KAKAMMPI News

MANILA — One of the 4 suspects believed to be behind a string of robberies across Japan is expected to be returned from the Philippines in the next few days, the Southeast Asian country's justice minister said Tuesday. The other 3 suspects requested by Tokyo for transfer to Japan will be sent once certain conditions are fulfilled, Philippine Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said at a press conference. The 4 men, who are currently in detention at an immigration facility in Manila, are believed to have remotely coordinated a series of robberies in Japan that began last year using an encrypted messaging app. Remulla said that communications devices including phones had been confiscated from the suspects, and that one of them had owned 6 mobile phones. The 4 men likely include a person or persons thought to have masterminded the robberies under the names "Luffy" and "Kim." Tokyo has sought the transfer of the 4 after Japanese police obtained arrest ...

Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has vowed that the perpetrator in killing of Filipina household worker Jullebee Ranara will be punished for the crime. advertisement Based on a statement of the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, Sheikh Salem met with Philippine Chargé d'Affaires Jose Cabrera on Sunday to condemn the killing of Ranara, whose burned body was found in the desert. "He (Sheikh Salem) condemned her murder and said that the perpetrator, who has been arrested and is currently in detention, will be punished for this heinous crime," the statement read. The foreign minister asked Cabrera to convey his condolences to the family and the Philippine government for the death of Ranara. The official also explained that the actions of the suspect do not reflect the character and values of Kuwaiti society, the Kuwaiti people, and the Kuwaiti government. The slain 35-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was reportedly raped and i...

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the existing bilateral agreement between the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). "[D]irect the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation, to revisit, re-examine, and review the existing Bilateral Agreement and Standard Employment Contract governing OFWs in Kuwait, with the end view of establishing stricter policies, preventive measures and applicable sanctions or ban in the deployment of OFWs in Kuwait," proposed Senate Resolution 448 read. In filing the resolution, Tulfo mentioned the death of Filipina overseas worker Jullebee Ranara who was allegedly murdered and burned and whose body was thrown in the desert. "This is not the first time that a tragedy of such nature involving our Filipina domestic workers happened in the Gulf State," he said. In 2018, the Philippine government imposed a ban on the deploym...

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ordered a review of the bilateral labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait, following the death of overseas Filipino worker Jullebee Ranara. “Ang direktiba ni Secretary [Susan "Toots" Ople] ay napapanahon nang irepaso, to revisit, review itong bilateral labor agreement na ito at paigtingin ang proteksiyon sa mga OFWs,” DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a media forum on Saturday. Ranara, 35-year-old, whose body was found burned in the middle of the desert in Kuwait was allegedly raped and impregnated by the 17-year-old son of her employer. The DMW said it will also look into the recruitment process and standards to provide more protection for OFWs. “At sabay nito ay pinatitingnan din ni Secretary Toots iyong recruitment standards para paigtingin iyong safe and ethical recruitments standards para sa mga OFWs to Kuwait na masiguro natin, halimbawa, iyong mga agencies with clean track records lamang ang makakapag-dep...

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Tuesday said it is considering blacklisting problematic recruitment agencies in Kuwait following the killing of overseas Filipino worker Julleebee Ranara. DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said they are set to discuss the weaknesses in the bilateral labor agreement with Kuwait with their counterparts. There is, however, no exact date of the talks yet. “We also need to discuss, marami e (so many), actually 'yung reporting mechanisms, tracking of welfare cases, and the possible whitelisting and blacklisting of recruitment agencies as what we have now in Saudi Arabia. We will explore all possibilities,” she said in an interview with CNN Philippines. The DMW already issued an order for the preventive suspension against the employer of slain Ranara. On January 22, Ranara’s burned body was found in the middle of the desert. She was reportedly raped and impregnated by the suspect, who is the 17-year-old son of her employer. The victim was als...

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday said she is now ready if and when she will be appointed as the next secretary of the department. Vergeire confirmed this in a press conference, saying that she has seen a lot of opportunities that she could change and lead reforms with, having been able to serve as an officer-in-charge of DOH for the past six months now and being able to work and coordinate with people on the ground. “Nung nakita ko ‘yan, nakita ko ‘yung oportunidad (When I saw that, I saw the opportunity). Sa tingin ko, sabi ko nga, mukhang (I think) this would convince me to really take on the position,” she said. “Sa tingin ko ngayon with all these things happening at sa lahat lahat ng trabahong kailangan gawin (I think now with all these things happening and with all the work that needs to be done) for us to really improve on our healthcare system, sa tingin ko (I think), this is the appropriate time for me to help the country,” she ...

From K-pop to K-dramas, Filipinos have loved Korean pop culture since the late 1990s when the so-called Hallyu wave started to gain ground around the world. According to the Korea Foundation, the Philippines has the highest growth rate of hallyu fans among 113 countries in 2018. The Hallyu wave is a phrase used to describe the distribution and spread of South Korean cultural products such as food, music and television series to the rest of Asia and to other parts of the world. Some people attributed the start of Hallyu to the popularity of Korean stars Seo Taiji and Boys in the 1990s, which was also the time when K-pop music was developed. study titled “Beyond the Fad: Understanding Hallyu in the Philippines” from the International Journal of Social Science and Humanity showed that hallyu in the Philippines arrived through Korean dramas or what is now known as Koreanovelas in the early 2000s. Later on, through the theme songs of K-dramas and fan sites, K-pop groups or idols event...