Filipino-Americans who want the Aquino administration…
“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.” – Dr. Jose P. Rizal While Father’s Day and our own fathers will be the focal point of this special celebration, Filipinos will hold especially dear the father of Philippine nationalism — Dr. Jose P….
Last May 29, it was reported that around 375 tons of dead milk fish (bangus) were seen floating on Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas on Saturday, May 28. Talisay Mayor Zenaida Mendoza said that the floating dead milk fish appeared as early as May 26. The damage, which also affected the towns of San Nicolas,…
As Father’s Day draws near, Filipinos are also looking forward to pay tribute to the father of Philippine Nationalism—Dr. Jose Rizal—on his 150th birthday come June 19. Believing that Rizal Day should be honored on the country’s national hero’s birthday, instead of his death, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos filed the Senate Bill 2743 that seeks…
The purpose of spousal support is not defined by the legislature in that its purpose varies according to the facts and circumstances of each case. The facts and circumstances of a particular case may be such which call for no spousal support, or for support for a very limited period of time, with the purpose…
WHEN people ask me why I have chosen to become an immigration attorney, I have to pause to think of the many multi-layered reasons that have led me to do what I do. I would say that my own immigration journey has been one of the motivating forces. As many of you may know, I…
ACCORDING to the results of the latest Citi Financial Quotient (Fin-Q) Survey which was released by Citibank Philippines, 6 out of 10 Filipinos with either a bank account or credit card consider themselves as “better off than their parents and are secure in their current jobs.” However, the results also revealed that Filipino consumers’ overall…
Over the weekend, I decided to celebrate new friendships and of dreams coming true and invited new friends who have become dear to me. I made Chicken and Shrimp Linguini pasta both in creamy alfredo and tomato sauce, mixed spring salad with raspberry dressing and French Vanilla ice cream topped with Nutella and fresh strawberries….
HE has been named as the Pacman, Pambansang Kamao and pound-for-pound king. He is an eight-division boxing world champion. He has added Congressman of Sarangani Province to his curriculum vitae. Yet, Manny Pacquiao, the man with multiple monikers, continues to rake in more titles — adding more to his already impressive list of accolades. Early…
According to the results released last May 23 of a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, joblessness among adult Filipinos, rose to 27.2 percent, up from 23.5 percent in November 2010. This means that an estimated 11.3 million—composing of Filipinos who have resigned from their jobs or who have been retrenched from their jobs, as…
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…
