KAKAMMPI News

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is seeking an investigation over the plight of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who was stranded for days in two airports due to an issue with her flights. advertisement In a video, OFW Ivy Luz Quintin shared that she no longer has funds as she was stranded in Indonesia for eight days then she returned to Ethiopia airport, where she stayed for two days. Quintin's employer arranged her three connecting flights before arriving in the Philippines. Her flight went smoothly from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia. But, upon arriving in Indonesia, she missed her connecting flight to Malaysia, which is her destination before arriving in Manila. Over JP Soriano's "24 Oras" report, OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said they are requesting Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to investigate Quintin's "chop-chop itinerary." Cacdac said authorities should've let Quintin return to Jeddah, Saudi Arab

Published July 29, 2021 4:16pm The number of repatriated overseas Filipinos has reached more than 405,000, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. advertisement During the briefing of the House overseas workers affairs committee, the DFA bared that a total of 405,769 overseas Filipinos have already been repatriated since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. Of this number, 105,606 were sea-based overseas Filipino workers while 300,163 were land-based overseas Filipinos. The figures were as of July 28, according to DFA. The DFA said a total of 4,960 overseas Filipinos would be repatriated by next month. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment revealed that the COVID-19 infections among OFWs has reached 23,121. Of this number, 12,528 have already recovered while fatalities were at 1,181. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News

By CONSUELO MARQUEZ, GMA News The monthly deployment of Filipino seafarers has reached almost 40,000, which is close to pre-pandemic numbers, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard Olalia said Wednesday. advertisement In a Department of Labor and Employment online briefing, Olalia said the continuous deployment was made possible by the interventions of national government, including vaccination efforts and the crafting of guidelines. "Nari-reach ang 40,000 level na monthly deployment ng seafarers. Kung susumahin natin ang nakaraang deployment noong pre-pandemic nasa halos ng 50,000 monthly deployment ng seafarers," said Olalia. [We are already reaching 40,000 level of monthly deployment of seafarers. Before the pandemic, there was an almost 50,000 monthly deployment of seafarers.] Last month, the government allocated thousands of vaccine doses to seafarers and overseas Filipino workers to fast-track their deployment. They were also gi

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News Published July 28, 2021 1:23pm The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Wednesday reported that it was able to assist about 586,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through its online training program. Interviewed at the Laging Handa public briefing, TESDA deputy director-general Aniceto Bertiz added that 383,000 returning OFWs were assisted through the One-Stop Service Center for OFWs (OSSCO). He said OFW Re-Integration via Skills and Entrepreneurship (RISE) was also launched for repatriated OFWs who would like to make a living in the country. Meanwhile, Bertiz reported that TESDA was able to produce 2,978 contact tracers all over the country under its contact tracing program. "Almost 1,800 of those are already hired in local government units," Bertiz said. In President Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address in 2020, he directed the TESDA to offer special training programs which can provide new job opport

A total of 48 Filipino caregivers left Manila for Israel on Tuesday, part of the first batch of 377 workers to be deployed to the Middle Eastern country under the government-to-government track. advertisement The said track was a result of the bilateral labor agreement signed by the Philippines and Israel in 2018, according to a report by Dano Tingcungco on GMA News' Unang Balita on Wednesday. Under the government-to-government track, applicants do not need to go through private recruitment agencies. They only need to apply for jobs through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). The setup aims to stop the practice of charging overseas Filipino workers placement fees which would reach up to P78,000 per person. "Ito 'yung ating programa ng ating pamahalaaan ngayon para tugunan 'yung issue ng mataas na placement fee na sinisingil sa ating mga caregivers papunta ng bansang Israel," POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said. (This is the program

Thailand's exports have been a rare bright spot in the struggling economy, but migrant worker shortages are threatening labour-intensive sectors, undermining a fragile recovery as the country struggles with its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet. BANGKOK: Thailand's exports have been a rare bright spot in the struggling economy, but migrant worker shortages are threatening labour-intensive sectors, undermining a fragile recovery as the country struggles with its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet. Even as global demand rebounds and this year's 9per cent drop in the baht makes Thai goods more attractive, a lack of migrant workers is threatening exports as the economy already faces a tourism slump and sluggish domestic consumption due to virus containment measures. Key exporting industries such as food and rubber production can rely on migrant workers for as much as half of their workforce, according to company and industry officials. Exports accounted for 45per cent of Thailand's

