KAKAMMPI News

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Information Agency, the government's official public information arm, will be headed by a veteran journalist with the appointment of Jose Torres Jr. as its director general. Torres' appointment to the post followed the departure of Ramon Cualoping III, a former adman who was styled the chief brand integrator of the defunct Presidential Communications Operations Office before being tapped to head the PIA. Torres' appointment was announced Tuesday shortly after state broadcaster PTV reported that Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil had accepted Cualoping's resignation. "The appointment of Torres, known for his exceptional investigative reporting and work in new media, is expected to strengthen PIA’s mission of disseminating information about government programs, projects, and services to the Filipino public," PIA said of Torres' appointment. Most recently editor-at-large for Catholic...

MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said Tuesday before the Senate Blue Ribbon panel that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. directed the importation of sugar through selected traders. Pressed by Sen. Francis Tolentino to clarify what Marcos told him after a Cabinet meeting, Panganiban said the president directed him to “import through selected importers of sugar.” Panganiban relayed to the committee that Marcos told him in that call that sugar inflation is high which prompted the president to recommend the immediate importation of the sweetener to arrest its price in the market. “Let’s do it ourselves first,” Panganiban said partly in Filipino. “And so, two days after, he (Marcos) called again a meeting with me and several sugar importers, and he told the same thing.” “And so after one hour of deliberations, the president said, ‘Let’s import.’ Tell the public we should be importing,” he said. But when asked to clarify by Sen...

Five Filipino crew members were among those killed when a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in central Indian Ocean last week, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Wednesday, quoting a Chinese official. "The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expresses sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the 39 crew members, five of whom were Filipinos, on board a Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the Indian Ocean last week, as reported by China's Transport Minister Li Xiaopeng," the PCG said in a statement. Based on the results of the initial government probe, there were no survivors after a fishing vessel carrying 39 crew members from China, Indonesia and the Philippines capsized last week in the Indian Ocean. "From an analysis of the ship's capsizing... it is preliminarily judged that there are no survivors from the ship," Beijing's transport ministry said in an official social media post. The Chinese vessel overturned on May 16, carrying 17 Chinese, 17...

BEIJING — China scaled down a rescue effort for crew missing from a capsized fishing vessel, after concluding that very few air pockets remained to keep alive any trapped survivors, state media said on Tuesday. Seven bodies were retrieved from the fishing vessel, the "Lupeng Yuanyu 028," after it capsized last week in a central area of the Indian Ocean with a crew of 39 aboard, state media have said. Five of the crew are Filipinos. The ministries of transport and agriculture, along with authorities in eastern Shandong province, downsized the effort to a 48-hour small-scale investigation from a large maritime search and rescue, CCTV said, citing the transport ministry. The seven ships operating at the size of the disaster were down from 13 a day earlier. The wrecked hull was drifting slowly northeast, the broadcaster added. Sri Lankan divers found and recovered remains in the ship's cabin, CCTV said. But it was not immediately clear which of the crew had been found fr...

BEIJING, China - Seven bodies were recovered from a Chinese fishing vessel that capsized in the central Indian Ocean, according to state media on Monday, days after China President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search to rescue and recover missing crew members. Several countries, including Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Maldives, and the Philippines, joined in rescue efforts for 39 missing crew members after the Chinese distant-water fishing vessel "Lupeng Yuanyu 028" capsized early last Tuesday, state-run CCTV reported. The vessel is owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co Ltd based in Shandong province. The company has yet to release a statement on the incident. Of the 39 people that were originally on board - 17 Chinese crew members, 17 Indonesians and five from the Philippines - it was not immediately clear which crew members were found. Sri Lankan divers found and recovered the remains in the cabin of the ship, CCTV reported according to the Chinese Ministry ...

A Filipina in Hong Kong lost over P5 million to a cryptocurrency investment scam, according to a "24 Oras Weekend" report on Saturday. The victim, "Joy," shared that someone offered her an investment on social media. Joy was told that she would earn by transferring money into some bank accounts. At first, Joy was making a profit. So, the initial investment of P1,500 grew to over P2 million in a few days. However, when she was supposed to get her money, she was charged 20% of her investment. She immediately reported it to the police, and the 25 suspects were arrested. It was discovered that they were also behind love scams and phishing in Hongkong. —

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople on Friday said the Hong Kong government vowed to extend assistance to the family of the overseas Filipino worker who fell to her death from the 18th floor of a building while cleaning windows. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Ople talked to HK Labour and Welfare Secretary Chris Sun on Thursday night and the latter said assistance will be extended as much as possible to the OFW's kin. Ople also assured the relatives of the OFW — referred to by the DMW as "Lyn" — that the Philippine government and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China will work closely to prevent similar incidents from happening again. “We will extend full assistance and support to her bereaved family while working closely with Secretary Chris Sun and his department to ensure that the principle of ‘safety above all else’ is carried out as part of employers’ obligations,” Ople said. Lyn, who was 38 ...