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Reuters WARRI, Nigeria - Nigerian security forces said they had freed three more Filipino hostages in the oil-producing Niger Delta on Saturday and vowed to press on with an offensive that has forced hundreds of villagers to flee. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were being used to survey the creeks and guide ground troops to try to flush out militants from remote communities around the port of Warri, military spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar said. "We were able to rescue three Filipinos today," he said. "People should not be panicked when they see helicopters or planes. Innocent people should not fear. We are targeting the militants, not them." He said the three Filipino hostages freed on Saturday were among more than a dozen seized 10 days ago from an oil vessel in Chanomi Creek near Warri. Nine other Filipinos and four Nigerians had already been freed. The military began its biggest offensive for years just over a week ago, bombarding militant camps around Warr...

abs-cbnNEWS.com An alliance of overseas Filipino workers’ organizations in the Middle East on Sunday urged Congress to fast track the passage of Senate Bill 3255, exempting OFW remittances from documentary stamp tax. John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said Malacañang should certify as urgent SB 3255 filed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson. He said Congress should also pass a bill scrapping the OWWA Omnibus Policies, a codified policies of OWWA implemented during the time of Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas which led to a phaseout of several social and welfare programs and services of OWWA to OFWs and their families. “We are for the scrapping of the OWWA Omnibus Policies as it not only phased out OWWA’s social and welfare programs but also intended to corner the billions of OFWs membership fees which amount is now P11.7-B held in trust to the government,” he said in a statement. Monterona said the funds have been misused and misappropriated by the administrat...

abs-cbnNEWS.com Emy Pepito/Photo courtesy of Migrante International The nightmare that hounded the family of an overseas Filipino worker for more than six months is over. Their kin returned Monday afternoon from Saudi Arabia. However, Emy Pepito had no gifts or “pasalubong” to give his family. The only box his family would be bringing home contained his remains. “Noong una hindi kami maniwala na ganoon [ang] nangyari,” said his sister Charito Pepito-Villanueva when they were informed of his brother’s death through his colleague. According to Migrante International, an alliance of migrant organizations assisting Pepito’s family, the OFW died on November 12, 2008 in Jeddah. He was reportedly buried alive in sand mixed with boiling asphalt while working on the foundation of a building. “Naihabol pa daw sa ospital pero di na umabot,” said Villanueva during a phone interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com. It took six months before the remains of the 29-year-old OFW in the morgue were repatriated. A...

Civil society organizations involved in the fight against human trafficking recently called for more vigilance and involvement on the part of the public to stop the increasing number of cases of human trafficking in the country. Cecille Flores-Oebanda of the Visayan Forum Foundation, an organization which provides assistance to victims of human trafficking in the Philippines, noted a 10 percent increase in the number of cases of human trafficking monitored by their group this past year. “In areas where we operated before, Cebu, Davao, there has been a slight decrease,” Flores-Oebenda observed. She pointed out however that there had been an increase in cases monitored in backdoor areas such as Zamboanga and Tawi-tawi. Flores-Oebanda also says that there have been a couple of cases in Clark. “Even if we stand guard in those places, we’ll already die in guarding, but this problem will still not be over. It should be the public themselves [who should] own the problem,” Flores-Oebanda says...

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino family quarantined last week in Macau as a precaution against A(H1N1) has been discharged, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The DFA, in its update, said the Macau Health Bureau informed the Philippine post there that the family had completed the seven-day quarantine period. "Post was informed by the Macau Health Bureau that the Filipino couple with their three children who were quarantined for suspected A(H1N1) influenza tested negative of the virus and were discharged following the completion of the seven-day quarantine period given to them," it said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph). It did not divulge the identities of the family members who were quarantined. Last week, the DFA said a Filipino couple and their three children were quarantined in Macau after getting in contact with a confirmed A(H1N1) patient. The DFA said that while the five tested negative, they would still be quarantined seven days. It said the Philippine Consulate wa...

KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV MANILA, Philippines - As the proposed bill to double the monthly pay of government nurses and teachers has been shut down by a House panel, a recruitment consultant on Tuesday predicted that more of these Filipino workers would probably consider going abroad. A number of congressmen, led by Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, had proposed that the monthly pay of government nurses and teachers be increased by P12,000 to P25,000 to “cope with rising inflation and stave off the departure of nurses and teachers for destinations abroad." Padilla said that this is the group of state workers who should have been given a 100-percent increase instead of other “high-ranking and high-salaried officials." The lawmaker was pertaining to the President, Cabinet members, senators, congressmen, and government bureaucrats down to director level who will receive double their salaries starting July 1 this year. But House Appropriations Committee chairman Quirino R...

JANESS ANN J. ELLAO, Bulatlat/Migrant Watch MANILA, Philippines — In the 1970s, many engineers and skilled workers left the country to work in the Middle East. Today, more women are now leaving the country to work abroad such as domestic workers and health professionals as the demand for land-based migrant workers has dramatically shifted from men to women. Maricar Evangelista, 35, a mother of four children, is one of the millions of Filipinos who left the country to find work abroad. Her story, of course, is also similar to the thousands of women migrant workers who have returned home after experiencing various forms of abuses from their employers. Evangelista left the country last November 2007 to work as a domestic helper in Dubai. "I never thought my employers would maltreat me," she said. Evangelista said her employers were good to her during the first six months. But when the family decided to hire another domestic helper, her suffering started. "My fellow domestic...

MANILA, Philippines - Less than 24 hours after she was reported abducted along with two companions in Manila, a Filipino American activist surfaced in Manila, a militant group said Monday. But the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) US chapter said the companions of Melissa Roxas, 32, remain missing since they were "abducted" last May 19. "We are happy to hear about Melissa's surfacing, but we are still concerned about the whereabouts of her two companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc, who were abducted along with Melissa on May 19th and are still missing to this day," Bayan USA chairwoman Bernadette Ellorin said on the Bayan Web site (www.bayan.ph). "We fully intend to pursue the demand for the surfacing of Carabeo and Handoc, as well as justice for Melissa. This abduction should never have taken place," she added. Bayan claimed at least eight armed men abducted Roxas, Carabeo, and Handoc at gunpoint in La Paz, Tarlac. The three were members...

LAGOS, Nigeria — Militants in Nigeria's southern oil delta said Monday they had destroyed major pipelines in the region and freed three Filipinos taken hostage earlier this month. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it had destroyed crude-bearing pipes run by Chevron Corp. early Monday in Delta State, where the military has launched its largest operation in years against militants. The group said the destruction was intended to stanch the flow of oil from five so-called flow stations, which route crude oil from wells into larger pipes heading toward refineries and export terminals. In a statement, the militants also said they had released three Filipino hostages seized earlier this month. Officials for the military and Chevron were not immediately available for comment. The military launched its operation in Rivers State nearly two weeks ago, after rare clashes between armed forces and the militants in the Scotland-sized region of swamps, rivers and creeks. Th...

MANILA, Philippines - After learning of 20,000 unserved arrest warrants against 276 large-scale illegal recruiters in the country, Vice President Noli De Castro asked local authorities to take action. "We are wondering why such number of warrants of arrest remains unserved. The task force is looking into this. That is why we are asking the help of Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation for the prompt execution of these unserved warrants," De Castro said. The vice president, who is also head of the Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (TFAIR), has earlier ordered TFAIR operations chief Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa to document and come up with a list for the most wanted persons in large-scale illegal recruitment. "The correct approach in helping our OFWs is to stop illegal recruitment at the source. Instead of the government spending so much money in the repatriation expenses and board and lodging expenses in all our embassies abroad, we sh...

