KAKAMMPI News

Some years ago, when I was involved in a money-transfer business to the Philippines (from the Netherlands), I noticed that the Philippine peso would appreciate during enrollment times (June and October), Christmas and elections. The peak during enrollment times and Christmas is due to the surge in Overseas Filipino (OF) remittances. As for elections, I suppose this is because the various candidates and their supporters send back dollars from their foreign bank accounts to help finance their campaigns. The peso has strengthened against the dollar all year. This increase has followed the general trend of the dollar weakening against major world currencies. Because the Philippine economy is rather open, with minimal controls on the inflow and outflow of money, this trend of the weakening dollar internationally has quickly translated into the peso appreciating vis-à-vis the dollar. The role of OF remittances in this is significant, but it is not the only factor that has strengthened the pe...

A housewife is calling on the Philippine government to help her husband and five of his work mates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, return to the country. ABS-CBN’s Dominic Almelor reported that vehicle designer Enrico Luga and his team of five are all illegally in Saudi Arabia, but their employer will not allow them to leave and is virtually holding them hostage. Salgado started out as a designer of vehicles, cars, jeepneys, buses and trucks, and he displayed pictures of his original creations on the Internet. His designs were noticed by an Arab businessman in August 2006 and commissioned Luga to design a special truck for him. Armed with a business visa valid for six months, Luga and his design team of five hied off to Saudi Arabia. Upon the expiration of their visas, their employer would not let them leave, saying they did not have the proper work permits anyway. Now, Luga claims their employer is telling them to finish six units of the special truck or die. This has caused Luga’s wife, Ela...

When Sydney held this year’s Filipino-Australian Women's Achievement Awards, the ceremonies focused on Filipino women living in Australia and presented a positive image of Filipino women as contributors to the dynamic landscape of Australian economy, society and culture. Honorable James Merlino, Minister Assisting in Multicultural Affairs highlighted the importance of strengthening the link between Australia and the Philippines as he spoke about the first wave of Filipino migrants 120 years ago. Carmela Sison of ABS-CBN Australia News Bureau reported that he said among the first Filipinos who arrived in Australia were the ship's crew, pearl divers, traders & fishing fleet owners who began arriving in the 1880’s. Over 120 years later the Australian based Filipino community excells in the creative arenas of arts, music, & design, in competitive sports & recreational activities in the field of business, politics & professional services. "They wanted a stronger...

By RAQUEL BERNAL-CRISOSTOMO, ABS-CBN Europe News Desk Filipinos in Belgium can now look forward to having freshly made Pinoy dishes as a Filipino restaurant finally opens in Brussels. The restaurant which has a seating capacity of 65, boasts of Filipino and Belgian dishes prepared by a Filipino chef, Walter Coneras. Manager Olive Gravidez informed Balitang Europe that they serve tapsilog, tocilog, longsilog and arroz caldo during breakfast which are all-time favorites of Filipinos. "Bukas na kasi kami ng 7:30 ng umaga kaya maraming kababayan natin ang dumadaan dito sa restaurant para mag-almusal (We are already open at 7:30 so many of our fellow Filipinos drop by our restaurant to have breakfast)," she said. But Chef Coneras admitted that crepe (pancakes for Filipinos) remains the number one choice for Belgians in the morning. That’s why he just makes sure that all customers will be satisfied with every dish he prepares. "Inilalagay ko ang sarili ko sa lugar ng mga custo...

Alarmed over the shrinking value of dollar earnings of overseas Filipino workers, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño on Tuesday urged the House committee on economic affairs to come up with measures that will help mitigate the negative effects of a surging peso. In House Resolution 383, Casiño said from January 2007 the peso has increased by 18.6 percent against the US dollar, noting that the local currency continued to gain strength. Quoting a study done by OFW group Migrante International, the party-list congressman said the weak dollar has led to a 20 percent drop in the value of monthly remittances from overseas Pinoys. He added that the country’s export industry is also taking the brunt of a strong peso. Independent think-tank IBON Foundation said OFW households could lose P3,710 per month if the peso hits the 38:$1 level before the end of the year. IBON said the roughly 15% increase in OFW remittances in 2007 compared to the past year was not enough to offset the 16% peso appreciatio...

LAS VEGAS — Filipino-American community organizers meeting here this week believe that the “strategic importance and political strength" of the Asian American and Pacific Islander population in the U.S. will be the deciding factor in November’s presidential elections. They are confident that the collective vote of Nevada’s Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) is expected “to make a significant difference" as the battle for party nominations shifts focus to the Democratic and Republican caucuses set here on Saturday, January 19. Asian Americans are the fastest growing population in Clark County, the state’s largest district. In the county’s biggest urban hub, Las Vegas, Asian Americans have grown as much as 272 percent, and Pacific Islanders have grown as much as 632 percent between 1990 and 2000. Filipinos comprise 46 percent, or the largest ethnic subgroup, of that chunk. “In terms of numbers alone, Filipinos who make up almost 50 percent of the minority population i...

Relatives and friends describe 31-year-old Zennia P. Aguilan as daring, adventurous, kind-hearted, and bright. With this attitude, Zennia left her hometown in Sagada, Mountain Province after completing a course on physical therapy in 2004 to work in Taiwan. Two years later, she moved to Dubai, then to Afghanistan in July last year. Little did she know that her adventure in Kabul would end her life. Zennia passed away on Tuesday after sustaining serious injuries from explosions when suicide bombers attacked Monday night the only five-star Serena Hotel in the Afghan capital where she worked as a spa supervisor. Wire reports said at least eight other persons died in the attack. Shirley Lebeng, Zennia’s cousin residing in Baguio City, described her as modest and a very bright child since her elementary days at the Anglican-run St. Mary’s School in Sagada. “She was good and kind-hearted." Lebeng said Zennia’s employer, a European who owns Spa Resources International at the Serena Hotel...