KAKAMMPI News

OWWA officers on AWOL fail to remit P8M

2011-11-28T10:19:00.000+08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is still tracking down its officers who have gone AWOL (absence without official leave) without remitting collections amounting to about P8 million.
“Unfortunately, there were collecting officers who went on AWOL and we've been trying our best to locate them using their last known addresses,” OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon told ABS-CBN News Channel.

Dimzon said the collecting officers just left without securing any clearance from OWWA.

“The addresses that were left with OWWA are no longer their present addresses. But we have asked help from some quarters to help us locate them,” said Dimzon.

The estimated P8 million amount is part of the P21 million in dollar and euro collections that OWWA officers from foreign posts have failed to remit, according to the Commission on Audit (COA) report.

“We are looking at a 10-year period. Itong pinaguusapan na ito ay magmula 2000 hanggang 2010,” explained Dimzon.

Nevertheless, Dimzon is still confident that OWWA will still be able to recover the entire amount and will do everything to find the erring officers.

“We are very strict now and I've instructed our finance people not to release any monetary benefits, their salaries and even with the provident fund shares I will add, we are also not releasing any,” Dimzon said.

“But for those who are still with us, we continue to collect from them. We have withheld their salaries and other monetary benefits so that they can pay whatever they have not been able to remit."

She added cases have been filed against some of the officers with the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) legal service and with the Ombudsman.

COA Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan said OWWA had been given the opportunity to explain its side.

Tan, who has been in office for only 7 months, will look at the previous COA reports on OWWA.

“Alam na ng mga taga-OWWA na may ganitong problema. Dapat hindi na umabot ng ganito if they were implementing our audit recommendations,” Tan said.

Likewise, Tan said she too will try to see if there are lapses in the part of COA.

“Kung nai-request na nga namin in the past ito dapat may constant follow up with management and OWWA para ma-implement nila yung paniningil at para ma stop na sana nila yung practice,” said Tan.

Tan said it may be possible OWWA was not very careful in hiring people who would be in charge of its collections.

“According to the findings of our team, medyo nagkulang din ata ang OWWA sa pagpili ng mga taong pangongolektahin,” she said.

But Tan was quick to admit that the process is also a little difficult.

“Remember, these are foreign posts and di naman ganun kadami ang tao natin in the foreign posts. Minsan nago-overlap din ang kanilang functions. Maski hindi talaga koleksiyon yung trabaho nila kung minsan ikaw na lang gumawa nito kasi nga kulang din tayo ng mga tao. Maraming factors,” she said.

Tan assured the public that COA will hold accountable those officials, who failed to remit the money.

“Maliit yung P21 million kung maihahambing sa iba pang nawawalang pera, pero these are hard-earned money of OFWs. Wag po kayong magalala tinitingnan po natin ito kung sino ang dapat managot, papanagutin po natin,” she said. ANC

OFWs start returning for holidays

2011-11-28T10:17:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - The exodus of expatriate Filipinos wanting to spend the holidays in their homeland in the longest Christmas season in the world had apparently started on Sunday following the arrival of six planeloads of mostly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the Middle East.
Separate flights from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia also flew in, adding to the flood of passengers that suddenly filled the airport arrival area.
The addition of some 30 personnel from the Immigration Bureau helped facilitate the processing of documents of an estimated 3,000 passengers taking only one hour.
The first plane was an Etihad Airways Flight EY 424 which landed at 3:30 p.m., followed in succession by Emirates, EK-332; Saudia, SB-870; Gulf Air, GF-156; Kuwait, KU-411; and Qatar, QR-646.
All of the airplanes that came from the Middle East are wide-body type, such as EY-424, a B777 that has a capacity of 300 passengers. The other aircraft were A330 and A340, while Cathay Pacific CX-919 from Hong Kong is a B-747 with a capacity of some 350 passengers.
Damila Jamali, who is from Zamboanga, came in from Dubai with her two children. “Magbakasyon kami ng pamilya ko ng isang buwan kasi malungkot sa abroad ang Pasko [We will vacation here for a month because Christmas is lonely abroad],” she said, adding that she had been working abroad the last two years.
Another OFW, Ben Castro, 35, of Quezon City said he also applied for a one-month vacation, the first since leaving the country in 2009. “I miss my family very much,” he said.
Immigration Supervisor Julius Cortes said they expect the flood of arrivals until shortly before Christmas, when close to 1 million workers, balikbayan and Filipino-Amercian tourists, will come home and enjoy the company of family and friends.
He said last year’s record from December 1 to December 7 was more than 200,000 passengers, comprising mostly of workers and balikbayan.
The actual figure of arrivals from January to December 2010 was more than 6 million passengers, Cortes said, hoping that it will reach the same number this year, or maybe even more.
Dante Basanta, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 manager said it is at this time of the year when the arrival area practically runs out of trolleys.
However, he said the Manila International Airport Authority is prepared to deal with the expected problem, fielding more porters to speed up the recycling of trolleys that are sometime left at the parking areas.
More Naia employees are also assigned during peak arrival hours to assist those who are in need, he said.

Pinoy nurses, dentists form groups to help distressed OFWs

2011-11-28T10:16:00.000+08:00

Filipino nurses and dentists in Saudi Arabia have organized themselves to help distressed overseas Filipino workers in the kingdom.

According to a news release of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the new chapters of nurses and dentists associations that were formed were:
• the Philippine Nurses Association-Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia (PNA-ERSA) Chapter, and
• the Filipino Dentists in KSA (FDK).

Citing a letter of PNA-ERSA founding president Mary Jane Tupas, the embassy said the nurses association intends to:
• establish links with government institutions to assist distressed Filipinos;
• promote continuing education among its members, and
• promote health and wellness among Filipinos in the Kingdom.

Earlier, the Philippine Nurses Association chapter in Jeddah was also organized with Zeny Concepcion as the founding president.

On the other hand, according to FDK president Dr. Lourdres Madayag, their group’s objectives include:
• promoting fellowship and camaraderie among its members;
• organizing community dental service and dental awareness;
• enhancing relationship between Philippine Dental Association and Saudi Dental Society, and
• providing continuing dental education among its members.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh renewed its support for Filipino professional organizations in the Kingdom, which include chapters of:
• Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME)
• Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers (IIEE)
• Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
• Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), and
• Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines.
- VVP, GMA News

Senador, nadismaya sa mababang budget na inilaan sa OFWs sa 2012

2011-11-28T10:15:00.000+08:00

MANILA – Ikinalungkot ni Sen Manny Villar na hindi dinagdagan ng pamahalaan ang pondong inilaan para sa mga magigipit na overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa susunod na taon.

Sa pagbubukas ng unang OFW and Family Summit sa World Trade Center nitong Huwebes, sinabi ni Villar na hindi patas ang pondong inilaan para “Distressed National Fund ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), kung ikukumpara ang malaking remittances na ipinapadala sa Pilipinas ng mga OFW bawat taon.

“Nakakadismaya na malaman natin na kakarampot lamang ang pondong inilaan ng ating gobyerno upang tulungan ating mga kababayan na nagigipit sa abroad. Paano na lamang iyong mga nakukulong, pinagmamalupitan ng kanilang amo, o hindi makauwi dahil minalas sa kanilang trabaho,” pahayag ni Villar patungkol sa 2012 budget na inaprubahan ng Senado noong Martes.

Ang OFW and Family Summit na isasagawa na taun-taon ay naisakatuparan sa pagtutulungan ng Villar Foundation at GoNegosyo. Pangunahing layunin nito na bigyan pagkilala ang pamilyang OFWs at mabigyan sila ng pagkakataon na makapagtayo ng sarili nilang kabuhayan.

Sa ganitong paraan ay hindi umano lubos na aasa ang maiiwang pamilya sa kita ng mahal nila sa buhay na nagtrabaho sa ibang bansa. Bukod dito, matiyak na may patutunguhan ang pinaghirapan nila sa ibayong-dagat.

Bukod sa maliit na pondong inilaan sa DNF ng DFA, pinuna rin ni Sen Villar ang hindi pag-usad ng panukalang batas na magtatag ng sangay ng pamahalaan na tututok sa kapakanan ng mga migranteng manggagawa.

“Maraming tumutol kasi marami na dapat departamento ang ating pamahalaan. Eh anuman ang pakialam natin sa maraming departamento sa ating pamahalaan, isa itong tanggapan para sa mga OFW na malaki ang naitulong sa ating ekonomiya,” giit ni Villar.

Binigyan-diin niya na walang saysay ang pagtawag sa mga OFW bilang “bagong bayani” kung kulang naman ang naibibigay na tulong sa kanila ng pamahalaan.

Sa pagtatapos ng kanyang termino bilang senador sa 2013, ipinangako ni Villar na ipagpapatuloy niya ang personal na pagtulong sa mga OFW bilang sukli sa tagumpay na nakamit ng kanyang negosyo sa pabahay.

Nauna nang sinabi ni Villar ang pagtigil sa pulitika pagkatapos ng kanyang termino sa 2013. Ito ay sa kabila ng mga mungkahi na tumakbo siyang muli bilang kongresista ng Las Pinas, at asintahin ang posisyon ng Speaker – ang ika-apat na pinakamataas na puwesto sa bansa na minsan niyang hinawakan. (Basahin: Villar, iiwan na raw ang pulitika)

Taunang OFW and Family Summit

Sa isinagawang pagtitipon nitong Huwebes, kabilang sa mga aktibidad ay ang pagtuturo sa mga OFW at miyembro ng kanilang pamilya ng iba’t ibang uri ng negosyo na maaari nilang pasukin sa pakikipagtulungan ng GoNegosyo Foundation.

"This summit was really conceptualized for our OFWs and their families. So we really ensured that every aspect of the event--from the program to the exhibitors, is focused on them. We want the summit to be really worthwhile, educational and inspirational for all of them," pahayag ni Sen Villar.

"This yearly OFW summit is our way of giving importance to OFWs who continue to prop up the country's economy with their remittances. It is not enough to repatriate them when they get into trouble, which we have been continuously doing. We also need to equip them with know-how and skills so they can use or invest their hard-earned money wisely," dagdag ni Cynthia Villar, asawa ni Sen Villar, na nagsisilbing managing director ng Villar foundation.

Nagbahagi ng kanilang kuwento ang mga OFW na naging matagumpay na negosyante. Gaya ni Prudencio Garcia na dating nakabase sa Saudi Arabia. Mula sa abroad, umuwi siya sa Pilipinas para tutukan ang meat business ng kanilang pamilya.

Nagsalita rin ang iba’t ibang opisyal ng mga malalaking kumpanya at mga kinatawan mula sa Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). May mga inilaan ding information booth ang Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Department of Trade & Industry, and Commission on Filipino Overseas.

Namahagi rin regalo at pa-premyo ang GoNegosyo at Villar Foundation sa mga dumalo sa summit. Pero ang pinaka-inabangan ay ang ipina-raffle na bahay at lupa. -- GMA News

Parole extended for Pinoy parents of US citizens in CNMI

2011-11-28T10:13:00.000+08:00

GARAPAN, Saipan -- Non-US citizen Filipinos in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) might be able to extend their stay until December 2012, after the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday (Manila time) that it will consider granting parole to immediate relatives of US citizens and certain "stateless" individuals in the area.

The parole will allow eligible individuals lawfully present in the CNMI by November 27 to maintain legal status until December 31, 2012.

However, the DHS -- through its US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) -- clarified on Thursday that it will be granted on a case-to-case basis.

USCIS also asked people not to apply for this parole "until [it] announces more specific details on how to" do so.

The federal agency said it is providing this initial information in order to address concerns of this group of CNMI residents in light of the pending expiration of umbrella permits on November 27, to assist them in making appropriate plans for the future.

The public is asked to continue checking www.uscis.gov/cnmi for updates on the latest USCIS guidance.

'Best Thanksgiving gift'

In an interview with GMA News Online, Filipinos affected by this immigration issue said the parole is one of the best gifts that they have ever received for Thanksgiving.

For his part, Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP) said the parole will give House Resolution (HR) 1466 -- which he authored -- more time to be passed and signed into law.

"It's welcome news on Thanksgiving Day. These are families that we are trying to help here. And I know the stress that they've been feeling these past two years," Sablan told GMA News Online, adding that the resolution is moving "inch-by-inch."

HR 1466 seeks to grant CNMI-only resident status to:
* immediate relatives of US citizens as of May 8, 2008, and are still in the islands;
* CNMI permanent residents;
* persons born in the CNMI between Jan. 1, 1974 to Jan. 9, 1978; and
* spouses, parents, and children of US citizens under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

According to Sablan, about 4, 000 individuals will benefit from the resolution, most of them immediate relatives of US citizens who cannot or who have not petitioned for their immediate relatives.

While he had previously said that he didn't expect the measure to become law by Nov. 27, the delegate said he hopes it will pass at least the US House of Representatives before the year ends.

Humanitarian parole

Most of those eligible for the parole are jobless Filipino parents with US citizen children born in the CNMI, a US territory about three hours away from Manila.

With their immigration statuses in limbo, many of them have applied for and obtained "parole-in-place for humanitarian consideration" from the USCIS, which allows them to legally remain in the territory until Jan. 31, 2012, while securing a change of status.

To avoid deportation, these foreigners have to either secure a federal immigration status or find a legitimate employer that will petition them for a transitional worker rule by Nov. 27.

However, many of them have yet to find work, and even those with humanitarian parole think that the remaining time may not be enough to do so.

Marilou Ancheta, 52, said it's difficult to find a job in the CNMI given its weakened local economy. She lost her job as a cook in October, after 18 years of legal stay.

Ancheta, who came to the capital of Saipan in 1993 to be a house worker, said she does not want to be apart from her family, especially her two children -- aged 15 and 10.

If given an extension via the newest parole, she said she will work harder to find an employer.

But according to CNMI governor Benigno Fitial, a person eligible for this parole "cannot" work or apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) until he is authorized.

"A grant of parole will provide continuing lawful presence after November 27, 2011 and authorize you to apply for an EAD," the USCIS said.

Fitial also raised concerns over the economic and social consequences that this development might cause.

The cost of letting these unemployed -- and unemployable -- foreigners remain the a very small economy like the CNMI is very high, he said. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News

Women's support group in PHL cited in New York

2011-11-23T16:40:00.001+08:00

A support group for abused Filipino women was recognized at the Avon Foundation for Women Global Voices for Change Awards in New York in the United States early this month.

The Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) in Quezon City received this year’s Global Community Advocacy Champion award for its advocacy work in supporting victims of domestic violence.

Serving as secretariat for the National Network of Family Violence Prevention Programs, the group aids abused women through:
crisis intervention;
counseling;
temporary shelter;
education, and
training services.

WCC Executive Officer Theresa Balayon accepted the award at the Avon’s gala event in New York last Nov. 2, where other organizations from the United Kingdom, Brazil, Poland, and the United States were also hailed for their respective advocacy works.

Pinay finalist

Meanwhile, Joy Loria—the lone Filipino at the finals of the Avon Voices online singing competition—performed together with her fellow contenders.

Loria, who joined the competition as an Avon representative, advanced to the finals last September.

Evelina Anusauskaite of Lithuania and Avon representative Selena Gittens of Canada were named winners.

Among the contest’s celebrity jurors was Filipino Broadway star Lea Salonga, who was also at the gala to present the award to the WCC.

Joining Salonga were:
Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas;
renowned songwriter Diane Warren;
Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield;
Russian singer Valeriya;
Australian Artist of the Decade Delta Goodrem;
female percussionist Shiela E.;
music producer and Grammy winner David Pack;
Brazil pop star Ivete Sangalo;
Colombian singer Maia; and
Grammy nominated singer-composer Diego Torres.

The event—which gathered more than 800 guests and performers from 39 countries—raised more than $2.3 million for the Avon Foundation for Women. - VVP, GMA News

A support group for abused Filipino women was recognized at the Avon Foundation for Women Global Voices for Change Awards in New York in the United States early this month.

The Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) in Quezon City received this year’s Global Community Advocacy Champion award for its advocacy work in supporting victims of domestic violence.

Serving as secretariat for the National Network of Family Violence Prevention Programs, the group aids abused women through:
crisis intervention;
counseling;
temporary shelter;
education, and
training services.

WCC Executive Officer Theresa Balayon accepted the award at the Avon’s gala event in New York last Nov. 2, where other organizations from the United Kingdom, Brazil, Poland, and the United States were also hailed for their respective advocacy works.

Pinay finalist

Meanwhile, Joy Loria—the lone Filipino at the finals of the Avon Voices online singing competition—performed together with her fellow contenders.

Loria, who joined the competition as an Avon representative, advanced to the finals last September.

Evelina Anusauskaite of Lithuania and Avon representative Selena Gittens of Canada were named winners.

Among the contest’s celebrity jurors was Filipino Broadway star Lea Salonga, who was also at the gala to present the award to the WCC.

Joining Salonga were:
Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas;
renowned songwriter Diane Warren;
Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield;
Russian singer Valeriya;
Australian Artist of the Decade Delta Goodrem;
female percussionist Shiela E.;
music producer and Grammy winner David Pack;
Brazil pop star Ivete Sangalo;
Colombian singer Maia; and
Grammy nominated singer-composer Diego Torres.

The event—which gathered more than 800 guests and performers from 39 countries—raised more than $2.3 million for the Avon Foundation for Women. - VVP, GMA News

24/7 Card Offers Powerful New Prepaid Visa® Debit + Remit Card 11/23/2011 | 11:23 AM Special Advertising Feature Los Angeles, CA, — 24/7 Card,

2011-11-23T16:37:00.000+08:00

24/7 Card Offers Powerful New Prepaid Visa® Debit + Remit Card

Special Advertising Feature

Los Angeles, CA, — 24/7 Card, a financial services company supported by world boxing champion and Philippine congressman Manny Pacquiao, today announced its powerful new 24/7 Visa® Prepaid Debit + Remit Card (“24/7 Card”). Consumers can now sign-up for 24/7 Card at www.247Card.com or by calling (888) 247-7400.

24/7 Card is a prepaid debit and remittance card designed for Filipinos and other immigrants living in the United States. The Smarter Way to Bank and Send Money™, 24/7 Card features a unique one-two combo “Debit + Remit” benefits in one card, offering the convenience of shopping, paying bills and sending money overseas directly from the card account – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Recipients can either pick up funds at any of 24/7 Card’s remittance partners throughout the Philippines; have the money deposited directly into a bank account; or have the money hand delivered to their home (where home delivery is available).

Adding cash to 24/7 Card is just as easy:
by using free Direct Deposit;
through 24/7 Card’s thousands of retailer partners throughout the United States; and
by transferring from a bank account.
“We are proud to empower Filipino-Americans and other immigrants with a safer, more cost-effective way to send money to their loved ones in the Philippines and more than 20 other countries,” said 24/7 Card CEO, Lance Rosenzweig. “24/7 Cardholders will enjoy the convenience of shopping, paying bills and withdrawing from ATMs using one powerful card. This is a product that Filipinos and other immigrant communities have been waiting for. The wait is over: 24/7 Card is here.”

“I am honored to be the face and voice of 24/7 Card, which has the same mission as I do of enhancing the lives of Filipinos around the world,” Pacquiao said. “24/7 Card makes it easier and more affordable for global Filipinos to stay connected with – and financially support – their families back home, and that’s a great thing for our community. I’m very excited that Filipinos can now sign up and enjoy the benefits of their very own 24/7 Card.”

Enrolling in 24/7 Card is free and available online at www.247card.com or by calling 1-888-247-7400.

About 24/7 Card
24/7 Card (www.247card.com) is a financial services company headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in Manila, Philippines. The company’s new 24/7 Visa Prepaid Debit + Remit Card was created to meet the personal financial needs of Filipinos and other immigrants in the United States. 24/7 Cardholders can safely and securely pay bills, remit money overseas and shop everywhere Visa Debit Cards are accepted – at home or on the road. 24/7 Card is supported by world boxing champion and Philippine congressman Manny Pacquiao. 24/7 Visa Card will be issued by Central National Bank & Trust Company of Enid, Oklahoma, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

About Manny Pacquiao
Born and raised in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao is a professional boxer and Filipino politician. The first eight-division world champion, Pacquiao has won six world titles, including championship titles in eight weight classes. The current WBO Welterweight World Champion, Pacquiao was also named the “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Pacquiao is deeply committed to improving quality of life for Filipinos around the world — a commitment he upholds as an elected representative in the House of Representatives in the Philippines.

About Central National Bank
Central National Bank, an FDIC-insured institution, is headquartered in Oklahoma, and is held by Central Services Corporation. There are eight locations throughout the state. The bank reported assets of over $514 million in 2011. Since 2000, CNB has been issuing and processing prepaid cards, and provides standard and custom card programs for employers, universities, financial institutions and other organizations. For more information about any of the Bank’s products, contact Erik Herrera at eherrera@cnbenid.com or by phone at 580-213-4406.

Contact: Gordon Ho, Chief Marketing Officer
310-698-7425 • gordon.ho@247card.com

Special Advertising Feature

Los Angeles, CA, — 24/7 Card, a financial services company supported by world boxing champion and Philippine congressman Manny Pacquiao, today announced its powerful new 24/7 Visa® Prepaid Debit + Remit Card (“24/7 Card”). Consumers can now sign-up for 24/7 Card at www.247Card.com or by calling (888) 247-7400.

24/7 Card is a prepaid debit and remittance card designed for Filipinos and other immigrants living in the United States. The Smarter Way to Bank and Send Money™, 24/7 Card features a unique one-two combo “Debit + Remit” benefits in one card, offering the convenience of shopping, paying bills and sending money overseas directly from the card account – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Recipients can either pick up funds at any of 24/7 Card’s remittance partners throughout the Philippines; have the money deposited directly into a bank account; or have the money hand delivered to their home (where home delivery is available).

Adding cash to 24/7 Card is just as easy:
by using free Direct Deposit;
through 24/7 Card’s thousands of retailer partners throughout the United States; and
by transferring from a bank account.
“We are proud to empower Filipino-Americans and other immigrants with a safer, more cost-effective way to send money to their loved ones in the Philippines and more than 20 other countries,” said 24/7 Card CEO, Lance Rosenzweig. “24/7 Cardholders will enjoy the convenience of shopping, paying bills and withdrawing from ATMs using one powerful card. This is a product that Filipinos and other immigrant communities have been waiting for. The wait is over: 24/7 Card is here.”

“I am honored to be the face and voice of 24/7 Card, which has the same mission as I do of enhancing the lives of Filipinos around the world,” Pacquiao said. “24/7 Card makes it easier and more affordable for global Filipinos to stay connected with – and financially support – their families back home, and that’s a great thing for our community. I’m very excited that Filipinos can now sign up and enjoy the benefits of their very own 24/7 Card.”

Enrolling in 24/7 Card is free and available online at www.247card.com or by calling 1-888-247-7400.

About 24/7 Card
24/7 Card (www.247card.com) is a financial services company headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in Manila, Philippines. The company’s new 24/7 Visa Prepaid Debit + Remit Card was created to meet the personal financial needs of Filipinos and other immigrants in the United States. 24/7 Cardholders can safely and securely pay bills, remit money overseas and shop everywhere Visa Debit Cards are accepted – at home or on the road. 24/7 Card is supported by world boxing champion and Philippine congressman Manny Pacquiao. 24/7 Visa Card will be issued by Central National Bank & Trust Company of Enid, Oklahoma, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

About Manny Pacquiao
Born and raised in the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao is a professional boxer and Filipino politician. The first eight-division world champion, Pacquiao has won six world titles, including championship titles in eight weight classes. The current WBO Welterweight World Champion, Pacquiao was also named the “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Pacquiao is deeply committed to improving quality of life for Filipinos around the world — a commitment he upholds as an elected representative in the House of Representatives in the Philippines.