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines reiterated its call to the international community for more inter-governmental efforts against human trafficking, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations said. Philippine representative to the United Nations Hilario Davide Jr. made the call before the Interactive Thematic Dialogue of the UN General Assembly General Assembly where he also pushed for the development of a global plan of action to fight trafficking. "Human trafficking is a gross violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a world that prides itself as civilized, human trafficking is not only a form of slavery; it is far worse than any form of slavery," Davide said in his statement before the General Assembly. "It is a crime that shames us all. It shames us because we have not done enough to remove the shame. It must be eliminated. It must be exterminated from this civilized world," he added. The dialogue was themed “Taking Collective Action to En...

MANILA, Philippines - At least 276 Filipino individuals have a total of more than 20,000 unserved warrants of arrest for large-scale illegal recruitment, an official of the Task Force Against Illegal Recruiters (TFAIR) said Saturday. Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, TFAIR operations chief, identified the top suspect as Harleta Velasco, who has 134 arrest warrants for illegal recruitment and estafa (fraud). And of the 276 suspects, 68 have double digit warrants of arrests, Sosa said in an interview on Vice President Noli De Castro’s radio program “Para Sa Iyo, Bayan." De Castro, who is also head of the Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment, wanted all the suspects to be identified but in view of the long list, he had Sosa name only the top 10 for a start. Sosa, however, ended up naming only nine, all of them women, with one suspect — Velasco — landing in the 1st and 7th place. Joining Velasco on top of the list were Rosemarie Liwanag (82), Maricar Inovero (79), Corazon Ventura ...

The Philippines suspended consular services in Japan's western city of Osaka for four days on Tuesday due to the spread of a new strain of the flu virus, Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Citing public safety concerns, the Philippine consular office in Osaka advised its staff to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel to "maintain their state of health" after Japan reported a sharp rise in influenza A (H1N1) cases in the past few days. The DFA said in a note on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph) the Osaka office would be closed from Tuesday until Friday "in the interest of public safety". More than 150 people have been reported infected by the new strain of influenza virus in Japan's western areas of Osaka and Hyogo prefectures. The Philippines remains free of the new flu virus after testing 65 people with flu-like symptoms since May 1. Three cases remained under observation, the health department said in a statement on Tuesday. as of 05/19/...

Several overseas Filipino workers were immediately evacuated from their homes after a series of earthquake hit the town of Al Ais in the western region of Saudi Arabia. ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau correspondent Charles Tabbu reported that 24 Filipino nurses were temporarily brought to an evacuation center, 30 kilometers from Al Ais. Rey Vicencio, coordinator of the Philippine Consulate in Yanbu, said that aside from the nurses, Filipino workers employed at the Saudi Cooperative Electric Company or SCECO were also moved to evacuation centers in Yanbu and Madinah, 50 kilometers from Al Ais. Officials of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah are now determining the situation of Filipinos affected by the quake, the report said. The report added that Philippine Consul General Ezzedin Tago has given instructions to find out the condition of Filipinos living in the earthquake affected areas of Al Ais, Madinah and Yanbu. According to the US Geological Survey, 46 tremors have hit the region in...

MANILA, Philippines - Two more Filipino seafarers who were kidnapped in Nigeria last May 13 were rescued by Nigerian authorities, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said the duo were to be brought to the Nigerian key city of Lagos to join nine other Filipino crew of the MV Spirit who were rescued earlier. Five other Filipino seafarers remain in the chartered oil tanker, which was hijacked by Nigerian militants at the Delta State on May 13. The vessel had a total of 16 Filipino crew on board. Conejos said the Philippine Embassy is coordinating with the Nigerian Foreign Ministry and federal security officials "for the safe release of the five seafarers who remain in the custody of the militants." A consular team headed by the charge d’affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Abuja, Alex Lamadrid. is to meet with the rescued kidnapping victims in Lagos. At least two Filipino seafarers – from the first group of nine ...

