Maniolas

After a debtor receives a discharge in bankruptcy, creditors whose debts are discharged are required to report that the account has a zero balance. The fact of the filing itself can remain on the credit report for 10 years from the date it was filed. A debtor interested in re-establishing credit after bankruptcy should obtain credit reports from the 3 largest credit reporting agencies, (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union) and ensure that the account balances have all been zeroed out. If not, the debtor should contact the credit reporting agencies and ask that the record be corrected Methods of Re-Establishing Credit A debtor seeking to re-establish credit should consider applying for a secured card, usually a Visa or Master Card. This is a credit card issued by a bank to a customer who is required to establish a savings account at the bank, which is used as security or collateral for the card. Typically, the limit on the card is based on the amount of collateral put up in the form of the savings account. Often, the bank will have an annual fee. The benefit of the secured card is that banks will issue them to persons with poor credit reports in the past, but who have the ability to pay the deposit to secure the account. Major store cards are also a good addition to building credit. Once you have a major credit card, even a secured card, it’s usually all that’s required to open an account at a Read More …

By Josephine Grace Aguilo Bb. Pilipinas 2016 Miss Intercontinental Jeniffer Hammond (left), Miss Grand International Nicole Cordoves (center), and Miss International Kylie Verzosa (right) pose for photographers at the Novotel, Araneta Center in Quezon City, Wednesday. The ladies are set to leave for their respective competitions next month (October). (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept. 28 (PNA) – Miss Universe Organization officials are currently in the Philippines to conduct ocular inspections in Manila and other destinations to be visited by the candidates, Tourism Undersecretary Katherine de Castro confirmed on Wednesday. In an interview, de Castro said that technical inspections were already conducted in Manila, particularly at the Mall of Asia Arena where the coronation night will be held. Other provinces to be visited by the organizers are Vigan, Cebu, and Davao. When asked about reports that other candidates are hesitant to visit Davao City due to travel advisories issued by the country they represent, de Castro clarified that there has been “no concrete statement from Miss Universe in terms of Davao. “Davao will definitely push through. It will be part of the ocular inspection for the next few months,” she said. After the bomb explosion in Davao City on Sept. 2 that killed 15 individuals and injured 69 others, five countries issued travel warnings to Davao City, namely Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore. “Not all candidates will be joining the Davao leg. Miss Universe is not required to bring the 97 candidates,” said de Castro. She also mentioned that Read More …

By Abner Galino If you live in the US, can you really say that you are proud to be Pinoy? You should be because Filipinos are outstanding immigrants. Well, it may not be something that you can say everyday, but you could say it loud through the most part of the year. By the way, we are not tooting our own horn here. The affirmation about Pinoys being outstanding US immigrants was recently disclosed in an exhaustive report by the Migration Information Source (MIS), the online journal of the Migration Policy Institute. The report was written by Keith Mcnamara and Jeanne Batalova. The report was accompanied by tables and a graph that showed how we have been moving along here in the so-called “land of opportunities.” Interestingly, folklore character Juan Tamad (Lazy John), which has been used by foreign and local rulers to explain away the root of poverty in the Philippines, was nowhere near the description of Filipinos in the US. The MIS noted that Pinoys participated in the labor force at “slightly higher rates than both the overall immigrant and US-born populations.” In 2013, said the report, about 69 percent of Pinoys 16 and above were working in the civilian labor force. This is two percent higher than all immigrants which was determined at 67 percent, posting even higher than the employment rates among native born Americans which was pegged at 63 percent. Filipinos were likely to be employed in management, business, sciences and arts occupations. And of Read More …

By Abner Galino Special Olympics Philippine gymnasts Tanya, Althea, Jovelyn and Sheila were hugging and shedding tears of joy with their coaches and I was clicking away, capturing the moments with my camera. The emotions passed on from the lens and travelled deep inside me and I suddenly found myself genuinely celebrating with them – even if I just met them at that very moment. I guess the emotions were there because they were fellow Filipinos, or perhaps because I am a parent and I could have felt the pride and joy of the mothers and fathers of these kids. Weird, but a scene from Two and a Half Men popped out of my head shortly after waving goodbye to them. Remember? When Charlie came to Jake’s soccer game and asked his brother about the game’s score? And Alan said they were not keeping score, which of course, horrified Charlie and minced no words in declaring how ridiculous an idea it was. Charlie’s point: You take out the scoring part in a game and you take out the fun part of it. Or, you take out the scoring part of the game and you take out the competition part of it. I can’t remember the actual line. But Charlie must have blurted: Are you out of your freaking minds? Humor, of course, cannot be expected to be philosophically perfect. My take on it: You play the game for whatever little cause it was worth to you. For Tanya, Althea, Jovelyn Read More …

By Abner Galino IGLESIA ni Cristo (INC) expatriates, particularly here in Los Angeles, have remained intact amid a developing crisis within the hierarchy of the biggest and most powerful home-grown church in the Philippines. A devout INC member, Erwin Arrieta, declared that the church would even become stronger after the crisis was over. “Ang turo hindi naman nag-iiba, yun pa rin. Kaya kahit ano man ang problema, hindi maaapektuhan ang simbahan lalo pang titibay. (The doctrine remains the same. The church will remain strong despite the crisis.),” Arrieta explained. Arrieta added that the incident in Manila even validates the fidelity of the INC church to its doctrine. “Pinapakita lang na walang sinisino ang simbahan. Pag lumabag ka sa patakaran, ititiwalag ka kahit na sino ka pa,” Arrieta pointed out. Arrieta is part of the INC southern California district which is composed of about 47 congregations distributed through the states of Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Another INC member who requested anonymity, agreed with the assessment of Arrieta. According to her, INC members are focused on the teachings of the church and not on the personalities or people that run it. She expressed sadness over the turn of events though. “Siyempre nalulungkot tayo para sa kanila, mga kapatid sila at ina ni Ka Eduardo,” she added. The source said that she welcomes a thorough probe on the corruption and abuse allegations made by Ka Angel Manalo, the brother of INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, and other ranking ministers. According to her, the Read More …