About Central National Bank
Central National Bank, an FDIC-insured institution, is headquartered in Oklahoma, and is held by Central Services Corporation. There are eight locations throughout the state. The bank reported assets of over $514 million in 2011. Since 2000, CNB has been issuing and processing prepaid cards, and provides standard and custom card programs for employers, universities, financial institutions and other organizations. For more information about any of the Bank’s products, contact Erik Herrera at eherrera@cnbenid.com or by phone at 580-213-4406.

Contact: Gordon Ho, Chief Marketing Officer
310-698-7425 • gordon.ho@247card.com

Four Pinay activists face criminal charges in Indonesia

2011-11-23T16:34:00.001+08:00

UPDATED 2:20 p.m. - The activist group Sanlakas is calling on the Indonesian government to release seven protesters—including four Filipino women— who were arrested for participating in a demonstration that coincided with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit last week.

In a statement issued last Saturday, Sanlakas said the Indonesian government should “swiftly release” the detainees “without charges, threats, or harassment,” because they “were merely protesting.”

Releasing them would be part of the host country’s obligation as “a state-signatory to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,” it added.

The group identified one of the Filipino detainees, Manjette Lopez, is its secretary general.

Lopez is also the vice president of the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), the statement read.

Meanwhile, the other three—all members of the Jubilee South-Asia Pacific Movement for Debt and Development (JS-APMDD)—were identified as:
* Lidy Nacpil (regional coordinator),
* Malou Tabios (staff member), and
* Rhoda Viajar (staff member).

In a separate statement, the FDC said the four women were arrested together with three Indonesian rallyists, after they joined a rally that passed through “several foreign Consulate offices in Bali, including those of the US and Japan.”

Sanlakas also said the seven “were initially detained for 12 hours under questioning by the police,” but authorities “decided to keep them in detention for an indefinite period of time.”

The Filipino women are reportedly facing criminal charges and possible deportation.

To express opposition of the rallyists’ detention, Sanlakas also disclosed that they will “organize mass actions” early this week in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Makati City and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) building in Pasay City. - VVP, GMA News

PHL execs promoting 1343 hotline vs. human trafficking

2011-11-23T16:24:00.000+08:00

Philippine officials are promoting in the provinces the hotline number 1343 for victims of human trafficking also called as “modern-day slavery."

A news release of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) said the "1343 Actionline Against Human Trafficking" is a project of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

Human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.

The program aims to assist human trafficking victims who seek help at these hotline numbers:
(02) 1343, if calling from the Philippines, and
(632) 1343, if calling from abroad.

Education program on migration

Meanwhile, the CFO also has a Community Education Program on Migration to prevent people from becoming victims of human trafficking.

In a recent symposium in Butuan City in southern Philippines, Ariel Cruz of the CFO’s Migrant Integration and Education Division said “some foreigners do human trafficking in a guise of marriage."

“We do not prevent the Filipino women to marry a foreigner. It is their right to marry. Nevertheless, we warn them to know very well their future husband", Cruz said.

In the PIA report, Paul Vincent Avencilla said the CFO has solved 54 cases of human trafficking since March 15 this year.

Avencilla said CFO officials also coordinated with the Butuan City Police to train them in dealing with human trafficking cases and educate the public about the Republic Act No. 9208 otherwise known as “Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003."

Under the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US State Department, the Philippines is included in the Tier 2 category.

For having several convictions of human traffickers in the past year, the Philippines moved up from the "Tier 2 watch list" category to "Tier 2."

The report noted that although the Philippines "still does not fully comply with minimum standards to eliminate trafficking, Manila is making significant efforts to do so."

Those under the "Tier 2 Watch List" are countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards but are making significant efforts to comply with those standards.

On the other hand, those under the Tier 2 category are "countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards." - VVP, GMA News

PHL ready to assist helpers abused by Taiwanese exec in US

2011-11-23T16:23:00.000+08:00

The Philippine government can provide legal assistance to two household service workers (HSW) who were abused by a Taiwanese official in the United States (US).

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Carmelita Dimzon on Tuesday said the two helpers may approach either the Philippine embassy or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the US for assistance.

Dimzon said they are trying to identify the two HSWs because US authorities withheld their identities.

“The names had been withheld by the US authorities for confidentiality. The embassy and the POLO don’t have them," Dimzon said.

“We are prepared to extend all possible assistance within the mandate given to us," she said.

Director Liu Hsien-hsien of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) based in Missouri was recently arrested after being charged by a federal court of committing labor violations against the two Filipino HSWs.

The TECO told the court that Liu illegally hired, underpaid, and forced the Filipinos to work for excessive hours.

Liu is currently detained and may face deportation.

The TECO serves as one of Taiwan’s de facto embassies in the US. - VVP, GMA News

PHL ready to assist helpers abused by Taiwanese exec in US

2011-11-23T16:22:00.000+08:00

Pinoys in Egypt safe despite clashes, envoy says

2011-11-23T16:17:00.000+08:00

Filipinos in Egypt are safe amid the clashes that erupted between the military government and protesters calling for its downfall, an official from the Philippine Embassy in Cairo said on Tuesday.

In a phone interview in GMA News TV’s “On Call," Vice Consul Querubine Lacay assured the families of Filipinos in Egypt that they should not worry because the chaos is “localized."

Lacay also noted that no Filipino has been reported dead or injured in the clashes, where 33 people have been killed and 1, 700 others were hurt.

“Ito ay isyu sa pagitan ng lipunan ng Egypt at ng gobyerno nila. Ang atin naman pong mga kababayan ay naka-focus sa mga obligasyon nila sa kanilang pamilya at sa trabaho nila, kaya marami po sa kanila [ay] hindi sumasama sa ganitong kaguluhan," she told “On Call" host Connie Sison.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

There are about 2, 600 Filipinos registered in Embassy records, 95 percent of them based in the capital, Cairo, Lacay said.

Meanwhile, Alex Amparo, a restaurant manager there, said the situation is still “normal" for Filipinos.

“Ang nagiging epekto lang naman [ay doon sa] ibang nagta-travel, nade-delay lang sila," Amparo said.

He expressed no interest in coming home to the Philippines, and told his family not to worry about him and his wife.

During the interview, Lacay also disclosed that they have received instructions from the attaché to update the list of Filipino community leaders, with whom they will communicate if the clashes get worse.

She also assured that the Embassy has an updated contingency plan regarding the unrest in the area.

The vice consul likewise asked Filipinos based in Egypt to personally monitor the events.

“Kung maaari, makipag-ugnayan na rin sa Embassy para i-inform kami kung saan ang lokasyon nila at paano sila mako-contact kung sakaling may mangyari pang gulo," Lacay said. - VVP, GMA News

Pinoy found dead in Malaysia shipyard

2011-11-23T16:10:00.001+08:00

A 30-year-old Filipino was found bloodied and dead inside his living quarters at a shipyard in Malaysia over the weekend.

A report of Malaysia's "The Star" said the Filipino is suspected of having committed suicide by stabbing himself with a knife.

The report said there was nothing at the scene to indicate that a fight ensued.

GMA News Online tried to confirm this report with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

However, DFA spokesman said they have not yet received a report about this incident.

"The Star" said the Filipino may have stabbed himself at about 2:30 p.m. last Saturday.

He was rushed to Miri Hospital but later died due to massive internal bleeding from multiple stab wounds, the report said. - VVP, GMA News
A 30-year-old Filipino was found bloodied and dead inside his living quarters at a shipyard in Malaysia over the weekend.

A report of Malaysia's "The Star" said the Filipino is suspected of having committed suicide by stabbing himself with a knife.

The report said there was nothing at the scene to indicate that a fight ensued.

GMA News Online tried to confirm this report with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

However, DFA spokesman said they have not yet received a report about this incident.

"The Star" said the Filipino may have stabbed himself at about 2:30 p.m. last Saturday.

He was rushed to Miri Hospital but later died due to massive internal bleeding from multiple stab wounds, the report said. - VVP, GMA News

Pinoy film 'Halaw' wins screen award in Australia

2011-11-23T16:08:00.001+08:00

Filipino filmmaker Sheron Dayoc's movie "Halaw" won the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards' (APSA) Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award in Australia last November 17.

A news release of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the film represents the multi-cultural groupings of Mindanao, bound by an opportunity to earn a living.

"Written, produced and directed by Dayoc, 'Halaw' follows the journey of a kaleidoscope of characters hoping for a better life in Sabah, Malaysia, despite the dangers of illegal immigration and the uncertainty of a true job in Malaysia," the DFA said.

Dayoc said the award inspires him to do more films which distinctly capture not only the Filipino spirit but also represent the Asian value of resilience.

Dayoc is a Mindanao independent filmmaker, editor, videographer and writer. His documentaries focus on untold stories of people from the grassroots level.

The 2011 APSA NETPAC Jury included APSA Nominations Council-NETPAC members, Philip Cheah (Chair), Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and Peggy Chiao.

It chose "Halaw" for its seamless storytelling and documentary quality which evokes the uncertainty and desperation in a little-known story of a modern-day boat people, the DFA said.

The APSA is an international cultural initiative of the Queensland State Government, which aims to promote and acclaim the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the Asia-Pacific region.

It brings together in a collaboration Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News

Immigration exec: PHL offloading policy to continue

2011-11-23T15:59:00.000+08:00

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) appealed for the public’s understanding as it vowed to continue its “offloading" policy in combating illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

The policy bars passengers from flying to certain countries on suspicion that they could be victims of human trafficking.

According to a news release on the BI website, Associate Commissioner Abdullah Mangotara urged travelers to give specific information when filing complaints “for alleged extortion or arrogance" against immigration officers.

“While the BI recognizes [every Filipino’s] right to travel, human trafficking poses a threat to the people’s right to life and liberty. [These] can be [confusing, but] the preservation of life and liberty is a higher calling, a higher duty that we must discharge—and discharge without hesitation," Mangotara said.

Human trafficking and illegal recruitment is expected to continue, he added, because many Filipinos still see overseas work as the solution to poverty.

“Their [Filipinos] vulnerability and ambitions of going abroad will continue to open up chances for organized crime syndicates to operate," Mangotara said.

Last Nov. 9, Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said an inter-agency body is reviewing the guidelines that immigration officers follow in processing passengers going abroad, after receiving complaints from Filipino travelers.

Aside from the BI, David said the review body includes representatives from the:
Department of Justice (DOJ),
Department of Tourism (DOT),
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“The group was tasked to undertake a thorough study and review of our existing practices at the airports so that these complaints from the traveling public can be addressed," he said.

He also appealed to the recruitment sector to understand the plight of immigration officers “who are in the forefront of the campaign against human trafficking." - Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, VVP, GMA News

Hillary Clinton lauds PHL for fight vs. human trafficking

2011-11-18T13:09:00.000+08:00

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded the “real commitment" the Philippines has shown in fighting against human trafficking, also called as “modern-day slavery."

At a forum dubbed “A Conversation in Manila" at the National Museum on Wednesday, Clinton cited the improvement in the country’s enforcement of laws against human trafficking, the illegal trade in human beings for forced labor or sexual exploitation.

“Now you’re prosecuting — that sends a very strong message to the traffickers that you have to beware, that you’re not gonna get away with this," Clinton said.

“I can’t speak for what the evidence will accumulate. We have this whole process that I’m not a part of, I [just] get the final recommendation. But I think it’s fair to say that we’re very proud of the progress that the Philippines is making," she added.

‘Sea change of difference’

In an interview with CNN in June this year, Clinton praised the Philippines for the progress in the fight against human trafficking since President Benigno Simeon Aquino III assumed office.

“The Philippines probably export more people of their citizenry than nearly any other country in the world. They go all over the world to work in many different settings," Clinton said.

“Until the new administration of President Aquino, we didn’t really have the level of commitment we were seeking. We do now, and we see a sea change of difference," she added.

Clinton issued the comment after the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US State Department was released.

In the report, the Philippines' rank moved up from the "Tier 2 Watch List" to "Tier 2."

Being under the Tier 2 category — a level higher than Tier 2 Watch List — implies that the Philippines “is making significant efforts to do so" although it “still does not fully comply with minimum standards."

In his second State of the Nation last July, Aquino said the government has convicted 31 human traffickers in a year.

The figure was a little higher than the number of human traffickers (29) convicted by the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo in 2010, seven years since the signing of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2003.

In June this year, Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. — who called the removal from the watch list “a vindication"— said more than 54,000 suspected human trafficking victims were prevented from leaving the country because of government's intensified drive against human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports.

Most of them were bound for Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East and were suspected of being “tourist workers" or undocumented overseas Filipino workers disguised as tourists, David said.

‘Sexual tourism’

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. had hit the headlines late in September for saying that about 40 percent of male foreign tourists in the Philippines come for sex.

“That is not something I’m proud of. That's not something you should be proud of. I told [Justice] Secretary Leila de Lima that any American caught engaged in any of these crimes or cybersex should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and we will assist," Thomas said during a round-table discussion among Court of Appeals magistrates last Sept. 22.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) disputed the ambassador’s claim, saying that “shopping and sight-seeing are the dominant activities for both male and female tourists."

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said foreign tourists who “are coming for darker reasons" are unwelcome.

“The Philippines is a beautiful country. Although we would like to see the number of tourist arrivals increase, we would want that our tourists, that our friends come here for the right reasons," she said. — MRT/VS/VVP, GMA News

PHL urges ASEAN to protect migrant workers

2011-11-18T13:05:00.001+08:00

BALI – The Philippines on Thursday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to adopt a legally-binding agreement on the protection of migrant workers.

Communications and Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang, delivered the Philippine statements at the plenary session of the ASEAN summit, said the regional bloc should consider a rules-based accord that will protect the rights of migrant workers.

The Philippines wants to see "more binding set of rules" on the treatment of migrant workers, Carandang said.

“There should be certain standards between the receiving country and the deploying country," he said.

“There is a need for greater protection for migrant workers and we want something that is more binding with regard to how we treat and assist migrant workers," Carandang added. “We want action on it sooner rather than later."

However, getting the consensus of all ASEAN states may be a tough task.

Carandang noted that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the only one who supported the Philippine initiative.

The Philippines and Indonesia are the largest contributors of workers in the ASEAN region, mainly in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Aside from the Philippines, other members of the ASEAN include: Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

In the Philippines, about 1.5 million of its more that eight million Filipino workers abroad are deployed in the ASEAN region.

Non-binding agreement

ASEAN signed a similar but non-binding agreement on the protection of migrant workers in 2007.

The document was seen as an important accord to prevent labor abuses.

However, its non-compelling nature and lack of provision to sanction misbehaving members, renders it useless against violations.

Carandang said the Philippines hopes members would soon find merit and importance in adopting a more forceful agreement.

“We want it as soon as possible," he said. - VVP, GMA News

Abu Dhabi issues motorist guidelines for UAE National Day

2011-11-18T13:03:00.000+08:00

The Abu Dhabi police issued a set of guidelines for vehicle owners for the National Day celebrations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Dec. 2.

According to a Gulf News report, the police warned motorists on Monday “about the excessive use of decorations on their cars" and behavior on the road during the event.

The guidelines—released by the Abu Dhabi police and published in the Gulf News—are as follows:
Motorists should not change the color of their vehicles and post inappropriate and/or obscene words and phrases on their car’s body.

Windscreens should be free from posters.

License plates should not be removed or covered with stickers or any decoration.

Vehicle owners are prohibited from attaching any noise-making accessory or device.
Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrol Department head Hussai Al Harthi also warned motorists against stopping their vehicles in the middle of the road to spray paint on other cars.

Passengers must not stick any part of their body out of the vehicle, especially in an attempt to perform stunts that could block traffic or create disturbance.

Violators will face a Dh2,000 fine (roughly P20,000) and 12 “black points," the Gulf News said.

The UAE is a federation of seven states founded in 1971, after getting its independence back from Britain. It celebrates its National Day and founding anniversary on Dec. 2. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KG, GMA News

Group offers free legal advice for Asian immigrant workers in US

2011-11-18T13:00:00.001+08:00

With Asian immigrant workers subject to “widespread wage violations" in the United States, an organization advocating the rights of Asian Americans is offering free legal advice in line with the National Days of Action Against Wage Theft on Nov. 17 to 20.
What is wage theft?
Some of the most common examples of wage theft occur because workers do not know the laws that most employers in New York and New Jersey must follow.

How well do you know your rights?

1. Minimum wage

Did you know that most workers in New York and New Jersey must be paid at least $7.25 an hour for the first 40 hours they work in one week?

2. Overtime

Did you know that most workers in New York and New Jersey must be paid 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for every hour they work over 40 hours?

3. Delayed paycheck

Did you know that all workers have a right to be paid regularly and on time, regardless of economic conditions at their workplace?

4. Meal breaks

Did you know that many workers in New York who work more than six consecutive hours must be given at least one meal break?

5. Paycheck deductions.

Did you know that employers are generally not allowed to deduct damage, loss, or the cost of tools or transportation from workers’ paychecks? Read more

In a statement, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) cited a 2008 study, which said Asian immigrant workers suffered the highest rate of overtime violations of any racial group with 85 percent.

“Undocumented workers and workers with limited English proficiency are disproportionately affected by wage theft. Many do not know that US minimum wage, overtime, and other basic protections apply to all workers, regardless of their immigration status," said Shirley Lin, a staff lawyer at AALDEF.

Established in 1974, AALDEF provides free legal advice to Asian immigrant workers and represents them in lawsuits for unpaid wages and other wage theft violations.

For assistance and information, contact Lin at (212) 966-5932 ext. 220 or slin@aaldef.org, or AALDEF program associate Elizabeth Koo at (212) 966-5932 ext. 215 or ekoo@aaldef.org. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KG, GMA News

Pinoys in UAE warned vs three forwarding firms

2011-11-18T12:57:00.000+08:00

Overseas Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were warned this week against patronizing three cargo firms when sending Christmas goodies to their families back home.

The warning from the Trade Department's Philippine Shippers’ Bureau stemmed from complaints of hundreds of UAE-based OFWs that their BB (Balikbayan) boxes remain undelivered for over a year now.

News site Khaleej Times cited an advisory released through the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai indicating two of the three cargo firms are based in Dubai and one in Sharjah.

The freight-forwarding firms are Smooth Express and Express Link Cargo Services in Dubai and Dagupan Cargo Packaging Services in Sharjah.

These companies allegedly send the cargo through Urgent Cargo Express International Forwarder and Brokerage Inc. in Sucat, Parañaque [in southern Metro Manila], the Khaleej Times report said.

According to the report, OFWs in the Middle East send a large number of BB boxes containing valuables for their loved ones during the Christmas season.

Philippine Consulate General in Dubai Vice-Consul Gerry Suliguin urged victims of freight-forwarding companies, which have failed to deliver their parcels to their families, to come forward and submit their affidavits.

He said the affidavits would be forwarded to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for lodging complaints formally.

“They have to bring with them the proof of transactions when they come to the consulate to file their complaints," Suliguin said.

For its part, the DTI said shippers can contact it for assistance at 751-3330.

The Philippine Shipper's Bureau (PSB) is now coordinating with the Legal Department of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine agents for the release of the undelivered BB boxes on humanitarian consideration.

On the other hand, it noted the largest number of complaints came from OFWs in the Middle East, specifically from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, followed by those in  the USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Italy, the UK and Korea.

The common complaints received by the DTI-PSB included non-delivery or failure to deliver Balikbayan Boxes, pilferage of the boxes, overcharging and damaged cargo.

Investigation by the DTI-PSB showed the companies stopped remitting funds to their Philippine agents resulting in the abandonment of cargo at the BOC. — LBG, GMA News

Clinton: Undocumented immigrants should be given a chance in the US

2011-11-18T12:55:00.000+08:00

Undocumented students who were brought to the United States as children should be given a chance to stay there, visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Manila on Wednesday.

Responding to a question via Skype by Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Clinton said it is “important" for undocumented immigrants to “be treated with a humane approach," especially if they are young.

"If you were brought to the US as a child, that's not a decision you made," she said. "If you're a student and you want to remain in the US, I believe you have to be given the opportunity to do so."

Vargas—who confessed in a New York Times article last July that he was an undocumented immigrant—asked the US Secretary of State: "Given the important role that documented and undocumented Filipino immigrants play in society, how would you define American?"

Speaking before the audience of the forum "A Conversation in Manila" at the National Museum, Clinton also said she disagrees "with a lot of people in the other side of the spectrum," referring to those who are pushing for the deportation of illegal immigrants, including students and young professionals.

Last year, the US Senate thumbed down the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a 10-year-old piece of legislation that can secure citizenship for undocumented students brought to the US as children.

Clinton admitted that the US government has "to make some changes" in the immigration system, which she said, echoing Vargas, is "badly broken."

"That's something that I have said and advocated for many years," said Clinton, a former New York senator. "I'm confident that we will eventually work it through."

But the US Secretary of State said there is a difference between documented and undocumented immigrants because the former went through the legal process, enabling them to "enjoy certain rights."

She added that illegal immigration is "true in every country," but many flock to the US, which she referred to as "a nation of immigrants."

"I think of America as an idea as much as a place — a place of freedom [where people can] pursue their own God-given talents in a system that rewards hard work and effort," she said.

‘Low-priority’

According to the US-based National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), there are over one million undocumented Filipinos in the US.

The organization recently staged a series of activities to stop the deportation of dental assistant Jose Isabelo Librojo, who received a stay of his deportation when he was about to be sent back to the Philippines last Saturday.

A few days before Librojo received a deportation notice in June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) head John Morton released a memorandum—dated June 17—providing a set of guidelines on how to deal with what the Obama administration called “low-priority deportations."

The new policy “allows DHS to review deportations on a case-by-case basis," giving leeway to young immigrants who do not have any criminal record and those that do not pose risk to national security. - KBK/HS, GMA News

OFWs in HK told: Be 'careful' with your Xmas packages

2011-11-18T12:49:00.000+08:00

Overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong should be "vigilant" on sending packages to their relatives for Christmas, the Philippine Consulate General there said.

In an advisory posted on its website on Monday, the Consulate General warned OFWs to be careful especially in sending boxes through Ford Cargo International, which "has already victimized several Filipinos in Hong Kong."

"This company… has a pending criminal case here," the Consulate General said.

Ford Cargo International is among the sea freight forwarders earlier listed as "delinquent" by the Philippine Shippers’ Bureau (PSB), an agency under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The companies that made the PSB list last May had been noted for delivery delay and non-delivery of Balikbayan boxes and pilferage, over-charging, and lost and damaged cargoes.

Aside from Ford Cargo International, the list included:

Associated Consolidations Express (ACE) Cargo of Northern and Southern California and its local counterpart in Parañaque;
Smooth Express of Dubai;
Express Link Cargo Services of the United Arab Emirates (UAE);
SCRL Cargo of Ireland;
NACA Logistics of California and Illinois;
Shipping Express of Chicago; and
Dagupan Cargo Packaging Services of UAE.

The Consulate General also told Filipinos in Hong Kong that their Balikbayan boxes should not bear items like:

currencies, checks, money orders, and traveler’s checks;
jewelry;
firearms, ammunitions, explosives, and toy guns;
gambling cards; and
pirated products (i.e. DVDs, CDs, tapes).

— with Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/RSJ/LBG, GMA News

Filipino tourists warned of stiff fines for overstayers in Macau

2011-11-18T12:46:00.001+08:00

Visitors to Macau, be forewarned — a new rule is now in place that imposes stiff fines for those who overstay for more than 30 days after their permit expires.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Friday said offenders will be made to pay a fine of US$26 or more than P1,200 for every day that they overstay in Macau.

