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The Department of State (DOS)’s monthly Visa Bulletin informs applicants of their ‘place in line’ for an immigrant visa based on the person’s priority date. For family-based petitions, the priority date is established upon the date the petition is filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For most employment-based cases, the priority date is established when the case is filed with the Department of Labor.

The monthly Visa Bulletin has two different charts for priority dates, which leads to a lot of confusion and misunderstanding:

Dates For Filing chart (Chart B)

Immigrant visa applicants who have a priority date earlier than (or before) the dates listed in Chart B may already begin assembling and submitting required documents and fees to the National Visa Center (NVC) following receipt of notification from the NVC containing detailed instructions. This gives the petitioner and applicant(s) enough time to prepare the case and get it ‘documentarily qualified’ in preparation for when their priority date will eventually become current on the ‘Final Action Dates’ chart (Chart A). Just because your priority date appears on the Dates for Filing chart does not mean you are eligible to be queued up for an interview or issued a visa.

A comparison might be with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), where taxes are typically due April 15 of each year. As a courtesy, the IRS might send out the Form 1040 tax return in December of the previous year. It does not mean the taxes are due in December. Instead, you’re given several months to gather your documentation, receipts, etc. to enable you to prepare your forms by the filing due date. The Visa Bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart gives you time to gather documents and prepare your paperwork to enable you to be queued up for an interview once your priority date is current in the Final Action Dates chart.

If a person is in the US and eligible to file for adjustment of status, USCIS may allow them to file for adjustment of status and obtain work authorization if their priority date is earlier than the date listed in the Dates for Filing chart. Also, if a child is in the US and is applying for adjustment of status, the USCIS may also allow computation of the child’s age under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) based on the priority dates listed in the Dates for Filing chart. The USCIS advises each month if it will rely on the Dates for Filing chart for that month.

Final Action Dates chart (Chart A)

I personally refer to this chart as the ‘Visa Issuance Date’ chart because a person will not be eligible to be scheduled for an immigrant visa interview, issued a visa or adjust status (be issued a green card) until his or her priority date is earlier than the dates listed in Chart A. This is true even if their priority date is current in the Dates for Filing Chart.

For a child who is aging out and applying for a visa at the embassy, they must compute their age under the CSPA based on visa availability in the Final Action Dates chart. This is unlike a child adjusting status in the US, where the USCIS will sometimes let them compute their age based on the more generous Dates for Filing chart.

Many people whose priority date is ‘current’ in the Dates for Filing chart complain or wonder why they have not been scheduled for a visa interview or their adjustment has not been approved. As stated, you will not be scheduled for an interview at the embassy, nor will your adjustment of status application be approved, unless and until your priority date is current in the Final Action Dates chart.

Also, and this is critical: if your priority date is current in the Final Action Dates chart and the NVC has notified you of visa availability, there is a one-year deadline for you to apply for your visa or notify NVC of your interest in pursuing your visa. If you failed to do so, your case could be terminated and your priority date lost. You would have to file a new petition and start at the back of the line.

When you think of what employees want most from their leaders, the usual suspects come to mind: trust, competence, decisiveness, maybe the occasional pizza, and a working coffee machine.

But according to a global Gallup survey spanning 52 countries, the No. 1 quality that employees say they need most is hope.

Yes. Hope. That four-letter word we usually reserve for lotto tickets, last-second buzzer-beaters, or praying the Zoom link works. But in the modern workplace? Hope is not only relevant – it’s essential.

When I read Gwen Moran’s article in Fast Company, I wasn’t surprised at all. Why? Because in my Level Up Leadership seminars and workshops, I’ve often said: ‘Leaders are merchants of hope.’

At the time, it sounded like a lovely phrase; a leadership soundbite with just enough poetic weight. But today, in an age where instability and chronic uncertainty are the default settings of our world, that statement has become a lifeline.

Hope isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership necessity.