MANILA, Philippines - The reported rise in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) is clearly due to the “reprocessing" of job orders, a recruitment industry consultant said. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), a total of 1,236,013 Filipino workers were deployed in 2008 – a 14.7 percent increase from the year before. Of the number, 376,973 were land-based new hires – a 20 percent increase from the 313,360 new hires deployed in 2007. [See: POEA clarifies rise in OFW deployment for 2008] Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani, however, clarified that the rise in OFW deployment wasn’t actually due to an increase of job orders for new hires. “The recruitment industry believes that the large increase of deployed workers… is due to the proliferation of ‘repro job orders’ being used by licensed agencies in sending domestic helpers to Middle East," he told GMANews.TV. “Reprocessing," as previously defined by recruiters, means using p...

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) recently reminded overseas Filipino workers (OFW) that having their documents authenticated before going abroad is very important. “Documents coming from where they are working abroad must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country and by the Philippine Embassy accredited to that country, if they want to use the said documents anywhere else in the world later on," the POEA said on its website. The POEA issued the warning in light of the increasing number of Filipinos trying to go abroad using fake documents. [See: BI bars four undocumented OFWs from leaving at Clark Field] According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, more than four million Filipinos worked abroad in 2007. About 900,000 of this number, however, were reportedly undocumented. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines — Officials from the Philippines and Italy met with members of the Filipino community in Italy to discuss ways to enhance the development potential of their remittances. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the meeting opened Wednesday in Rome, and had representatives from international groups. “Representatives from international organizations, NGOs and the private sector are also attending the two-day meeting, which opened ... in Rome, to identify best practices that will encourage the investment of remittances in activities that will stimulate growth and employment in the Philippines," the IOM said on its website (http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/media/press-briefing-notes/pbnEU/cache/offonce?entryId=25007). IOM said the meeting is part of a program funded by the European Commission and carried out by IOM Manila to improve the knowledge of remittance corridors, enhance the development potential of remittances through inter-regional dialogue t...

'SORRY' Alec Baldwin says sorry to Filipinos offended by his Filipina-mail-order bride joke last May 12. AP photoMANILA, Philippines - After receiving flak from Filipinos worldwide, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin on Wednesday apologized for joking that he was interested in buying himself a Filipina wife. "I apologize for the perceived insensitivity of that remark," Baldwin said in his blog posted at the Huffington Post website. Despite his apology, Baldwin explained that his joke was just meant to "achieve the goal of having more children in [his] life." "I believe that most people understood that this was a joke and took it as such. (A dated reference, no doubt, and another sign of my advancing age)," he said. On May 12, the 51-year-old Hollywood actor told David Letterman on the Late Show how he thought of getting, or buying, himself a Filipina bride. "I think about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point or a Russian one, I don’t care,...

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino couple and their three children were quarantined in Macau after getting in contact with a confirmed A(H1N1) patient, the Department of Foreign Affairs said late Wednesday. In an update on its Web site, the DFA said that while the five tested negative, they would still be quarantined seven days. "All five members of this family were tested negative but nevertheless will be quarantined for seven days from the day they got in contact with a confirmed A(H1N1) patient," it said. It did not elaborate on when the family came into contact with the patient. The DFA said the Philippine post in Macau learned of the incident after getting information from the Macau Health Department. "The Consulate was able to contact this Filipino family over the phone to check on their health condition and also contacted their immediate relatives in the Philippines," it said. - GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - American actor Alec Baldwin got a free lecture from the Philippine Consulate in New York about Filipino mail-order-brides, which he jokingly expressed interest in buying. In a letter addressed to the actor on Tuesday, Consul General Cecilia Rebong said the 30 Rock actor’s May 12 statement on the “Late Show with David Letterman" gave them the impression that “Filipino women can be categorized as easy commodities for sale." “The Philippine is one of the leading countries in the effort to eliminate the trafficking of women and children," Rebong wrote. She noted the key legislations against human smuggling including: Republic Act 6955 or “The Anti Mail-Order Bride Law of 1990" and the RA 9208: “The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act," which criminalizes the act of “introducing for money or other consideration any Filipino to a foreigner as a possible spouse." "Being an actor and a comedian it is understandable that you may not be aware ...