Moreover, the agency said offenders who commit the same violation within 180 days will not be able to “legalize" their overstaying by paying fines and will have to leave the special administrative region immediately.

Illegal immigrants will likewise be deported and prohibited from entering Macau for a certain period as indicated in the deportation order.

With these new rules, the POEA advised Filipino tourists, especially those who intend to overstay in Macau to look for a job, to use the “legal channel" in seeking overseas employment. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

10 Pinoys win awards in int'l hair and makeup contest in Macau

2011-11-18T12:43:00.000+08:00

Ten Filipino hairdressers and makeup artists reaped awards in an international hair and makeup competition last November 8 to 10, the Philippine Consulate General in Macau said.

According to a news release issued on Tuesday, Stefanie Ilagan led the Philippine delegation with a first runner-up finish in the Bridal Makeup category of this year's Asia-Pacific Hair and Makeup Cosmetologists Association (APHCA) Hair and Makeup Competition held at the Venetian-Macau Hotel and Resort.

Pinoy hair and make-up artists bagged 1 first runner-up finish and 9 honorable mentions in an int'l tilt in Macau. DFA.gov.ph

More than 40 major hairstyling and makeup experts from the Asia-Pacific region competed for 60 awards in the competition, which is also known as the “Asia-Pacific Hair and Makeup Olympics."

Aside from Ilagan, nine other Filipinos received honorable mentions in several categories, including Evening Hairstyle, Evening Makeup, Party Makeup, and Ladies’ Cut and Creative Color:

Nitz Clidoro
Giovanni Luage
Ester Garcia
Peping de Guzman
Antonio Agustin
Ronald Tuaño
Daniel Lois Buddy Congson
Vicente Hisola, and
Raquel Pangilaga.

The competition started in 1996 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila, through the efforts of Filipino hairdresser and businessman Ricky Reyes, who founded the APHCA.

The association now has 18 member-countries, including six from Europe. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KG/RSJ, GMA News

Saudi needs 1,000 nurses

2011-09-16T13:56:00.000+08:00

ROY C. MABASA

September 5, 2011, 6:50pm

MANILA, Philippines — About 1,000 nurses are needed to fill vacant positions in at least 12 military hospitals in the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), recruitment agencies based in Manila announced.

Representatives from the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation (MODA), Al Hada Hospital, and King Khalid Military City Hospital-Hafr Al Batin are also slated to visit the country by mid-September to interview some 300 Filipinos for work as nurses, medical technologists, dental surgery assistants, phlebotomists, CSSD and other allied medical positions.

The deployment of Filipino nurses to Saudi Arabia has risen from 5,926 in 2004 to 9,956 in 2009. It declined slightly in 2010 with 8,771 nurses. This year, salaries of nurses in military hospitals in Saudi are projected to increase by 15 to 20 percent.

The LBS Recruitment Solutions Inc. announced that hospitals in Jeddah need experienced nurses in specialty and clinical wards with at least two years of experience in intensive care unit, operating room, Pediatric, Orthopedic, Hemodialysis/Renal Center, Emergency, OR/RR, Oncology, Endoscopy, Neuro, Hematology, Ob-Gyne, Rehabilitation, Infectious Control, Medical Surgical, Cardiac Cath Laboratory, and other areas.

Also needed are dental assistants, dental technologists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians,, medical transcriptionists, medical secretaries, and medical record clerks.

These jobs are needed in such institutions as the Specialist Hospitals, International Medical Center and King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital; King Faisal Research, Security Forces Hospital in Riyadh; Al Hada Military Hospital Program in Taif; and King Khaled Military City Hospitals in Hafr Al Batin.

Meanwhile, using the popular online social networking and micro-blogging Twitter website, Saudi nationals have launched a "Be kind to foreign workers" campaign, eliciting praises from the Filipino community there.

According to Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona, the tweet campaign has been initiated by Turki Al-Dakhel, a Saudi journalist, writer and TV program presenter.

Dakhel is also an influential figure on Twitter with more than 123,000 people following him. He lauched the campaign on the occasion of Eid el-Fitr celebration that started last Aug. 30.

“This is the least we can do toward this group of people during Eid. The foreign workers need moral support which is more important to them than earning money,” Al-Dakhel was quoted as saying.

One Saudi blogger asked Saudis to respect their housemaids who were living with them and were sharing their joy during Eid.

He asked people to stop referring to their housemaids as “servants,” saying better words should be used instead. “We can use better titles or call the housemaids by their names,” he said.

Fadeelah said housemaids should be considered as natural members of the family. “They live with us for a long time. We should not humiliate or disrespect them. They have left their homes in a quest of a better living. We should respect and treat them humanely,” he said.

A number of Saudis participating in the campaign also told stories about results of good and bad treatment of housemaids, citing in this connection the cases of murder and vindictive actions that resulted from maltreatment.

Monterona and his group welcomed the campaign as they expressed their appreciation to the Saudis for raising the social awareness of respecting migrant workers rights and well-being.

He said expatriate workers such as Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Indonesians, and Nepalese have also expressed positive feedback and reaction on the tweet campaign.

“It is a call grounded on humanitarian concerns, recognizing the indubitable contribution of foreign workers on the socio-economic progress of the Saudi society, thus it gains widespread support among the Saudis,” the OFW leader said..

Monterona said he is hoping that the campaign will lead to the reduction of abuses, maltreatment and labor malpractices, often cited as grounds why migrant workers, mostly housemaids, run away from their employers.

“We are also hoping that the campaign will get the attention of the host government and eventually lead to the implementation of foreign workers-friendly labor policies such as the adoption of the recently passed International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention on domestic workers rights and inclusion of domestic workers on its labor laws,” he pointed out.

.

The Return to the Dark Ages

2011-09-16T13:47:00.000+08:00

(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,
in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)
http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2011/r11091401.html
It’s back to the dark ages for the hysterical tabloid press in Metro Manila where the bellowing newscasters and commentators are condemning street children and children in conflict with the law as criminals. The most strident commentators call for the children to be charged and jailed and reduce the age of criminal liability to 12 years old or younger. They demand that the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act be changed.

This act, Republic Act 9344 is a landmark legislation of compassion that seeks to restore the deprived life of children in conflict with the law. It says that children younger than 15 have an alternative to harsh, cruel prison life where enough of them have been raped, abused, beaten and starved in sub-human conditions. They can be helped, given a chance of an education and rehabilitation through meeting their basic human rights, nutritional needs and education. However, up to a million children and minors from the teeming slums frequent the streets and join gangs to survive. Many hundreds of youth are still jailed in conditions not even fit for animals.

Those who advocate the repeal of the law don't know the reality. They are branding the street children as the tools of the criminal syndicates which the police are either too scared to oppose or are in cahoots with. Instead of exposing the criminal syndicates and their wealthy masterminds, the irresponsible commentators are setting up the street kids as targets for the death squads.

Not only that, a few commentators, after giving a tirade condemning the street kids over the radio or TV and arousing fear and hatred against them, they launch their own text-in surveys, then use this survey result to justify their continued condemnation of the children. The one straight forward solution is to feed and educate the young and give jobs with a living wage to the older teenage youth.

The death squads too are busy killing hundreds of street youth in recent years and doing their bloody butchering work with a nods and winks from their political backers and incompetent police. The latest, most gruesome, has been the killing of three youths, 13 and 14, tied, gagged, tortured and stabbed a hundred times and thrown as garbage in a ditch in Zamboanga City to the eternal shame of the politicians, police and citizens. Their muffled screams still cry out for justice and mercy. But there is none.

Cebu and Davao cities are the most notorious for the extermination of street youth. Ten years ago, I called on the former Mayor of Davao City to defend human rights and stop the killings of street youth. Instead, he charged me with libel and had me hailed to court.

It was a proud moment indeed to be able to take a stand for the kids in court but what¹s even more amazing was the crowd of street children that came to Davao City airport to surround me with their malnourished bodies to protect me from the assassins’ guns and escort me to a van away from danger. In the end, the Mayor was persuaded to drop the baseless charge. The death squads rule by fear but the politicians call it democracy. If the majority of the people approve by their silence, then I suppose it is. It is the democracy of death and the death of democracy.

There will be no end to the thousands homeless urchins that challenge our conscience and religious beliefs until the root cause is dealt with. That is the corrupt system of government and the insurmountable inequality of society. There is the unbridgeable gap between the tiny group of luxurious living rich and the masses of struggling poor. It’s a society where 2% of the population own about 70% of the natural wealth and the millions of hungry slum dwelling people are barely surviving from day to day.

Poverty, mass unemployment and hunger drive the children from these slums on to the streets to a miserable life of hunger and hopelessness. They go begging, and cannot resist stealing when they are hungry and smell the delicious foods that waft out from the fast food restaurants. The hungry children are driven crazy with the desire for a decent meal. Most of the time they live on left over from the garbage cans. The government has no homes that cares for them and delivers their basic human rights. They are the abandoned and forgotten until they are forced to steal in order to eat. Then they are condemned to prison.

This is the fundamental failure of the Church, politicians, society and humanity - to remain indifferent to the hungry needy children and allow them to be condemned as criminals. We have to come to their defense and give them a life of dignity and decency. END

Damascus, Aleppo eyed as possible repatriation areas for Pinoys in Syria

2011-08-17T17:36:00.000+08:00

The Philippine government is considering Damascus and Aleppo in Syria as relatively secure areas where Filipinos seeking repatriation can be picked up and brought to Manila.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said there are places in Syria that are relatively secure from violence, at least for now.

"Ang mga protest and violence, karahasan, ito hindi naman sa... buong Syria, may pockets lang. So may safe places like for example Damascus at Aleppo, there have been (reports) that these are still very secure places for our OFWs.

"So sa mga ganoong lugar pwede magtipon-tipon at later on kung maari sila dalhin sa place where they can be repatriated," Hernandez said over radio dzRH.

(Protests and violence are not everywhere, at least for now. There are still safe places for our OFWs, including Damascus and Aleppo. Those who wish to avail of voluntary repatriation may want to gather there for now.)

In the same interview, Hernandez said no Filipino has so far been reported injured in the violence there.

"Wala pa ho. At so far wala ring mga report na meron ng taong handa nang mai-repatriate from Syria to the Philippines (So far there has been no report of Filipinos being among the injured in the violence there. There has also been no report so far of Filipinos wishing to be repatriated)," he said.

On Tuesday, the DFA raised the alert level in Syria to “3" amid the escalating violence in several parts of the country.

In an interview on dzBB, Philippine ambassador to Syria Wilfredo Cuyugan said "even if alert level 4 is not yet declared, we encourage our nationals to go home... habang wala pang gulo at habang may commercial flights pang available."

He said alert level 3 only means "voluntary assisted" repatriation, while level 4 means mass evacuation.

Kaya tinaas ang alert level sa 3 to make sure 'di maiipit ang mga Pilipino just in case. Pero sa tingin po naming di naman po puputok yan ng ganun ka-grabe but still we would err on the side of caution.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, in a statement, enjoined all Filipinos working and residing in Syria to leave, with the Philippine government shouldering the repatriation cost.

"I have directed our Philippine Embassy in Damascus to intensify its efforts to reach out to Filipinos and convince them that now is the time to consider leaving Syria," he said in a statement posted on the government portal.

DFA records showed that there are 17,000 Filipinos living and working in Syria.

Situation on the ground

When asked what form of transportation will be used to repatriate Filipinos, Hernandez said a DFA team is still assessing the situation.

He said they do not expect many Filipinos to avail of voluntary repatriation at this time.

"Depende sa situation on the ground kasi sa ngayon mapalad na tayo kung maraming takers para sa voluntary repatriation. So kung halimbawa marami, meron tayong contingency plan kung saan sila dadalhin.

Sa ngayon we are expecting itong mga kababayan natin ay hindi pa dadagsa o dadaming pupunta sa ating embahada para mag-request ng repatriation," he said.

(It will depend on the situation on the ground. For now we do not expect many to seek voluntary repatriation.)

"This will come in trickles most likely but even then we are already prepared kung dumami man meron tayong contingency plan (These will come in trickles most likely but we are already prepared with contingency plans)," he added.

Hotline

Hernandez said families of Filipinos working in Syria can call the DFA hotline at 8343333, which he said will be open 24 hours. — RSJ/LBG, GMA News

POEA: OFW deployment to Syria banned

2011-08-17T17:05:00.000+08:00

The Philippines imposed a deployment ban to Syria as hostilities there continue to escalate, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said Tuesday.

POEA administrator Carlos Cao said they will temporarily stop the deployment of overseas Filipino workers there until the situation there improves.

“Kapag ang level three is confirmed all over the country, banned ang deployment — both ng balik-manggagawa at new hires," he said in an interview with reporters.

Violence in Syria continues as anti-government protesters are demanding for the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to step down. — JE, GMA News

Pinoy dentist in London in hot water over work permits

2011-08-17T17:01:00.000+08:00

A Filipino dentist practicing on Harley Street in London’s high-end medical district is being haled to court for allegedly duping her fellow Filipinos to land a job in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Ressie Reyes Macaraeg, who runs Ocean Implants & Cosmetic Dentistry and Ocean Care Recruitment, is at the center of a brewing scandal after at least three Filipinos complained of her alleged dishonest operations.

Every applicant paid £4,000 (P277,171) to Macaraeg to process their papers, but they never got the certificates of sponsorship (COS) they were promised, according to Balita Pinoy.

A COS is needed for work permit applications, which, in turn, are needed to apply for a visa to either enter or remain in the UK.

Balita Pinoy said many of her supposed clients are facing the prospect of being illegal immigrants as their original visas are about to lapse.

Macaraeg disputes fault

While Macaraeg admitted she owed the money claimed, she disputed being at fault. She said she is already arranging for the repayment of the monies owed.

Macaraeg, who maintained she was both a dentist and a recruiter, has also submitted to the court that she intends to defend the claims.

She added she is not an immigration advisor, although she concedes she submitted applications on behalf of clients to the UK Home Office and Border Agency for visas.

But Balita Pinoy said a search of the records of the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner shows no record of either Macaraeg or either of her companies registered with them.

Registration is a requirement under UK law unless the adviser is also a lawyer. — JE, GMA News

Manila hostage crisis survivors to seek compensation from PHL govt

2011-08-17T17:00:00.000+08:00

Almost a year after the Manila hostage tragedy, two survivors and a relative of a fatality are seeking compensation from the Philippine government.

Survivors Chan Kwok-chu and Yik Siu-ling applied for legal aid to pursue their claim, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) reported on Thursday.

The two survivors, together with Tse Che-kin — brother of slain tour guide Masa Tse — are planning to go to the Philippines later this month to meet with some government officials, the RTHK report said.

A separate report on Hong Kong’s "The Standard" on Friday said the three are planning to go to Manila August 21, two days before the first anniversary of the tragedy on August 23.

On Wednesday, the group sent a letter to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen seeking the help of the Hong Kong government to settle the incident through diplomatic channels, the report said.

However, a spokesman said the Chief Executive's Office is not in a position to intervene because it is a civil case, the report added.

Eight Hong Kong visitors were killed in the bus siege, along with their hostage taker dismissed police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza.

Mendoza had taken a tourist bus hostage on August 23 last year to demand his reinstatement into the police force.

After an 11-hour standoff, eight tourists, and Mendoza himself, were killed in the incident.

The Philippine government’s handling of the crisis has been heavily criticized.

Up to now, Hong Kong has yet to lift the “black" travel alert discouraging travel to the Philippines. - VVP, GMA News

Report ‘premature’ termination cases to embassy, Saudi OFWs advised

2011-07-19T16:11:00.001+08:00

Amid persistent reports of "premature" terminations in Saudi Arabia, Philippine officials there advised overseas Filipino workers in the Kingdom to report terminations "without valid cause" to the Philippine Embassy.

The Embassy particularly urged OFWs who receive questionable termination notices to get in touch with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) nearest their place of work (Riyadh, Jeddah and al-Khobar).

"Amid persistent reports on the termination of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, Filipino workers who receive termination notices from their employers or who have been terminated without valid cause are advised to get in touch with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) nearest their place of work (Riyadh, Jeddah and al-Khobar). POLO officers will provide the necessary assistance to the complainants," the Embassy said in an advisory posted on its website.

The embassy also urged the Filipino community to regularly visit the Philippine Embassy website for updates on the implementation of the Nitaqat or the Saudization system.

Militant migrant advocacy group Migrante Middle East welcomed the move by the embassy but reiterated its call to the government to ready safety nets for OFWs.

“Outlining what constitute illegal termination is good, but there is a gray area here since the host govt. is now in the process of categorizing companies into coded colors that lead these companies to adopt a self-imposed reduction of their labors and/or staff in their bid to attain the ‘Green’ code to be exempted and not penalized under the Nitaqat scheme," group coordinator John Monterona said.

The embassy noted the Nitaqat system honors existing work contracts, with the sanction for non-complying companies being the non-renewal of work permits of foreign workers, and not their illegal termination.

It said this is why the work permits of foreign workers in red-coded companies will not be renewed, and that the work permits of foreign workers in yellow-coded companies will be limited to six years.

Even then, it said companies that fail to comply with the Saudization targets (red-coded or yellow-coded companies) are given grace periods of six and nine months respectively from June 11, to improve their situation.

On the other hand, the Embassy cited reports identifying the Nitaqat system as the reason for the recent incidents of termination of Filipino workers.

Saudi labor law

The Embassy said the Saudi Labor Law allows an employer to terminate the work contract in the following cases:

1. The worker assaults the employer or any of his superiors
2. The worker fails to perform his essential obligations or obey legitimate orders from his superiors
3. It is established that the worker committed a misconduct or act of dishonesty
4. If the worker deliberately commits any act or default with the intent to cause material loss to the employer
5. If the worker resorts to forgery to obtain his job
6. If the worker is under probationary period
7. If the worker is absent without valid reason
8. If the worker unlawfully takes advantage of his position for personal gain
9. If the worker divulges work-related industrial or commercial secrets of the employer.

"Affected workers are given the chance to refute the ground(s) for their termination. They can also file a complaint with the Saudi Labor Office for illegal termination," the embassy said. – KBK, GMA News

PHL Embassy: Pinoys not affected by Iraq's deportation of illegals

2011-07-19T16:08:00.000+08:00

JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO, OFW Journalism Consortium

An OFW Journalism Consortium news flash exclusive

MANILA—THE Philippine embassy in Baghdad said Filipino workers are not affected by the plan of the Iraqi government to deport illegal foreign workers.

This is even if 2009 stock estimates on overseas Filipinos by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas show that there an estimated 2,800 irregular Filipino workers in Iraq.

Filipino volunteers in Baghdad told the embassy that the ruling to deport illegal foreign workers does not include Filipino workers in American military facilities there.

Attache Donnie Fetalino told the OFW Journalism Consortium that the overseas Filipino workers in Iraq are “in their duty stations carry badges with them which is respected by Iraqi authorities".

“This is the reason why OFWs were not included in the news," Fetalino said.

News about the deportation of illegal foreign workers in Iraq was reported in the Himalayan Times newspaper of Nepal, which said the Iraqi parliament passed a law banning the hiring of foreign workers.

“We are developing deporting mechanisms for illegal foreign workers," Iraqi director general of labour office at Labour and Social Welfare Ministry Aziz Ibrahim was quoted as saying by Iraqi newspapers.

According to Aziz, thousands of illegal workers from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and African countries will be forcefully deported after the mechanism is developed.

On the part of the Philippines, labor migration government agencies have issued a ban to deploy migrant workers in Iraq since 2004 (the last year that records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed numbers of Filipinos deployed to Iraq).

But even previous years of reports by the OFW Journalism Consortium have documented reports of Filipinos going to Iraq through nearby Middle East countries, or are hired through labor brokers in those countries.

There are also 45 permanent migrants and 3,370 temporary migrant workers in Iraq apart from the 2,800 estimated irregular Filipino workers, according to CFO’s stock estimates as of 2009.

Reuters reported that thousands of foreign workers came to Iraq after the 2003 US invasion, hired as employees for foreign companies contracted by US forces. They are mostly working inside US military bases.

After the year 2007, private Iraqi employment agencies imported thousands more foreign workers.

But Iraqi officials are concerned over the 15 percent unemployment rate and 28 percent underemployment rate, and are now prioritizing giving employment to Iraqi citizens.

An initial response at the start of the year 2011 was Iraq’s halting of issuing visas for foreign workers.

Fetalino also shared a Feb. 20 communication between the Philippine and the US embassies in Baghdad showing that Iraq’s Ministry of Interior directed “a complete halt to all visa and residency visa issuances for an indeterminate period".

“This applies to all foreigners, not just those involved in US government contracts Exit visas are still available," Michael Dunkley Sr. of the US Embassy told Fetalino in an email correspondence. - OFW Journalism Consortium

DFA asks Saudi OFWs to report unjust terminations

2011-07-19T16:07:00.000+08:00

Filipino migrant workers in Saudi Arabia who get terminated from their jobs without a valid cause should get in touch with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

In a statement amid “persistent" reports on the termination of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia, the DFA said OFWs may ask for the embassy’s assistance through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) that is closest to their place of work.

Located in Riyadh, Jeddah, and al-Khobar, POLO offices will assist affected OFWs, the DFA said.

The agency also advised OFWs in the Kingdom to regularly visit the Philippine Embassy website for updates on the Nitaqat or “Saudization" system, which prioritizes the employment of Saudi nationals over foreign workers in Saudi-owned firms.

The Saudi government is scheduled to begin implementing the Nitaqat system next Sept. 11, and companies that fail to comply with the Saudization targets will get a grace period of six to nine months.

“It is noted that the Nitaqat system honors existing work contracts. The sanction for non-complying companies will be the non-renewal of work permits of foreign workers, and not their illegal termination," the DFA said.

Last week, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) administrator Carlos Cao said Saudization is making no impact yet on the deployment of OFWs to Saudi.

Earlier, a recruitment expert projected a downsizing of jobs for Filipinos in Saudi due to the new labor policy. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News

Pinoys in Europe can send money via Ericsson mobile phones

2011-07-18T14:13:00.000+08:00

WILLIAM ALZONA, OFW Journalism Consortium

Technology giant Ericsson is testing its money service facility after it included the Philippines in the countries that can receive funds from seven countries in Europe.

Adam Kerr, Ericsson Mobile Money representative, said the company has partnered with Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. to allow overseas Filipinos in seven European countries to send money back home.

Globe will use its GCash service, while Smart will utilize its Smart Money platform.
The said launch was made late last week in time for the Barrio Fiesta sa London event over the weekend.

“It will be a person to person money service," Kerr said in a telephone interview.
Since the service was relatively new, Kerr said that it only allows Filipinos in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and Sweden to send money to the Philippines. The service, however, does not allow sending money from the Philippines to these seven countries, Kerr said.

United Kingdom has visible numbers of Filipino nurses, while Italy and Spain are major European destination countries for domestic workers. Germany has many Filipinos who have married Germans, while France is the number one European destination country for irregular Filipino workers.

There are an estimated 722,427 overseas Filipinos in the entire Europe as of 2009, says data from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Of the figure, 312,361 were permanent migrants, 309,914 were temporary migrants, and 100,152 were irregular migrants.

Ericsson plans to add more countries before the year ends.
As well, Ericsson will target overseas workers, those consumers who are used to transacting only with cash, and those with limited access to the formal banking system.

Senders from the seven countries will need to register with the Ericsson money website, which can also be accessed using a Smart phone. Using the service requires a mobile phone number from the sending countries but most of its transactions can be done over the Internet.