Special rapporteur urges security council to call for ceasefire amid fears Covid will spread across wider region Myanmar is at risk of becoming a super-spreader Covid state that fuels outbreaks across the region, the UN special rapporteur for the country has warned as he urged the security council to call for a ceasefire. The south-east Asian country is facing its most severe outbreak yet, on top of a deep political and economic crisis brought about by the military coup in February. Its vaccination programme has ground to a standstill, testing has collapsed, and government hospitals are barely functioning. Doctors, who have been at the forefront of an anti-junta strike and are refusing to work in state hospitals, have been forced to treat patients in secret because they face the constant threat of military violence or arrest. The exact number of cases and fatalities in Myanmar was unclear, said Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, in

Published July 15, 2021 5:20pm Homebound overseas Filipino workers in Indonesia face displacement due to the Philippines' travel ban on inbound travelers from the country. Interviewed on Balitanghali on Thursday, Norwin Castro, a Filipino community leader in Indonesia, said the biggest issue OFWs are facing right now is the Philippines' imposition of a travel ban on inbound flights from Indonesia from July 16 until the end of the month. "Ang mga homebound OFWs natin ay ma-di-displace sila. Hindi muna sila makakauwi. Meanwhile, they have to extend their visas at kinakailangan na maghanap ng accommodation dahil tapos na contracts nila," Castro said. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte imposed the ban because Indonesia is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, posting record numbers in the last few days to reach a total of over 2.6 million confirmed cases. Passengers already in transit from Indonesia and all those who have been to the same within 14 days immediatel

By HANA BORDEY, GMA News Some 10,000 Filipinos are pleading for the extension of the validity of their visa in the Kingdom of Thailand, Philippine Ambassador Millicent Cruz-Paredes said Friday. “Aabot na sa 10,000 ang mga sulat na nagawa namin, appealing to the government of Thailand para ma-extend ang pamamalagi dito [ng mga Filipino],” Cruz-Paredes said during the Laging Handa briefing. (We have processed nearly 10,000 letters appealing for the host government to extend the stay of Filipinos here.) Also, the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok received numerous request to extend the passport validity of some Filipinos, she added. Likewise, Paredes said they already held discussions with Thailand officials to include Filipinos in their vaccination program. Currently, there are around 30,000 Filipinos in this Southeast Asian country. On the other hand, Cruz-Paredes said the Embassy has so far recorded a total of 30 COVID-19 cases among Filipinos in Thailand. Of the number, two are a

By TED CORDERO, GMA News The temporary suspension of deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Israel will soon be lifted, the Department of Labor and Employment said Wednesday. advertisement DOLE's remark came after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in a letter, recommended the lifting of the deployment suspension to the Middle Eastern country. “I was told, as of July 13, may na-receive sa Office of the [Labor] Secretary ‘yung letter ni [DFA] Secretary [Teodoro] Locsin, na nagre-recommend na muli nang ibalik ang deployment sa Israel,” DOLE International Labor Affairs Bureau Director Alice Visperas said at a virtual press conference. (I was told that the Office of the Labor Secretary received a letter from DFA Secretary Locsin, recommending the resumption of deployment to Israel.) Late in May, the DOLE temporarily suspended the deployment of OFWs to Israel amid the ongoing tensions between Israeli forces and armed groups in the Gaza Strip. DOLE Information chief R

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has received some 309,000 electronic PhilHealth member registration forms (ePMRFs) of over 601,000 Sorsoganons in simple turnover rites in Pasig City recently. The said ePMRFs shall be used to enroll Sorsoganons with PhilHealth to grant them with immediate eligibility to health benefits and services whenever and wherever they need it. The said member data are also necessary in enlisting them to accredited PhilHealth KONSULTA providers in their area. Set to be rolled out in July 2021, beneficiaries will be given access to primary care services that include diagnostic and laboratory tests such as chest X-ray, fasting blood sugar, and ECG, among others. These tests will help in screening for medical conditions or in avoiding them altogether. In addition, drugs and medicines for certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension will be dispensed through KONSULTA providers for free. KONSULTA stands for Ko

