KAKAMMPI News

Filipinos wishing to transact with the Philippine embassy in the United Kingdom may have to use email or an emergency number for the moment. The embassy said in an announcement on its website Wednesday (PHL time) its main switchboard number, 020 7451 1780, is "temporarily unavailable." "If the information required is not available on the Embassy website (www.londonpe.dfa.gov.ph), queries should be sent by e-mail to: embassy@philemb.co.uk,"  it said . Also, Filipinos with emergencies such as death or detention of Filipino nationals may contact: 078 0279 0695.   —  Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News

SINGAPORE - The promise of a salary five times what she could make at home prompted Nabila to leave Indonesia and her family for a job as a domestic worker in Singapore.   What she did not realize was that it would be eight months before she earned a cent because of deductions made by the employment agency that brought her to Singapore.   With a 17-hour working day that started at 5 a.m., a "very demanding" employer and dinners that consisted of leftovers, the 30-year-old said she was driven to despair.   "I was desperate when I realized that I wouldn't get paid for such a long time," said Nabila, whose monthly salary was SGD560 ($424). "I came to Singapore because I need money for my two children so that they can go to school. I need every cent."   Employment agencies are part of a complex web spun across Southeast Asia by brokers and agents that allow the domestic workers virtually no say in their working conditions.   Reports of...

The family of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug smuggling, has requested the government to provide security assistance in their neighborhood in Nueva Ecija after suspicious-looking men supposedly visited them the other night. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she has sent a National Bureau of Investigation team to Nueva Ecija on Monday night to check the premises of the Velosos' residence in Talavera town. She said authorities are still trying to identify the three men who visited the Velosos to determine their motive for the visit. "If there is something na fishy or sinister about that visit, then iimbestigahan yan. Then, puwede nang magbigay ng protection," she said. De Lima said the men dropped by the house of the Velosos and spoke with one of Mary Jane's sisters. The man allegedly told the sister that he finds the progress of the case related to Veloso "slow." "When they say 'nababalagan sa kaso,' wha...

The recruiter of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina facing a death sentence over a drug-related case in Indonesia, and her partner faced Monday afternoon the Nueva Ecija judge who ordered their arrest. National Bureau of Investigation agents brought Ma. Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao before Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija Judge Nelson Tribiana at 5:15 p.m., GMA News stringer Junjun Sy reported Tuesday. Sergio and Lacanilao were then transferred to the Nueva Ecija Provincial Jail. Last May 14, the court had ordered the arrest of Sergio and Lacanilao for alleged large-scale illegal recruitment. The charge stemmed from the complaints lodged by 14 victims. Sergio and Lacanilao were brought to the court in a sport-utility vehicle, escorted by NBI agents from Metro Manila. The two had been detained at the NBI. Media representatives were not allowed to enter the court. After the presentation of Sergio and Lacanilao before the court that took more than 30 minutes, the two were brought to the emerg...

Eighty-eight Filipinos are expected to arrive on Tuesday afternoon after being repatriated from strife-torn Libya, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said. The 88 are expected to arrive around 4 p.m. on Emirates Flight 332 and Qatar Airways Flight 932. The number brings the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Libya to 4,995. More than 3,000 reportedly remain in Libya. The latest batch of Filipinos from Libya reportedly joined the repatriation schedule of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli on May 23. The embassy reportedly facilitated their safe travel to the Tunisian border and organized their flight back to the country. The DFA said it was continuing efforts to reach the Filipinos still in Libya to convince them to avail of the mandatory repatriation program and the scheduled trips back to the Philippines. The next repatriation schedule is on June 3.  -NB, GMA News

Now on its 10th year of touching hearts across the globe, GMA International continues to bridge Filipinos abroad to their home country as it celebrates the 117th Philippine Independence Day with key celebrations (PIDC) in Kuwait and Dubai this June.   Kapuso Premier Actress Lovi Poe will headline the biggest and most-anticipated annual PIDC event in Kuwait, Musika at Tawanan, which is now on its 5th year of entertaining Filipinos abroad.   “We promise all the Pinoys in Kuwait a night of pure fun as we celebrate all things Filipino in Musika at Tawanan 5! Even if you’re far from home, we will be bringing the Philippines closer to you!” assures  Lovi, who co-starred with Dingdong Dantes and Ms. Maricel Soriano in the groundbreaking series Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real and will soon be seen in the upcoming series Beautiful Strangers with Heart Evangelista.   The free admission concert, organized by the Alliance of Filipino Organizations in Kuwait (ALLFILL-OK) in cooperation wi...

A Filipina who tried to rob a money exchange facility in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates was sentenced to seven years in prison for the botched crime. The Criminal Court in Abu Dhabi also ordered the 33-year-old Filipina deported after she serves her sentence,  UAE news site Gulf News reported late Monday . It noted that while the Filipina used a plastic toy gun, her act was still considered coercion and disturbing public security. On the other hand, the court also ordered an added two months' jail time for her for overstaying her visa. Court records also showed the Filipina had revealed only a part of the toy gun to disguise its true nature. But the robbery attempt was foiled when an employee grabbed the Filipina from behind and made her drop the toy. Records also showed the Filipina wore the Emirati national dress, including a niqab (face cover) and gloves, to hide her identity. The Filipina admitted to the charges against her, saying she had no job and her debts were racki...