Ericsson’s system has a limit of sending 1,600 pounds a year (or about P110,960) for restricted account, but GCash can only hold up to P40,000. To upgrade an account, Ericsson will ask the sender for additional financial documents, which is part of the global anti-money laundering initiatives.

The company has yet to publish details for the Smart Money receiving limits.
For those countries in Europe, only those who have an Ericsson Money account can accept funds.

The company did not provide details on fees as it differs from country to country.
There is no fee to set up an Ericsson Money Services wallet, but there is an application fee of €5, or equivalent local currency, for the Ericsson Money Card.

At launch for a limited period of time, there will be no commission fee for sending money to other recipients or its partners, but the company will eventually charge its customers for sending money.

Paolo Baltao, president of GXchange Inc. (the mobile commerce subsidiary of Globe), said the new service could bring down the cost of sending money by about 40 percent compared with those remittance centers or through banks.

“Mobile payments and person-to-person money transfers are forecasted to become some of the most-used mobile applications in many countries in the next two or three years," Ericsson said in its previous statement. - OFW Journalism Consortium

ILO on track to pass treaty on social insurance by 2012

2011-07-18T14:11:00.000+08:00

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is on track to pass next year a treaty that will allow nearly 100 million workers around the world to enjoy social insurance programs, Social Watch Philippines said Friday.

In a statement, Social Watch quoted the United Nations’ ILO as saying 80 percent of workers all over the world have no access to social security — a social insurance program that provides protection against poverty, old age, disability, and unemployment, among others.

“I believe [social insurance programs] are building blocks for social justice… I invite you all to mobilize around. Your support is invaluable," ILO director-general Juan Somavia told participants of the ongoing 5th Social Watch Global Assembly in Manila.

Social Watch is a network of citizens’ organizations struggling to eradicate poverty and causes of poverty, and to ensure an equitable distribution of wealth and realization of human rights.

Decent work for domestic workers

Somavia also lauded Social Watch for its “outstanding" job of reminding governments to help ensure the ratification and implementation of Convention 189, a landmark measure concerning decent work for domestic workers.

“You have persistently reminded governments as well as international organizations, business groups, and non-governmental organizations of the need to act on their commitments," Somavia told Social Watch.

He said domestic workers have long wanted to get the protection and the respect that they are entitled to have. “Now we must ensure that Convention 189 is ratified and implemented."

According to Social Watch, the passage of Convention 189 last June 16 was celebrated by workers around the world as they expect the landmark measure to change the lives of at least 100 million workers globally.

According to Convention 189, domestic workers who care for families and households must have the same basic labor rights as those available to other workers:

•reasonable hours of work,

•weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours,

•limit on in-kind payment,

•clear information on terms and conditions of employment, and

•respect for fundamental principles and rights at work (freedom of association and right to collective bargaining).

— JE, GMA News

PHL Embassy: Pinoys not affected by Iraq's deportation of illegals

2011-07-18T14:08:00.000+08:00

PHL Embassy assists Pinay 'raped' by 3 men in Dammam

2011-07-18T14:06:00.000+08:00

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is assisting and providing legal assistance to the pregnant Filipina who was allegedly raped by three Saudi men in Dammam.

In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Embassy said its representatives went to the Genobiya Police to assist the Filipina and check on her condition.

The Filipina, who hails from Bulacan, was reportedly walking on her way back to her residence from a check-up at the General Case Hospital in Dammam on July 7 when a car stopped and the driver asked if she works for a certain company.

Thinking that it was her car service, she rode the car but was surprised to see that there was another man seated at the back.

The driver reportedly brought her to an isolated area where she was raped. The Filipina was also robbed of her mobile phone and money, the embassy reported.

After being raped, the Filipina was dropped near the Carrefour Mall where she asked other Filipinos for help.

The Embassy received a report that the perpetrators were all arrested.

The Filipina, who delivered her baby on Wednesday, decided to pursue the case against her attackers.

As soon as she is "medically" ready, she will identify the suspects in a police line-up and the prosecution of the case will then start, the DFA said.

“The Department is pleased to know that the three suspects were already arrested and remains to be in police custody," DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said.

“The Department, through our Embassy in Riyadh, is providing all appropriate legal and consular assistance to the Filipina as she has decided to pursue the case. A lawyer has been hired to assist her and the Department will not stop in assisting her until justice is served," he added. - VVP, GMA News

PHL Embassy in Brunei to move to new location August 2

2011-07-18T14:00:00.000+08:00

The Philippine Embassy in Brunei will move to a new location on August 2: Simpang 336, Diplomatic Enclave Kampung Kianggeh, Jalan Kebangsaan, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

“Service establishments such as photocopy shops and restaurants are not accessible from the new chancery," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a news release on its website.

The DFA advised applicants prepare a complete set of their requirements including all needed photocopies, to facilitate the processing of employment, consular and other Embassy documents and to avoid any inconvenience.

A checklist of required documents and corresponding number of photocopies is posted at:

•www.pinoybrunei.com

•www.philippineembassybrunei.net

•www.polobrunei.net

Filipinos in the Kuala Belait/Seria District (KB) may get a checklist and forms from FAB District Coordinator Wilfredo Tabion with mobile number 7138902 and e-mail address wil_tabion@yahoo.com.

Household service workers (amah) who work at the KB District may get their checklist and forms from Jamilah Binti Abdullah with mobile number 8833654.

The Embassy may be reached at telephone numbers 224-1465, 224-1466, 223-8845; fax number 223-7707, or e-mail address brunei.pe@dfa.gov.ph and bruneipe

Pinay DH, pumanaw sa araw na makababalik na sana siya sa ‘Pinas

2011-07-18T13:58:00.000+08:00

Naging mapagbiro ang tadhana sa isang distressed Pinay domestic helper sa Riyadh, Saudi Arabia dahil binawian siya ng buhay sa araw kung kailan sasakay na siya ng eroplano na maghahatid sana sa kanya pauwi ng Pilipinas.

Sa impormasyong nakalap mula sa grupong Patnubay, ang pumanaw na OFW ay kinilalang si Lilia Prestado, 44-anyos, mula sa bayan ng Taytay, at mahigit isang taon nang TNT o tago ng tago mula nang tumakas sa kanyang amo.

Ang Patnubay ay isang advocacy group sa Gitnang Silangan na tumutulong sa mga nagigipit na OFW.

Napag-alaman na nitong Pebrero ay inindorso ng Patnubay si Prestado sa Bahay Kalinga. Ito ay lugar na pinangangasiwaan ng pamahalaan, at kinukopkop ang mga nagigipit na OFWs.

Sinasabing may sakit sa puso at goiter si Prestado, bukod pa sa kanyang asthma, at iba pang komplikasyon sa kalusugan.

Ayon sa Patnubay, walong buwan lamang nagtrabaho si Prestado sa kanyang amo at pagkaraan nito ay tumakas na. Hindi malinaw kung ano ang dahilan kung bakit iniwan ni Prestado ang kanyang amo.

Batay sa kanyang medical report, lumitaw naman na ipinagamot si Prestado ng kanyang amo, kuwento ng Patnubay.

Mula nang tumakas sa amo, muling nagtrabaho si Prestado at maaari umanong napabayaan nito ang kalusugan kaya lumalala ang mga karamdaman hanggang sa iendorso na sa Bahay Kalinga.

Ikinagulat umano ng mga tao sa Bahay Kalinga ang biglang pagpanaw ni Prestado dakong 10:30 a.m. nitong Sabado dahil nakita pa nila itong masaya habang nag-eempake ng kanyang mga gamit. Nakakuha rin siya ng medical certificate na nagsasaad na puwede siyang bumiyahe.

Nais naman ng Patnubay na malinawan kung bakit inabot ng tatlong buwan si Prestado sa Bahay Kalinga bago makauwi sa Pilipinas samantalang may malubha itong karamdaman. Dapat din umanong maging malinaw kung sino ang dapat humawak ng mga kasong katulad kay Prestado na may malalang sakit.

Bukod kay Prestado, may isa pang OFW sa Bahay Kalinga ang namatay dahil sa sakit nitong Mayo 15, ayon sa Patnubay.

Sa panayam sa telepono kay Vice Consul Roussel Reyes, ng Assistance to National ng Philippine Embassy sa Riyadh, ipinaliwanag niya na naindorso sa kanila si Prestado nito lamang Marso. Kaagad daw nila itong dinala sa ospital para maipagamot habang inaayos ang mga dokumento sa kanyang pagpapauwi.

Ikinalungkot ng opisyal ang nangyari kay Prestado dahil pumanaw ito kung kailan nakatakda na siyang umuwi sa Pilipinas.

Ipinaliwanag ni Reyes na pinagtutulungan ng Assistance to National (ANS) at Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), ang pag-asikaso sa mga uuwing OFW na may sakit, lalo na kung TNT. Mas mahirap umanong maipasok sa ospital ang mga TNT at wala ring medical facilities ang Bahay Kalinga.

Kinumpirma rin ni Reyes na sakit din ang dahilan ng pagkamatay ng isa pang OFW na si Lokaya Talebombong noong Mayo. Pero hindi umano niya alam ang detalye nito dahil sa hindi siya ang may hawak ng kaso.

Dahil sa pagpanaw ni Prestado, sinabi ni Reyes na panibagong pag-aayos sa mga dokumento ang kanilang gagawin bago maiuwi sa Pilipinas ang kanyang mga labi.

Noong una ay na-wave daw ang lahat ng penalties ni Prestado. Pero dahil sa kanyang pagpanaw, kailangang kumuha ng panibagong exit visa para sa pumanaw na OFW at dapat bayaran na rin ang penalties nito.

Payo ni Reyes sa mga OFW na may karamdaman, makabubuting bumalik na sa bansa habang malakas pa ang katawan at huwag hintayin na lumalala ang sakit. -- Ronaldo Z. Concha/ FRJ, GMA

DFA: 25 distressed OFWs repatriated from Jordan

2011-07-18T13:54:00.000+08:00

A total of 25 distressed female overseas Filipino workers were repatriated from Jordan over the weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

The DFA said the OFWs, who arrived from Amman last July 15, left their employers for reasons ranging from maltreatment to non-payment of overtime services.

"The repatriated OFWs, all women, left their employers for alleged abuse and maltreatment and non-payment of their overtime services. They stayed at the Filipino Workers Resource Center where they were provided shelter, food and proper assistance while waiting for their exit visas to be processed," the DFA said in a news release posted on its website.

Welcoming them at the airport were DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA)Special Assistant Enrico Fos and legal officer Emily Villanueva, and with representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The DFA said the Philippine Embassy made representations with the Jordanian government for the early resolution of the OFWs' cases.

It also made arrangements for the immediate processing of the distressed OFWs' exit visas.

The DFA also shouldered the costs of plane tickets of the repatriated OFWs. — RSJ, GMA News

Report ‘premature’ termination cases to embassy, Saudi OFWs advised

2011-07-18T13:50:00.000+08:00

Pangambang sibakan sa mga OFW sa KSA dahil sa ‘Saudization,’ pinawi ni Sec Baldoz

2011-07-18T13:45:00.001+08:00

SURIGAO CITY – Pinawi ni Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis Baldoz ang mga pangamba na nanganganib mawalan ng trabaho ang tinatayang 1.5 milyong overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) dahil sa ipatutupad na “Saudization" system sa kaharian.

Ang pahayag ay ginawa ni Baldoz sa mga dumalo sa 68th Caraga Regional Development Council Meeting na ginawa sa Surigao City nitong Biyernes.

“Huwag po kayong maniwala na maapektahan kaagad ang ating 1.5 milyong manggagawa sa Saudi Arabia, there is no truth on that because Saudi Arabia will not be as it is now without migrant Filipino skilled workers they need us," bahagi ng talumpati ni Baldoz.

Idinagdag ng kalihim na nagbigay ng katiyakan ang labor secretary ng KSA nang magkita sila sa isang pulong sa Geneva noong Hunyo, na hindi maaapektuhan ng ipatutupad na bagong sistema sa kaharian ang mga manggagawang Pinoy dahil karamihan naman sa kanila ay mga highly skilled workers.

Idinagdag pa umano ng opisyal ng KSA na patuloy nilang kakailanganin ang mga migranteng manggagawa dahil sa mga ipatatayong mega cities na magsisimula sa 2014.

“So ‘wag ho kayong maniniwala doon na magsisiuwian na ang mga 1.5 milyong OFWs dito sa bansa natin," pagpapakalma ni Baldoz.

Ipinaliwanag din ng kalihim na ang gagawing pagbibigay prayoridad ng KSA na bigyan ng trabaho sa kanilang mga kababayan ay bunga na rin ng mga nagaganap na protesta sa ilang bansa sa Middle East.

Ilan sa mga bansa sa ME na nagkakaroon ng protesta ay ang Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, at Bahrain. Kabilang sa panawagan ng mga nagpoprotesta sa kanilang pamahalaan ay dagdag na hanap-buhay.

Sakali namang magdesisyon ang mga OFW na umuwi na sa Pilipinas, sinabi ni Baldoz na may nakahandang programa sa kanila ang pamahalaan tulad ng pagtatayo ng kanilang sariling negosyo.

“That’s why I admire Surigao del Norte officials in initiating first livelihood summit to answer returning OFWs need but also local residents to start their livelihood projects that will not necessary for them to look for jobs abroad but look for local opportunities and have their skills and talents be used not by other countries" ayon kay Baldoz. - GMA News

DOLE chief: Saudization no effect yet on 1.5M OFWs

2011-07-18T11:46:00.000+08:00

SURIGAO CITY — Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz belied claims that 1.5 million overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia will be affected by the host country's move to prioritize Saudi nationals in employment or the "Saudization" policy.

Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz at the 68th Caraga Regional Development Council meeting held in Surigao City last Friday. Ben Serrano
“Huwag po kayong maniwala na maapektahan kaagad ang ating 1.5 milyong manggagawa sa Saudi Arabia, there is no truth on that because Saudi Arabia will not be as it is now without migrant Filipino skilled workers – they need us," Secretary Baldoz said in her speech at the 68th Caraga Regional Development Council meeting held in the city last Friday.

Baldoz claimed that her counterpart, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Labor Secretary promised her that the 1.5 million OFWS in the kingdom will not be affected because Filipino workers there are mostly highly skilled.

Baldoz said the KSA Labor Secretary told her last June in Geneva that the kingdom will continue to hire migrant workers as constructions of mega-cities that will start in 2014 needs thousands if not millions of migrant workers.

Baldoz added the reason why Saudi Arabia opted for nationalization of their workforce (Saudization) is to avoid social unrest now being experienced by some Middle East countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Bahrain.

“Kaya inunahan na po ng gobyerno ng Saudi Arabia na mag plano ng nationalization of workforce to give priority of their nationals in hiring workers," Baldoz said.

According to her, private and big firms in Saudi Arabia are focusing more on productivity, and highly skilled workers are needed.

“Highly skilled OFWs fit in Saudi Arabia's development goals... such as the construction of mega-cities that will start in 2014" Baldoz said.

On the other hand, she said that if some OFWs there decide to return home, the Philippine Government is ready to help them by providing livelihood opportunities through provision of seed capital for entrepreneurship.

“That’s why I admire Surigao del Norte officials in initiating first livelihood summit to answer returning OFWs need but also local residents to start their livelihood projects that will not necessary for them to look for jobs abroad but look for local opportunities and have their skills and talents be used not by other countries" Baldoz said. — Ben Serrano/LBG, GMA News

A Time of Pain and Grace

2011-07-18T11:28:00.000+08:00

(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times,
in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)
http://www.preda.org/main/archives/2011/r11071301.html
The Philippine Bishop's pastoral letter of apology this past week to the people and the nation titled "A Time of Pain, A Time of Grace" admits that seven Bishops accepted monetary gifts of as much as 8.258 million from the government gambling agency - Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) at the behest of the former President even though the Church condemns gambling. Besides, it is illegal because the Constitution forbids any government funds or property be given to any Church or representative thereof. "Government funds cannot be used for the promotion of a specific religion".

The money was given for the prelates to buy vehicles and they did - expensive sport utility vehicles which they said were being used for charitable purposes. One bought a low cost second-hand four wheel drive. They have already started to return the vehicles. So it is a time of Pain for the Church Hierarchy as a whole as the pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) says even if only seven bishops accepted the money out of a total of 133 Bishops. Retired outspoken anti-gambling Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said it is the "Worst Wound", self-inflicted as may be, suffered by the Church since he was made a Bishop in 1976.

The problem lies deeper since the gifts are from the former President Gloria Arroyo-Macapagal, (now a congresswoman), to the Bishops to allegedly win their influence and support when she was in danger of being impeached for election fraud. The Bishop’s letter said that the donations were received with the pure desire of the bishops to help the poor, however, "they failed to consider the pitfalls to which these grants could possibly lead them".

This is especially embarrassing for the bishops coming at a time when former President Arroyo-Macapagal is being charged with plunder for looting this so-called charity fund. Evidence has been presented to the investigative committees of both the House and the Senate alleging that former president Arroyo-Macapagal approved the use of even greater amounts of the charity funds, Php 325 million pesos for the election campaign of 2010 that is now being called plunder, graft, and malversation in the case before the Ombudsman.

It’s also the Time of Grace to return to the roots of Christian faith and for the hierarchy to dedicate itself to the struggle of the poor and the oppressed against those who plunder the national wealth. No decent person should ever take donations from a corrupt oligarchy and ruling elite that crush the hungry and the poor. It is the Time of Grace to look on the crucified Christ and realize that he was criticized, vilified, tortured and given the death penalty for opposing the corrupt practices of the authorities in his time and not collaborating with them.

There is nothing wrong with collecting donations to help the poor, even Jesus and his apostolic band of brothers and sisters had a collection purse. The only mistake they made was to entrust it to Judas, the betrayer. Money can corrupt and corrupts most of the time. We can become attached to possessions, wealth and security in this world and what it can buy us - prestige, privilege, entitlements, power and position and we can forget it can bring misery and harm.

Will great wealth give us true respect, love, spiritual happiness and peace of mind and heart? Not unless we are using it for the well-being of others in need such as the hungry, the victims of abuse and human rights violations, famine relief, educating the poor, and working for justice and the dignity of deprived and exploited people. This is the heart of the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church. We would do well to heed it. The Bishops may realize this already. During a Senate inquiry, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of the Archdiocese of Cotabato said: “We will examine our vocation and commit a long journey to personal and social transformation. “What a blessing that will be, let’s hope it will not be a journey without end, but over sooner than later.

We must do all we can to use the resources of goodness and honest work to help those poor robbed of a life of decency and dignity. END

Ka Romy Castillo, Released The campaign for Malaysian 6 continues

2011-07-08T13:51:00.000+08:00

Written by Partido Lakas ng Masa
Thursday, 07 July 2011 16:30

Romy Castillo, deputy general secretary of Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), was finally released by Malaysian authorities yesterday morning. He came home via Air Asia flight at Clark airport at around 12 noon and was met by a delegation from PLM.
A victory party will be held at the PLM office on Friday, July 8, at 3:00 pm. There will also be a meeting to discuss the continuing campaign to free the remaining six Malaysian pro-democracy leaders of Parti Sosialis Malaysia.
Sonny Melencio, chairperson of PLM, said that the release of Ka Romy was only a “partial victory since six of the previous 30 Malaysian jailed socialists are still languishing in jails.”
Melencio also thanked all those who called for Ka Romy’s release, including various human rights groups and Philippine authorities such as the Philippine Commission on Human Rights and the Philippine Embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur.
A day before Ka Romy’s release, more than 100 PLM members marched to the Malaysian Embassy in Makati City to protest Ka Romy’s detention and the 30 jailed Malaysian activists. The PLM declared Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ibrahim Saad, as persona non grata for refusing to meet with the PLM delegation a number of times and for doing nothing to assist in the release of Ka Romy.
After the picket at the Malaysian Embassy, the PLM rallyists went to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila to appeal to Secretary Albert del Rosario to prioritize Ka Romy’s release. The DFA was having its anniversary party with President Ninoy Aquino as guest when the PLM rallyists arrived.

Report: PHL Embassy lodges complaint over OFW 'torture' in KSA

2011-07-08T13:43:00.000+08:00

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia have lodged a complaint with Saudi authorities over the alleged torture of a Filipino working as a family driver there.

According to a report of Arab News, the Philippine Embassy sent a complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the alleged beating of Edgar Maligaya, 38, at the Olaya police station in Riyadh.

Maligaya was tagged in the death of a fellow Filipino driver, Andy Miclat Dimacali, in July last year.

Saudi authorities found Maligaya's text message on Dimacali's mobile phone on the day he was found dead, Arab News said.

“However, the text message was the usual communication between friends. There was nothing to indicate a threat, or similar to it, on the part of Maligaya," Arab News quoted militant group Migrante Middle East coordinator John Monterona as saying.

The report added that the death notification issued by the Saudi Ministry of Health said Dimacali “died outside the hospital with wounds in the head, cracked ribs and was bleeding from the nose."

“We at Migrante-Middle East believe that there was foul play" but that Maligaya was innocent, Monterona said.

The Arab News said Dimacali's family is still waiting for the repatriation of his remains. - VVP, GMA News

OWWA shortlists six OFW advocates as trustees

2011-07-08T13:33:00.000+08:00

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration had shortlisted six people, including an outgoing OWWA board member, as candidates for new board members of the agency.

The 2010 Model OFW of the Year winner for the land-based sector Ermie Garon topped OWWA’s list of three recommended people as OWWA board representative for the land-based sector.

Meanwhile, executive director Estrella Añonuevo of the migrant NGO Atikha Overseas Workers Communities Initiative, is the top candidate to represent the women sector.

Garon is a native of Hacienda Luista, Tarlac, as her husband June works in Elk Grove, California.

Añonuevo has been running the NGO Atikha since the mid-1990s, the group being a community-based non-profit initiating economic and social programs for overseas Filipinos and their families. Atikha’s work is visible in San Pablo City, Laguna and Mabini in Batangas.

For land-based sector representative, the second-ranked candidate is Elizardo Narag of the Alyansa ng Makabagong Bayaning Manggagawa while ranked third is outgoing OWWA board member Jose Jouelito Sapio.

Meanwhile, Josephine T. Cajada of Hong Kong-based Worldwide Kayumanggi Radio, and Loretta G. Brunio, also an OFW, were ranked second and third, respectively, as candidates for women’s sector representative.

Section 32 of Republic Act 10022, or the amendment to the 1995 Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act (Republic Act 8042), had mandated OWWA and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to select representatives from the overseas Filipino workers sector — whether an OFW or an advocate for migrant workers — as board members.

The names of the six candidates, said OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon in a paid advertisement, “will be endorsed to the Office of the President for action".

Civil society leaders for migrant workers groups lament that there is limited participation by OFWs in the boards of POEA and OWWA prior to RA 10022.

OWWA is the world’s largest welfare fund for migrant workers. Its total assets in 2009 reached P13.191 billion as the agency also earned a gross income of P2.224 billion the same year, mostly from the US$25 OWWA membership fees that departing OFWs — on a per-contract basis — pay.

OWWA’s net income in 2009 stood at P1.098 billion, higher than the P0.924 billion in 2008. — Jeremaiah Opiniano/OFW Journalism Consortium

OFWs in Dubai now required to be Pag-IBIG members

2011-07-08T13:30:00.000+08:00

Overseas Filipino workers working in Dubai are now required to be members of the Pag-IBIG Fund, according to a report on the news site The Gulf Today.

The report said membership with Pag-IBIG is a new requirement for obtaining an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) beginning July 1.

The Gulf Today quoted Pag-IBIG as saying that “linking the issuance of the OEC through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration will make it easier for all agency-hired, direct-hired and “balik-manggagawa" (or repeat OFWs) to become members."