Inanunsyo kamakailan ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) ang compensation package nito para sa mga pasyenteng magkakaroon ng serious adverse effects (SAEs) matapos mabakunahan para sa COVID-19 na maoospital, permanenteng mababalda o mamamatay, alinsunod sa PhilHealth Circular No. 2021-0007 na nalathala noong Hunyo 18, 2021. Sa isang media forum ng Department of Health, sinabi ng PhilHealth na ang compensation package ay makakamit lamang sa mga nabakunahan sa ilalim ng Philippine COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Ang pakete ay nagkakahalaga ng P100,000 para sa confinement para sagutin ang natitirang bayarin ng pasyente matapos maibawas ang PhilHealth benefits, mandatory discounts, at iba pang benepisyo mula sa health insurance companies and health management organizations (HMOs). Makatatanggap naman ng P100,000 ang bawat benepisyaryo para sa mga kaso ng permanent disability o pagkamatay. Sa kabilang banda, ginarantiyahan ng PhilHealth ang coverage para sa mg

Shay Cullen Plastic was and is a magical invention. It is a material based on oil and has thousands of excellent and life-saving uses. In the medical world, in construction, in tool-making, manufacturing of phones and other gadgets, cars, household items, furniture and almost everything you see has plastic in it. Our modern world depends on plastic to sustain its present lifestyle. But that lifestyle built on the plastic revolution has its dangerous dark side. Everything we humans use and discard can have dire consequences for the planet. Garbage is everywhere and it is damaging our health. Plastic pollution is destroying many creatures and poisoning our air and rivers and oceans and people don’t seem to care. It is dangerous to health because it is a destructive chemical-based pollutant and it is the one-time use of disposable plastic stuff that is so dangerous and damaging to our lives, our health, our environment. The fish we eat have plastic in them because the vast oceans ar

Manila, 30 June 2021 — Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) members and partners have together launched the second volume of the bi-annual analysis report, “Crying Out for Justice: Wage Theft Against Migrant Workers during COVID-19” which documents cases of wage theft from the period of January and May 2021. The report marks the first anniversary of the Justice for Wage Theft campaign. A joint effort by a large coalition of trade unions and civil society organisations inaugurated on 1 June 2020, the campaign calls for an urgent justice mechanism for migrant workers repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic without being paid their due wages, salaries, and end-of-service benefits. More than a year after the pandemic, up to millions of migrant workers are still anxiously waiting for their wages, as there has been hardly any progress with respect to access to justice. A total of 1,113 new cases were filed on the JFWT-Uwazi platform during the reporting period. In terms of the locations where the

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) have recently formalized a joint undertaking on data sharing of death information records. The partnership agreement will help PhilHealth to fulfill its mandate of maintaining an accurate database of members in aid of expanding its benefit packages and improving service delivery while minimizing if not eradicating fraud in claims reimbursements all at the same time. Under the agreement, PhilHealth shall provide PSA with electronic lists of identified members and their dependents which would then be matched with the latter’s death records. The PSA will also develop a matching program called Decentralized Vital Statistics to validate the lists to be submitted by PhilHealth. In his message at the start of the simple virtual signing ceremony, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Dante A. Gierran said that, “data sharing agreement also translates to data

Straits Times More foreign domestic workers may soon be able to come into Singapore, under a pilot programme that starts this month. The programme, led by the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) and several maid agencies, will see domestic workers undergo additional safe management measures in their home countries before they can enter Singapore. The programme will begin in mid-July, and is intended to help meet the domestic and caregiving needs of local households. In a statement on Wednesday (July 14), the association said that workers will undergo multiple Covid-19 tests over a 14-day period at isolation facilities in their home countries before coming to Singapore. They will be subject to prevailing arrival measures, including a 14-day stay-home notice (SHN), Covid-19 testing protocols and safe management measures. The pilot covers domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines for a start. Employers who hire domestic workers through the pilot will have to

