KAKAMMPI News

By   Recto Mercene  - February 1, 2016 378 By Recto L. Mercene AN official of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center on Monday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to start discussions with 14 countries that threaten to stop the operations of remittance companies being used by Filipino workers, owing to suspicions that these are being used to launder money to fund terrorists. The aim is to help the Filipinos send back as much money to their loved ones and not be subjected to onerous exchange rates. Susan Ople said the center has been calling the government’s attention since 2013, when only four countries were involved—the United States, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom, which have large Filipino populations. “The [Blas F.] Ople Policy Center has been calling the government’s attention about this problem since 2013, the year these four countries have shut down remittance firms, ngayon dumami na,” Ople said at the Kapihan sa

Published  October 30, 2019 5:26pm By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Rojan, the son of OFW Mary Jean Alberto, and the rest of the family at the NAIA. The wake will be held at the family residence in Brgy. Dela Paz, Antipolo City. PHOTO VIA MAV GONZALES The body of the overseas Filipino worker who fell to her death in Abu Dhabi arrived in the country on Wednesday. According to the OFW group Migrante International, the body of Mary Jean Alberto was subjected to an autopsy before it was repatriated. Migrante International chair Joanna Concepcion told GMA News Online that Alberto's remains arrived around noontime at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City. Jean allegedly committed suicide on October 2 by jumping from the 13th floor of the building where she worked for a Moroccan employer. But her family is not convinced that she took her own life. Alberto's loved ones are speculating that she was killed by her employer. Her last

Published  October 30, 2019 11:29am A house built from the four-year earnings of an overseas Filipino worker in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was destroyed by the 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Tulunan, Cotabato on Tuesday. Salvacion dela Fuente worked in Saudi Arabia as a housemaid from which she earned the money for the construction of her house in Barangay Bagumbayan, according to Ivan Mayrina's report on Unang Balita on Wednesday. Salvacion got emotional as she visited the house after the earthquake. On October 16, Salvacion’s house was partially damaged after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit central Mindanao. This was followed by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday in Tulunan. This time, the walls of the house collapsed. Salvacion’s sister-in-law and neighbor Princess dela Fuente is also lamenting the damage done by the earthquake to her house. Despite the disaster, Princess is grateful that nobody in her family was hurt. “Pero kahit ganito pa ang nangyari nagpa

Published  October 29, 2019 4:12pm By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Tuesday assured the public that they will be giving financial assistance this week to the overseas Filipino workers in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian. "[W]e have been working on a package of financial assistance to be given to OFWs in Bahamas [...] We would encourage affected OFWs to await distribution of the financial assistance in Bahamas within this week," OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac told GMA News Online in a message through OWWA Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson. A Filipino nurse in the Bahamas called for government aid last week concerning the damage brought by the hurricane, claiming that earlier requests made by fellow OFWs to OWWA had been ignored. Imelda Factor Glori said that workers who returned to Manila to ask for help were told by OWWA employees that they did not know anything about the hurricane. For his part, Cac

Published  October 29, 2019 3:15pm By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head Hans Cacdac revealed on Tuesday that they would be providing financial assistance to the overseas Filipino workers in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian. "[W]e have been working on a package of financial assistance to be given to OFWs in Bahamas [...] We would encourage affected OFWs to await distribution of the financial assistance in Bahamas within this week," Cacdac told GMA News Online in a message. The financial assistance would be provided in coordination with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington DC. A Filipino nurse in the Bahamas  pleaded for government aid  last week given the damage brought by the hurricane, and claiming that earlier requests made by fellow OFWs with the OWWA had been ignored. Imelda Factor Glori said that workers who returned to Manila to ask for help were told by OWWA employees that

Published  October 28, 2019 5:24pm By NICOLE-ANNE C. LAGRIMAS, GMA News A Nueva Ecija court has tentatively set the taking of Filipina death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso's testimony through written questions in Indonesia for December 12. Veloso is the prosecution's last witness in the illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa case against Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, the alleged recruiters she claimed tricked her into smuggling heroin into Indonesia in 2010. She is imprisoned in Yogyakarta, having been spared from execution for drug trafficking in 2015 after Sergio surrendered to authorities. Manila had proposed to Jakarta that Veloso be turned into a witness. Weeks before what would have been the final chance for the prosecution to present her as a witness, the Supreme Court allowed the taking of her testimony by way of deposition through written interrogatories. The National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), the privat

