Asian Journal

$100,000 price tag on H-1B visas

Starting Sept. 21, U.S. employers must pay a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa entries under a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump. The administration says the rule addresses program abuse in tech and STEM fields.

Applies to workers outside the U.S. seeking entry after the deadline. Officials clarified that current H-1B holders in the U.S. are exempt, but travel abroad could complicate reentry.

Read the full Asian Journal news report on the $100,000 H-1B rule and its impact in the comments section.

In Philippine folklore, the Kapre is feared as a dark, tobacco-smoking giant in the trees.

But history suggests he may have been no monster at all, but enslaved men brought to Manila’s Parian slave market during Spanish rule. Many escaped into the forests, where Spaniards and friars branded them cafres, a term that later evolved into Kapre.

The Kapre stands as a metaphor for how suppressed truths were transformed into fear, just as today’s myths about corruption such as “wala namang mangyayari” and “the system will crush you” keep citizens from confronting abuse.

Read the full OpEd essay by columnist Eliseo Silva in the comments section.

Armed with a laptop and a smartphone, people everywhere have become citizen journalists, capturing and shaping the news as it unfolds.

In an age when every voice can be amplified online, the responsibilities of truth and decency rest with all of us. The timeless principles of journalism : accuracy, fairness, independence, accountability, and humanity were once the domain of newsrooms. Today, they are vital lessons for everyone who shares a story.

Read our editorial on why these values matter now more than ever in the comments section.