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) may soon lift the temporary deployment suspension for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) bound for Oman. This after the Omani government agreed last week that it would once again be allowing the entry of OFWs in Oman. “We had an undertaking, wherein the Omani government said they will lift the travel restrictions for OFWs. In exchange, secretary [Silvestre H.] Bello III instructed the lifting of the temporary deployment suspension,” POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said in a television interview last Tuesday. He said they are now just waiting for the Omani government to implement its end on the agreed upon undertaking before they could start sending OFWs to Oman again. Last Friday, the POEA governing board led by Bello imposed a temporary deployment suspension in Oman to protest against the “unfair” travel restriction from the Omani government. On the same day, representatives from the Oman Embassy met with labor officials

ABS-CBN News MANILA - Some 120,000 registered nurses are unaccounted for in employment records in the country, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said Wednesday as it explained government's deployment cap on health care workers. There are nearly 602,000 nurses registered under the database of the human resources bureau of the Department of Health, according to POEA administrator Bernard Olalia. Some 183,000 nurses are employed in public or private health facilities in the country while 350,000 nurses are deployed abroad, he said. "We therefore have a gap of almost 120,000. This is exactly the reason why the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force Against COVID-19) imposed temporary suspension of the deployment of our nurses (last year)," he told ANC's Headstart. The country had prohibited the deployment of health care workers last year as the COVID-19 pandemic began to ensure sufficient medical professionals here. It has since resumed deployment but placed a

Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (The Freeman ) - July 13, 2021 - 12:00am CEBU, Philippines — Individuals inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines who develop serious adverse events after vaccination that lead to hospitalization, permanent disability or death can now be compensated by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. According to PhilHealth Circular No. 2021-0007, the compensation covers claims filed from March 3, 2021 to March 2, 2026 or until completion of the vaccination program, whichever comes first. The state health insurer said that the package is capped at P100,000 for hospitalizations to cover remaining charges after deduction of PhilHealth benefits, mandatory discounts, and other coverage provided by private health insurance companies and health management organizations (HMOs). “Similarly, a lump sum of P100,000 per beneficiary (will be given) in case of permanent disability or death,” PhilHealth said. The compensation package, however, is only available to those who rec

Marc Jayson Cayabyab (The Philippine Star ) - July 12, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila mayors agreed on a uniform policy of allowing minors, aged five and up, to go outside as long as they are under parental supervision. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) told Metro Manila mayors that they have the discretion on whether or not to allow minors outdoors, Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta III told The STAR yesterday following a Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting. But the mayors agreed that it is better to have a uniform policy of allowing minors with their parents in open spaces, Oreta added. Mayors will identify the areas where minors are allowed to play with their parents, Oreta said. “Actually that is what the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) is saying, better to have a unified policy as Metro Manila is porous… In the meantime, we should identify possible areas where people might congregate (such as)

Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star ) - July 12, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and other concerned agencies must immediately take steps in improving the country’s global passport ranking, Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday. He noted that during a hearing last week of the Senate committee on foreign relations, chaired by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, it was found that the country ranked only 82nd in the most powerful passports of the world in the 2021 Henley Passport Index (HPI). The HPI basically determines the “power” of a country’s passport based on the number of countries it can be used without requiring a visa. “It is indicative not just of the survey done, but the power of our passport. The passport is the badge of citizenship and you should be proud of that. Now, if our passport is downgraded, it seems the reception of the host country is also somewhat downgraded,” Tolentino said. For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian asked DFA

Xave Gregorio (Philstar.com) - July 10, 2021 - 3:26pm MANILA, Philippines — A year after a House committee rejected ABS-CBN’s application for a fresh franchise and under a year before the elections, workers are calling on the public to vote out the 70 lawmakers who voted to kill the network’s application. “Next year, eleksyon, tingin ko ay may paniningil ang manggagawa sa gobyernong ito. (Next year it’s the elections, I think the workers will make this government pay),” Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino president Leody de Guzman said Friday during an online forum hosted by the ABS-CBN chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. “Maari tayong maningil sa kanilang ginawa dito sa mga kababayan natin, mga kapwa nating manggagawa. Huwag natin kalimutan ang hindi nila pagdinig sa hinaing sa mga manggagawa apektado nitong ABS-CBN shutdown,” Magsoy said. (We can make them pay for what they did to our countrymen, our fellow workers. Let’s not forget how they did not li