A minimum contribution of 10 dirhams a month is required, according to the report.

It added that OFWs in the Middle East may also apply for their mutual fund membership at various Philippine Overseas Labor Offices located in Dubai and other Middle East countries. — OFW Journalism Consortium

Report: Pinoy cleaner falls to death from 9th Floor in UAE

2011-07-08T13:28:00.000+08:00

A Filipino cleaning staff fell several stories to his death from the ninth floor of a building in the United Arab Emirates late Sunday.

The Filipino, initially identified only as Raymond, 23, was working for a cleaning company based in Al Qouz, news site Khaleej Times reported Tuesday.

Citing sketchy initial reports, Khaleej Times said the incident occurred at the Bur Dubai area around midnight on Sunday.

An initial investigation showed the Filipino was standing on a rope ladder hung from atop and held by another worker and cleaning the front glass panels of the tower.

"Due to the lack of coordination, the worker standing on the rooftop released the rope and the victim fell to death," the report said.

The police sent the body to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for autopsy. The co-worker, an Asian, was taken into custody for interrogation. — RSJ, GMA News

Indian faces UAE court for molesting Pinay co-worker

2011-07-08T13:27:00.000+08:00

A 33-year-old Indian stood trial in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday over allegations that he molested his 35-year-old Filipina co-worker.

According to a report of Khaleej Times, the Filipina, an accountant, alleged that the Indian, a finance manager, molested her at her doorstep in May last year.

Khaleej Times said the Filipina's two-year-old son rushed to answer the door. When the Filipina ran after her son, she was surprised that her co-worker was the one who was at the door.

The report said the Indian fondled the Filipina and ran after she screamed.

The Filipina said the Indian had also fondled her earlier at their workplace and asked her to have sex with him but she rejected his offer, the report said.

The Khaleej Times report said the building’s watchman confirmed seeing the woman’s husband running after the defendant that day.

The accused reportedly apologized several times and was seen driving away in his car.

A Jordanian manager at the same company said the Filipina had approached him earlier crying and complaining about being sexually harassed by the Indian, the report said. - VVP, GMA News

Daily Maritime News at www.ufs.com.ph

2011-06-16T14:35:00.000+08:00

Over 50 Filipino seafarers still being held captive by pirates
MOGADISHU –– At least 50 Filipino crewmen on board dozens of ships held by Somali pirates are still in captivity almost two years after their vessels had been hijacked on the Indian Ocean, and the actual count could be much higher.
Reuters on Monday released details of the vessels still in Somali pirates’ hands since late 2009 after they said at the weekend they had freed the Kuwaiti tanker MV Zirku. Read more at www.ufs.com.ph
Joint navy exercise reels off
COMBINED navy forces from the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States Navy is holding a 10-day annual combined exercise aimed to enhance interoperability and share best practices.
The combined exercise, dubbed Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) started Tuesday, June 14, and ends on Friday, June 24, is being held in Malacca Strait, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea. Read more at www.ufs.com.ph
Somali pirates free tanker for $12M
MOGADISHU –– Somali pirates have freed a UAE-flagged, Kuwaiti-owned oil tanker after a $12-million ransom was paid, the pirates said.
The pirates announced the release of the 105,846 deadweight ton MV Zirku late on Friday, just three days after they said they had freed a Chinese-owned cargo vessel they had held for nearly seven months off the lawless Horn of Africa country. Read more at www.ufs.com.ph
Shipping Industry Summit Steers Into the Blue
In news from here in Athens, a unique event took place last week when world shipping industry leaders met to discuss how to take steps towards limiting their environmental footprint, creating a so called “bluer” shipping industry. The Mare Forum Blue Shipping Summit was definitely a big step in the right direction for shipping. Read more at www.ufs.com.ph
Be updated with the latest development in the maritime industry. Browse the most popular maritime website
www.ufs.com.ph

Departure of 2 distressed OFWs from KSA delayed

2011-06-16T14:06:00.000+08:00

Two distressed overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia are experiencing problems with their repatriation, an Arab news site reported Wednesday.

Arab News said the two housemaids — only identified as Leonora and Sofia — were scheduled to leave Riyadh on Tuesday night but had a problem with their plane ticket.

The housemaids had earlier escaped from their respective employers in Riyadh. They went to Majma, around 250 km north of Riyadh, where they stayed with five other Filipino housemaids.

Leonor and Sofia were later caught by authorities and were detained at a prison for women in Riyadh.

John Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said the Philippine government is sorting out the housemaids’ problems so they could eventually be with their families back home.

“Vice Consul Roussel Reyes told me that he went to King Khaled International Airport to assist them. He was able to talk to Leonora who told him that there was a problem regarding their tickets," Monterona said.

Leonora, of Baguio City in Benguet province, went to Saudi to work as a caregiver but ended up as housemaid. She is separated from her husband and has children who are under her mother’s care.

Sofia, on the other hand, is from Kalinga province. — JE, GMA News

2011-06-16T14:01:00.000+08:00

Labor officials discuss reforms for OFWs in KSA06/15/2011 | 11:09 AM

Labor officials from the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) discussed recent reforms in the Saudi labor system that will benefit overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz met with Saudi labor minister Adel Fakeih at the Palais des Nations in Geneva at the sidelines of the 100th International Labor Organization conference.

“With the greater cooperation already established between Philippine licensed recruitment agencies with employers in the Kingdom, the Philippines continues to see the (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) as a good OFW destination," Baldoz said.

According to a news release posted on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website Baldoz cited the need to improve the system of protection for low skilled workers, including household service workers, in both the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

She said the “high level of relationship" between the Philippines and the KSA would foster greater cooperation in implementing labor programs between the two countries.

Reforms in KSA

Baldoz said Fakeih discussed with her the major series of reforms in the employment practices in the Kingdom, assuring her that Saudi Arabia had launched a “new era of change and progress" in the field of labor and employment.

“The new measures will benefit both Saudi Arabia and foreign workers, including OFWs, who constitute an important segment of the Saudi workforce," she quoted him as saying.

Baldoz said the Saudi reforms the Fakeih cited include:

•The recognition of “intermediary hiring firms" that will serve as sponsors and co-employers of workers and who will be responsible for the OFWs' welfare and protection;

•A mandatory, broad-range insurance for OFWs; the premium will be paid by employers;

•A new remittance scheme for OFWs; and

•The expansion of e-government facilities, an associated wage protection system, and better enforcement of existing regulations, including the establishment of 24/7 hotlines to receive workers’ complaints in various languages, including Tagalog.

Baldoz said she and Fakeih also discussed the salary of Filipino domestic workers in the Kingdom, the hiring of nurses, and the possible visit to the Philippines of the Saudi labor minister this year. - VVP, GMA News

OFW from Taiwan tries to kill himself at NAIA

2011-06-16T13:58:00.000+08:00

A depressed overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who had just arrived from Taiwan on Tuesday tried to commit suicide at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 3.

According to airport officials, the man broke his legs and ribs after jumping from the departure area on the second floor of the NAIA,

He was rushed to the Pasay City General Hospital but his injuries were believed to be not life-threatening.

The victim reportedly arrived from Taiwan at 8:30 pm at NAIA 3 on Tuesday and was supposed to leave for Iloilo at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We are trying to get in touch with his family," Manila International Airport Authority spokesperson Connie Bungag said.

“We don’t have any idea yet, we are still waiting for the report from the airport police," Bungag said.

The incident caused delays in the terminal but

95 ‘runaway’ OFWs in Lebanon take first aid course

2011-06-16T13:46:00.001+08:00

Before returning to the country last Sunday, 95 “runaway" overseas Filipino workers (OFW) completed a first aid training course, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Gilberto Asuque presented the certificates of completion to the 95 OFWs sheltered at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC).

Assistant Labor Attaché Salome Mendoza, Caritas Senior Social Worker Dima Haddad, and First Aid Trainer Lina Raoub assisted Asuque in handing out the certificates.

The training course was conducted by Caritas Lebanon Migrants Center (CLMC).

“The First Aid Training Course was conducted pursuant to the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Embassy and the CLMC to provide human resource training to Filipinos sheltered in the FWRC while waiting for the completion of their exit papers," the DFA said.

Signing the certificates were Asuque, Caritas Board Committee President Kamal Sioufi, and Caritas Director Najla Tabet Chadda, as an indication of the quality of first aid training and their support for the project.

During the awarding, Asuque stressed the training conducted by the Embassy, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Caritas aims to increase their manual skills and knowledge and enhance their employment opportunities.

The 95 Filipinos were grouped into six batches to facilitate the first aid lectures and demonstrations. They took a pre-test examination prior to the start of the course and a final examination, which they all passed.

“The training course covered emergency medical guidelines, recognition of emergency situations, emergency assistance for victims of choking and electric shocks, taking of pulse and blood pressure, treatment of burns, bone fractures, sprains, wounds, minor and serious injuries, and first aid for chronic conditions such as asthma, chest pains, convulsions, seizures, hallucinations, vomiting, among others," the DFA said.

According to the DFA, the 95 OFWs ran away from their employers and were given shelter there while representations are being made by the Embassy, POLO and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) with the Lebanese immigration authorities for the issuance of their exit clearances.

Before returning to the Philippines, Asuque urged them to continue developing their skills.

Asuque also reminded them to follow the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) deployment process so as not to fall victims again to illegal recruiters.- VVP, GMA News

Russia hails PHL as vital partner in Asia-Pacific

2011-06-16T13:43:00.000+08:00

Russia recognized the Philippines as one of its “vital and promising" partner in the Asia-Pacific region, as the Philippines marked its 113th Independence Day last weekend.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin disclosed this as he and Ministry of Culture Counselor Leo Dzugaev graced the event as the embassy’s guests of honor.

“[Borodavkin] called the Philippines Russia’s ‘vital and promising partner in the Asia-Pacific region, whose role in the global system of international relations and world economy is significantly increasing,’" the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Last weekend’s event also marked the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Russia.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Victor Garcia III noted that the partnership was founded on friendship and promotion of shared interests for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

Garcia pointed out that even before formal Philippine-Russia ties were established, historical accounts show the existence of earlier contacts between the two countries. A town in Eastern Samar served as sanctuary to some 6,000 “White Russians" from 1949 to 1951.

Bilateral relations

Since then, bilateral relations have been enhanced, and to date, the two countries have concluded framework agreements to facilitate further cooperation, notably in tourism and air services, defense and security, culture, and education.

Garcia stressed that there is much more in the horizon that the two countries can do together to bring the relations to greater heights.

Borodavkin said the celebration of the 35th year of diplomatic relations presents a good opportunity to evaluate the progress that has been achieved so far and to outline further directions of mutually beneficial partnership.

He expressed satisfaction that Manila and Moscow share the same view on various crucial issues such as the creation of an open and transparent security and cooperation architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

The similarity of the approaches of the two countries is an excellent advantage that enables the Philippines and Russia to strengthen political dialogue and open up new opportunities for mutual work on other key issues facing the international community.

Cultural cooperation

Dzugaev said cultural cooperation between the Philippines and Russia holds so much promise, particularly with the signing in 2010 of the Protocol on Cooperation between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Russian Ministry of Culture.

A major component of the protocol is the holding of the Days of Russian Culture in the Philippines in 2011 and the Days of Philippine Culture in Russia in 2012. He said that cooperation in this field would only bring the people of the two countries closer.

The embassy also held an art exhibit of Filipino scenes by visiting painter Nemi Miranda, a voice and piano recital by multi-awarded soprano Rachelle Gerodias and pianist Najib Ismail, and an exhibit of Russian Icon paintings by women expatriates of Moscow, including Madam Connie Garcia.

There was also a cultural performance of song and dances led by Madam Garcia, the embassy, and members of the Asia-Pacific Women’s Group.

There was likewise a reception attended by close to 300 guests from the diplomatic community, the Russian government, the business sector, and the Filipino community in Russia.

New level of maturity

The Philippines and Russia forged formal diplomatic ties on June 2, 1976.

“Since then, bilateral ties have reached a new level of maturity manifested through cooperation in such diverse sectors as defense and security, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, education, culture, and tourism. To date, a total of 31 bilateral agreements have been signed," the DFA said.

Official visits by leaders of the executive and parliamentary branches of the two countries have enhanced people-to-people contact.

Three Philippine presidents have already visited Russia — Ferdinand Marcos in 1976, Fidel Ramos in 1997, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2009. — JE, GMA News

ILO’s 100th conference to tackle rights of domestic workers

2011-06-16T13:42:00.000+08:00

World leaders at the 100th International Labour Conference (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland aim to address the rising global unemployment and giving social protection to domestic workers — most of whom are female and come from developing countries like the Philippines.

Aside from finding ways to protect the basic rights to millions of domestic workers, world leaders at the 100th ILO session are meeting from June 1-17 to highlight challenges in the world of work such as record high unemployment, the global youth employment crisis, the extension of social protection coverage, and fair treatment at the workplace.

ILO director-general Juan Somavia opened the conference by declaring that, “Our world of work is in turmoil."

The conference will also tackle the proposed international labor standard on domestic work that will impact millions of Filipino domestic workers in many Arab countries and Asian capitals such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

World leaders will also tackle the lingering uprisings in the Middle East and North African countries where some 3 million Filipino workers face massive displacement and security threats.

According to ILO data, there are at least 52.6 million domestic workers worldwide of which 12 million are in Asia — excluding China. Nine million of the Asian tally are women.

Child labor

The conference will also touch on the need to adopt policy measures to address the problem of child labor. The ILO Philippines said there are 2.4 million child laborers in the Philippines but the figures do not include children in the worst forms of child labor that include internet pornography and child soldiers.

Citing his report titled “A new era of social justice," Somavia told some 3,000 government, employer and worker delegates “whether a new era of social justice remains just an idealized vision of a desired future, or becomes a practical reality that takes hold in our societies, will depend in many ways on you, on us, on the ILO family."

The conference will be attended by world leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Palestian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Finnish President Tarja Kaarina Halonen, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete and Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey, as well as various former heads of states and heads of international agencies.

The conference has drawn some 3,000 delegates and advisers, including government representatives and leaders of workers’ and employers’ organizations from the ILO’s 183 member states. Each member state has the right to send four delegates to the conference: two from government and one each representing workers and employers, each of whom may speak and vote independently. — MRT/VS, GMA News

P2-B OFW reintegration program launched at 1st Nat’l Congress of OFWs and Families

2011-06-13T16:59:00.001+08:00

Thousands of OFWs and their families trooped the spacious Function Room 3 of the SMX Convention Center in celebration of the 1st National Congress of OFWs and Families held June 7th, Tuesday in Pasay City. This event is in celebration of the Migrant Workers Day.

Top government officials in the persons of Akabayan Rep. Walden Bello and Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan were there to share in the momentous occasion for the OFWs.

OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon gave the welcome remarks, the keynote address of President Benigno Aquino III was delivered by DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz. Also mentioned in the speech read by Sec. Baldoz were the other projects launched earlier by the DOLE, OWWA and the NRCO in direct assistance to the overseas workers and their families e.g. “Balik Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay!” etc.
The reading of the Manifesto was led by Ms. Virgencita Lagunsay, a representative from the OFW Family Circles (OFC). The Manifesto was a concerted effort of the OWWA Regional Welfares Offices together with the OFWs, their families and other concerned public and private organizations. Included in the Manifesto were the collected issues and concerns relevant to the present conditions of OFW returnees, Pinoy workers abroad, and their families in the country.
Highlighting the National Congress was the Presentation of Cheques to the initial twelve availees of the 2 BILLION PESOS OFW REINTEGRATION PROGRAM. The total amount of cheques distributed was P 8.3 million. This nationwide financial assistance program is a joint venture of the DOLE, OWWA, NRCO, the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines. The loan assistance offers a low-interest annual rate of 7.5% with a flexible payment scheme maximum of 7 years to pay. This OFW reintegration program was formulated to do away with conduit banks that may burden a borrower of high administrative costs.

A symposium on talks on business opportunities and concise guidelines on the reintegration program was also presented to the audience. Chinkee Tan, a known TV personality and wealth coach, disclosed the important how to’s on recognizing and grabbing possible business opportunities.

A press conference with the media was held led by DOLE Secretary Baldoz and she joined by DOLE Usec. Danilo P. Cruz, OWWA Adminstrator Dimzon and NRCO Director Vivian Tornea. The initial recipients of the 2 Billion Pesos OFW Reintegration Program were also interviewed by the media.
Exhibits of the products and services by the OFWs and OFCs were also showcased. Regional exhibitors from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao proudly offered their items and services on this one-day event. Event and corporate partners Globe Telecom, SM Super Malls and BDO-Unibank also had booths giving freebies to the OFWs and their families. This part of the national event was open to the public.
Capping the event was a mini-concert by the well known 70’s band Hotdog.

Pinay DH, pumanaw sa araw na makababalik na sana siya sa ‘Pinas

2011-06-13T16:53:00.000+08:00

Pinay in UAE faces raps for 'reckless' child delivery

2011-06-13T16:49:00.001+08:00

A Filipina faced a United Arab Emirates court over the weekend for allegedly delivering her cousin's baby in a reckless manner, an Arab news site reported on Monday.

Prosecutors claimed the 54-year-old woman, which the report did not name, intentionally endangered the life of her 30-year-old cousin, who was impregnated by an out-of-wedlock affair with a Pakistani Man, a Gulf News report said.

The woman delivered the illegitimate baby in a dangerous and impractical way that caused health hazards to the cousin, the prosecution said.

The accused woman was also charged for failing to report to authorities that her cousin has had consensual sex with the 30-year-old Pakistani man.

Giving birth outside of wedlock is considered a crime in the Middle-Eastern country.

The report said that when the Filipina appeared before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court, she failed to deny or admit her crime before Presiding Judge Ebrahim Khalil Abu Shamma due to language difficulties.

The court has since decided to reconvene on Sunday so that a Filipino translator can be made available.

Court records showed the woman was arrested in her house in Deira during a random police raid against illegal residents.

The woman claimed the seven-month-old baby was her daughter, but DNA tests revealed she was not the biological mother of the baby.

This led to her admission that the baby was actually her cousin's, who was earlier deported following cancellation of her visa.

Another report, this time by Middle-Eastern tabloid 7Days, said the mother of the baby has been fired by her employer after finding out about the baby.

"She left a month later and I have been taking care of the baby," the woman reportedly said.

The report said the woman admitted she had no experience with childbirth and had not seen a delivery.

It added that the Filipina faces up to two years in jail followed by deportation and a fine of 1,000 dirham (around P11,800). — JMT, GMA News

Pinay in UAE faces raps for 'reckless' child delivery

2011-06-13T16:49:00.000+08:00

Pinoys asked to commemorate 'Day of Filipino Seafarer' on June 25,2011

2011-06-13T16:47:00.000+08:00

The Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia has called on Filipinos here and abroad to commemorate the contributions of Filipino seafarers to the global economy following the government's declaration of June 25 as the "Day of the Filipino Seafarer."

"The Filipino Seafarers deserve respect, recognition and gratitude for their invaluable contribution to the national development efforts of the country, and have become ‘sailing ambassadors’... for having demonstrated before the global maritime community the best traits of the Filipino," the embassy said in a news release posted on its website.

In signing Proclamation 183 declaring June 25 as the Day of the Filipino Seafarer, President Benigno Aquino III urged "all relevant maritime agencies or instrumentalities of the government including government-owned and controlled corporations as well as private individuals or organizations... to support the commemoration of this important event."

The embassy noted that the United Nations has recognized the important role that seafarers play in the continued growth of the global economy and has included this day on its list of observance.

The Conference of Parties (COP), under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approved a resolution declaring every June 25 as the “Day of the Seafarer," it added.

According to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) data, a total of 330,424 Filipino seafarers were deployed worldwide in 2009, or about 23 percent of the total number of overseas Filipino workers deployed in that year. —JMT/CM, GMA News

OFWs in Saudi, Yemen urged: Invest in PHL, gain economic freedom

2011-06-13T16:45:00.000+08:00

In time for the country's 113th Independence Day celebrations on Sunday, the government has urged Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and conflict-stricken Yemen to attain "economic independence" by investing in the Philippines upon their return.

Philippine Embassy charge d'affaires Ezedin Tago said the Aquino administration is working on economic programs that will benefit the common Filipino, including the overseas Filipino workers.

"We urge Filipinos in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen to plan for their eventual integration into the Philippine economy to gain true economic freedom," Tago said in an Independence Day message posted on news site Arab News.

"Save what you earn while overseas and invest in our country and economy. There are many investment and business opportunities in various sectors that await any returning Filipino," he added.

The Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia also has jurisdiction over Yemen.

Tago also extended the embassy's invitation to foreign investors and business people to take "a serious and deep look into investment and business opportunities in the Philippines."

He said the first step toward this endeavor is to visit the Philippines as tourists and explore its natural beauty.

"There are many tourist destinations that fit the interests of any visitor, Filipino or foreigner, and it is an excellent chance for everyone to learn about our country and people," he said.

In calling for investments in the Philippines, Tago said President Benigno Aquino III had committed to advance freedom from poverty.

"When our president assumed office in June 2010, he committed not only to defend and uphold our freedom but also to advance our freedom from poverty through economic programs that benefit the common Filipino," he stressed. — JMT, GMA News

Report: Pinay maid killed in HK road accident

2011-06-13T16:43:00.000+08:00

A Filipina domestic helper was killed in a road accident in Kowloon in Hong Kong, a report of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) said.

According to the report, the helper was taking a boy to school when they were knocked down by a coach in the Kowloon Tong area.

"The 30-year-old woman died but the boy escaped with minor injuries," the RTHK said.

RTHL said the incident was one of two road accidents in Hong Kong on Friday.

The second incident involved an 85-year-old woman who was killed after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Tin Kwong Road in Hunghom. - VVP, GMA News

Ten tips on getting a passport

2011-05-24T13:45:00.000+08:00

The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued the following tips to facilitate applications for passports:
1. Applicants should contact the DFA for the latest passport information. They could visit the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph) or call 834-4000.
2. They should apply for passports way ahead of their scheduled trip. Applicants should check the validity of their passports and update their documents accordingly.

A passport is valid for five years, but airlines and countries require passports with validity of six months prior to the expiry date.
3. Applicants should prepare their requirements before their appointment date. These include the completely filled-out application form, the old passport and photocopies of its pages for renewals, the National Statistics Office-certified birth certificate, and IDs and their photocopies for new applicants.

They do not need to bring ID photos, as their photographs and thumbprints will be taken on the site.
4. Non-OFW and Metro Manila-based applicants should secure an appointment when applying for a passport. They can log on to www.passports.com.ph or call 737-1000, free of charge. Applicants are also advised to come on time for their appointments.
5. Those in the provinces can apply at the nearest Regional Consular Office or check if there is a scheduled Mobile Passport Service (MPS) in their areas. The DFA RCOs are located in 19 cities and municipalities around the country, and MPS are being arranged in Metro Manila and in the provinces on a weekly basis.
6. Prospective Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can apply at the Passport Extension Office located at the ground floor of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Ortigas. The facility operates on a first-come-first-served basis and is exclusive for OFWs.

Shortened passport processing and releasing time for emergency cases is also being implemented.
7. The DFA advises applicants against dealing with fixers. They are also urged to report any passport fixing activities to the Passport Director's office at 836-7759.
8. The Philippine ePassport costs P950 for regular processing (20 working days) and P1,200 for expedited processing (10 working days).
9. Applicants may have their passports delivered. This is to avoid the hassle of coming back to the DFA. Passport delivery charges a nominal fee of P120.
10. Take good care of their passports. They should avoid getting it wet and torn. This is to protect the electronic chip and the other security features of the passport.

