KAKAMMPI News

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia have appealed to the host government to allow mobile absentee-voter (OAV) registration drives for Filipino workers based there. Online news site Arab News (www.arabnews.com) reported Thursday that Philippine Ambassador Antonio Villamor is waiting to see if the Saudi government would allow the arrangement. "If they don't agree then we have to follow the rule that registration will be conducted (only) at the embassy premises," Villamor said. Villamor appealed to Saudi authorities to allow mobile units to be present "in places where there are big concentrations of OFWs, so that there would be more OFWs who could register." He said that if permission is denied, OFWs wanting to vote in 2010 will have to register at either the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate in Jeddah. Villamor said holding the registration at the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah only would exclude many OFWs who woul...

MANILA, Philippines - Irish trade unions have revealed that Filipino fishermen are being being abused in Northern Ireland, describing the treatment they receive as appalling and unacceptable. A report prepared by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions noted that several Filipino fishermen have complained of human and trade union rights abuses and physical assaults made against them while working in the Northern Ireland ports of Kilkeel, Ardglass, and Portavoge. The report said the group came to know about the complaints when Patrick Yu, executive director of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, and trade union Unison’s Pamela Dooley contacted the International Transport Federation (ITF) in October. Included in the allegations were physical abuse, long working hours for low pay, poor accommodation, no sanitary or social facilities, and intimidation when they complain about their employment situation. Among the victims were 11 Filipino fishermen who sought assistance from non-...

MANILA, Philippines — A Hong Kong-based migrant workers group on Thursday said it was the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), not Migrante International, that was making false reports on retrenched Filipino workers in Taiwan. In a press statement, the Asia Pacific Migrants Mission (APPM) said the Philippine Labor Attaché in Taipei, Rodolfo M. Sabulao, even wittingly became the spokesperson of ASE (Advanced Semi-Conductor Engineering Co. Ltd.) when he defended the company for not paying in full the airfare of the retrenched workers. “All original employment contracts signed in the Philippines under Article 4.6 stipulates that the employer must shoulder the air ticket from Manila to Taiwan and upon termination of the contract from Taiwan to Manila. So why should Mr. Sabulao have to haggle for this?" APPM said in reaction to Sabulao’s report that negotiations were going on in behalf of the retrenched workers. “The problem is when both the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment ...

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reminded employers there to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities to their workers. Online news site Khaleej Times reported Thursday that the reminder came from the head of the Filipino section at the Islamic Information Center. "Islam teaches that anyone who cheats is not one of us," said Yahya Maquiran, who reminded employers in the country of the Islamic teachings on labor during a seminar on Labor Laws and Islamic Teaching attended by Filipino Muslims. Maquiran stressed these points in the wake of many reports of Filipino workers being cheated by employers of their work time, contract and deprived of their salaries for months. He recalled that a Filipino maid came to his office for guidance after embracing Islam when her Syrian employers showed her mercy and kindness and taken her after she left her original sponsor. In his address, he said Islam teaches all employers to pay the wor...

MANILA, Philippines - As of last November, the national government has already used P7.33 billion of the total of P12.5 billion earmarked from the wind-fall from higher value added tax collections due to previously high oil prices. A report of the Department of Finance (DOF) showed that the Department of Social Welfare and Development was the biggest recipient of this fund, called "Katas ng VAT," getting P4 billion — 55% — for its Pantawid Kuryente Program. This was followed by the Commission on Higher Education’s student assistance fund for education, which got P1 billion. The Department of Energy’s Philippine energy efficiency program, the Social Welfare department’s (DSWD) subsidy for the elderly, Philippine Postal Savings Bank’s microfinance program and Department of Education’s supplemental feeding program each got P500 million. The Department of Health got P231 million for upgrading of hospitals while another P100 million was received by the Presidential Commission for ...

MT African Sanderling – Hijacked last October 15 with 21 Filipinos. MT Stolt Strength- Hijacked last November 11 with 23 Filipinos. Tianyu No. 8 (Chinese fishing boat) - Hijacked last November 14 with 3 Filipinos. MV Sirius Star - Hijacked last November 15 with 19 Filipinos. MV Chemstar Venus - Hijacked last November 16 with 18 Filipinos. MV Delight - Hijacked last November 18 with 7 Filipinos.

Data collected by GMANews.TVMANILA, Philippines - Seventeen Filipino seafarers who have been held captive by Somali pirates for 78 days were finally released on Monday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. The 19-man crew of the MV Captain Stephanos, a Greek-owned, Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier, were kidnapped by Somali pirates last September 21 as the ship was cruising in the Gulf of Aden. "All the crew members are reported to be in good health," DFA spokesperson Claro Cristobal said. The vessel is now en route to Italy before going to Greece. This latest development brings to 91 the total number of Filipino seafarers, on board six vessels, that are still held captive by Somali pirates. Filipino seafarers who have been recently released had told GMANews.TV that their Somali captors locked them up inside the hijacked vessels and were not fed well. Somali pirates often loot the seafarers' belongings but take no interest in the ship's car...