(Agence France-Presse) - June 30, 2021 - 7:00pm TAIPEI, Taiwan — The United States and Taiwan on Wednesday restarted trade talks after five years as Washington moves to boost its ties with the island despite China's objections. The talks resumed after the two sides reconvened the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council, which under former US president Barack Obama's administration was used to find ways to deepen commercial relations. The council last met in 2016 before the election of Donald Trump, who switched gears and focused on reaching a mega-deal with China, although relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorated sharply by the end of his turbulent term. Wednesday's talks "focused on enhancing the longstanding trade and investment relationship between the United States and Taiwan", a statement released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative said. Held virtually, they were co-led by top trade officials from Washi

By CNN Philippines Staff Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — At least two senators on Tuesday urged the Duterte administration to take a more proactive role after Chinese ships were reportedly found dumping human waste in the Spratly Islands and causing damage to the entire South China Sea. Senators Ralph Recto and Risa Hontiveros said the government should conduct its own probe to verify the report of US-based geospatial imagery firm Simularity that Chinese crews of the hundreds of anchored ships continue to dump human waste and sewage in the reefs, causing long-term damage to marine life in the disputed waters. "It is not only reclaiming land in the West Philippine Sea; by its actions, it is also renaming it as the Waste Philippine Sea. By turning reefs into toilets, two man-made things are now visible from space: the Great Wall of China on land, and the Great Wastes of China at sea," Recto said. Simularity reported that the sewage discharge led to increase in chl

By CNN Philippines Staff Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — Three regions are currently at high risk for COVID-19 due to spikes in new cases and hospitalizations, an official said Tuesday. These are the Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, and Davao, Department of Health chief epidemiologist Alethea de Guzman said in an online briefing. Cordillera was earlier classified as low risk while Western Visayas and Davao retained their case risk classification. These regions had positive two-week growth rates and higher average daily attack rates (ADAR) from June 27 to July 10 compared to the figures two weeks before, De Guzman said. The ADAR is defined as the number of infected people per 100,000 population. "Ang mga binabantayan rin natin hindi lamang dahil sa pagtaas ng kaso [The areas we are monitoring not only due to an uptick in cases but also] because of their utilization rates are Regions 11 (Davao), 6 (Western Visayas), and CAR," De Guzman added. D

By CNN Philippines Staff Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — The Department of Health on Tuesday stressed that the risk of developing a rare neurological disorder after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine “remains very low.” In a statement, Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said current data still show that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the possibility of experiencing adverse reactions, such as the “very rare” Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). She made the comment after the United States Food and Drug Administration warned Janssen vaccine recipients of an increased risk of GBS during the 42 days following inoculation. It described the syndrome as a disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. Symptoms include weakness or tingling in the arms and legs; difficulty walking, speaking, chewing or swallowing; double vision; and bowel or bladder control problems. “We call on all patient

By CNN Philippines Staff Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — A national survey revealed that more adult Filipinos are inclined to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The recent poll by Pulse Asia from June 7 to 16, showed that 43% of adult Filipinos are willing to receive their COVID-19 shot, an increase from February’s 16%. The rest of the Filipino adults are either not going to get their vaccine (36%), unable to say whether they will get their dose or not (16%), or are already vaccinated (5%), either fully (2%), or partially (3%). A big chunk at 55% of those from Metro Manila, and 48% from Mindanao, as well as 50% from Class ABC and 42% from Class D will get their vaccine now that supply is available in the country. On the contrary, 49% of Visayans said they will not get their dose. “Around the same percentages of those in the rest of Luzon and Class E will either get a vaccine against COVID-19 (both at 38%) or they will not (39% and 44%, respectively),” Pulse Asia add

