KAKAMMPI News

  A Korean acquitted of raping his Filipino ex-wife's sister last February will now face an appellate trial on Wednesday in South Korea. According to  a report by The Korea Herald  on Tuesday, the 39-year-old South Korean raped the 20-year-old Filipina when she was staying at his house on Jeju Island for her sister's wedding. The suspect was declared innocent by a court last October. "It is hard to agree with the claim that the victim failed to run away from the scene, despite the fact that she had multiple chances,” the judgment stated in part. The prosecution appealed the decision. The second trial will be held Wednesday. The report said Korean civic groups slammed the court's first decision, saying it "implied that the accused misunderstood the victim’s willingness, because she did not actively resist."  — Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News

Funding has been granted to a Filipino-American non-profit in Seattle to fund a building that will house 90 new apartments for low-income seniors and a center for youth programs. The Seattle Times reported  that nearly $11 million will go to the Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) to continue the development of the Filipino Community Village project (FCV) for senior citizens and youth-oriented science-technology-engineering-arts-math (STEAM) programs. FCS executive director Sheila Burns said gentrification in Seattle is isolating Filipino-American seniors in suburban communities where they have trouble keeping connected to their family and friends. These buildings will be set behind the existing community center where it has been providing health and social services  since 1935. A  $12,000 grant  from arts agency 4Culture earlier this year was awarded to the FCV for additional facilities and installations to honor local Bataan Death March survivors. ...

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has been a place for joy and sadness for OFWs, much more during Christmas time. Though some OFWs will be arriving to spend the holiday season with their family in the Philippines, there are those who will depart and — some of them for the first time — will not spend Christmas with their loved ones. Imelda Tubadeza, for one, will finally have the chance to spend Christmas and New Year with her family in the Philippines after 16 years of working abroad. Though her blind mother could no longer see her, Tubadeza, in a report by GMA News' Bernadette Reyes on Balitanghali on Monday, said it is enough that she can serve her mother during the holidays. "I want to spend this Christmas with my mom, to shower her, to clean her," she said. For  pasalubong , Tubadeza said she bought her mother chocolates, a wristwatch, and a lipstick. "Sabi niya magli-lipstick pa raw [siya] kahit bulag na siya," Tubadeza sai...

  By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News After more than a decade, the Philippine Postal Savings Bank (PPSB) will complete its transition into the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB) on January 20, 2018. "More than one month from now, we will be launching the Overseas Filipino Bank," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Thursday during the department's end-of-the-year press briefing. Bello said this was pursuant to  President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order No. 44 , which was signed on October 9 and which seeks to turn the PPSB over to the Land Bank of the Philippines to dedicate it for the use of OFWs. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has approved the conversion of the PPSB as early as 2006 though concepts for a bank for overseas Filipinos have supposedly floated around since the 70's. "Nung 1972, late 70's, early 80's hanggang late 80's, palaging 'yan ang pinapangako ng bawat pinuno ng Pilipinas. OF Bank, OF Bank. Ngayon lang nagi...

  Close to 1.2 million OFWs received repatriation and reintegration assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator (OWWA) in 2017. DOLE on Friday stated that 1,170,514 OFWs were enrolled to welfare and protection programs from OWWA and DOLE regional offices and attached agencies. Of the 36,438 OFWs repatriated from July to October this year, 19,258 came from the Middle East and received P20,000 financial aid on-site; 9,513 were given additional cash grants of P6,000; and 13,245 were given food and hygiene kits. About 10,011 of the 15,839 OFWs who availed of Saudi Arabia's 90-day amnesty program for undocumented and stranded foreign nationals were repatriated to the Philippines. Post-repatriation services were provided to 14,165 OFWs: 4,343 OFWs were granted medical, psychosocial counseling, stress debriefing, transport, and accommodation; 1,630 were listed for employment facilitation or training; ...

  OFWs in Baghdad and in other parts of Iraq are now covered by the government's Balik Manggagawa program, allowing them to return to the Philippines for a vacation without worrying about losing their jobs. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano endorsed the proposal for the expansion of the program to OFWs in Iraq after Filipinos there clamored for the chance to return home for the holidays. "Our decision to approve the request of our kababayans in Iraq is based largely on humanitarian grounds and is similar to what has been granted to our other kababayans working in Afghanistan and Libya," Cayetano said Friday. The move will cover 1,000 Filipinos working in Babil, Baghdad, Basra, Dhiqar, Karbala, Maysan, Muthanna, Najaf, Qadisiyah, Saladin, Wasit, and other areas that are certified as safe by the Philippine Embassy. Endorsed by Cayetano to Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the exemption will cover Filipinos register...

By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday shrugged off criticisms on the newly issued OFW ID that has President Rodrigo Duterte's face on it, saying  they did not come from migrant workers. In an interview, Bello said the OFWs' response to the new ID is "favorable" and that they are even thankful for it. "Puro favorable. Nagpapasalamat nga sila. May lumalabas na negative reaction pero hindi naman OFW. Ito yung mga sumasakay lang at gustong sirain ang project na ito," he said. Among the critics of the ID is Bishop Ruperto Santos, who chairs the Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). According to Santos, instead of Duterte's face, the ID should instead bear only the picture of its owner as putting the president's picture on it could lead to politicking. To this Bello said, "Ang CBCP raw ay may negative reaction sa profile ...