BRUSSELS - The European Union on Monday agreed to a 3-month flexible delay to Britain's departure from the bloc as Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushes for an election after opponents forced him to request an extension he had vowed never to ask for. Just three days before the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on Oct. 31 at 2300 GMT, Brexit is hanging in the balance as British politicians are no closer to reaching a consensus on how, when or even if the divorce should take place. Johnson, who became prime minister by pledging - "do or die" - to deliver Brexit on Oct. 31, was driven into requesting a postponement after he was defeated in parliament over the sequencing of the ratification of his divorce deal. The 27 countries that will remain in the EU after Brexit agreed on Monday to put off Brexit until the end of January with an earlier departure possible should the faction-ridden UK parliament ratify their separation deal. "The EU27 has agreed

LinkedIn Saudi Arabia said Monday that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had distorted the image of Islam, and hailed his killing by US special forces in northwestern Syria. "The kingdom appreciates the US administration's efforts to pursue members of this terrorist organisation that distorted the real image of Islam... and committed atrocities and crimes," said a Saudi foreign ministry source, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). "Saudi Arabia continues its efforts with its allies, especially the United States, in fighting terrorism," the source added. US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Baghdadi had died "like a dog" in an overnight raid by US special forces in Syria. Trump said many IS jihadists had been killed in the raid and that Baghdadi had detonated a suicide vest when he was cornered in a tunnel. IS had seized swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, imposing a violent form of Islamic rule

Published  October 28, 2019 5:18pm The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Monday reminded pilgrims traveling to the kingdom to complete their required biometrics locally to avoid the risk of deportation. The ministry issued the circular reminding pilgrims of the proper visa procedures amid reports that hundreds of visitors had been denied entry to Saudi Arabia due to incorrect or incomplete requirements. “To avoid such unfortunate incidents, pilgrims must apply [for] the right category of visas through the travel agents registered with the country’s Hajj and Umrah Committees,” said the ministry. “Without the right visa and documentations, pilgrims will encounter fines and/or deportation to the home country.” The ministry also reminded travelers to complete their mandatory biometric registration locally after obtaining a Hajj or Umrah visa. “Once [the] entire visa formality is completed, including enrollment of biometric information, pilgrims can

Published  October 28, 2019 2:11pm The Department of Agriculture is appealing to overseas Filipino workers who will be coming home for the holidays not to bring in meat products from countries affected by the African swine fever. At a press conference on Monday, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes said such products will just be confiscated. “Huwag na silang magbitbit. Makukumpiska lang sa mga airport at seaport, especially if dumaan sila sa Hong Kong and China,” Reyes said. China is one of 24 countries affected by ASF. Their pork products have been banned by the Philippine government. If OFWs are coming from non-ASF-affected countries, they must secure from the country where they bought the products certification that the goods are ASF-free.  — Tina Panganiban-Perez/RSJ, GMA News

Published  October 26, 2019 7:23pm An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) advocacy group and a labor recruiter voiced their dissent against a requirement that OFWs should solely shoulder their SSS contributions and make several payments before they would be permitted to work abroad. In a Saturday press statement, LBS E-Recruitment Solutions President Lito B. Soriano complained that the government requirement for OFWs to pay pre-deployment SSS contributions, as well as Philhealth and PAG-IBIG contributions, would "only promote suffering, hardships" and create "another Calvary to climb." Soriano added that making the OFWs make several monthly contributions before being considered SSS members was “repressive.” Marcia Sadicon, the President of the Advocates and Keepers Organization of OFW (AKOOFW), also opposed the SSS, Philhealth and PAG-IBIG mandatory contributions as a pre-requisite for an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). Similarly, r