Gallup’s chief workplace scientist Jim Harter explains it well: ‘It’s hard to have stability if you can’t see the future.’

The study revealed that 56 percent of respondents wanted hope from their leaders – more than trust (33 percent), compassion (seven percent), or even stability (four percent). That means your team would rather hear where we’re going than just be told we’re okay.

People are not asking you to solve everything. They’re asking you to help them believe that everything can be solved. That’s the hope gap, and great leaders bridge it.

Hope is not fluffy. It’s a framework.

Psychologist Rick Snyder’s Hope Theory breaks it down like this:

Goals: What we want to achieve

Agency: Our belief that we can get there

Pathways: The routes we take (even when we’re rerouted by life)

Leadership coach Lindsay Recknell says, ‘Hope isn’t passive. It’s action-oriented.’

It’s not about saying, ‘We’ve got this,’ with a forced grin. It’s about saying: ‘It’s tough. But here’s what we can do next. Together.’

You don’t need to host a weekend retreat in Tagaytay to inspire hope. (Though a view of Taal does help.)

Here are some everyday leadership moves that deliver hope:

1. Set clear, tangible goals.

Not ‘Let’s change the world.’ Try: ‘Let’s improve customer satisfaction by 10 percent this quarter.’ Hope loves clarity.

2. Connect work to purpose.

When people see that their spreadsheet, lesson plan, or client call connects to something meaningful, they work differently. Hope thrives in the ‘why.’

3. Stay present, especially when things are messy.

Don’t cancel one-on-ones when the numbers dip. That’s when people need you most. Be the calm in their chaos.

Now, let’s be clear: there is a world of difference between hope and optimism, and it’s a distinction every leader must understand.

Optimism is passive. It’s a sunny forecast with no umbrella in sight. The message states ‘Everything will work out,’ but fails to provide any guidance about what actions to take or when to expect results.

Hope functions as an active force. The message states, ‘It will be difficult, but we will navigate this challenge together.’

Your team needs direct assistance, rather than meaningless motivational statements or repetitive encouragement, when they face burnout, anxiety, or feel overwhelmed. They need something to walk toward: a vision they can grasp, a goal they can own, and a leader they can trust.

So ask yourself honestly:

Do my people see a future when they talk to me?

Do they leave our conversations feeling lighter or heavier?

Are they energized by what’s possible or slowly drained by my silence?

Do they hear clichés, or do they hear clarity and conviction?

Because here’s the truth:

You can hire the most dynamic motivational speaker money can buy. They’ll light up the stage with high-energy buzzwords and toss inspirational quotes like confetti at a New Year’s Eve party.

Your employees might clap. They might even post a selfie with the quote of the day.

But the day after the town hall? If your leadership hasn’t changed, nothing else will.

Because hope doesn’t come from a stage.

Hope doesn’t arrive with a wireless mic and a three-point PowerPoint.

Hope comes from you – your consistency, your belief that better is possible even when it’s hard. From the daily choice to show up not just with answers, but with empathy, clarity, and courage.

So, what kind of leader are you?

The good one, of course.

The person who paints over cracks with feel-good phrases is not the one, but the one who walks into the storm with a flashlight in one hand and a steady voice in the other, saying, ‘We’re going to figure this out together.’

That’s the difference. That’s hope. And that’s the kind of leadership we need now more than ever.

University of Perpetual Help continued its magical run aimed at a breakthrough NCAA senior basketball crown as it outlasted Arellano U, 72-67, yesterday to remain the lone unbeaten team in Season 101 at the MOA Arena.

Patrick Sleat, a transferee from Far Eastern U, was the man of the hour, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal to help the Altas climb to 4-0.

‘Patrick has so much experience. He knows when to control the game and ask for the ball but at the same time he’s very unselfish,’ said UPHSD coach Olsen Racela of his burly wingman who happened to be his former player when he was then coaching the Tams in the UAAP.

