Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA To Hold Christmas Celebration

On Dec. 11 At Kusina Filipina Cerritos

Cerritos, CA – Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA, a 501 C-3, public benefit, non-profit organization, will celebrate Christmas and 43rd foundation anniversary  on December 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Kusina Filipina (formerly Josephine’s) on 183^rd Street in this city.

            This was announced by its board chairman Dan E. Nino and president Neil M. Estrada after a unanimous vote by its board of directors. This came about after almost two years of lockdown that derailed PB-USA’s  activities including a formal induction of its new board of directors and executive officers, fund-raising events, service projects and search for Miss Pangasinan USA.

            Aside from Nino and Estrada, the other board of directors include Jacqueline M. Ferrer (vice chairman), Lina Cabal (board secretary) Roger Cabal, Nieves Coquia, Ping Coquia,  Rhenee M. Ferrer, Dean Mandapat, Elisa Urbano and Rosemarie de Vera-Javier.      

            During a recent board meeting, Mr. Nino stated said, “Although we are cautious and most of us are already vaccinated including booster shots, we should not be held hostage by this pandemic in all our lives.”    

            Executive officers include: Sue Ann E. Tumakay (executive vice president); vice presidents
Perlita Rasing (1^st District); Leoncio D. Dumlao (2^nd District); Marc Posadas (3^rd District); Maritess O. Bautista (4^th District); Jason Agcaoile (5^th District); and Ray Rodrigo (6^th District);

            Kate Estrada (executive secretary); Julie M. Estrada (assistant secretary); Danny P. Tejada (treasurer); King C. Disimulacion (auditor); Giovanni Javier, PRO; Noemi V. Dumlao (community relations officer); Oscar Camacho and Jann Alexa Doctor-Bergado (business managers); Eddie C. Ferrer (comptroller);  Henry Ward and Henry Estrada (marshalls); Mike Mandapat (historian); and Mel G. Oxciano (legal counsel).   

            Convenors within Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA are also included as key officers to expand wide reach of participantion. They are: JR C. Araquel, coordinators for Mellenials; Illen Estrada for Next Gen and Jane Coquia for Baby Boomers.  

            To enliven the Christmas celebration, a band will provide entertainment, raffles with a giant TV screen as a major prize, group singing, exhibition dance and a solo  rendition by  Lyndon Apostol whose roots are from Mangatarem, Pangasinan and San Clemente, Tarlac —  and many more surprises in the pipeline.    

            An alumnus of UCLA (major in Philosophy, English and Film), Lyndon Apostol is an actor, singer and acrobatic dancer with Monarchs Gymnastics and California Dance Theatre. He was nominated twice for Best Featured Actor on Broadway World for the role of Chino from West Side Story and Minsik Lee from Comfort Women.

            Before the Pandemic ruined the plans and activities of  Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA, it  has been engaged in charitable programs like partnering with other non-profit organizations to provide financial assistance to Gabay Group in Quezon City, affordable housing through Gawad Kalinga in Pangasinan, economic empowerment of Pangasinan producers and manufacturers, scholarship programs for qualified college-bound Pangasinan students,  disaster relief assistance, self-improvement and wellness seminars, among others.     

Donation is $40. For further details, interested parties may call Neil M. Estrada at 562-301-9972, Dan E. Nino at 562-508-8099, Jackie M. Ferrer at 714-757-3502 or Rhene M. Ferrer at 714-761-1597. You may also surf PBUSA1.COM. – denino1951@gmail.com   

Excluding the Sale of Main Home From Seller’s Income

From My Point of View:

Excluding the Sale of Main Home From Seller’s Income

                                                            By Dan E. Nino, CTEC/CRTP

For many years that I’ve been preparing income taxes, aside from sales tax and tax filing for non-profit organizations, I found out that I learn something every day. Every tax return is different from each other. The circumstances, the status of tax filers, their gross income, adjusted gross income, tax deductibility, tax exclusions, dependents, etc. are taken into account.