Published  October 26, 2019 2:27am Updated  October 26, 2019 2:29pm A Filipino priest and some of his companions in pilgrimage tour in Egypt were injured in a bus accident, according to a Facebook post by Caloocan Bishop Pablo David. The priest is identified as Fr. Marvin S. Mejia, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) secretary general, suffered from serious injuries. David said the information came from CBCP President Archbishop Romulo Valles, who is also the Archbishop of Davao. “Fr. Marvin S. Mejia joined a group in a pilgrimage tour in the Holy Land / Egypt. The bus they were riding on met an accident, and he suffered from serious injuries. One of the passengers died, and a number were injured, including Fr. Mejia.” “Fr. Mejia and the rest of the group, particularly those who were injured, got help and assistance from the Apostolic Nunciature in Cairo, Egypt, especially that there is a Filipino priest there, Fr. (Jan) Limchua, wh

Fr. Shay Cullen 25 October 2019     Protecting children from sexual abuse has progressed greatly from medieval times when 11- and 12-year children, sometimes even younger, were considered capable of giving their consent to be sexually abused by adults. Pedophilia and child sexual abuse was widespread and condoned or ignored by much of society as it is today.   That has changed somewhat in recent years in most countries but not yet in the Philippines where the age of consent is still 12 years old. As such, sex with children below 12 years old is considered statutory rape. This is problematic because this means that sex with a child as 12 and older is not automatically considered child rape. The child and prosecutors, and child rights advocates have to prove in court that child rape occurred and this process can be traumatic to the child.   The Penal Code has to be changed and bills are pending in the congress but irresponsibly not acted upon. The age of consent is the

October 10, 2019   By Edd Reyes   People's Tonight Ito ang ilan lamang sa naranasan ng mga Pinay na biktima ng human trafficking sa United Arab Emirates (UAE) na karamihan ay nananatili pa rin sa naturang bansa at naghihintay ng tulong na mapauwi pabalik sa PIlipinas.. Kahapon ay walong kababaihan na domestic helpers at asawa ng isang kasambahay sa UAE ang humarap sa mga mamamahayag upang isiwalat ang naranasan nilang kalupitan sa kamay ng kani-kanilang mga amo at sa mismo nilang ahente na nakabase sa naturang bansa. Kabilang sa mga humarap ang asawa ni Gina Gonzales na dumaranas ng paghihirap makaraang mabuhusan ng kumukulong tsaa ang halos buo niyang katawan. Bukod sa hindi kaagad ipinagamot ng amo, isinalang agad sa pagtatrabaho ang ginang kahit hindi pa gumagaling ang tinamong pinsala sa katawan. Isa naman ang ilang ulit na ibinenta ng kanyang ahente sa ibang ahensiya matapos kunin ang lahat ng kanyang sinahod bilang domestic helper matapos ni

October 18, 2019   By Ryan Ponce Pacpaco   People's Journal AT LEAST 505 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were diagnosed  human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive from January to June this year, up 12 percent from the 451 discovered in the same period in 2018, the ACTS-OFW Coalition of Organizations said yesterday. “The cumulative number of OFWs found living with HIV as of June has reached 6,760 -- 5,844 men (86 percent) and 916 women (14 percent)  -- since the government began passive surveillance in 1984,” said ACTS-OFW chairman Aniceto Bertiz III, a former congressman. Bertiz noted that  their median ages are 32 for  men and 34 for  women . “We are urging returning OFWs, including sailors, who suspect that they may have acquired HIV while working abroad, to get themselves tested . “Prompt testing is the key to timely detection and early treatment,” Bertiz pointed out. “A growing number of Filipinos living with HIVcontinue to live healthy

October 15, 2019   By Jester P. Manalastas   People's Journal TWO militant lawmakers questioned the decision of  PhilHealth to increase the premium dues for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Bayan Muna Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite decried the additional burden to the OFWs   Based on computations of migrant groups, the new increase in PhilHealth contributions will  force OFWs to shell out up to P50,000 even before they leave the country. The two solons said what is worse, the implementing rules of the government’s health care program  required that all land-based OFWs pay their premiums to the  Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) before they are issued overseas employment certificates (OECs). “This effectively makes OFWs hostages of PhilHealth as they would only be allowed to leave if they pay their ransom of up to P50,000,” said Zarate, the House Deputy Minority leader. For his part, Gaite said instead o