Binay, OWWA assure assistance to kin of Pinoys slain in Algeria hostage crisis


Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday assured relatives of overseas Filipino workers killed in a recent hostage crisis in Algeria of the government's help in bringing their remains home soonest.
Binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, also assured them his office will coordinate with the government agencies concerned to make sure the benefits due the OFWs—from medical and burial assistance to scholarships for dependents—go to their loved ones.
“We also have to ensure that the employers of the OFWs will shoulder all repatriation expenses and release all unpaid salaries due our workers,” Binay said on his Facebook page.
Help for repatriation
On Monday afternoon, the wife of one of the OFWs killed in the hostage crisis met with Binay at the Coconut Palace, the Office of the Vice President said.
During the meeting, she sought Binay's help in ensuring that her husband's remains be properly identified and brought home.
She added she was informed of her husband's death by her husband’s employer and the Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
“They told me he was one of those who died in a bus that was rigged by militants with bombs. If he really died in the blast, chances are his body was dismembered. And if so, then how was he identified?” she said.
“We’ve already accepted my husband’s fate. What we just want is to make sure that it will be my husband that will be brought home,” she added.
For his part, Binay assured the wife the government is using “the most accurate methods of identification possible including dental records and DNA testing because we do not want to have a repeat of misidentified bodies being brought home.”
In 2012, the remains of a Syrian national was mistaken to be that of an OFW who died in a gas tanker explosion in Riyadh.
OWWA: Most affected OFWs are registered with us
In an interview on dzBB radio, OWWA administrator Carmelita Dimzon said she does not expect problems in giving benefits to most of the OFWs affected in the crisis.
Dimzon said most of these Filipinos are registered members of OWWA.
"Karamihan sa kanila documented member ng OWWA maliban sa iilan wala kaming record. Madali sila ma-trace, mahanap at mabigyan ang kaukulang assistance," she said.
She said the slain OFWs' kin can avail of P220,000 in death benefits, with one child getting a scholarship and the spouse getting a livelihood assistance package. —KG, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more

LIST: 21 medicines added to VAT-exempt list Ian Laqui - Philstar.com

Pixabay MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has expanded its list of medicines which are exempt from the value added tax (VAT). Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 17-2024 released by the tax bureau exempted 21 medications following the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration. The VAT-exempted medications on the list are for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney disease, mental illness and tuberculosis. Below is the full list of additional VAT-exempted medications: For cancer Panitumumab (100mg/5ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) Fulvestrant (50mg/ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) For diabetes Teneligliptin (as hydrobromide hydrate) (20 mg) Sitagliptin (as phospate monohydrate) + Metformin HCI (50mg/500mg) Sitagliptin (50 mg) Sitagliptin (10 mg) Metformin Hydrochloride (500 mg) For high cholesterol Atorvastatin Calcium (20 mg) Atorvastatin + Fenofibrate (40 mg/160 mg) For mental illness Desvenlafaxine
Read more