But  one aspect of the taxation that I found very interesting is the sale of a main home by divorcing owners. As well all know, divorce is a contentious matter. But I was able to assist my client’s tax return to her satisfaction into a win-win situation.

There are also times that I serve as personal counselor because they tell me their personal problems. I can’t just ignore their sob stories because I don’t want to appear rude and dismissive.  

Anyway, according to federal tax laws, a taxpayer may qualify to exclude from their income all or part of any gain from the sale of their main home. A main home is the one in which the taxpayers live most of the time.        

I found out that closing costs or expenses in selling a main home are example of exclusions or items that are not required to be included as gross income.

Fifty percent of the net proceeds directly associated from the sale of a main home should be given each to the divorcing couple. Expenses incurred in the sale of the main house should be equally divided by the sellers or divorcing couples as exclusions when one files his/her income tax return like real estate agent’s commissions, legal fees, escrow charges, County Transfer Tax, Escrow Fees, Document fees, Loan Payoff, Notary Fees, miscellaneous payoff charges, and other costs or fees paid in order to sell the home. 

For the federal side, just fill out the Sale of a Main Home Worksheet in the Schedule D, Other Menu to see if any of the capital gain from the sale of their main home can be excluded.

Generally, if a taxpayer meets the following tests, they can exclude up to $250,000 if filing single or  ($500,000 if married and filing a joint return) of the gain from the sale of a main home.

The taxpayer must have owned and lived in the home for at least 2 out of the last 5 years leading up to the sale of the home and must satisfy the ownership test and residence test.

The required two years of ownership and residency during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale do not have to be continuous nor do they have to occur at the same time.  A taxpayer meets the tests if they can show that they owned and lived in the property as their main home for either 24 full months or 730 days (365 × 2) during the 5-year period ending on the date of sale.

Here are the frequently asked questions as proffered by the IRS in determining if a taxpayer qualifies to exclude all or part of the gain from the sale of their main home. Refer to IRS Publication 523, the section entitled “Does Your Home Sale Qualify for the Exclusion of Gain?

The sale of a main home must be reported on the taxpayer’s federal income tax return if any of the following apply:

• There is a taxable gain on the sale of the home
• The taxpayer elects to report a gain that is eligible for the exclusion
• Reporting a Loss:  A loss from the sale of the taxpayer’s main home can not be deducted from income on the tax return.

More Than One Home: If you have more than one home, you can exclude gain only from the sale of your main home.  You must pay tax on the gain from selling any other home.  If you have two homes and live in both of them, your main home is ordinarily the one you live in most of the time.

Example One: You own and live in a house in the city.  You also own a beach house, which you use during the summer months.  The house in the city is your main home; the beach house is not.

Example Two: You own a house, but you live in another house that you rent.  The rented house is your main home.

I hope these tax tips can be helpful next time you prepare your income tax – especially for those divorcing couples. – denino1951@gmail.com   

Hermenegildo Benavidez Mislang, beloved husband, father, grandfather and a community leader, passed away on February 23, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 67 years old.

Known as Gil to many, he was the eldest son of the late Feliciano Mislang Sr. and Felicidad Benavidez Mislang. He was survived by his wife Violeta, sons Jan-Michael and Christopher Mislang, three grandchildren, mother Felicidad and six siblings.

Gil was born in his hometown of Mangatarem, province of Pangasinan, Philippines and came to the United States in the late-1950’s as his father was a serviceman in the United States Navy. In 1966, his father retired and  moved the family back to the homeland. Gill obtained his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the Far Eastern University in Manila. Gil moved back to the US in 1977, married his college sweetheart Violet in 1978, raised two kids in the City of Downey where they lived for 41 years. Last year, Gil and Violet moved to a home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gil was employed by the Dunn-Edwards Paint Corporation where he served in several capacities as Lab Technician, Quality Control Chemist, R&D Chemist, and Director of Research and New Product Development.  In 1991, he attended and completed the Executive Program in Management at UCLA’s John Anderson Graduate School of Management. While working, Gil joined the American Chemical Society of Southern California Section and served as Chair from 2004 to 2005.