The pandemic has been a cruel blow for thousands of migrant workers in South Asia who are out of work or unable to return to their jobs abroad. Countries like Bangladesh, India and Nepal rely heavily on migrant workers, who send billions of dollars home each year. But over the past year, many have lost their jobs and been forced to return to their native countries. Others still have jobs or have found new ones, but are struggling to make travel arrangements to take up the posts. The lack of Covid-19 vaccines has compounded the problem, with many countries requiring migrant workers to be inoculated to avoid quarantine or sometimes to enter at all. Ajay Sodari, a migrant worker in Kathmandu, Nepal, who needs to be vaccinated before he can start his job in South Korea, said, “I spent four years studying the Korean language, to get selected as a qualified worker in language tests and sign a labor agreement with the company.” He said that he had spent thousands of dollars to meet the em

Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News MANILA - The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said several Filipino children caught COVID-19, and cases were high among infants and teenagers. "Ang matatas na bilang po ng nagkakaroon ay less than 2-years old," Health spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference. (There are high cases among children less than 12-years old.) "Pagdating ng 15-19-years old doon natin nakikita na mas mataas kumpara sa ibang age groups," she said. The DOH was however yet to release the actual number of Filipino minors who contracted the virus. (When it comes to 15-19-years old, we see higher cases compared to other age groups.) The information comes days after the national government allowed minors to go to outdoor spaces in areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine. The policy was enforced after Health officials and experts found that restrictions in activities have

Reuters Posted at Jul 12 2021 11:21 AM JERUSALEM - Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday ruled that current legal restrictions barring same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy were unlawful and must be lifted within six months. Pope Francis: Same-sex couples should be covered by civil union laws The country's LGBTQ+ community praised the decision as a breakthrough. It had demanded for years to be allowed to pursue surrogacy, which is already accessible to heterosexual couples and single women in Israel. The issue has highlighted a liberal/conservative divide, often along religious lines, in Israel, where same-sex marriages are not conducted by state-sanctioned authorities but are formally recognized if they are performed abroad. The Supreme Court, petitioned by gay rights activists, ruled more than a year ago that a surrogacy ban for same-sex couples and single men violated their rights and called for the rules to be changed. But having been informed by the gov

Clifford Lo and Victor Ting, South China Morning Post Posted at Jul 12 2021 01:56 PM Hong Kong's national security police arrested five more people on Monday in connection with last week's alleged bomb plot by a pro-independence group, a police source said. The four men and one woman were detained in a series of raids in Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Sau Mau Ping, and Chai Wan. They were being held at different police stations and none had been charged. A week ago, police arrested nine people, including six secondary school pupils accused of being members of Returning Valiant, over an alleged terrorist plot to bomb courts, tunnels and streets in a series of attacks. Police said at the time they had carried out a series of raids, including at a guest house in the busy shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui that had been turned into a makeshift explosives factory by a well-organised group it said was in the final stages of preparing the attacks. Last Monday's suspects includ

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News MANILA — The Philippines has administered some 13 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, the Department of Health said on Monday, more than four months since its inoculation drive kicked off. Of the total 13,196,282 vaccine doses administered, some 9.6 million first doses were first jabs, while around 3.5 million were second shots, said Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje. Authorities have said that those who have received their second shot of a 2-dose regimen vaccine brand are considered fully vaccinated. Around 96 percent of about 1.6 million health workers, the top priority in the country's immunization drive, have received at least one vaccine dose, Cabotaje said in a televised public briefing. Meanwhile, about 31 percent of 8 million target senior citizens, the second priority group, have received at least one COVID-19 shot, Cabotaje added. To encourage more elderly people to get vaccinated, authorities are hosting town hall meetings, setting up

The Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) on Monday said it will again request for a replenishment of funds to be used for the repatriation program of Filipino workers stranded abroad. advertisement According to OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, current funds are set to last for the next three months, and more will be needed as more overseas Filipino workers are expected to be brought home. “We’re good until mga September, and then after September, hihingi na naman tayo ng pondo. Actually baka ngayong panahon pa lamang, magbibigay na tayo ng senyales sa DBM patungkol sa pangangailangan ng pondo ng bandang katapusan ng third quarter o simula ng fourth quarter ng taong ito,” he said during the Laging Handa public briefing. (We’re good until about September, and then after September, we will again ask for funds. Actually, maybe at this time we will already signify to the DBM the need for more funds by the end of the third quarter or the start of the fourth quarter of the year.)