MANILA, Philippines -Some Taiwanese companies have started recalling overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were laid off due to the global financial crisis, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) announced on Wednesday. “Several Taiwanese manufacturers value the significant contribution of their Filipino talent and skilled workforce to their enterprises’ future growth and competitiveness," said Antonio I. Basilio, resident representative of MECO, Manila’s de-facto embassy in Taiwan. He said that some workers who were asked to go on a three-month vacation have also started returning to their Taiwanese employers. The MECO said that employers in the electronics sector made the move in light of the improvements in the economy of the export-dependent country. As proof, Basilio said the jobs registered with the online Job Bank in Taiwan rose to 203,000 in early May – the highest in six months, thereby indicating that the country’s employment market is “regaining momentum." Ta...

MANILA, Philippines - An overseas Filipino worker who has been sentenced by a Kuwaiti court to die for killing a compatriot may yet get a new lease of life, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. In a statement, the DFA said Bienvenido Espino’s chance of being spared the death penalty has improved after the victim’s family agreed to forgive him. Espino was convicted for killing fellow OFW Jhiyas Gumapac in Kuwait in 2007. To save Espino, the DFA facilitated the grant of a tanazul or an affidavit of forgiveness under Shariah law from Gumapac’s legal heirs as required by Kuwait’s Court of Cassation (equivalent to the Philippine Supreme Court). The statement quoted Gumapac’s father, Joel, as saying that the persistent representations made by the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya led to the decision for them to forgive Espino and sign the tanazul. “In Kuwait, the tanazul will allow the offe...

MANILA, Philippines - An overseas Filipino worker who has been sentenced by a Kuwaiti court to die for killing a compatriot may yet get a new lease of life, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday. In a statement, the DFA said Bienvenido Espino’s chance of being spared the death penalty has improved after the victim’s family agreed to forgive him. Espino was convicted for killing fellow OFW Jhiyas Gumapac in Kuwait in 2007. To save Espino, the DFA facilitated the grant of a tanazul or an affidavit of forgiveness under Shariah law from Gumapac’s legal heirs as required by Kuwait’s Court of Cassation (equivalent to the Philippine Supreme Court). The statement quoted Gumapac’s father, Joel, as saying that the persistent representations made by the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya led to the decision for them to forgive Espino and sign the tanazul. “In Kuwait, the tanazul will allow the offe...

MANILA, Philippines - Over P73 million has been loaned to displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to help them get back on their feet, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said. The OWWA said that as of May 11, the Filipino Expatriate Livelihood Support Fund (FELSF) has already lent over P73,063,155 to 1,473 of its OFW members who were displaced by the financial crunch. FELSF loans are available up to P50,000 for OWWA members whose work contracts abroad were shortened as a consequence of the economic downturn since October 2008. [See: OWWA willing to lend P50K for displaced OFWs] These loans, OWWA said, are without collateral for two years. The interest rate is only five percent per annum and borrowers start paying back only after a grace period of 90 days. Loan applicants may qualify by attending a three-day course on starting a livelihood business. The course, a grant by the Department of Labor and Employment, covers entrepreneurial basics, skills training, practice m...

I O M N E W S R E L E A S E ITALY (21 May 2009) –Government representatives from the Philippines and Italy met members of the Filipino diaspora to discuss ways to enhance the development potential of remittances. Representatives from international organizations, NGOs and the private sector also attended the two-day meeting, which ended yesterday in Rome. The meeting aimed to identify best practices that would encourage the investment of remittances in activities to stimulate growth and employment in the Philippines. As part of the event, preliminary findings of an on-going IOM research project on remittance flows between Italy and the Philippines were presented. The research shows that 72% of Filipinos in Italy send money home on a monthly basis, with 63% saying they remit on average 350 Euros per month. Forty percent of the respondents said they had been sending money home for more than 10 years, with women on average remitting more money than men. When asked about their futur...

