DFA advises distressed OFWs in Sri Lanka: Contact Embassy in Dhaka, Consulate in Colombo

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday encouraged distressed overseas Filipino workers in Sri Lanka to get in touch with either the Embassy in Dhaka or the Honorary Consulate in Colombo. In a tweet, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said that the department is closely coordinating with Filipino community leaders regarding the situation on the ground. Arriola added that Filipinos in Sri Lanka who wish to return to the Philippines may contact the following: Philippine Consulate in Colombo +94 114322267 +94 114322268 +94 112307162 philcon.cmb@cotrop.net philcon1.cmb@cotrop.net PHL Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh +88 01735349427 dhaka.pe@dfa.gov.ph DFA- OUMWA +63 967 4421825 (Globe) +63 908 3442070 (Smart) +63 999 9802515 atn@dfa.gov.ph Meanwhile, OFWs in Sri Lanka may also reach the DFA by messaging the Facebook page of OFW Help 24/7. Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic hardships that would at least last for two more years, the country's finance minister earlier said, warning of an imminent cash crunch. OWWA On Monday, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said some Pinoys have already asked the Philippine government for help and repatriation. Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said they are already coordinating with the DFA in arranging for the repatriation of Filipinos in Sri Lanka. “Meron nang humihingi ng tulong kaya't tayo nga ay nakikipag-ugnayan sa DFA at isinasaayos na, alam natin, ng DFA ang repatriation flight. Napipinto na ito,” he said. (There were already Filipinos asking for help that’s why we are coordinating with the DFA which is working on repatriation flights. It is forthcoming.) Cacdac said the start of repatriation would not take long as long as the passengers are already listed and the schedule of the flight is set. According to Cacdac, there are around 700 Filipinos in Sri Lanka. However, he said there is no Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Colombo. Cacdac said the Filipinos in Sri Lanka are “calm” despite the crisis. He added that the Philippine government is ready to provide the basic needs of the affected OFWs. —Mel Matthew Doctor and Joviland Rita/LBG/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

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more