Several overseas Filipino workers remained stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to flight cancellations imposed by Manila as part of its COVID-19 measures. advertisement According to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras Weekend" on Sunday, the OFWs remain stranded after the Philippines extended its travel restrictions on travelers from the UAE, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Oman, Nepal, and Bangladesh until July 15 due to the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. Among the stranded OFWs is Mark Anthony Miranda, who wishes to be home by the time his wife gives birth to their first child. "Excited na lahat ng family ko at tsaka siyempre ako, excited din ako. First baby, gusto ko makita 'yong baby so 'yong anxiety nandoon, nag-iisip ka kaya masakit na hindi makauwi, hindi makasama family mo," Miranda said. (My whole family is excited, especially me. It's my first baby and I'm a little anxious. When you think about it, it's terri

President Rodrigo Duterte may impose a ban on sending workers to Saudi Arabia following several incidents of the sexual abuse of Filipino women, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said. According to JP Soriano's report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, two overseas Filipina workers were recently sexually abused by their employers. On June 17, an OFW, identified as "Rose" asked to be rescued after she was raped by her male employer and physically abused by his wife. Rose returned to the Philippines on June 25. Meanwhile, another OFW, identified as "Michelle," was raped by two Saudi nationals, the Philippine Overseas Labor and Office confirmed. "She was sexually abused, meaning raped by her former employer, who is a policeman, and [her current employer]. She is now pregnant for 2 months," Bello said. Michelle was also sent home to the Philippines. Silvestre then ordered the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to temporarily suspend d

Migrant Workers from India, Indonesia, Nepal Philippines, and Bangladesh in Great Distress: JUSTICE FOR WAGE THEFT 2ND ANALYSIS REPORT For immediate release/ Manila, 30 June 2021 — Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) members and partners have together launched the second volume of the bi-annual analysis report, “Crying Out for Justice: Wage Theft Against Migrant Workers during COVID-19” which documents cases of wage theft from the period of January and May 2021. The report marks the first anniversary of the Justice for Wage Theft campaign. A joint effort by a large coalition of trade unions and civil society organisations inaugurated on 1 June 2020, the campaign calls for an urgent justice mechanism for migrant workers repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic without being paid their due wages, salaries, and end-of-service benefits. More than a year after the pandemic, up to millions of migrant workers are still anxiously waiting for their wages, as there has been hardly any progress with r

Pinalawig kamakailan ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) ang binabayaran nito sa hemodialysis hanggang 144 sessions para sa taong 2021 upang makatulong sa maraming Filipino na nagangailangan ng pagda-dialysis dahil sa malubhang sakit sa bato o end-stage renal disease. Ayon sa PhilHealth Circular No. 2021-0009 na agad nagkabisa kasabay ng paglathala nito noong Hulyo 2, 2021, ang karagdagang coverage para sa ika-91 hanggang ika-144 sessions ay magagamit lamang para sa outpatient hemodialysis ng mga pasyenteng rehistrado sa PhilHealth Dialysis Database. Dahil sa nasabing extension, aabot sa P374,400 ang benepisyong maaaring makamtan ng isang pasyente para sa kanilang gamutan ngayong taon. Maaari ring magamit ng kanilang qualified dependents ang nasabing benepisyo. Siniguro naman ng PhilHealth na maaaring mag-direct file sa kanila ang mga pasyenteng lumampas na sa 90-session limit at nagbayad nang buo para sa kanilang dialysis bago pa malathala ang extensio

With about 1.6 million Filipinos added annually to the country's population in the last five years, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) recently urged the national government to implement far-reaching and holistic approaches to further strengthen population and development programs on the ground. This was POPCOM’s call after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released on Wednesday the latest Census of Population, when the latter announced the country’s population in 2020 at 109,035,906, which includes the addition of 8,053,906 persons from 2015. Weighing in on the country’s updated population figures, Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio Perez III, MD, MPH pointed to slower population growth as a result of lower fertility rate, as many Filipino women opt for smaller families. POPCOM’s executive director however pointed out that there are some areas such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim M