KAKAMMPI News

by Veronica Silva, ABS-CBN Canada TORONTO – Filipinos recently aired their opposition to a proposal in Philippine Congress forcing them to remit money to their families in the Philippines or risk having their passports not renewed in consular offices worldwide. The Pinoys are protesting House Bill 3576, authored by Congressman Roy Señeres of the OFW Partylist. "Tutol kami sa pag-pro-propose nung forced remittance bill dahil hindi ito makatarungan. Mag-re-remit kami ayon sa aming kagustuhan hindi batay doon sa kagustuhan ng gobyerno," said Maru Maesa, chairperson of iWWorkers-Migrante. House Bill 3576 requires OFWs to submit proof of remittance to a dependent back in the Philippines as one of the requirements for passport renewal in consular offices abroad. A sworn complaint from a dependent back home that an OFW is not remitting directs consular officers to withhold the renewal or approval of passport of the OFW in question. Pinoys in Toronto join other OFWs worldw...

By Mayen Jaymalin, The Philippine Star MANILA - Filipino workers remain popular with foreign employers, with the number of workers hired abroad reaching over 1.8 million last year. “We are still finalizing the report, but based on the latest figures that I saw, we were able to match the 2012 deployment figure of 1.8 million,” Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Cacdac said. Cacdac said POEA recorded the highest ever deployment of Filipino workers in 2012. According to Cacdac, the political instability in various countries abroad a year ago has not adversely affected the hiring of Filipino workers. “There was no decline in hiring because the countries that are politically unstable are not traditional destinations for Filipino workers,” Cacdac pointed out. Most of the Filipino workers were deployed in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and several other Middle East countries. The POEA yesterday launched a new system that will...

The government has rolled out programs to create more jobs for Filipinos so that seeking employment abroad will be unnecessary, a Malacañang official said Tuesday. “We affirm President Aquino's vision of a government that creates jobs at home, so that working abroad will be a choice rather than a necessity,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. at a briefing with reporters. Coloma said the government has created programs to create and increase employment opportunities for professionals and skilled workers through Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Department of Labor and Employment  (DOLE) and state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines. “These are in tandem with similar programs in the country to create manufacturing-based and more highly remunerative jobs,” he said. Remittances still welcome Despite this, Coloma said growth in remittances remains a welcome development as it will definitely bolster economic growt...

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong will be closed on April 9 and from April 17 to 21 in observance of Philippine holidays. In an  announcement posted on its website  early this week, the Consulate General said April 9, a Wednesday, is Araw ng Kagitingan. Also, it said it will be closed from April 17 (Maundy Thursday) to April 21 (Easter Monday) Filipinos with emergencies may call the following numbers: 9155-4023 (consular assistance) 6080-8323 (labor) 6345-9324 (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) They may also contact the consulate general via email at hongkongpc@philcongen-hk.com, and fax at 2866-9885.  — LBG, GMA News

Tags:  Pinoys in Thailand The Philippine government has lowered the alert level in Bangkok and surrounding areas in Thailand from 2 to 1, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Monday. Under Alert Level 1, Filipinos in Bangkok and the concerned areas, namely Nonthaburi Province, Lad Lum Kaew District of Pathumthani Province, and Bang Phli District of Samutprakan Province, are advised to take necessary precautions. "There is no ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers under Alert Level 1," the DFA said. Manila raised Alert Level 2 over Thailand in January  following the enforcement of a 60-day state of emergency by the Thai government to quell weeks-long protests aimed at pressuring elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down in favor of an unelected council. The Thai government lifted the state of emergency on March 19. There were an estimated 16,000 Filipinos in Thailand based on the 2012 data from the Commission on Filipinos Ove...

Tags:  Benigno Aquino III President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the creation of an inter-agency committee that will determine the government's policy on giving assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in distress. Administrative Order No. 41 , signed March 3, seeks to create an inter-agency committee that will “study, prepare and implement the guidelines on giving governmental assistance OFWs in distress.” It said the panel shall also study “the parity of punishment under the laws of the foreign country and the Philippines, and any applicable treaties allowing service of sentence in a convicted person’s home country, and review the performance of the legal counsels who represent OFWs in distress.” In his order, Aquino said there “is a need to rationalize the policy of the government in giving assistance to OFWs in distress.”   He added that the creation of the committee “can harmonize and streamline the efforts of government to address the needs of said OFW...

By ATTY. HENRY MOYAL, The Filipino Reporter March 20, 2014 4:05pm   Tags:  OFWs in Canada It was only a few months ago that the Saskatchewan International Skilled Worker Category was announced and listed 200 occupations in demand in Canada that did not require a job offer to qualify. Unfortunately, that program was restricted to only 250 applicants and it is now closed. However, Canada Immigration has just announced a new program that is effective March 2014 and which does not appear to have a designated quota. It should be noted that the government reserves the right to close the program at any time and without notice. Under the new program applicants must be willing to relocate to Canada and become permanent residents. THE PROGRAM IS NOT FOR EMPLOYMENT. THE PROGRAM IS NOT A RECRUITMENT FOR JOBS AND IS FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA ONLY. The program requirements are: 1. Applicant must be between the ages of 21 and 55. 2. Applicants do not require a...