‘That’s the reason we brought him here, to help us, help the guards,’ he added.

It was the Las Piñas-based school’s best start in 10 years or the time of Scottie Thompson, Bright Akhutie and Princ Eze.

It also sent warning signals to the opposition that UPHSD is all focused on finally ending its painful title drought and winning a first crown after joining the grand old league in 1984.

Yvonne Lexie M. Valencerina is an 11-year-old Grade 7 student from Notre Dame of Greater Manila, proudly representing Caloocan City, the Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines.

Despite her young age, Yvonne has already proven herself to be a multi-talented achiever – excelling in both modeling and swimming. She has proudly represented the Philippines in international pageants and modeling competitions, where she was crowned Little Miss Ambassadress and Most Outstanding Model in Vietnam (2023), awarded Best Model in Thailand (2023), and received Star of the Night and Scene Stealer of the Night in Japan (2023).

In the field of swimming, Yvonne continues to make waves as she was awarded Most Outstanding Swimmer at Vermoza Sports Hub Cavite in 2022. She has also competed in Division Meet and NCR, as well as international swimming competitions in Thailand and Hong Kong, proudly carrying the flag of the Philippines.

Recently, Yvonne was hailed as the 1st Runner-Up in the Miss Homeland Philippines 2025, representing Caloocan City. This October 12, she will be one of the awardees and highlights of a prestigious fashion show in Cebu, where she will also appear on a billboard feature. Yvonne is also set to be one of the highlights of the Universal Philippines Runway, continuing to showcase her talent, confidence, and grace on the stage.

Beyond her achievements, Yvonne is a proud member of G-Force, showing her love for dance and performance. She is deeply rooted in her faith, loves going to church every Sunday with her family, and enjoys traveling with them. Yvonne believes that even at a young age, anyone can achieve big dreams through passion, perseverance, and faith – because with God, nothing is impossible.

Fatalism is one of the less admirable Filipino mindsets. It is represented by the term ‘bahala na’. When we say bahala na we refer to our attitude to accept whatever happens as having been bound or decreed to happen. Fortunately, even if we believe the happenstance of something as inescapable, we possess the ability to find humor, in words or in deeds, when such inevitable eventuality takes place. We cushion the impact of bahala na incidents with ‘weder-weder lang ‘yan’. And so with such light spiritedness, we roll with the punches, so to speak.

Let me cite Alejandro Ilagan Atienza, more popularly known as Kim Atienza. Sometime ago, he was a resident weather anchor in the primetime news program of ABS-CBN called TV Patrol. To end each of his segments of weather reports, broadcaster Kim would always say ‘sa bawat pagsubok ng panahon, laging tatandaan na ang buhay ay weather-weather lang.’ With that proverbial line, including the prostituted localization of weather into ‘weder’, the television meteorologist drew the analogy of the unpredictability of life to the unforeseen changes of weather conditions. Kuya Kim, in his reportage was perceived to concede to the belief that most of the time we do not have control of the circumstances that happen to our lives. It may, indeed, be true that according to this fatalistic mindset almost all of the things that have had happened to us are way out of our control.

The case of former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada was a classic exemplification of ‘weder-weder lang’. Estrada brilliantly rose to power in amazing political weather. Even if his opponent, then Speaker of the House of Representatives Jose de Venecia was fully backed up by inexhaustible Malacañang resources, Erap clobbered JDV in unprecedented numbers. But the weder-weder lang being a phrase referring to just inevitable cycle of ups and downs, his fortune changed. His exit from the presidency was the worst inglorious political weather of his life. Estrada was under extreme duress when he left Malacañang.

Enter the scene of another Philippine president. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, enjoying his best political weder, had the service of a Jose Calida. If I were to imagine a Duterte marching order to Calida, the former told the latter ‘Bahala ka na, Calida, kay Sereno.’ Permit me to opine that to kick Maria Lourdes “Meilou” Aranal Sereno out as chief justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, Calida performed a legal exhibition in using quo warranto rather than the more common constitutionally enshrined process called impeachment. Believe me, Serena’s ouster happened because it had to happen in Duterte’s best political weather condition.

All bulletins seem to point to the change of weather. Public pulse indicates that the political wheel has spun. Like the lyrics of a song, Tatay Digong and his breed once spiraled high, they have plummeted down. What I discern is that the assumption of Jesus Crispin “Boying” Catibayan Remulla as the Ombudsman is completing the weather cycle of the Dutertes. They are no longer up. They are down. With former president Digong incarcerated in faraway Netherlands, a legal exhibition against Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio, under the leadership of a Calido lookalike in Remulta, is likely to roll forward. If Calida did not use the impeachment route against the chief justice, Remulla, according to his initial meeting with the press, is also poised to keep off the impeachment channel. It is not impossible to imagine that the president might have told the ombudsman ‘bahala ka na kay vice president.’

After two championships, three Finals appearances and a long 75-game season, Chot Reyes now gets the icing on the cake.

The TNT mentor is set to receive a record-extending seventh Coach of the Year award from the PBA Press Corps (PBAPC) as it holds the 31st edition of its Awards Night on Monday, October 13, at the Novotel Manila.

Reyes, 62, unanimously got the nod of the men and women who regularly covers the PBA beat over San Miguel Beer counterpart Leo Austria in winning the coveted Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Trophy.

Top sports patron and TNT team owner Manny V. Pangilinan shares the spotlight with his coach as he will be honored with the Danny Floro Executive of the Year award.

The 79-year-old business tycoon also serves as the special guest of honor and speaker of the annual event.

Reyes, the former Gilas Pilipinas coach, guided the Tropang 5G to three straight Finals appearances in Season 49 and won the championships of the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, respectively.

But he was foiled in his attempt to score a first grand slam in the last 11 years when TNT lost against San Miguel in the Philippine Cup title series.

Nonetheless, his 48-27 (win-loss) record marked the best for the season, while the total 75 games that he coached is tied for the most since Tim Cone steered Alaska to a grand slam in 1996.

Reyes was the first ever recipient of the award named after the acknowledged ‘Maestro’ of Philippine coaching, back in 1993 and repeated in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2021.

Family and relatives of the late Dalupan will be attending the affair to personally hand out the award.

Other awardees include Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero (Defensive Player of the Year), Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser of TNT (Bogs Adornado Comeback Player of the Year), San Miguel’s Don Trollano (Mr. Quality Minutes), and Arvin Tolentino of Northport (Scoring Champion).

Completing the PBAPC’s honor roll for Season 49 are TNT’s Calvin Oftana (Order of Merit), the All-Rookie Team of RJ Abarrientos (Barangay Ginebra), Sedrick Barefield (Blackwater), Caelan Tiongson (Rain or Shine), Jordan Heading (TNT), Justine Baltazar (Converge), and Kai Ballungay (Phoenix), and Game 7 of the TNT-Barangay Ginebra Commissioner’s Cup Finals (Game of the Season).

Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG) of the Antonio family is tapping into Pampanga’s premium residential demand with the launch of a premium house-and-lot enclave within the 7.8-hectare Azure North Estate.

CPG said the introduction of Azure North Townvillas is the company’s response to the rising demand for upscale and low-density residential options in San Fernando, aimed at capitalizing on Pampanga’s emergence as a major residential investment hub in Central Luzon.

‘Azure North Townvillas aligns with Pampanga’s consistent progress in terms of infrastructure and competitive workforce,’ CPG president and CEO Marco Antonio said.

‘It forms a part of our strategy to offer premium horizontal developments, supporting our long-term vision of creating value for stakeholders and keeping pace with the evolving needs of Filipino families,’ he said.

The new Azure North Townvillas covers an area of 0.8 hectares within the Azure North Estate.

It offers a total of 49 units, comprising three- and four-story homes, with lot areas ranging from 69 to 133 square meters and featuring up to five bedrooms.

CPG said the launch of the new phase is expected to add P1.3 billion in revenues for the company.

Antonio said that the project takes inspiration from the success of The Resort Residences of Azure

North and the company’s Century NULIV Townvillas in Mandaluyong.

The Marikina City local government unit (LGU) suspended its classes on Monday, October 13, until Tuesday, October 14.

This is due to the ‘flu and flu-like illnesses’ reported in schools in Marikina, citing the recommendations of its city health office.

‘Ang hakbang na ito ay isang preemptive measure upang mapangalagaan ang kalusugan at kapakanan ng ating mga mag-aaral, guro, at kawani ng paaralan upang makaiwas sa pagkalat ng sakit at mabigyan ng pagkakataong makapagpahinga ang lahat,’ the Marikina LGU said in a statement.

(This step is a preemptive measure to safeguard the health and well-being of our students, teachers, and school staff, to prevent the spread of illness and give everyone a chance to rest.)

The LGU announced that while students are on a health break, they will implement widespread cleaning and disinfection in schools.

‘Pinapayuhan po ang lahat ng may karamdaman na manatili sa bahay, magpahinga, uminom ng maraming tubig, at agad magpakonsulta kung may nararamdamang sintomas,’ the LGU said.

(Everyone experiencing illness is advised to stay home, rest, drink plenty of water, and immediately consult a doctor if symptoms are felt.)

On October 10, a reported spike in flu-like symptoms at several universities in Metro Manila has either suspended their classes or shifted to online learning.

The Philippines has always wanted to be a hub for innovation, a place where technology, startups and global talent can thrive.

No less than President Marcos has said that he envisions the country as a hub for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

However, when our rules keep changing, foreign investors become wary and hesitant to invest their money here.

The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has recently issued a cease and desist order against US company Tools for Humanity (TFH), the developer of the World App and proprietor of a custom, state-of-the-art hardware device called the Orb, for alleged violations of the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The agency even went as far as ordering the company to remove the app globally.

TFH was founded in 2019 by Alex Blania as CEO and Sam Altman as chairman. Yes, the same Sam Altman who co-founded OpenAI.

NPC claims, among other things, that the collection of biometric data, specifically iris scans, is excessive and disproportionate for the stated purpose of proving humanity or mere authentication, and that such collection exposes Filipino data subjects to possible identity fraud, theft, and damage to their reputation. It added that offering monetary incentives in exchange for submitting to the Orb verification process constitutes undue influence, rendering the consent obtained from data subjects not freely given and therefore invalid.

But one’s biometric data is not collected and stored, contrary to what the NPC insists, according to the World.

One can visit the World App to secure their World ID and gain access to a variety of applications, including related apps like World Coin.

Since World launched in the Philippines in February, millions of Filipinos have already secured their anonymous, proof-of-human verifications or World IDs. These individuals can now combat online crime and deepfake-related fraud, which increased by 4,500 percent in the country between 2022 and 2023.

As explained by the company, ‘the World ID is a digital proof that one is human, but not a specific human. The World ID does not know your name, address, age, height, weight, or eye color. In other words, a digital identity is about who you are, whereas World ID is about what you are – a unique human.’

World ID verification occurs at an Orb, a device that verifies a person’s unique identity. After verifying with an Orb, your proof of human or World ID is stored on your phone in the World App, where you can use it to sign into online apps and services. Around 17 million individuals have already secured their World ID.

It added that World ID does not track people’s identities. After visiting the Orb, participants can verify their World ID, allowing them to anonymously and fully participate in the network. It said that the World does not know and is not designed to know the identities of its participants. ‘The purpose of World ID is only to prove that you are human and unique. Therefore, Orb operators do not ask for any personal details, and the Orb camera does not store the photos,’ TFH emphasized.

It likewise stressed that World does not store biometric data. ‘The Orb takes photographs of your eyes and face. These photos are sent to your smartphone, which is the only place where they live and not on any company’s servers. The network uses cryptography to analyze the images to prove you’re a unique human and that you haven’t previously signed up for the network,’ it explained.

TFH also pointed out that hackers and other individuals cannot trace data back to users if the network does not store that data in the first place. ‘After a person visits an Orb, their photo is deleted from the Orb and those images are not stored on any database. All that remains is a cryptographic poof that they are unique. It’s completely anonymized,’ it said.

Interestingly, NPC’s action came after the company had already undergone a full year of compliance, joined the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s sandbox program, registered with the NPC, and consulted with government agencies to ensure it followed all the rules.

The DICT Sandbox Program was established to assist companies with emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, biometrics, or fintech, in operating safely under government supervision while regulations are still being developed. It enables regulators to observe new systems in a controlled environment, allowing innovation to continue without compromising public interest.

But now, after a change in leadership, the same regulators who approved the project are treating it as a violation.

This is exactly what investors fear about the Philippines. It’s not just the red tape or bureaucracy; it’s the lack of continuity. Policies and interpretations can change overnight depending on who is in charge. In other countries, rules outlast people. Here, people outlast rules.

When regulators change direction without a clear reason or due process, it doesn’t just hurt one company; it hurts the country’s reputation. Investors see it as a sign that decisions here can be arbitrary. And arbitrariness, in any form, is a close cousin of corruption, which is also about inconsistency, as when rules are applied differently depending on who’s enforcing them, or when a project’s fate depends on politics instead of policy. That kind of environment makes investors nervous, because it turns compliance into a gamble.

Beyond the legal debate, the decision sends a dangerous signal about how the Philippines treats innovation. Instead of being seen as a government confident enough to work with new technologies, it projects uncertainty and a tendency to overcorrect rather than collaborate. For many investors, that uncertainty is risk enough.

What’s ironic is that World’s technology was built to protect people from scams and impersonation, problems Filipinos face every day. Instead of being seen as an ally in online safety, it’s now being treated as a threat.

For global investors, this case shows that in the Philippines, the problem is not a lack of laws but a lack of predictability. If government approvals, sandbox programs, and registration processes can all be overturned by one new decision, then the message is: your investment here is only as safe as the next appointment.

This kind of regulatory uncertainty is what drives investors to Singapore, Vietnam, or Indonesia – countries that may be just as strict, but far more consistent. Businesses can adjust to difficult rules. What they cannot adjust to is unpredictability.

The NPC still has a chance to correct course. It can review its order, consider the due process it owes to a company that complied with the law, and show that Philippine institutions value fairness and stability.

At the end of the day, when rules change every time leadership does, confidence disappears. And once investors lose confidence, rebuilding it will take far more than a sandbox.

The government’s current debt and rising interest payments are taking up a significant portion of public resources, with the state think tank warning that any further deficit spending could worsen the situation and put at risk long-term fiscal sustainability.

In its latest discussion paper, the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) cautioned that multiple risks could threaten the generally positive outlook in the near and medium-term.

‘Slower-than-expected economic growth due to inflation-induced demand contractions, supply side disruptions, or global economic headwinds may weaken revenue performance and push the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio higher,’ the report read.

Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee lowered this year’s GDP growth target to a range of 5.5 to 6.5 percent from the original target of six to eight percent.

Despite the global economic strains, Finance Assistant Secretary Neil Adrian Cabiles said the country is experiencing slower-than-expected growth, but remained confident the economy is on track with its fiscal targets.

CPBRD said maintaining a balanced short-term debt share is crucial for preserving fiscal flexibility and reducing the government’s exposure to external shocks that could destabilize the economy.

According to its report, short-term debt share increased by one percent in 2024 from 0.6 percent in 2023.