DFA launches passport online tracking system

2011-05-24T13:43:00.000+08:00

Passport applicants can now know the status of their applications with the Department of Foreign Affairs Officer of Consular Affairs' Passport Tracking Service (PTS).

The DFA said the PTS is an initiative of its consular affairs' office to enable applicants to check on the status of their passport applications, notably the schedule of release.

In a news release on its website, the DFA said applicants may visit www.dfa.gov.ph and click the PTS icon found there.

Clicking the icon will lead to an online form that requires the following basic information:
• Full name (First, Middle, Last)
• Date of birth
• Cellular phone number and e-mail address
• Date of filing
• Date of release
• Amount paid
• For pick-up or courier service (name of courier)
"After typing and encoding the information required, applicants will receive a response to their PTS queries through text message or SMS (short messaging system), or an e-mail within two working days upon receipt of such online request," the DFA said. — LBG, GMA News

Ambassador lauds PHL community in UK

2011-05-24T13:41:00.000+08:00

United Kingdom (UK) Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie praised Filipinos in the UK for their significant contributions to their host country.

Lillie told a recent roundtable discussion in London that Filipinos have had "a varied and diverse contribution to British society and the British way of life."

"(The Filipino community has been) an important part of the bilateral relations, which has been strong and very good," he said, according to a news release on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website.

There are some 250,000 Filipinos living and working in the United Kingdom, with a great majority located in the Greater London Area.

Most Filipinos are employed in the health sector, with around 30,000 working as nurses in public and private hospitals and clinics.

Meanwhile, some 10,000 Britons live in the Philippines, mostly as expatriates, spouses and retirees.

Emerging power

Lillie said the new British government recognizes the potential of the Philippines as an "emerging power" and looks to developing an "even stronger and dynamic" bilateral partnership.

He noted the Philippines has been "growing in economic and political significance, and will play an increasingly big and important role in the world."

Lillie made the statement at a roundtable dialogue arranged by the Embassy and the Philippine Desk of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on May 11.

Represented in the roundtable was a cross-section of the Filipino community, with around 30 community leaders from sectors such as nurses, postal workers, household workers, students, second-generation Filipinos and businesses.

They exchanged views with Lillie on bilateral economic relations, the UK's assistance in the Mindanao peace process, labor migration matters, and the need to improve educational linkages between the two countries.

Embassy Chargé d'Affaires (CDA) Reynaldo Catapang indicated that the activity was worth repeating.

"We think this is a good and constructive initiative as it could forge closer relationship between our two countries. We have been fortunate to have such good, committed and responsible community leaders who have become our indispensable partners in community building in the UK," Catapang said.

He recalled that similar activities had been done with previous British Ambassadors to the Philippines, but noted that the "intimate, small-group discussion yielded a more robust exchange."

"Perhaps it would be good for community leaders to have similar dialogues with other top British officials, starting with Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne who is visiting the Philippines for the second time this coming June," he said.

Catapang also said the activity was "a positive prelude" to the second Philippines-United Kingdom High-Level Meeting to be held in Manila on May 23.

The High-Level Meeting is the main institutional mechanism for coordinating bilateral activities between the two countries.

It will be co-chaired by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio and Foreign Office Asia Pacific Director Peter Wilson. - VVP, GMA News

54 repatriated OFWs return from Jeddah

2011-05-24T13:40:00.000+08:00

At least 54 overseas Filipino workers said to be "overstaying" at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia arrived home shortly after midnight on Thursday.

The 54 OFWs, including four children, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard a Brunei Airways flight 689 at 12:20 a.m., radio dzBB reported.

Before their arrival, at least 110 Filipinos staying at the Hajj Terminal had been brought home.

Vice President Jejomar Binay helped facilitate the repatriation of the overstaying OFWs.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Binay asked King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud to repatriate 4,500 Filipinos, including 1,084 who are staying at the Hajj Terminal.

However, Binay learned that the Philippine government would need at least P143 million to pay for the plane fare of all the overstaying OFWs.

The Philippine Embassy had been paying SR 15 (P172) daily for every OFW housed at the terminal, creating a “serious drain" on the limited resources of the Philippine Embassy in Saudi.

Malacañang gave at least P205 million to the Department of Foreign Affairs to replenish its Assistance to Nationals unit, which is used to fund the repatriations.

The DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration shouldered the plane fares of the 168 repatriates from Jeddah, the Office of the Vice President said. - VVP, GMA News

Pinay acquitted of drug charges in Italy — DFA

2011-05-19T14:55:00.000+08:00

A Filipino woman was acquitted of drug charges in Italy, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.

The woman, who was not identified by the DFA, was placed under house arrest during her seven-month trial, the DFA said, citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Rome.

The DFA said the Tribunale di Civitavecchia judge ruled in her favor, saying her statements made in courts were consistent.

The Filipino woman was arrested on October 4 last year upon her arrival at the Fiumicino Airport in Italy.

She was allegedly found to be carrying 49.50 grams of shabu hidden inside a portable DVD player.

She alleged that her fellow overseas Filipino worker (OFW) asked her to carry the appliance with her.

The DFA said the Filipino woman jailed at the Civitavecchia prison from the day of her arrest until her trial on October 18, 2010.

She was later granted house arrest for medical reasons.

The DFA said that when the Philippine Embassy in Rome learned of the woman’s case, it immediately made representations to attend hearings and provided her lawyer.

The Filipino community also provided assistance to the woman, it added.

The DFA said the Filipino Chaplaincy even launched a signature campaign attesting to her good moral character. More than 500 signatures were collected in this campaign, which were also presented to the court. - Jesse Edep, VVP, GMA News

Minimum wage for maids on workers’ hands

2011-05-19T14:42:00.000+08:00

JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO, OFW Journalism Consortium
05/18/2011 | 06:07 PM

Domestic workers may need to work harder to secure a $400-minimum salary as a Filipino community leader in Kuala Lumpur cites the Philippine government’s impotence in enforcing such wage policy.

Make Kuala Lumpur a test case, says Pilar Sangaran, adviser of the Samahang Impok Bayan (SIB) in Malaysia, reacting to a clamor for government to review the Philippines’ household service workers (HSWs) reform package.

The suggestion to review the package comes from the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC) and the government’s Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS).

Both research institutes think the HSW reform package’s minimum pay policy “is not working" after five years since the Philippine government unilaterally imposed it on labor-hosting countries in 2006.

The SMC and PIDS found that 47 percent of 224 departing domestic workers the groups surveyed expected to earn less than $400.

Nearly half of the respondents or 49 percent (109.76) said they even expect their employers to deduct something from their salary. In addition but without specifying the percentage, most were not aware of the provisions of the HSW reforms.

No amount of Philippine government pressure or diplomatic mumbo-jumbo will make foreign employers comply with the mandated minimum pay; that they will comply with the policy that Filipino domestic workers be given a starting salary of at least $400, Sangaran said.

The leader of some 400 Filipino domestic workers said the responsibility is on the shoulder of the OFW.

Ample work experience and trust with private employers overseas will give Filipino domestic workers the chance to earn minimum salaries of US$400, she added.

Sangaran refers to her experience working in Kuala Lumpur for more than five years.

Filipino domestic workers there, she says, receive $245.37, or about 750 Malaysian ringgits.

Sangaran said Filipino maids can earn as much as RM2,000 ($654.31).

She claims some earn more if the Filipino maid performs extra work like driving their employer’s children to school.

“The employer’s trust unto the Filipina is deep already".

But even if Malaysian employers do not follow the mandated minimum pay, “lower pay is better than nothing," Sangaran told the OFW Journalism Consortium, in reference to the 80,000-plus domestic workers there.

Or else Malaysians will prefer other nationals and give them lower pay, like Indonesians who are given RM500 ($163.58), which is lower than Malaysia’s minimum wage of RM800 ($261.73).

Reform

Domestic workers were the most deployed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2009 with 71,557, according to government’s Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Majority (69,669) of these HSWs are women. The top ten destination countries of HSWs are Hong Kong, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Italy, Cyprus, Singapore, Oman and Bahrain.

They were re-named as HSWs in 2006 as ordered by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. President Arroyo also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to also develop a reform package as a way to “professionalize" overseas domestic work.

Domestic workers hired must be at least 23 years old, get a minimum of $400, and not pay any placement fee.

In return, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will train departing domestic workers and issue a training certificate called “National Certificate Level II" (NC2). As well, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will subject the departing domestic workers to a language and culture orientation seminar.

According to SMC research director Maruja M. B. Asis, Filipino domestic workers receiving $400 or more “have been working [abroad] for some time, usually with the same employer."

Their survey revealed that some respondents said they chose domestic work because there’s no placement fee. About half of survey respondents said the contract had been explained to the departing Filipino domestic workers.

Sangaran thinks if Malaysians choose domestic workers from other nationalities, the question is the quality of work and English proficiency — in which the Filipinos have an edge on both compared to other nationalities from Asian labor-exporting countries.

But if the Filipina domestic worker cannot endure both the pay and the treatment of the Malaysian employer, Sangaran offers an alternative: “Go find another employer."

But Asis said the Philippine government must tread lightly if it moves to “reform" the HSW reform package.

“Should the Philippines open up the market, do away with the $400, and allow the foreign employer and the Filipino domestic worker to privately negotiate their salaries and allow for disclosure? Or, should the Philippines continue to press for the $400 as a tool for the workers’ protection overseas?"

If the latter option is chosen, the Philippines must “be very careful" of the policy’s implementation because the situation might make Filipinos go overseas through irregular channels, Asis said. — OFW Journalism Consortium

DFA to accommodate June 20 passport appointments in advance

2011-05-18T12:46:00.000+08:00

Applicants scheduled for a passport appointment on June 20 will be accommodated from June 13 to 17, the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs said Saturday.

The DFA said this is in compliance with Proclamation 154 declaring June 20 as a special non-working holiday.

It was referring to President Benigno Aquino III’s declaration that June 20 is a non-working day to mark the 150th birth anniversary of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Rizal’s birth anniversary this year, June 19, falls on a Sunday.

The DFA said those with questions can contact (632) 556-0000, (632) 737-1000 or e-mail epassport@dfa.gov.ph or passport.oca@yahoo.com. — JE, GMA News

151 repatriated Pinoys to return from KSA in 5 batches

2011-05-18T12:43:00.000+08:00

At least 151 Filipinos repatriated from Saudi Arabia are due to arrive home in five batches within this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

The DFA cited a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah that the 151 Filipinos were cleared for repatriation by the Jawazat (Saudi Directorate General for Passports).

“The consulate arranged for the flight bookings of these Filipinos, consisting of 93 men, 32 women, and 26 children," the DFA said in a news release on the government portal.

It also reported that Filipinos who had camped out next to the consulate have voluntarily returned to the Seaport Hajj Terminal facility last May 12.

Earlier, the consulate said it has assisted in the repatriation of 972 Filipinos out of the 1,160 staying at the consulate-operated Hajj Terminal facility since Jan. 24.

The consulate has also readied the next batch of women and children for admission into the deportation center.

Meanwhile, Philippine Embassy in Riyadh Charge d’Affaires Ezzedin Tago met with Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Makkah Al-Mukarramah Branch Director General Mohammad Ahmad Al-Taib at the Ministry headquarters regarding the issue of overstayers.

With Tago was Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe.

“Director General Al-Taib stated that the Saudi government ensures the rights of all expatriate workers, including Filipinos, and asked the consulate to advise anyone experiencing difficulties or has complaints against their employers to file their complaints with the concerned Saudi authorities whether the Saudi Labor Office or the Police [Civil Rights Office]," the DFA said.

Tago also pointed out the Jawazat only accepts a limited number of Filipinos each time, citing the big number of deportees inside the deportation center from different nationalities.

On representations by Tago, Al-Taib replied that the Ministry would communicate with the Jawazat to facilitate the speedy admission and processing of around 600 Filipinos who are in the Hajj Terminal into the Jeddah deportation center.

However, Al-Taib stressed that the Filipinos should have travel documents in their real identities, as well as confirmed bookings and tickets.

Al-Taib also conveyed the Saudi government’s concern regarding the Filipinos who camp out next to the consulate.

“He stressed that any public demonstrations or gatherings of such nature are strictly prohibited under Saudi laws," the DFA said.

He also requested the consulate to convey to all Filipinos staying next to the consulate to proceed to the Seaport Hajj Terminal where the consulate could process them for repatriation.

The consulate has constantly urged the Filipinos to camp out at the vacant lot beside the consulate to return to the Hajj Terminal, so as not to hamper the terminal operation. — JE, GMA News

Pinoys find happiness in world's 'happiest country'

2011-05-18T12:10:00.000+08:00

Pinoys find happiness in world's 'happiest country'

JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO, OFW Journalism Consortium
05/17/2011 | 05:30 PM

CHIA, Colombia — She found happiness in a region clutched in a drug trade.

But Filipino Maricel Piniero discovered it not in acid-laden joys but in finding Filipinos, a rarity in this Latin American country.

She blurted into Tagalog “dahil sa tuwa" (out of joy) when she saw the Filipinos who traveled 19,000 miles from Manila for a global conference at the posh Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia’s capital.

They were the first Filipinos who Piniero met after leaving the Philippine capital ten months ago. They were also the first she traded dance steps with at the lively Andres Carne de Res bar.

Piniero’s disposition proves studies on overseas migration and happiness that says people from “unhappy" countries may be motivated to migrate to a “happier" country. Vice versa, people from happy countries are said to be less motivated to move elsewhere.
A 2009 study by United States academics Linnea Polgreen and Nicole Simpson noticed a unique result: the happiest countries had increasing emigration rates, as net migration rates increase in the happiness of the destination country.

Optimism has something to do with people’s willingness to take advantage of better opportunities overseas, the two theorized, using 24-year data from the World Values Survey.

“One explanation is that migrants from happy countries are more optimistic than people in less happy countries, and people in happier countries are more optimistic about life in general and the possibilities that exist outside of their country," pharmacist Polgreen and economist Simpson wrote.

Even while insurgency prevails in Colombia and policemen are found in every street corner of the capital, surveys by the WVS Association, the Happy Planet Index by the new economics foundation, and the happiness index by the Gallup World Poll, consistently showed that Colombia is the happier country than the Philippines.

In contrast, data by the World Bank on international migration showed that the Philippines had more migrants and migrant remittances than Colombia.

Piniero’s pining

Frying pans and old wine bottles hanging on the ceiling swayed andante (moderately slow) as Latin music filled the Andres Carne de Res bar.

It was the first time Piniero went to this place, which is 30 kilometers north of Bogota.

She partied all night.

“Some of my friends here and in the Philippines love to dance, which I do, too," said Piniero, assistant professor at the Universidad de los Andes. The school, she said, is the equivalent of the Philippines’ Ateneo de Manila University.

But the happiness Piniero enjoys in Latin America’s coffee hub is not entirely because of her overseas migration, even if Polgreen and Simpson’s paper thinks that “it might be the happiest citizens who move abroad," given overseas movers’ optimism.

Human experiences in general give glee to foreigners like Piniero here: dancing, singing, watching television, eating Colombian food, and being with a person one cares about.

“I am a happy person and I make it a point that I see and experience it in every little things that I do."

Still, on her seventh month in Colombia and her sixth time to be in a Latin American country, Piniero said she can’t find any compatriot — even in Catholic churches here.

According to recent Philippine government data, less than a hundred Filipinos are scattered in Colombia.

Government estimates 24,407 Filipinos, mostly contract workers, are scattered in the total 48 countries in Latin America, which includes Central America and the Caribbean.

“The region offers a lot of things that can make a [Filipino] happy: food recipes, different fruits, Latin music and dance," said Piniero, a Philippine-trained anthropologist.

Utility

Another reason for the optimism from overseas migrant may have to do with a person’s aim for self-improvement.

Migration decisions, say Polgreen and Simpson, may see people compare their utility — i.e. talent, skills and income possibilities — “of living in the home country with the utility of living abroad".

Happiness then follows.

“If the utility of living abroad exceeds the utility of staying home net of migration costs such as distance, language, or the family left home, the [person] will move abroad. Happiness ... captures something meaningful about utility."

Not that Piniero is lonelier in the Philippines.

She admits to being homesick at times. But she has been accustomed to traveling.

Professional advancement brought her first to the United States and then to Ecuador, her first Latin American country sojourn.

After acquiring a doctorate from the University of Georgia in Atlanta, research projects in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador followed.

Tuckered out, Piniero went home to the Philippines and rested for a year until she secured a financially- and professionally-rewarding job as dissertation advisee of hers forwarded a job as assistant professor under the Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre Desarrollo.

CIDER is Universidad de los Andes’s research arm for interdisciplinary studies in development.

Piniero’s earnings alone reveal her utility as she occasionally sends money to her parents and siblings in the Philippines.

Latin America is an interesting region to be in, she told the OFW Journalism Consortium. As an anthropologist, “it is more satisfying for [me] to work in a country or culture different from our own," Piniero said.

Still, on the day that she was with compatriots who endured an over 30-hour plane ride to Colombia, Piniero and the Filipinos were more than satisfied.

And they partied all night in one of the happiest countries in the world, drug-free. — OFW Journalism Consortium

Fewer Pinoy nursing grads seeking jobs in the US

2011-05-18T12:01:00.001+08:00

The number of Filipino nursing graduates aspiring to practice their profession in the United States plummeted by almost 52% in the first quarter of 2011, according to a lawmaker.

Only 1,454 Filipino nursing graduates took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) from January-March this year compared to 3,024 graduates in the same period last year, said Rep. Arnel Ty of party-list Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association (LPGMA).

According to Ty, the number of Filipino nursing graduates taking the NCLEX for the first time indicates how many are trying to enter the profession in the US.

NCLEX is a licensure exams administered by the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing (USNCSBN).

Citing USNCSBN statistics, Ty said that in 2010, the number of Filipino nursing graduates who took the NCLEX for the first time dropped by 37 percent to 9,789 compared to 15,382 in 2009.

The statistics has prompted Ty to file a bill seeking to establish a special jobs plan for the country’s growing number of unemployed and underemployed nurses.

The jobs plan would be an expanded version of Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS), the short-lived Philippine government’s project that enlisted 10,000 nurses to improve healthcare services in the country’s 1,000 poorest municipalities, according to House Bill 4582.

Ty said nurses now comprise the country’s second-largest group of professionals following teachers. Nurses are also the nation’s biggest group of unemployed skilled workers.

“The country now has tens of thousands of nurses who are either totally jobless or performing work that has nothing to do with their specialization," Ty said.

He said the problem has been “aggravated by America’s lingering economic difficulties," which has lessened both the demand for Filipino nurses as well as their desire to seek employment in the US.

NURSE program

Last week, Health Secretary Enrique Ona urged incoming college students to avoid taking up nursing.

Ty’s bill proposes to establish the Special Program for the Employment of Nurses in Urban and Rural Services or NURSE.

The program is aimed at delivering additional public healthcare services to depressed areas of the country.

With the program, a total of 10,000 nurses would be mobilized annually to poor municipalities in the Philippines.

Each practitioner will receive a monthly stipend not lower than the amount commensurate to Salary Grade 15.

Nurses engaged under the program must not be over 35 years old and must have a valid PRC-issued registered nurse license. - VVP, GMA News

POEA: Deployment of household workers to KSA still suspended

2011-05-18T11:53:00.000+08:00

The deployment of household service workers (HSW) to Saudi Arabia will remain suspended as the Philippines still refuses to give in to the request of the Middle Eastern country to slash workers' salaries by nearly half.

Carlos Cao Jr., Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief, said both countries have failed to come up with an agreement that will lead to the possible lifting of the deployment suspension.

“The suspension stays because they wanted the $400 salary requirement that we set [to be] reduced to $210. Of course, we did not find that acceptable. We will not agree to anything lower than $400," he said.

Cao also said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz is set to meet with the Saudi labor minister on the sidelines of the upcoming International Labor Organization meeting in June, to talk about the lifting of deployment suspension.

Last March, Saudi Arabia started banning the Philippines from deploying HSW there.

The ban stemmed from the fact that the Department of Labor and Employment had imposed so many requirements for employers in Saudi Arabia to comply with. - VVP, GMA News

PHL embassy seeks clarification on KSA amnesty extension

2011-05-18T11:45:00.001+08:00

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia have sought a clarification from Saudi officials on the six-month extension of a royal pardon to expatriates who violated residency rules there.

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh referred to the Saudi Interior Ministry’s announcement last April 27 that the royal pardon was extended up to September 14, 2011.

“The Philippine Embassy immediately sent on 02 May 2011 a Note to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify the parameters of the Royal Pardon as news reports regarding the extension differed on the coverage," the embassy said in a news release posted Monday on its website.

It cited a report from news site Arab News last April 27 that the royal pardon “includes visa overstayers and people who are currently residing in the Kingdom in violation of the terms of their iqamas (work/residency permits), such as those who have absconded from their legal employment."

But an Alriyadh newspaper report on April 28 said the royal pardon will cover “overstayers who came to the Kingdom on Hajj, Umrah, or Visit Visas, whose visas expired before September 25, 2010."

The report said the Saudi Ministry of Interior called on overstayers included in the royal pardon to capitalize this opportunity by reporting to the nearest foreigner offices.

This would avoid “subjecting themselves and those persons who transport, harbor, deal with and facilitate their overstay to the maximum penalties including fines, imprisonment, vehicle confiscation, and slander by local newspapers," the ministry said. - JE, GMA News

Kin of Pinoy sailors stranded in UAE seek govt help

2011-05-18T11:39:00.000+08:00

The relatives of Filipino sailors of a South Korean ship released recently by pirates but stranded off the United Arab Emirates have sought assistance from Philippine labor officials.

The relatives brought the sailors’ plight to the attention of the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, news site Khaleej Times reported Tuesday.

“We are still waiting for the result of their meeting since our local agency [in the Philippines] was given an ultimatum to take action to end our plight or our government will step in, in order for them to take us home. We are now hoping that we will have the result in a day or two," the relatives said in a statement.

Earlier this month, a Khaleej Times report said at least one Filipino sailor of the “Samho Dream" is suffering from severe stomach pain.

The “Samho Dream" lies stricken off the Dubai coast with 26 crewmembers on board as its owners, Samho Shipping, reportedly filed for court protection to help tide over its sinking financial condition.

“He has severe stomach pain… may be due to kidney stone. We have requested through the captain for his hospitalization. But it doesn’t seem to be happening. His mother is also hospitalized in the Philippines. They are struggling to pay her hospital bills," one of the ship’s sailors said in an earlier interview.

Nineteen of some 26 sailors aboard the troubled South Korean ship are Filipinos.

The “Samho Dream" was struck by pirates in 2010 and its owners had to shell out $9 million as ransom for its release.

The Khaleej Times report said the men are braving impending hunger and failing health. The 19 Filipinos and seven Koreans are also struggling to contact their families. - JE, GMA News

HK officials allow Pinay to live with jobless Chinese husband

2011-05-18T11:30:00.000+08:00

Authorities have allowed a Filipina entry to Hong Kong to live with her jobless Chinese husband.

Hong Kong immigration officials earlier denied entry to the Filipina, Elvira Fung, saying her husband Fung Chi-man was jobless and could not support her.

Fung had been living on social assistance, according to a report on Radio-Television Hong Kong.

However, Fung filed a judicial review against the immigration department.

He argued that the refusal was discriminatory and the reason given by the immigration department did not apply to family reunifications involving mainland brides.

