Maniolas

Crisanta Alias PHOTO BY JUN NUCUM SAN JOSE, California — Crisanta Alias, an immigrant from Sampaloc, Quezon Province in the Philippines, is 87 years old but considered to be very healthy for woman her age. Alias was among the speakers at New America Media’s Ethnic Media news briefing about the State of California’s new Cal MediConnect in Santa Clara County held in San Jose recently. Crisanta came to the United States in 1993, and has lived at Mabuhay Court, a government-subsidized housing program in San Jose, since 1998. She has lived there alone since her husband died, and has also outlived two of her sons who died in the Philippines. Crisanta occasionally visits two other adult children still living in Quezon Province. A government-provided homecare aide helps her now when she needs someone to look after needs she can no longer take care of on her own. But the new program may help smooth out other aspects of her care. Cal MediConnect, a pilot program that the State of California is testing in eight counties, aims to improve care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, who are dually eligible for federal Medicare and state Medicaid benefits. Called “dual eligibles” by health professionals, the pilot program will include almost a half-million people in California, about 37,000 of them in Santa Clara County. Each person who signs up for Cal MediConnect will be assigned a care coordinator to help them better manage their Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits, which have long been Read More …

In this undated photo, South Korean fishing boat Oryong 501 is seen in a port. South Korean officials expressed fear Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, of a huge death toll after rescuers failed to find any of the more than 50 fishermen missing after their ship sank amid high waves in the freezing waters of the western Bering Sea on Monday, Dec. 1. AP/Yonhap MANILA, Philippines—Three of the 13 Filipinos on board a fishing vessel that sank off Russia’s far east coast last Monday were among the eight who had been recovered, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. But as of press time, the DFA had yet to receive information on the identities of the 13 Filipinos and the three who survived. The 1,753-ton Oriong-501 is a South Korean fishing vessel that sank amid high waves off the freezing waters of the western Bering Sea. The trawler was carrying 60 people—aside from the 13 Filipino crew members, there were 35 Indonesians and 11 South Koreans and one Russian inspector aboard the vessel, which had been reported to be catching pollock, a delicacy in South Korea. Huge death toll South Korean officials expressed fear Tuesday of a huge death toll after rescuers failed to find any trace overnight of 52 people still missing. One Korean sailor was confirmed dead while the Russian and six foreign crew members were rescued. “Overnight rescue efforts produced no tangible results and 52 people are still missing,” a Sajo Industries spokesperson told Agence France-Presse. Four Read More …

SAN FRANCISCO — Any time immigration reform is in the news, advocates warn, immigrant families are vulnerable to scam artists and unscrupulous individuals who promise to help them for a fee. President Obama’s executive action on immigration revises enforcement priorities to focus on recent arrivals and those who had committed serious crimes. It would expand the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and create a new deferred action program for parents of U.S.-citizen or legal-permanent-resident children who have lived in the country for more than five years. I t would also revise the legal immigration system, with a special focus on science, technology and entrepreneurs. However, there is no new application available yet, and advocates are warning immigrants to stay tuned to trusted media sources and community groups to get accurate information. Spike in scams Earlier this year, NAM reported that the San Francisco District Attorney’s office had seen a spike in immigration fraud cases in 2013, prompting it to launch a multilingual campaign to educate immigrant families about how to avoid scams. NAM found that some people were seeking immigration advice from unqualified individuals, and that translation issues were contributing to the confusion. For example, in most Latin American countries the term “notario” means lawyer. But in the United States, a notary just means someone who is licensed by the state to witness and sign documents. “Notaries can’t represent a person in court, they can’t assist them in a formal legal process; they can only fill out forms. But anyone Read More …

Members of Hong Kong Journalists Association hold placards during a protest at the Philippines Consulate in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has lifted the entry ban against nine Hong Kong journalists who aggressively questioned President Aquino during the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year, following criticism from media and Hong Kong’s government. “After a reevaluation, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica) said they (the journalists) are no longer considered as threats and the ban was lifted effective today,” the bureau’s spokesperson, Elaine Tan, said on Tuesday. She said the foreign journalists may now visit the Philippines as tourists, subject to regular immigration inspection. The nine Hong Kong television and radio reporters, who allegedly shouted questions at Aquino concerning the Luneta hostage crisis in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in 2011, were placed in the BI’s blacklist last June 6 at the request of the Nica because they were considered “a threat to public safety” following “acts committed against the President” at the Bali summit. Denied entry A Hong Kong television cameraman was denied entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) last Nov. 20 and given a copy of the June 6 order banning him and eight others from entering the Philippines and covering next year’s Apec summit. However, the Department of Foreign Affairs subsequently said it had not been consulted about imposing the entry ban, and demanded a review. The blacklisting Read More …