In 2009, Gil was the recipient of the Sister Agnes Ann Green Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his continued exemplary service in wide variety of leadership roles in the Section. Over the course of his career, Gil had opportunities to travel other countries such as Germany, Canada, Mexico, China, and Thailand. He often looked forward to attending the Annual Paint and Coatings Symposium, meeting colleagues in the industry, and excited to visit his favorite places to eat, such as Commander’s Palace, and Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans.  

Gil participated in many Filipino-American non-profit organizations providing support with the goal of enhancing and uplifting Filipino cultures and image in addition to helping those in need. Gil got his first baptism of fire in community service by serving as the fifth president of Assn. of Mangatarem Overseas Residents (AMOR) of Southern California (1999-2000) founded by his compatriot Dan E. Nino. Thereafter, he became president of Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA in 2002-2003. From then on, his community involvement rose to wider level. He served as President of the Philippine Disaster Relief Organization (Pedro), Kalayaan Incorporated, and board member of the Filipino American Service Group, Inc.  Gil also supported the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society in promoting and seeking equity, and recognizing the contributions of the Filipino World War II veterans   

Over the years, Gil’s interests ranged from outdoors activities such as playing golf, basketball, and deep-sea fishing. Although Gil and Violet moved to their new home in Las Vegas, he remained a fanatic fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Dodgers and was greatly excited when both teams won the championships in 2020. His contributions to the  upliftment and advocacies of the Filipino-American community in general will forever be remembered.  – denino1951@gmail.com   

Welcome fellow Pangasinanse and kababayans!  My name is Neil Estrada, current President of Pangasinan Brotherhood USA also known as PB-USA.  PB-USA is a non-profit 501C3 organization first formed in 1978 serving our fellow Pangasinanse both here in the United State and back home in Pangasinan, Philippines. 

PB-USA will continue to educate, empower, and enrich our members, family, and friends.   In turn, I invite you all to participate in the committees, meetings, and activities of Pangasinan Brotherhood as this is your organization.  As President, I want to make it clear that each and every one of you matter.  We welcome any and all suggestions and ideas as we continue to build and improve the organization.  Our future as an organization is in your trusted hands.

Pangasinan Brotherhood has been blessed throughout the years because of our dedicated members, board of directors, and officers.  We have been able make charitable donations that have positively impacted countless lives.  Whether it be building homes in Namnama Village in Villasis, and Laoac, Pangasinan, scholarship grants, infomercial forums, relief funds, wellness to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to computer donations to help young children get educated, among others — PB-USA will remain a positive and impactful force in the community.  Our continued efforts in participating in outreach programs will only strengthen our organization. 

I believe that collaboration between members and also between organizations is more important than ever moving forward.  Shared information and resources are key in an effort to expand and thrive.  PB-USA looks forward to even more partnerships this year and in the years to come.  As the collaborative efforts come, we will make announcements to keep our members updated and so that they too can participate.

I am a proud Pangansinanse to say the least. I was born in a house in Calasiao where my father, Merlo Estrada, comes from. I also have roots in San Carlos City where mother, Paz Estrada, is from.  You can say that I am a dual citizen of the province of Pangasinan.  Pangasinan has such a rich and vibrant culture and history.  I want ensure that our culture and history is shared with our members, family, and friends for this is where our roots originated from. 

We all have something to contribute.  As president of Pangasinan Brotherhood USA, I would love to spotlight your accomplishments, share stories, enjoy your talent, learn about your hometown, and most importantly get to know you. 

PB-USA is an organization of positivity and where all are welcome.  I hope to meet and connect with you all soon. 

Sincerely,

Neil Estrada

Neil Estrada

PB-USA, President