Fung eventually withdrew the judicial review after the immigration department agreed to grant his wife Elvira residency. - JE/VVP, GMA News

Binay: OFW deployment to pick up soon

2011-05-17T16:17:00.001+08:00

Vice president Jejomar C. Binay believes that the decline in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in conflict-stricken countries in the Middle East and North African (MENA) will soon pick up, adding that outbound OFWs can likewise seek more stable countries in the region like Qatar.

Citing Philippine Overseas Employment Administration reports, Binay said Filipino migrant workers to the MENA region declined by 15,000 in the first three months of 2011 (380,188) as compared to the same period last year (395,189)

“Patapos na ang kaguluhan sa Middle East at sa North Africa kaya naman sa tingin ko, hindi na magtatagal ang pagbaba ng deployment ng ating mga OFW," said Binay, who is also the presidential adviser on OFWs.

The series of unrest in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain spurred the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment to temporarily suspend the deployment of OFWs to these countries.

Qatar to hire thousands

Binay said OFWs from the troubled MENA region are now being re-deployed to other countries, such as Qatar which will be hosting the 2022 World Cup football event and thus needs thousands of workers in its preparations.

“Bilang paghahanda sa World Cup, mangangailangan ang Qatar ng libo-libong manggagawa at ito ay isang mahalagang oportunidad para sa ating mga kababayang OFW," he said.

In his recent visit to Qatar, Binay met with that country’s Minister of Social Affairs and Acting Labor Minister Nasser bin Abdulla Al Hamaidi, who expressed his eagerness to see a greater Filipino labor presence in his country.

Binay also learned that Qatari officials regard Filipino workers as “hardworking, disciplined, highly skilled and very professional."

“Our OFWs are well-respected and they have become excellent ambassadors of goodwill," he said. — MRT, GMA News

50 more Pinoy overstayers cleared to leave Saudi Arabia

2011-05-17T15:33:00.000+08:00

Authorities have cleared at least 150 Filipino overstayers and runaway workers to leave the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Philippine officials said.

Philippine Ambassador-designate Ezzedin Tago, the consul general in Jeddah, said around 100 Filipinos have been booked for a flight to Manila on Monday.

In an interview posted on Saudi news site Arab News on Monday, Tago said another batch of 50 men and women will leave on May 19.

Those who were cleared to leave were among those who were transferred last week to the deportation center at the King Abdulaziz International Airport from the Haj Terminal at the Jeddah Islamic Seaport, the Arab News report said.

Under a special arrangement between the Philippine Consulate and the Saudi government, Filipino overstayers may seek admission at the Haj Terminal while waiting for their exit papers to be processed.

Hundreds of Filipinos have also listed up with the consulate to avail themselves of the amnesty for overstayers and runaway workers, which the Kingdom has extended until Sept. 14.

An earlier statement from the consulate said 470 of 1,160 Filipino overstayers, runaway workers and their children who were admitted to the Haj Terminal since January have already been repatriated to the Philippines.

Around 500 more overstayers are still at the Haj Terminal, including those who had earlier set up a camp outside the consulate.

Those who have a place to stay are advised not to seek admission to the Haj Terminal to avoid overcrowding.

Use of the facilities at the terminal also costs SR15 per person per day and the Philippine Consulate shouldering the amount.

On Sunday, Tago said the consulate has been billed SR421,463 (P4.850 million) for shelter rentals at the Haj Terminal as of May 30. - VVP, GMA News

Pinoys camping outside consulate in KSA agree to return to shelter

2011-05-17T15:31:00.001+08:00

Some 300 Filipinos camping outside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the last three weeks have agreed to return the Haj Terminal, following appeals by Philippine authorities.

Most had already returned but around 50 stayed on as of Friday, news site Arab News reported Saturday.

“The consulate and the government's unfulfilled promises led us to decide to set up a camp outside the consulate building as a manifestation of our disgust and peaceful collective action," some of the stranded Filipinos said, according to a report on news site Arab News.

Figures from the Philippine consulate showed there are 1,160 stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Haj Terminal admitted since January 2011.

In 2009, 815 OFWs were repatriated through the Haj Terminal operations, while 1,429 in 2010, according to a statement issued by the consulate.

The Filipinos camped outside the consulate had hoped to force Philippine officials into speeding up procedures to get them home.

But militant OFW advocacy group Migrante Middle East said some of the Filipinos want to see their travel documents and tickets first before going back to the shelter.

“I have asked Migrante officials in Jeddah to meet the leaders of the stranded along with consulate officials this Saturday or Sunday to end their repatriation concerns once and for all," Migrante Middle East coordinator John Monterona said.

Monterona said his group estimates some 4,000 stranded and undocumented Filipinos are staying at the Haj Terminal, Bahay Kalinga and Filipino Workers Resource centers in Alkhobar and Dammam since January.

He said these do not include those who are seeking refuge from their friends and fellow OFWs who managed to get work despite their being undocumented.

“Counting the number of stranded people seeking repatriation will be a never-ending process unless the... government gets serious enough to address the root cause which is forced migration and the push to the intensified labor export program," he said.

Monterona said many of the Filipinos who ran away from their jobs did so because of inadequate protection against labor abuses, most notably delayed or nonpayment of salaries.

“If something isn't done by the Philippine government to provide better protection against labor abuses, physical and sexual, the problem with the stranded and undocumented will continue," he said. — LBG, GMA News

Spanish language diploma key to Pinoys' legal stay

2011-05-17T15:22:00.000+08:00

JEREMAIAH M. OPINIANO, OFW Journalism Consortium

BARCELONA, Spain — Paperless Filipino workers here each got pieces of paper hoping that these help them regularize their immigration status in Spain and in the country’s Catalan region.

“Good thing the passport number [in my diploma] is correct," said irregular migrant Julia (not her real name) after shaking hands with her teachers and with officials of the Church-run Centro Filipino Tuluyan San Benito that has been running thrice-a-year idioma (language) classes for 20 years.

Her diploma, printed in a white, ordinary A4 bond paper, certified that Julia finished a certain level of Spanish language instruction.

There had been increasing demands for slots in Centro Filipino’s idioma classes, says Centro president Paulita Astillero, given new regulations that a migrant cannot renew one’s residency permit without knowledge of Spanish — and, in the case of the Calatunya region where Barcelona is, Catalan.

Filipino workers receiving their diplomas in idioma (language). OFW Journalism Consortium
This diploma is one of the required documents Filipino workers submit to a nearby Oficina de Extranjeros (Foreigners Office) when irregular migrants apply for regularization, and when legal migrants renew their residence permits or seek Spanish nationality, explains Astillero.

Legal Filipino workers apply for an arraigo social by submitting:

— the language diploma;
— a criminal record certificate (certificado de antecedents penale) from either the origin country or country of work five years prior to arriving in Spain;
— the Philippine passport;
— the empadronamiento which proves they’ve lived in Spain for at least three years;
— a work contract signed by an employer and with at least one year’s work;
— the padron (residence certificate) and some papers attesting family ties with other resident foreigners.

Irregular workers who worked in Spain for at least a year, on the other hand, try to undergo a process called arraigo laboral (individual amnesty).

Apart from the language diploma, arraigo laboral applicants are also required the empadronamiento, the certificado de antecedents penale, and a proof they were not barred from entering any European Union-member country.

Since the Philippines is a former colony of Spain, they are required at least two years of legally residing in Spain should they wish to apply for Spanish nationality “by residence".

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas estimates Filipinos in Spain to number 51,268, including 4,055 irregular migrants. However, the Spain census doesn’t offer a breakdown of the number of Filipinos in Barcelona and other provinces in Spain.

Not the original intention

But handing out diplomas for Filipino workers’ documentary needs wasn’t the original intention of Centro Filipino’s language program.

Astillero said when she and Centro founder Fr. Avelino Sapida started this program in 1991, the aim was to make Filipinos feel they are at the same level as the Spanish people, especially through integration in Spanish society.

In the book titled Brick by Brick: Building Cooperation between the Philippines and Migrants’ Associations in Italy and Spain, Dr. Edelia Soler wrote that the first Filipino settlement developed after politicians, businessmen and students arrived in Madrid and Barcelona.

Later on, Filipinos working as servicemen for United States military bases in Spain added to the community.

Some of them, Soler wrote, were hired for domestic work.

Since many Filipino workers here work in restaurants and hotels as waiters and as domestic workers, learning Spanish is a means for them to defend themselves and their rights, she adds.

“We don’t want to be called a ghetto community," Astillero told the OFW Journalism Consortium, referring to the instance that Filipinos always like to be with themselves only.

The influx of many Filipino workers here, including those who passed through irregular and regular migration channels from other areas, as well as recent documentary requirements by the Spanish government, simply swelled enrolment in the idioma classes.

Classes are held at Colegio Escola Pia in Ronda San Antoni, the Church of San Agustin in Plaza San Agustin, and at Centro Filipino’s office in Carrer Reira Baja.

Over 200 of these Filipino workers, many of whom have expired documents, recently got these diplomas in graduation rites last April 9 at Colegio Escola Pia.

But while many of them have finished nivel (level) 0, Astillero notices the majority still cannot speak fluent Spanish and got stuck at basic words and phrases like me llamo (call on somebody), yo soy (I am), and como estas (how are you?).

Which is why Centro, in recent years, got Spanish teachers for the other classes so that Filipinos are “forced" to speak Spanish.

Filipino and Spanish teachers of these 40-hour, twice-a-week classes are all volunteers: eight Filipinos taught nivel 0 Spanish, three Spanish volunteers for basico 1, one Spaniard for basico 2, and one Spaniard for Catalan (a mix of Spanish, French and Italian that’s spoken in Spain’s Catalan region) for the January to April 2011 batch.

For his part, Fr. Sapida said tongue-tied Filipino workers are like “dead people" given their inability to speak Spanish and then Catalan.

If you learn the language," Sapida adds, “then you can assert yourself and employers won’t bully you anymore." — OFW Journalism Consortium

Internet image of Pinays hooks Japanese

2011-05-17T14:48:00.000+08:00

RUBEN JEFFREY G. ASUNCION, OFW Journalism

The image of Filipino women over the Internet as “good wives" may have inspired many Japanese to marry Filipinas and caused the further spike in the number of interracial marriages despite restrictive visa rules in Japan.

“There are no concrete [pieces of] evidence pointing to why there are more Filipinas marrying foreigners than Filipino males. However, we believe at CFO that the way Filipinas are portrayed as ‘good wives’ over the internet also encourage foreigners to look for Filipinas as brides," Regina Galias of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas told the OFW Journalism Consortium in an email.

This may also explain the counter-cyclical trend of Filipino-Japanese marriages as government data shows a dip in foreign marriages involving Philippine citizens: about 0.8 percent less from the 8,365 official records in 2006.

Figures from the document titled Foreign Marriages of Filipinos: 2007 and released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) also support earlier data in 2004 on the predominance of interracial marriage in foreign matrimonies.

The NSO said that interracial marriages, which are contracted between a Filipino and a foreigner, make up most of the foreign marriages involving Filipinos abroad.

Defined as matrimonies “solemnized abroad," foreign marriages have declined for the two years appraised by the NSO.

The NSO document, nonetheless, showed that about four out of every ten interracial marriages were between Filipino women and Japanese grooms.

This meant that 2,916 of the total 5,689 interracial marriages recorded in 2007 were contracted between Filipina brides and Japanese men.

While very small figures were recorded for Filipino grooms married to female foreigners, with 152 marriages recorded for 2007, the NSO reported that more than half of these marriages were contracted with Japanese brides.

A similar trend was also observed in 2004, when the NSO revealed that 2,433 marriages had involved Filipinas and Japanese grooms.

They represent 38.1 percent of the 4,652 interracial marriages recorded for that year, the 35th anniversary of the Internet.

Webbed links

Born in 1969 at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of California, Los Angeles, the Internet ushered a new form of communication that changed human interaction, among others.

Set in the context of mail-order brides, an inherent feature of the migration phenomenon, the Internet has become “the most common means of matching people for marriage and companionship," Federico V. Magdalena of the University of Hawaii at Manoa said in his seminal paper.

“There is reason to believe that the Internet has been conveniently used as a medium to pander Filipino ladies to foreign men. On the Internet, these Filipinas are ‘exoticized’ and ‘commodified’ beyond wildest imagination, making them among the most popular mail-order brides in the world today who line up by the thousands," Magdalena said in a roundtable discussion on “Issues in the Filipino Diaspora," in Cebu City in 2005.

Magdalena, who was also a lecturer at the Institute for Peace at the time of his paper presentation, added that there’s also a twist since “most of these ladies are willing participants in the globalized exchange of warm bodies that have now become a popular source of the Filipino diaspora."

CFO’s Galias also thinks along the line, saying that Filipinos marry foreign partners also because of the latter’s attractive physical attributes.

The ability of the foreign partner to provide for the needs of their future families is also a factor in the matrimony, she added.

“The Filipinos were referred to these partners by their friends and family. Maybe the Filipinos simply love their partners."

According to Galias, who is CFO’s division chief for Migrant Integration and Education, the commission made these observations based from the counseling sessions it had with the spouses of the foreigners.

While admitting that there are no specific details explaining why more Filipinas marry foreigners than Filipinos, Galias hypothesized that online communication and Internet advertisements may help account for this situation.

Numbers game

The NSO also found out that couples who are involved in foreign marriages usually prefer to marry in June, a trend which was observed both in 2004 and 2007.

The census office also noted that 2004 and 2007 data consistently show that most of the grooms and brides were single when they got married through foreign marriages. However, the number of single groom and brides engaged in foreign marriages decline beyond the age of 30, the office added.

In addition, the median age for both bride and groom foreign marriage remain older than those in local matrimonies.

In 2007, the median age for grooms was 36.4 years old while those of brides was 29.8 years old. In terms of modal groups, the NSO said that foreign marriages usually occur between the ages of 25-29 for Filipina brides and for foreign grooms.

In contrast, the modal group for local marriages was at 25-29 for grooms in local and foreign marriages even as the modal group for brides in local marriages stands at 20-24 years old, the office added.

In 2004, the NSO recorded that the median age of brides in foreign marriages was 31 years old while 37 years old was the median age for grooms who are engaged in foreign marriages. In terms of modal age groups, the NSO noted that in 2004, three out of every ten brides tend to marry during the 25-29 age bracket, while 20% of grooms tend to marry during the 30-34 age bracket.

While these figures were true for 2005-2008, these were not necessarily true for all countries.

For instance, in South Korea, the average ages of Filipinas marrying Korean men were between 22 and 25, Galias said.

According to the NSO, the data gathered for foreign and interracial marriages were recorded between January 2007 and March 2008 based from marriages registered in Philippine Foreign Services Establishments-such as embassies and consulates.

Fall-out fails

To note, the document was released by the NSO on March 11, the same day a magnitude-8.9 earthquake hit northern Japan.

News reports cited Japanese spouses of Filipino women decided to stay in their country despite the threat of a nuclear fall-out as the earthquake triggered weak safeguards of nuclear plants in Fukushima.

The NSO data showed that Japan remained the leading place where foreign marriages occur.

Four out of seven matrimonies were held there in 2007. Smaller figures and percentages were recorded for the United States, United Arab Emirates, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and Italy.

Government estimates that in 2007, Japan hosted around 38,000 temporary migrants, more than 133,000 permanent migrants and 30,0000 undocumented migrant Filipinos.

CFO data showed that the 108,245 Filipino spouses either engaged or married to Japanese nationals are almost 30 percent of the total for the category “Number of Filipino Spouses and Other Partners of Foreign Nationals by Major Country."

For this category, the number of Filipinos who are either spouses or couples of Americans, registered from 1989 until 2009, account for four-tenths of the total.

But the document also showed that, apart from Japanese and Americans, Filipinos also tend to become spouses or partners of Australians, Canadians and Germans.

Galias added that the number of Filipina-Japanese marriages increased since 2005 after the Japanese government became more strict in the issuance of entertainer visas.

Filipino women, many of whom were overseas performing artists, decided to wed their Japanese partners once the visa limitations were in place, Galias added.

In addition, Galias explained that the decrease in foreign marriages in 2007 “can be attributed" to visa retrogression, although there is no specific factor which clearly account for such decline.

In 2007, interracial marriages made up almost seven out of ten (68.5 percent) of the 8,300 foreign marriages contracted by Filipinos. — with reports from Isagani de la Paz, OFW Journalism Consortium

Pinoy on China death row hopes for commutation of sentence

2011-05-17T14:42:00.001+08:00

MALU CADELIÑA MANAR, GMA News

KIDAPAWAN CITY — An overseas Filipino worker jailed in China for drug trafficking has expressed the hope that his death sentence would be commuted to a 15-year jail term.

In a letter to Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco, Richard Bianan — who has been incarcerated since 2008 — said the Chinese court might commute his death sentence and lower his years in detention for “showing good behavior."

Bianan also said he was glad upon learning that the Cotabato government is making inquiries into his case. “Upon hearing the news, I and other Filipinos [here] rejoiced, for we see a glittering hope to our hopeless situation here."

Bianan’s letter reached the congresswoman’s office on May 12.

Attached in Bianan’s letter were some documents from Pu Tian City Men’s Prison Administration Foreign Group Unit, including the criminal order from the Higher Peoples’ Court of Fujian Province of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

The Fujian Province court found Bianan guilty of drug smuggling.

Heroin capsules

In July 2008, authorities extracted from Bianan’s body 91 oval capsules filled with heroin. The amount of the prohibited drug found on Bianan weighed 1,009.3 grams.

The court said the quantity of drug smuggled to China was “so large" that a death penalty had to be imposed. However, Bianan showed good behavior inside his prison cell, allowing the court to grant him a two-year reprieve.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr., in a letter to Catamco dated May 5, said the death sentence with two-year reprieve imposed on Bianan means that his sentence has been suspended for two years.

Bianan’s sentence could then be commuted to life imprisonment should he continue showing good behavior inside the prison cell.

Conejos said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already made necessary representations with Chinese authorities regarding Bianan’s request to lower his sentence to fixed-term imprisonment, instead of life imprisonment.

“The DFA is still awaiting the feedback of the Chinese authorities on the matter. The Philippine Consulate opined that since the two-year suspension period of his sentence has yet to expire, the Chinese authorities might not be able to give concrete responses to the representations," Conejos said.

“Mr. Bianan is reminded to do his part in making the government’s representations feasible by showing good behavior, avoiding committing another offense in prison, and getting along well with jail guards and inmates while serving his sentence," he added. — AY/JE/VS, GMA News

The Workers Creates the Wealth of the Society!

2011-05-12T14:45:00.000+08:00

We Deserve Better!

The Regional Wage Board’s decision of giving NCR workers a 22 pesos non-wage benefit is unacceptable and considered an insult to all non-agricultural workers. The additional Php 22 was too little to make any economic impact for the workers because it was given way too late when prices of basic commodities and transportation fares were already increased. We can say that the adjustment is really not an adjustment to help but a mere pampalubag loob (consolation). Pnoy made an announcement before May 1, International Labor Day, that he has good news for the workers. But instead of making good of his promise to help alleviate a little the economic condition of the workers, he failed the expectations of the Filipino working class for the nth time. This decision and the inability of Pnoy to act in favor of the majority, made it clear that Pnoy’s bosses are not the ordinary people but the elites.

The Php 22 is not a wage increase which the workers are asking. It is way below the Php 125 or the Php 75 that the workers are asking, and is too little for a Living Wage needed by a worker to live a decent life. The Php 22 that will be added to the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) will not be subject to over time and night differential and 13th month pay computations, making the Board’s decision more favorable to employers than the workers who badly need a salary increase.

This decision is a manifestation that the ruling elite of this country is highly favored by this government. The Private Partnership Program (PPP) of Pnoy is in full motion to the detriment of the working class. All those who will benefit from this shenanigan are the capitalists who are cashing in on the government’s inability to protect the interest of the working class who produces the wealth of the society.

The Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Laboring Masses) calls on Pnoy to do something for a change, to do something to benefit the ordinary Filipino, especially the Working Class. What he needs is a political will to put forward policies that will benefit the poor majority of the society. What the workers are asking is a Php 125 salary increase, the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law, and the cancellation of EVAT for basic commodities! And we will not settle for anything less!

Sonny Melencio
Chairman - Partido Lakas ng Masa
11 May 2011

Desperate efforts to sneak out of Philippines

2011-05-12T12:39:00.000+08:00

by Mynardo Macaraig, Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines - Six women dressed as nuns stood anxiously in a queue at Manila's chaotic international airport, unaware their shoes were about to end their dreams of an illegal job abroad.

At the immigration counter, an official looked up after stamping a genuine traveller's passport and surveyed the women.

"People were wondering, if they were nuns then why was one nun in rubber shoes and another in red shoes," said airport immigration chief Lina Andaman Pelia.

"And all six just had one bag. You could tell they weren't real."

Under questioning, the "nuns" admitted they were not heading to a religious seminar in Hong Kong as claimed, rather to Lebanon to work illegally as maids.

And so -- just like thousands of desperate Filipinos before them who have tried to use a dizzying array of tricks in an effort to head overseas for a higher paying job -- their journey was over before it had begun.

Deep poverty in the Philippines has for decades driven Filipinos abroad and about nine million -- or 10 percent of the population -- currently work legally and illegally in a wide range of jobs overseas, according to government data.

While the Philippine government allows its citizens to work overseas, it requires them to have guaranteed labor contracts and to register with state-approved recruiters.

The government says these measures are needed because Filipinos who go abroad can easily be exploited in many ways and, at worst, be forced into crime or prostitution.

Sometimes the country they want to work in has been blacklisted completely, such as was the case with the fake nuns, with the Philippines banning people from working in Lebanon in 2007 due to security and labor concerns there.

But many Filipinos seek to circumvent these rules, with illegal recruiters often setting up the scams.

"We have economic problems in this country and sad to say, they become willing victims," Pelia said, referring to the Filipinos who sneak overseas to work illegally.

Pelia said many prospective illegal workers simply presented themselves at airports as tourists, and it was up to the immigration officials to determine their real motive for travelling overseas.

At the immigration desk, staff look for signs to distinguish the illegal workers from legitimate tourists.

Pelia said the give-away could be a bare passport indicating the person had not travelled abroad before, or a plan to "holiday" in areas of the Middle East not normally known to attract Filipino tourists.

She said illegal workers were sometimes caught out by being unable to answer the simplest of questions, such as: "Where are you going?" or: "Who is providing for your tour?".

But on other occasions, they put more thought into their ruse.

Pelia said the government now coordinated with sports bodies to verify which athletes were heading overseas, after some workers made it to Japan by claiming to be volleyballers bound for an Asian Games there in the 1990s.

Immigration officials are also constantly on the lookout for Filipinas seeking to head abroad for work as prostitutes who travel with fake boyfriends, Pelia said.

"Carlos", a 35-year-old laborer, said he beat the system three years ago when he entered Japan to escort his mother on a vacation there.

When his mother returned home two months later, Carlos did not come back.

Instead, under a plan hatched by his family, he was sheltered by his sister, who already had permanent residency in Japan.

"We were always terrified that Japanese immigration would track me down to her house and burst in at any time. But they never came," said Carlos, who spoke to AFP by telephone on condition his real name was not used.

Carlos said his sister helped him find a job as a construction worker in Japan, and he now earns the equivalent of about 26,000 Philippine pesos ($600) a month, three times what he could earn at home.

The problem of Filipinos being exploited saw the US State Department place the Philippines on its "tier 2 watchlist" for human trafficking in 2009.

This meant the US government believed the Philippines was failing to comply with "minimum standards" on stopping human traffickers.

The government says it has since sought to tackle the problem more seriously.