MANILA, Philippines - Over P73 million has been loaned to displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to help them get back on their feet, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said. The OWWA said that as of May 11, the Filipino Expatriate Livelihood Support Fund (FELSF) has already lent over P73,063,155 to 1,473 of its OFW members who were displaced by the financial crunch. FELSF loans are available up to P50,000 for OWWA members whose work contracts abroad were shortened as a consequence of the economic downturn since October 2008. [See: OWWA willing to lend P50K for displaced OFWs] These loans, OWWA said, are without collateral for two years. The interest rate is only five percent per annum and borrowers start paying back only after a grace period of 90 days. Loan applicants may qualify by attending a three-day course on starting a livelihood business. The course, a grant by the Department of Labor and Employment, covers entrepreneurial basics, skills training, practice m...

Hijacked last April 6 with 17 Filipinos. MV Irene Hijacked April 15 with 22 Filipinos. *Data collected by GMANews.TV.MANILA, Philippines - Somali pirates have released a German cargo ship which they seized last April 25 with 15 Filipino seafarers on board, an online report said Tuesday. The National Radio Company of Ukraine website quoted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service on Tuesday as saying the pirates have released the Maltese-flagged MV Patriot, along with a Ukrainian engineer and 15 Filipino seafarers. German ship operator Johann M.K. Blumenthal GmbH and Co. KG said in the report that “successful talks" between the owner of the German ship and the pirates led to the release of the vessel and its crew. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) could not immediately confirm the release of the Filipino seafarers. DFA spokesman Ed Malaya said they were still awaiting information from the relevant authorities. The Ukrainian rereport said all the Patriot’s cre...

MANILA, Philippines — Militant Filipino-American women threw their support Tuesday behind a 22-year-old Filipino woman who claimed she was raped by a US serviceman. The Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (Fire) said the soldier must be held accountable for this "despicable crime." “The exercises count up to 6,000 US troops deployed to a Philippine province, (in) Bicol, among others. They have and continue to pose a threat to the welfare of Filipino women, as exemplified with this past rape case. News of Vanessa's rape comes just weeks after the Subic Bay Rape Case of 'Nicole' was overturned in April 2009 and LCPL Daniel Smith, her convicted rapist, was set free," the group said in an article on the Catholic Bishops'Conference of the Philippines website (www.cbcpnews.com). “Smith's release and the manipulated case of Nicole gives US military servicemen in the Philippines free reign to do whatever they want without any consequence," it added. Fir...

MANILA, Philippines — A migrant group welcomed the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) plan to deploy social work attachés to provide assistance to OFWs in distress. Migrante International, a global alliance of migrant organization, said the DSWD should make that a permanent program in view of the increasing number of distressed OFWs. “This is a positive development and we commend the DSWD for taking a step in the right direction. With the increasing number of OFWs in distress in the Middle East, the social work attachés will be very relevant," said Garry Martinez, Migrante’s chairperson. “However, we sincerely hope that this is not simply a token gesture as this is not enough if the government wants to really genuinely provide protection and assistance to our kababayans in the Middle East," he said. Martinez reminded the DSWD that OFWs in distress can be found everywhere in the Middle East and not only in Riyadh and in Jordan, but in many major cities of th...

MANILA, Philippines — The threat from A(H1N1) has prompted the Philippine Embassy in Osaka, Japan to suspend consular operations for four days, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. In its update for Tuesday, the DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Osaka cited "public safety" in its decision to suspend such operations from Tuesday to Friday. "Post decided to suspend consular operations from 19 to 22 May 2009 in the interest of public safety," it said in an update posted on the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph). But it said it will maintain a skeletal force at the office during the suspended operations period and will continue to receive assistance to nationals (ATN) cases and other emergency consular transactions. On the other hand, the embassy said it is contacting leaders of the Filipino community in western Japan to request their assistance in disseminating information to their respective constituencies. "Consulate staffs were instructed to remain ...

