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by Maria Aleta Nieva Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/24/2010 8:41 PM Printer-friendly version | Send to friend | Share your views 3-day training for foreign service corps starts MANILA, Philippines – A high voter turnout among the 600,000 Filipino registered voters overseas is expected in the May 10 elections. Comelec-Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (Comelec-COAV) Commissioner Armando Velasco said Filipinos abroad “have interest in the political affairs in our country.” “They, too, have the right to choose their leaders,” Velasco said, adding the need for overseas absentee votes to be “counted, protected, and respected”. Based on the latest records, the total number of Filipino overseas absentee voters for the 2010 elections is at 589,830. Of the total, 568,733 are land-based OFWs while 21,097 are sea-based. The Middle East and Africas have the most number of registered voters with 225,148, followed by Asia Pacific at 215,546, North and South America with 66,745 and Europe at 61,...

abs-cbnNEWS.com MANILA, Philippines – No Filipino was reportedly affected by the flashfloods and mudslides that recently hit Madeira Island in Portugal, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. In her report to the DFA, Philippine Ambassador to Lisbon Teresa Barsana said there is no record of Filipinos residing in the Madeira area. Philippine Honorary Consul Manuel Pinhiero was also not aware of any Filipino who sought assistance due to the calamity last February 20. "Nevertheless, if there are Filipinos who are in need of assistance, the Embassy is ready to help them," she said. Floods claimed the lives of 42 people in Madeira Island while 8 villages remain out of reach as of February 21. Portuguese authorities began rushing aid to the tourist island off the African coast Saturday night, dispatching a Navy frigate and preparing a Hercules C-130 transport plane loaded with rescue teams, divers, and equipment to clear blocked roads, replace destroyed bridges, and repa...

by Henni SAN FRANCISCO, California - A new company is looking to green energy as the future of the American economy. Solar Tech Solutions Group is the first Filipino-owned company in the US to sell and install solar panels. Owner Thai Poblete partnered with Sunflower, one of the biggest solar panel manufacturers in the world. Poblete says going into the green movement is crucial, especially during the recession. “This is one of the industries that actually help the infrastructure of the America and open doors on environmental and economical issues in the country,” Poblete said. The US government launched the Green Jobs Initiative in 2007 and funded up to US$125 million to provide job training programs all over the country. The green industry provides jobs that protect the environment, such as energy efficient buildings and construction, renewable electric power, energy-efficient vehicles, and biofuels development. The Obama administration gives billions of dollars in tax breaks to the...

ITALY- The Philippine embassy in Rome is now busy informing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) based in Italy that the country is not included in the poll automation system for the coming presidential elections. Aside from Italy, Filipino voters living in countries in Europe won’t be able to get a taste of the poll automation system, said Minister and Consul General Danilo Ibayan. The embassy in Rome picked the postal voting system for its overseas absentee voters. "Ang gagawin ninyo isusulat po ninyo ang mga kandidato na gusto ninyong iboto sa inyong balota at kung tapos na kayo na ay ipapadala ninyo dito sa embahada," said Ibayan. Singapore and Hong Kong are the only 2 countries approved by the Comelec to use the automated election system. Ibayan reminded, voters especially those in South Italy, to supply the Comelec with their complete and permanent address. "Paalala sa mga kababayan natin na importante na ang inyong address na ibibigay sa Comelec na pang matagalan na a...

Forty-four Filipino seafarers from a beleaguered casino ship temporarily docked in a United States port have been repatriated and will arrive in Manila on the morning of Thursday. According to a release posted on the website of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the 44 will arrive via Philippine Airlines flight PR 103, five months after MV Palm Beach Princess declared bankruptcy and was kept docked in Miami, Florida. Reports said the shipowner had fallen behind payment of salaries and had refused to obtain plane tickets for its foreign crew members. In September last year, the company claimed bankruptcy and threatened to divert its crew to Haiti where the ship would be furloughed. OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon said the 44 sought the assistance of the Philippine government after the ship’s crew went on strike in December 2009 over deteriorating working conditions and salary issues. The shipowner denied the allegations, according to the agency. “The Philippine g...

Philippine officials in China and Mongolia warned prospective job-seekers Wednesday not to fall for job offers as domestic helpers in the two countries, saying such a job is unlawful there. In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Francisco Benedicto added that Chinese and Mongolian authorities are stepping up their crackdown on illegal workers. “Filipinos who are promised jobs as domestic helpers in China and Mongolia are always in danger of being arrested because foreign nationals are not allowed to work as domestic helpers in China and Mongolia," Benedicto said in his report, excerpts of which were posted on the DFA website. He said foreigners in China who overstay or who do not have proper visas face hefty fines of up to 5,000 yuan (P33,000), detention and deportation. In Mongolia, foreigners who overstay are fined up to US$30 (P1,384) per day. Benedicto said officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Security Bureau h...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have started finalizing preparations for some 589,830 overseas Filipino workers to cast their votes in this year's automated elections, as absentee voting starts April 10. In line with this, personnel from the DFA Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS) and the Comelec Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting will hold a training at Heritage Hotel in Pasay City from Feb. 24 to 26, according to a release posted on the DFA Website. DFA-OAVS Chairman and DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said the training is the first and the biggest to be conducted before the start of the OAV component of the May elections. Expected to attend are over 100 representatives from the foreign service, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, which have recommended the adoption of personal voting. Also attending are Philippine ambassadors-designate to six countries who will be assuming their posts soon, and two incoming heads o...