About 25,000 would-be illegal workers have been stopped from leaving the Philippines since a crackdown began in August last year, according to Chrissy Avila, a lawyer with the government's anti-trafficking task force.

And 28 traffickers have been convicted since the start of last year, with some of them being sentenced to life in jail, according to the task force.

But Avila said the prospective workers, who are not punished if caught, often remain determined to try again because of the deep social problems and poverty at home.

"What they have in mind is that they are going abroad to have a better future, to earn dollars. They don't mind the fact that they might be victims of illegal trafficking," she said.

DFA: Repatriation of overstaying OFWs in Jeddah 'endangered'

2011-05-12T12:30:00.000+08:00

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the repatriation of overstaying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is in "full swing" but is "endangered" because of the Filipinos camping out at a lot near the Philippine Consulate.

In a statement, the DFA said the special arrangement for the repatriation of OFWs may be endangered because of the Filipinos camping out near the consulate.

About 200 Filipinos had camped in the vacant lot beside the Consulate on April 25 but the number eventually decreased to about 50 as of May 5.

"The presence of this group is delaying the transfer of the Filipinos at the Hajj Terminal to the Deportation Center, and may lead to the rebooking or cancellation of their flight and the expiry of their travel documents," the DFA said.

The Consulate has urged the Filipinos camped at the vacant lot to return to the Hajj Terminal to avoid hampering the terminal operations.

Special arrangement

The DFA said the Hajj Terminal operations is a special arrangement made by the Philippine government with Saudi authorities for the repatriation of overstaying Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.

"(It) started in September 2009 after representations by the Consulate with the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the approval of the Office of the Emir of Makkah to address the cases of Filipinos staying under the Sitteen Khandara overpass in hope of an expedited deportation proceeding," the DFA said.

Under the arrangement, the Filipinos to be repatriated are brought to and are sheltered at the Hajj Terminal while waiting for their tickets and the processing of their exit papers.

The use of the facilities at the Hajj Terminal are paid by the Consulate at SR15 (P171) a day per person.

The arrangement with the Saudi authorities for the Hajj Terminal is as follows:

•Filipinos who overstayed in Saudi and who would like to go home are asked to register at the Consulate. Individuals who are out of status are violating local laws and face deportation proceedings before they can return home.

•Filipinos at the Terminal who have a confirmed ticket and a valid travel document provided by the Consulate are taken by the Saudi Jawazat (immigration authorities) to the Deportation Center where they will undergo investigation, have their exit visas processed and stamped and wait for their flight to the Philippines. The Consulate makes representations with the Jawazat for their admission, but it is the Jawazat authorities that decide how many and when to fetch them.

•Filipinos seeking deportation and can provide their own tickets are assisted by the Consulate and Saudi immigration authorities, but there are no guarantee that they will be the given priority in the deportation proceeding.

Arrangement may be stopped

However, the DFA said the special arrangement may be stopped because of Filipinos who camped out in a lot adjacent to the Consulate.

“Unfortunately, this special arrangement may be stopped as the Saudi authorities stated that they would only resume admission of overstayers once Filipinos who have camped out in a lot adjacent to the Consulate return to the Hajj Terminal," the Consulate said in a news release.

Last February, Saudi immigration authorities stated they no longer make any pick-up at any point other than the Hajj Terminal.

As of May 8, the DFA said the Consulate had helped repatriate 972 of the 1,160 Filipinos camped out at the Consulate-operated Hajj Terminal facility since January 24.

The DFA said the last persons to be fetched by the authorities from the facility included 100 females and 47 minors on May 6, and 67 males on May 8.

"The Consulate has made flight bookings for the next 200 Filipino overstayers to be repatriated in the coming weeks. The remaining 300 will follow anytime soon," the DFA said in a news release on the government portal.

100 Filipino deportees

According to the DFA, on the average, Saudi immigration authorities take in to their Deportation Center and process only 100 Filipino deportees at a time because there are also other nationalities who are seeking deportation.

There are also constraints in securing airline flights. Most airlines accept only 50 deportees per flight during the peak season but this number is increased during the non-peak season.

Most airlines also allow only a maximum of five infants per flight, whether peak or non-peak season.

Repatriation

The DFA said the last persons to be fetched by the authorities from the facility included:

•100 females and 47 minors on May 6, and

•67 males on May 8.

"The Consulate has made flight bookings for the next 200 Filipino overstayers to be repatriated in the coming weeks. The remaining 300 will follow anytime soon," the DFA said in a news release on the government portal .

As of May 8, the DFA said the Consulate had helped repatriate 972 of 1,160 Filipinos camped out at the Consulate-operated Hajj Terminal facility since Jan. 24.

Some 815 Filipinos were repatriated in 2009, and 1,429 in 2010.

These do not include other Filipinos who were assisted by the Consulate through the regular Saudi deportation and repatriation procedures. - VVP, GMA News

DFA: PHL govt assisting 3 Pinoys with drug cases in Dubai

2011-05-12T12:22:00.000+08:00

KARLITOS BRIAN DECENA, GMA News

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine government is assisting the
three Filipinos who were detained in Dubai in the United Arba Emirates (UAE) last year for possession of illegal drugs.

In a statement released by the DFA, Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano said they hired a competent Bahraini lawyer to represent Rhoda Guisinga, Jackie Lou Jabate and Crizelda Empleo in their second court hearing on Tuesday.

Dubai police arrested Guisinga in a mall on November last year after she was found holding a plastic bag that allegedly contained illegal drugs.

Guisinga claimed that the drugs came from an Egyptian whom she met.

Jabate and Empleo, who were then waiting for Guisinga, were also apprehended by the police.

The consulate said they are providing all the help they can give to the three Filipinos, who are holding only visitor visas. - VVP, GMA News

New Japanese envoy vows to continue boosting peace process

2011-05-09T14:54:00.000+08:00

Saying his arrival has an air of "destiny," Japan's new ambassador to the Philippines reassured Filipinos of his commitment to boost the peace process in Mindanao.

In his arrival statement last Wednesday, new Japanese envoy Toshinao Urabe said it is both his duty and his joy to further develop closer ties between the Philippines and Japan.

"My mission is to develop this strategic partnership. Indeed, I consider myself extremely lucky to be the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines because it is a joy as well as my duty to develop this win-win relationship between my two home countries," he said.

The new envoy said Japan's commitment to assist economic and social development of the Philippines is constant.

Japan and the Philippines are geographically close island countries and share similar values such as democracy and free market principles, he said.

Apart from being the largest donor of official development assistance to the Philippines, Japan is now observing the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement to enhance closer trade and investment relations.

"Our political dialogue is also intensifying and Japan is trying hard to facilitate the peace process in Mindanao," he added.

Forever grateful

In 1954, Urabe attended kindergarten at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School in Manila at age 4.

At the time, he said anti-Japan sentiments were still quite raw but the Filipinos received him warmly. "My parents were forever grateful," he added.

According to Urabe, his late father went to the Philippines in 1969 and served as Japanese Ambassador until 1974.

"Mahal ko ang Pilipinas! In fact, today is his birthday. I cannot help myself sensing destiny being here," he said.

Meanwhile, Urabe expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the warm sympathies and support extended by the government and the people of the Philippines.

"For the people of Japan facing the aftermath of the [March 11] disaster, such heartwarming encouragement is very much appreciated. A friend in need is a friend indeed," he said. — JE, GMA News

Intl group: Over 100 Filipinos 'stranded' in Libya awaiting repatriation05/05/2011

2011-05-09T14:38:00.000+08:00

Over 100 Filipinos who are stranded in Misrata, Libya are awaiting repatriation, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The IOM, in a news release posted on its website on Thursday (Manila time), said the batch stuck in Misrata includes women and children.

"IOM has been made aware of 109 Filipinos in Misrata, including women and children who also need to be evacuated but the Organization has not been able to establish contact with the group," it said.

No other details on the Filipinos were mentioned.

Stranded migrants

According to IOM, it transferred some 800 people, including stranded migrants and up to 50 wounded civilians, from Misrata despite shelling and shooting in the port vicinity.

IOM chartered a boat, the "Red Star One," to transport the people, over 20 journalists and some doctors, out of Misrata.

"Heavy shelling of Misrata in addition to mines having been laid had prevented the IOM boat from docking for five days. The fighting had forced at least 1,000 migrants who had been waiting at the port to be evacuated to flee the area," the IOM said.

The IOM said some 180 tons of humanitarian aid — food, non-food and medical supplies — had been offloaded before the boat departed for Benghazi.

"This is the sixth life-saving rescue mission to Misrata successfully carried out by IOM since early April. In that time, the Organization has delivered almost 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the besieged city and safely brought back to Benghazi about 6,000 stranded migrants, wounded civilians and their families," the IOM said.

IOM’s humanitarian evacuation program out of Misrata is funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civilian Protection Office (ECHO), Britain's Department for International Development (DFID), Germany, Ireland and Australia. - VVP, GMA News

PHL Embassy in Tokyo to process only online ePassport requests starting June

2011-05-09T14:32:00.000+08:00

Applicants will get a confirmation email with the application number and date and time of their personal appearance, the Embassy said.

"Only those with Application Numbers and confirmed schedules for Personal Appearance will be processed ... Applicants who fail to appear on their appointed schedules will have to file a new application," it said in an announcement on its website.

It also said the online ePassport request and appointment system is not applicable to lost and mutilated passport applications.

A separate information page said the service is offered only to Filipinos living in Japan whose area of domicile falls under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, "seeking to apply a passport for the first time (i.e. babies born in Japan), or intending to renew a regular passport with no discrepancies."

Requirements

Applicants will need a working computer with Internet access, with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher; or Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher; and a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader or FoxIt Reader to view and print the application form.

They will also need a valid and working email address to receive system-generated messages with file attachments; and a printer with A4-size paper to print the application forms.

On the appointment date, applicants are to bring the necessary documents for passport processing and a self-addressed LetterPack 500 envelope.

"There is no need to submit a passport photo as your photo will be captured live, along with your digital signature and fingerprints when you are called in the processing room," it said.

All passports are produced and printed only in Manila. The approximate turnover time from date of payment to arrival of passport is about six weeks or 45 days.

"The Passport Unit of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo will send you your new passport via postal mail using your self-addressed LetterPack 500 envelope as soon as your passport arrives from Manila," the embassy said. — LBG, GMA News

Pinoy jailed in Iran for drugs gets embassy help

2011-05-09T14:21:00.001+08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino convicted by an Iranian court for drug possession is getting assistance from the Philippine embassy in Tehran, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

The DFA said contrary to reports, the embassy has been helping Aquino before and during his trial.

Aquino was represented by a legal counsel, while embassy officials attended the court proceedings, the department added.

“The embassy also made representations and coordination with Iranian authorities in assisting Mr. Aquino in his case,” the DFA said in a press statement.

Aquino, 26, was arrested in September 2009 at the Shiraz Airport on his way out of Iran and was found to have in his possession 5 kilos of compressed heroin, which is punishable by the death penalty.

He denied having knowledge of the content of the bag and claimed that a Nigerian friend of his asked him to pick up the bag at Toos Hotel in Mashad to be brought to the Philippines.

Aquino was convicted by the court of Shiraz in Iran in December of the same year. The court imposed on him a reduced penalty of 15 years in jail rather than life imprisonment.

The court said Aquino did not distribute the drugs, he was a mere visitor in Iran, and he may have been deceived.

“The embassy will continue to make representations for the further commutation of Mr. Aquino’s jail sentence,” the DFA said

Drug syndicates eye foreign exchange students as mules

2011-05-09T14:12:00.000+08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said syndicates are now grooming foreign exchange students to become their drug mules.

In a statement, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose Gutierrez Jr. said this indicates a shifting trend in the recruitment process for drug couriers.

He said syndicates are luring more Asians, notably exchange students coming from Korea, as prospective drug couriers. He added that these syndicates prey on young people, because they are inexperienced and naive.

This came on the back of the arrest of 2 members of the African Drug Syndicate last week.

Samuel Egbo y Chukwueloka, a Nigerian, and his Korean girlfriend named Yunji Choi were arrested after selling half a kilogram of cocaine worth P2.5 million to an undercover PDEA agent.

Choi said she met Egbo at a university in Manila last year. She said she has since traveled frequently in and out of the country.

Three Filipinos were executed in China last March, after being convicted of drug trafficking charges.

DFA: No Filipino caught in crossfire in Syria

2011-05-09T13:48:00.001+08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Embassy in Damascus said there are no Filipinos caught in the crossfire during protest actions there.

“The Embassy contacted its area coordinators, its volunteers from the Filipino community and other sources in Syria to verify the report. These sources all informed the Embassy that no such incident happened,” Philippine Ambassador to Syria Wifredo Cuyugan said.

He is referring to news reports that 2 Filipino household service workers supposedly died during a protest action last April 29. The 2 were supposedly hit by a stray bullet.

“In addition, there are inconsistencies in the alleged report. There were no demonstrations in Damascus on April 29. Damascus and its neighboring governorates suffered its worst hailstorms that day—therefore, no significant protests took place in the capital or anywhere near it,” he stated.

He also said employers immediately inform embassies in case of any untoward incidents.

Last April 26, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) declared a crisis alert level 2 in Syria in light of the continuing political tensions.

There are around 17,000 Filipinos in Syria.
Other Headlines
•Damascus suburb is new centre of defiance to Assad
•Demos across Syria after foiled Damascus rally
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Pinoy workers in Taiwan want labor rights

2011-05-03T14:02:00.001+08:00

Three months after a deportation row posed a threat to their jobs, Filipino workers in Taiwan joined rallies on Labor Day to air their woes against the Taiwanese government, a news report said Monday night.

In a report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Filipino and Filipino-Taiwanese workers lamented that Taipei’s labor laws do not protect them at all.

“Despite some improvements, those who work as home caretakers, many of whom are from the Philippines, are still being exploited and receive unfair treatment," said Migrante-Taiwan chairperson David Chang in the news report.

Earlier this year, Taiwan created stricter application rules for migrant workers after the Philippines deported 14 of their nationals to mainland China.

The issue had since been resolved after the Philippine government replaced key immigration officials who were deemed responsible for mishandling the deportation.

Chang said migrant caretakers in Taiwan have to go through a broker system that collects most of their monthly earnings, demands long work hours without overtime pay, and offers no days off. He added that some caretakers have to work for 24 hours a day.

The chairperson said that both Taiwanese political parties — the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) — have yet to address the issue. “[KMT] at least has been more willing to have dialogue with us," he added.

Not covered by labor law

Home caretakers typically receive monthly salaries much lower than the standard set by the government because they are not covered by Taiwan's Labor Standards Act, he said. The minimum wage in Taiwan is NT$17,880 (P26, 675) but most caretakers only receive NT$15,840 (P23,632).

In addition, Chang said that 99 percent of workers' passports are seized by their employers or brokerage agencies so they would not be able to leave Taiwan.

Another Filipino group that voiced out their concerns was that of overseas Taiwanese who grew up in other countries and are not considered full-fledged citizens.

The group members possess Republic of China (ROC) passports but do not carry the identification cards that most Taiwanese are issued — the prerequisite to registering for national labor and health insurance.

Members of the Concern Alliance for Filipino Chinese (CAFC) showed up on Sunday with signs bearing slogans such as “stateless," to display their dissatisfaction. The same report said the Taiwan government has denied this group the identification cards since 1991 when it issued tighter border controls.

Upon moving to Taiwan, they are required to stay for six years even before they are allowed to apply for permanent residency and given access to public insurance programs. They are considered "ROC nationals without citizenship."

"I don't think you can legitimately explain what a 'national without citizenship' is. It is ridiculous," said Scalabrini International Migration Network Taiwan chief executive officer and CAFC Consultant Lorna Kung.

A January report by Control Yuan, the agency which "has the powers of impeachment, censure and audit" in Taipei indicated that of 60,000 ROC nationals without citizenship, more than 2,000 are Filipino-Taiwanese. Of the 2,000, 800 Filipino-Taiwanese are part of CAFC.

A national panel on human rights was recommended by the report to tackle the issue. — With Bea Cupin/PE/VS, GMA News

Undocumented OFWs face tighter screening in UAE

2011-05-03T13:25:00.000+08:00

Filipinos who leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to come home to the Philippines may be barred from taking their flights back to UAE if they lack the proper employment documents.

The Filipino workers who went to UAE using a visit visa and later found employment have the burden to show employment papers, Gulf News XPress reported.

The report quoted a Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) official in Dubai as saying “It is the (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) that requires the documents to those applicants/OFWs who left the Philippines with undocumented status - meaning departed the Philippines on visit visa and after sometime found employment in the UAE."

The POLO official said the stricter rules will apply to those who went home without obtaining an overseas employment certificate (OEC) in Dubai.

An OEC costs Dh10 (P116.83) and exempts Filipino overseas workers from paying travel tax of Dh160 (P1,869).

It is also used by Manila to ensure their workers abroad are documented and insured.

The OEC can be obtained by personally appearing before the POLO office and presenting a proof of employment and a valid residence visa.

The nannies applying for an OEC must present a contract stating their monthly salary as $400 (about P17,174).

OEC applicants in Dubai must pay membership and insurance cover with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and must sign up with Pag-IBIG.

Filipino workers who go home on vacation but failed to obtain an OEC from Dubai are asked to produce an employment letter from their human resource department and an original labor contract.

They may also be asked to produce copies of passport, UAE residence, UAE Labor Card and the company’s commercial license.

These must be authenticated by the Polo against a Dh40 (P467) fee, the official said. - VVP GMA News

Pinay 'drug mule' in Thailand ineligible for pardon

2011-05-03T13:22:00.000+08:00

A Filipina sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand is not eligible to seek royal pardon from the King of Thailand, as she has appealed her case before the Thai appellate court.

The Philippine Embassy in Thailand relayed this to the Bacolod City council, adding Filipina Flory May Talaban, 28, cannot avail of a Philippine-Thailand agreement allowing the transfer of prisoners at this time.

Talaban, 28, of Bacolod City, is now imprisoned in the Ngam Wong Wan Central Women's Institution for alleged illegal drug possession, news site Visayan Daily Star reported Friday.

Edgar Badajos, Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Thailand, said Talaban is ineligible to apply for royal pardon because the guidelines issued by the Thai Department of Corrections states that “a prisoner may submit a petition for royal pardon only after he or she finished all court proceedings [including appeal]."

Bajados addressed the letter to City Council secretary Nilo Alejandrino, in response to a resolution by Councilor Caesar Distrito seeking assistance for Talaban.

Prison transfer to PHL

Also, Bajados said Talaban is barred from applying for prison transfer under the Transfer of Sentence Agreement between the Philippines and Thailand.

He said one of the criteria for applying for transfer is that the judgment must be final and no other legal proceedings related to the offense or any other offense is pending in any court in Thailand.

If Talaban wishes to apply for transfer, she has to either drop her appeal or wait until after the court process has been completely exhausted and the decision becomes final and executory, Bajados said.

Meanwhile, Badajos said the Philippine Embassy in Thailand will consult with Talaban's parents on what legal option they wish to take for their daughter.

He also assured they will support whatever decision the family will make. — JE/LBG, GMA News

DOJ outlines advisory points on drug mules

2011-05-03T13:20:00.000+08:00

A month after three Filipinos were executed in China for drug trafficking, the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Philippines has issued an advisory opinion on illegal drug couriers.

In a six-page advisory opinion issued last Friday, April 29, Justice Sec. Leila de Lima said the advisory opinion “seeks to explain to the public the issues surrounding the recruitment, arrest, detention and conviction in foreign countries of Filipinos who are caught transporting illegal drugs."

The opinion outlined 10 advisory points:

•Carry at your own risk.

•Knowledge is immaterial and intent is not a requirement in drug trafficking.

•Be vigilant of the modus operandi of drug courier syndicates.

•In the unfortunate event of arrest or detention for drug trafficking, have presence of mind and do not resist arrest.

•Assert your legal rights, inquire on the legal remedies and request for consular assistance.

•Presumption of innocence will always apply.

•The laws of country of arrest apply.

•If sentenced, the government can only be of limited assistance.

•"Blood money" cannot be paid to erase the liability of a person convicted of a crime involving illegal drugs.

•Take full responsibility of your actions.
Last March 30, China implemented the death sentences meted out on Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Elizabeth Batain, and Ramon Credo, who were convicted of drug trafficking there. The three served as illegal drug couriers and were separately arrested and detained in China in 2008.

Villanueva's family has filed a complaint with the DOJ against Tita Cacayan, the alleged recruiter who gave Villanueva the suitcase containing heroin. Villanueva’s family said Sally was unaware that she was bringing illegal drugs to China.

But in her opinion, De Lima said in drug trafficking, mere possession is punishable and that lack of knowledge and intent does not exonerate one from being punished for drug trafficking.

“It is not a valid legal defense that the possessor or carrier of a package did not know that it contains illegal drugs or that he had no intention to commit a crime," said De Lima.

She also advised Filipinos who plan to work overseas to be wary of recruiters who require them to bring something to their destination.

“Always be on-guard when dealing with strangers even at last minute check-in who request help for overweight check-in luggage for payment of the charges and a premium," she said.

“The best course of action is to refuse to carry any package that you have not personally packed or checked. This is the only way to save your life," she added.

In the event that a Filipino is nabbed for drug trafficking, De Lima underscored that the suspect must invoke his legal rights and remedies “to ensure that you are adequately protected."

“The right to counsel is available to detained persons in many jurisdictions. If you are not allowed to have a lawyer at that stage, firmly but respectfully ask at what point during the process can you be assisted by counsel. Abuse during detention can be prevented if your interrogators realize that you are aware of your rights," she said.

De Lima likewise said that the Philippine government can only offer limited assistance to arrested persons.

“The government cannot interfere in the internal affairs of other countries like the trial of criminals in their jurisdiction. The best the government can do for you is to assist in protecting your rights and arranging your legal defense. Outside of this, the government cannot insist that you be given a different treatment than that which the laws of other countries provide," she said. - KBK, GMA News

Two Pinay maids hurt in deadly UAE road accident

2011-05-03T12:58:00.000+08:00

Two Filipino helpers were injured in a car accident over the weekend in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where two Emirate children were killed, the news site Gulf News reported.

Those injured were two Filipina housemaids aged 23 and 26, a five-year-old girl, a six-year-old boy, and a 29-year-old Emirati mother whose son, 1, and daughter, 4, were killed.

Gulf News said the incident that occurred at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday when a 29-year-old Emirati mother lost control of her vehicle and rammed into another car.

The investigation showed the mother lost control of the vehicle she was driving and hit a sports utility vehicle driven by a 60-year-old Emirati man.

The woman's vehicle overturned twice and landed on the roadside, Gulf News said.

Traffic prosecutors have recorded 44 deaths, including nine Emiratis, in the first four months of this year, Gulf News reported. - VVP, GMA News

Pinoy sailor aboard ship stranded in UAE has severe stomach pain

2011-05-03T12:29:00.000+08:00

One of the Filipino sailors of a South Korean ship released recently by pirates is suffering from severe stomach pain as their vessel remains stranded off the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“He has severe stomach pain… may be due to kidney stone. We have requested through the captain for his hospitalization. But it doesn’t seem to be happening. His mother is also hospitalized in the Philippines. They are struggling to pay her hospital bills," one of the ship's sailors said in an interview posted on the news site Khaleej Times.

The ship "Samho Dream" lies stricken off the Dubai coast with 26 crew members on board.

Its owner, Samho Shipping, reportedly filed for court protection to help them tide over their financial situation.

Nineteen of some 26 sailors aboard the ship are Filipinos.

The "Samho Dream" was attacked by pirates in 2010 and its owners had to put up $9 million as ransom. - VVP, GMA News