Four outgoing passengers have been barred from leaving the country at Clark Field in Pampanga after they were profiled as undocumented overseas filipino workers (OFW), the Bureau of Immigration said Tuesday. The passengers were stopped at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) last April 26 before they could board their flights to Malaysia and Brunei, immigration officer Heranio Manalo in a report to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan. Manalo, the BI operations chief at Clark Field, identified the four illegal recruitment victims as Cristina Turing, Rachel Tolentino, Marilyn Abanes, and Janet Rima Buenafrancisca. Libanan said immediately placed the tourist workers in the immigration watch list to prevent them from trying to leave the country without proper documents. “We will only remove them from our watch list if they can prove that they are legitimate tourists or after they have secured the necessary documents from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administrati...

MANILA, Philippines - One hundred and fifty children of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have been granted scholarships by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). In a statement, OWWA said that the 150 applicants were granted the scholarships for passing the examination for the agency’s Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP). The top two placers of the examination were Kevin Loyola Leaño and Jon Dewitt Enriquez Dalisay. Leaño is the son of a consumer goods manufacturing facility manager in China. He will be taking up Computer Science at the Ateneo De Manila University. Dalisay, on the other hand, is the child of a sea-based OFW. He will be taking up Mechanical Engineering at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. The whole list of the EDSP scholars for school year 2009-2010 may be viewed at the OWWA website. This is already the sixth batch of students that were awarded scholarships by the agency. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Concerned by 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin’s plans to buy himself a Filipina bride, the Filipino community in New York will be sending a letter to the A-list actor and the producers of the talk show that interviewed him over the insensitive remark. Cecilia Rebong, Philippine consul general to New York, is sending a letter to Baldwin and the producers of the Late Show with David Letterman “to express deep concern over the derogatory remarks" made by the actor. The “Late Show"and “30 Rock" are taped at the NBC studios inside the GE Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City. “The consulate shares the sentiments expressed by many others that although said in jest, the remarks displayed insensitivity and tactlessness," the consulate said in a statement. Baldwin – a divorced father of a 13-year-old girl – told David Letterman in one of his last interviews on the Late Show, how he thought of getting, or buying, himself a Filipina bride. “I think abo...

MANILA, Philippines - A 47-year-old woman has been arrested by the Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (Tfair) for illegally recruiting Filipinos to work in the United Arab Emirates. Vice President Noli De Castro, head of the task force, said that Remedios Briones Razon of Caloocan City was arrested last week during an entrapment operation conducted inside a fast food chain in Baclaran, Parañaque City. He said the case stemmed from the complaints of six aspiring overseas Filipino workers who were each asked to pay P15,000 to Razon in exchange for jobs as domestic helpers in Dubai. The suspect was not authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to conduct any recruitment activities, De Castro said in a press statement. He identified the victims as Angela Abaya, Michelle Advincula, Chona Rivera, Alejandra Balbin, Milleth Villaruel, and Laarni Ishibashi. “They personally appeared and lodged their complaints against the suspect before the Tfair office which im...

MANILA, Philippines - Two of the Filipino seafarers rescued last weekend from a hijacked oil tanker in Nigeria were hurt, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said the injured were among the nine Filipino seamen — not just six as earlier reported — who were rescued from Niger militants who hijacked the MV Spirit on May 13. The MV Spirit had a seven other crew members of different nationalities, the DFa said. “Two of the nine rescued Filipino seafarers had slight injuries," Conejos said. DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo had earlier dispatched Conejos to personally look into the condition and welfare of the Filipino seafarers on board the chartered oil tanker. Quoting Nigerian army spokesperson Colonel Rabe Abubakar, the DFA reported that the latest operations brought the number of freed hostages to 13, including the nine Filipinos and four Nigerians. “A consular team was sent to the city of Warri in Delta State where t...

