KAKAMMPI News

Forty-two percent of Filipinos languishing in nine Hong Kong  jails have drug-related cases. Citing a information from the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong, a report on Unang Balita on Wednesday said that 39 (42 percent) of 93  Filipino inmates had been charged for drug trafficking or possession of illegal drugs. In an interview,  Vice Consul Consul Alex Vallespin said, "Karamihan, o 36-37 mula sa 39 kaso ay drug trafficking o yung nahuling nagpasok ng droga sa Hong Kong." He said that most of the cases of drug trafficking there involved Filipino tourists and not OFWs. However, the consulate said that the number of Pinoy arrested due to illegal drugs has decreased recently, and the last case reported was in July. Two were released from prison in June, it said, adding that Filipinos in Hong Kong are no longer a threat.  — LBG, GMA News

Filipinos who will arrive home from the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia should expect slight delay in the processes as the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is conducting cross-matching of travel documents. The cross-matching is in connection with President Rodrigo Duterte's order to arrest those behind the illegal issuance of Philippine passports to Indonesian nationals that was discovered last month. "This is related to discovery of our bureau personnel of the use of syndicate of hajj passport to get money from Indonesians and allow them to go to Mecca," said Deputy Commissioner Al Argosino of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday. On August 19, the BI stopped 177 Indonesians from leaving the country for Saudi Arabia for illegal possession of Philippine passports. The foreigners were reportedly joining the hajj pilgrimage held on September 9 to 14. "This is illegal in our system. We hope that those who facilitated this be brought to trial," Argosino said...

More and more Filipinos are studying in New Zealand, making the Philippines its fifth largest source market for its education sector. During Tuesday's roundtable discussion, Ben Burrowes of Education New Zealand (ENZ) said a total of 3,643 Filipino students studied in New Zealand last year, or 1,648 more than the total number in 2014. "We believe that bolstering our education ties with the Philippines will be essential to cultivate an international student experience among Filipinos, and will in years to come, contribute greatly to strengthening cultural and business links between the two countries," sai Burrows, ENZ'S regional communications and strategic relations manager in Southeast Asia. He said most of the Filipino students in New Zealand in 2015 took health-related studies, management and commerce, and society and culture. In encouraging more Filipinos to study in New Zealand, Burrowes said in addition to having international experience and a degree, s...

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday announced that he has appointed another former military man to be part of his Cabinet. “Roy Cimatu is my special envoy to the Middle East. I took him in again,” Duterte said in a speech delivered before the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Mawab, Compostela Valley. Cimatu was also the special envoy to the Middle East during the administration of former President and incumbent Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo until June 30, 2011. Cimatu, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1970, served as AFP chief from May to September in 2002.  —ALG/RSJ, GMA News

Q.  I applied to sponsor my husband and it has taken over two years. We have children together so I do not know why immigration takes so long to process such cases. My work permit is expiring in 2017 and I do not know if I should renew it now or wait. A.  Immigration wise, the details of your question are inaccurate. If your are the holder of a work permit then you cannot be sponsoring a spouse. Only Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents can sponsor a spouse. Margarita D. is all smiles after receiving permanent residence only after three months processing.  Filipino Reporter It appears to me that you are the holder of a work permit (i.e., as a caregiver) and you are including your spouse on your permanent resident application. That is not considered a sponsorship as there is no sponsorship undertaking by a “sponsor.” As such, I certainly understand that two years is a long time to wait and processing times are unpredictable. It also seems that immigration i...

Ambassador  Lourdes Yparraguirre, the Philippines' top diplomat to the United Nations, has denied maltreating her former service staff, saying the accusation was "misleading, blown out of proporition and definitely untrue." Milagros Braza, who sought the help of migrant worker advocacy group Blas F. Ople Policy Center, has filed a complaint before the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) saying he was abused by Yparraguirre several times. Her complaints include being thrown out of the ambassador’s residence in New York City on Christmas Day in 2015, and being made to work for the official's other relatives with no extra pay. But according to a statement from Yparraguirre's office, Braza was not thrown out of the residence on Christmas Day 2015 but was "requested" to sleep on an air bed in the sala to accommodate the official's seven visiting relatives. "Ms. Braza resented the Ambassador's request and she became very disrespectful to ...

Several Filipino-Americans are reportedly planning to oust President Rodrigo Duterte from office, a Malacañang official said Monday, citing information coming from New York. In a radio interview, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said a fellow Cabinet member who was in New York was told that some Filipino-Americans want Duterte out by January 2017. "May kausap po ako kani-kanina lang na kasama ho natin sa Gabinete at kinukuwento nga niya na, meron siyang mga nagre-report sa kanya, kuwento sa New York, may nagre-report din hindi ko na lang babanggitin, may nagre-report sa kanya na merong mga Filipino-Americans na kasama niya doon sa isang pagtitipon at ang kuwento sa kanya ay na-overhear sa isang teleconference na pinag-uusapan na 'oust Digong,' hanggang January 2017 na lang," Andanar said. "Sabi ko naman sa kasama ko, 'Pare, siguraduhin mo iyan.' Dahil sabi ko hindi biro iyong ganyang bali-balita, 'no? Pero—but then again, we...