MANILA, Philippines - Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) deployment for 2008 rose by only 14.7 percent, not by 30 percent as earlier reported, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) clarified. In a statement released January, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that the Philippine government exceeded its deployment target by more than 300,000 new hires in 2008 – an increase of almost 30 percent compared to the same period in 2007. It also said that 1,376,823 Filipinos left the country last year to look for greener pastures abroad. [See: OFW deployment in 2008 up by 30%] The POEA, however, recently clarified that only 1,236,013 Filipino workers were actually deployed in 2008, which is 14.7 percent higher than the year before. Of the number, 376,973 were land-based new hires – a 20 percent increase from the 313,360 new hires deployed in 2007. POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili said she cited the new figures to rectify reports that they were purposely “bloat...

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina worker who was once held like a prisoner by her employment firm in the United Arab Emirates has finally returned to the Philippines. Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Maria Caridad “Maricar" Evangelista Laganzo arrived in Manila via Gulf Air on Monday at 11:10 a.m. Laganzo went to Dubai in October 2007 to work as a domestic helper but was reportedly maltreated by her employer who threw a chair at her, denied her proper wages, and even threatened to send her to jail. But after several media people took interest in the plight of the 35-year-old OFW, her employer sent her back to her employment agency, the Al-Doukhi Labour Supply. The agency then locked her inside a small kitchen without any ventilation and adequate food supplies. [See: Pinay held like a prisoner by UAE employment firm] Having heard this, militant groups Anakpawis and Migrante International held a picket in front of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) office on Octob...

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos in Hong Kong were reminded to stay vigilant and take needed precautions against the A(H1N1) virus after the confirmation of a third A(H1N1) case there. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine post in Hong Kong reiterated its call to the Filipino community and those traveling to Hong Kong to take needed measures. "Post called on Filipinos in Hong Kong to remain vigilant against A(H1N1) influenza in view of the confirmation by authorities of the city’s third imported case of A(H1N1)," the DFA said in its website Monday night. It also said the Philippine Consulate reiterated its earlier call on the Filipino community and those traveling to Hong Kong to observe precautionary measures against A(H1N1). Meanwhile, in New York, the Philippine consulate general issued a press release advising Filipino-Americans in Northeast States to take precautionary measures and stay vigilant to avoid getting the virus. - GMANews.TV

MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV OH, NO YOU DON'T. While Alec Baldwin is thinking about buying himself a Philippine bride, migrant groups are saying Filipinas deserve better than the divorcee actor. AP/GMANews.TV File PhotosMANILA, Philippines - First, Teri Hatcher questioned the medical certificates of Filipino doctors. Then, British show Harry & Paul ridiculed a Filipina maid as a sex symbol. And just recently, Chinese columnist Chip Tsao called the Philippines a nation of slaves. Now, it’s 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin's turn, joining the ranks of "internationally-recognized" celebrities who have maligned Filipinos, according to critics. Baldwin – a divorced father of a 13-year-old girl – told David Letterman in one of his last interviews on the Late Show, how he taught of getting, or buying, himself a Filipina bride. “I think about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point or a Russian one, I don’t care, I’m 51," Baldwin told Letterman in a May 12 i...

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines—They may have landed in Japan by this time, savoring the land’s chilly weather and beginning their journey towards a new life of challenge and greater opportunity. They are the 92 nurses and 188 caregivers who left the country Sunday after being hired in various institutions under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). The stories about life and leaving tell of the same tales as that of thousands of Filipinos working abroad, but each departure always conveys a mixed feeling of joy, sadness and uncertainty. Japan is not a bed of roses, this much Maria Theresa Urquico knows. She left, anyway, for the benefit of her three children, aged 7, 6, and two-and-a-half years old. “I’ve read not-so-good stories about Japan, but this opportunity to work there under JPEPA is one that I cannot let pass. For now, this is the best that’s available,” said the 36-year-old nurse in an interview at a send-off ceremony in Que...