KAKAMMPI News

Criticism against the compulsory insurance policy of the Philippine government for overseas Filipino workers continue to mount, with Taiwanese employers also threatening a moratorium on hiring Filipino workers unless the policy is scrapped. The Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan Inc. (PILMAT) said companies in Taiwan have threatened to cancel some 50,000 job orders for Filipinos next year and instead source workers from other countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, if the government insists on implementing the policy. “With the imposition of this insurance scheme, we will lose our competitiveness in the labor market," PILMAT president Jackson Gan said. Gan said Taiwanese companies have expressed “strong opposition" to the policy, as labor laws in the island already mandate insurance coverage for contract workers. According to Gan, Taiwan’s labor laws mandate personal insurance for contract workers, with coverage amounting to $800,000 NT dollars or about P1.2 mi...

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz will meet with Vice President Jejomar Binay to thresh out the problem involving mandatory insurance for overseas Filipino workers. Baldoz said the meeting will be held this week, where she will update Binay on the implementation of the mandatory insurance, and get his inputs on the matter. “I will be meeting with the Vice President this week. One of the agenda will be to provide him an update on what’s happening in the implementation of the mandatory insurance for overseas Filipino workers," she said in an article posted on the government portal. Baldoz said she asked for the meeting, and will bring her officials including Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac instead of Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, who is attending the Global Forum on Migration and Development in South America. She said she will also bring with her the heads of the various Labor agencies involved in the implementation of the mandatory insurance for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), includ...

As the tension in Korea is still high, Philippine labor officials are drawing up a list of undocumented Filipino workers there who may need assistance if the situation worsens. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said they have coordinated with the Filipino community in Korea to locate these undocumented workers, radio dzBB’s Carlo Mateo reported Friday. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), there are 50,000 to 60,000 Filipino workers in Korea, Baldoz said. On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. had said their records as of December 2009 show there are 50,270 Filipinos in Korea. Tension in Korea is expected to rise further this weekend when the United States and South Korea engage in joint military exercises. The exercises stemmed from North Korea’s artillery attack on South Korea earlier this week. P25-M fund for OFWs in Korea On Thursday, Baldoz said labor officials have readied ...

More than 25 percent of the recorded Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive patients in the Philippines are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said. In a statement issued on Monday, the TUCP said out of the 5,729 HIV-positive cases listed in the National AIDS Registry since 1984 up to the end of October this year, 1,501 cases are OFWs. The country's first case of HIV was recorded in 1984. In October, 104 HIV-positive cases were reported. Twenty cases involved OFWs, and the median age of the HIV-positive OFWs was 36. "This is very unfortunate because at 36 years old, they are at the prime of their lives and productivity," said TUCP secretary general and former Senator Ernesto Herrerra. Out of the total number of HIV cases among OFWs, about 75 percent of the infected patients (or 1,127 persons) are males. Around 96 percent of the HIV-positive OFWs were infected through sexual contact. Herrera said the figures underscore...

Foreign companies with projects in Algeria continue to prefer overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), saying they intend to employ more people for construction and oil and gas projects. At least three companies intend to hire more OFWs for various projects in Algeria, according a release by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The release is based on a report by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Tripoli, Libya. Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa said he conducted site verification and ocular inspection of Algeria-based companies COJAAL, Samsung, and Doodsal and found that work conditions in the companies’ sites are “satisfactory." He also met with the management of MITAC, the Japanese firm which built a 220-km road project with the Algerian National Agency for Highways. The road project was clinched through COJAAL, a consortium of five Japanese companies including Kajima, Taichi, Nishimachu, Hajana, and Ituchu. Mustafa said that COJAAL is now starting the construction of anoth...

Some Filipino students in South Korea do not seem to mind the tension in the Korean peninsula caused by last week’s artillery attack by North Korea on a small South Korean island, Sen. Edgardo Angara, who is in Seoul, said on Monday. “I was surprised that when I arrived here there was no sign of panic, contrary to what is being reported in the Philippines," said Angara in a statement. Angara, chairman of the Senate education committee, met with 82 Filipino scholars in Seoul last Saturday to assure them that the Philippine government is closely monitoring the situation there. Angara was in South Korea as a keynote speaker at the Korea-Philippines Multi-Industry Cluster (MIC) Development Cooperation Forum held last Sunday. He and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri went there on Wednesday, a day after North Korea’s attack. Four South Koreans, two of them civilians, died after Pyongyang rained artillery on the small Yellow Sea island of Yeonpyeong, which is home to both fishing communities an...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said six Filipinos died and 21 others were hurt in a road accident in Japan over the weekend. According to the DFA website, the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka reported that 12 slightly injured Filipinos who figured in a road accident in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture were discharged from the hospital. The minibus driver, a Japanese citizen, was among the injured. Nine other seriously injured Filipinos remain confined in six different hospitals, the DFA said. The Filipinos, including one naturalized Japanese citizen, were on the way to work at the Sharp Kameyama facility. The victims' minibus collided with a truck at an intersection at about 7:45 a.m. on Sunday. Six passengers died in the accident. In a report by radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Carmelita Dimzon identified the six fatalities as: Randy Bayron Cornel Alma Dula Adarlo Remedios Bertoldo Cargullo Ceferino Salengua Pedro Jr. Mabini Ba...

Overcoming the temptation to use the money for his cancer-stricken mother's hospital bills, an airport immigration officer returned the $10,000 left on his desk by a Canada-bound Filipino passenger. Immigration officer Amando Amisola admitted in a radio interview Monday he was tempted to keep the money but eventually decided he had to do the right thing. "Honestly naalala ko mother ko na Stage-4 cancer itatakbo that morning sa hospital. Kalalabas lang sa PGH kaya lang naghihingalo na. Pinakita ko sa kasamahan ko, parang sinasadya ng tadhana, parang pagsubok. Naisip ko di akin yan kaya isauli ko sa may-ari," Amisola, 37, said in an interview on dzBB radio. (Honestly I thought of my mother who is suffering from Stage-4 cancer. She was to be rushed to the hospital that day. I showed the envelope with the $10,000 to my work colleagues and remarked fate must be testing me. But in the end I decided the money was not mine, so I decided to return it.) Amisola said the incident oc...

Last October 11, 2010, the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) Secretariat in Chinese Taipei announced the country champions for the first round of the ADOC 2.0 blog competition. In the Philippines, the Samahan ng Mamamayan – Zone One Tondo Organization (SM-ZOTO) was declared country champion besting 6 other teams in the process. The Samahan ng Mamamyan – Zone One Tondo Organization is the oldest urban poor federation in the country today. It is composed of 646 local urban poor organizations with 32,777 members working within 28 relocation sites in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. It envisions a society of economically and politically empowered citizens who are accorded their due dignity, who foster gender equality and democracy and live in a healthy and bountiful environment. One of its programs, the computer literacy program under the children and young people’s program, is being supported by ADOC. As an ADOC supported organization, it is eligible to join the ADOC 2.0 blog comp...

Philippine bishops, leaders of the world's third largest Catholic Church, told the Vatican that Filipino laypeople have been defending the faith on crucial issues such as reproductive health. Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar mentioned this in an interview with Vatican Radio in Rome last week. Nearly 100 Catholic bishops are visiting Rome in three batches from November 25 this year to March 5 next year, for their "ad limina visit." The "quinquennial visit ad limina apostolorum" or simply "ad limina visit" refers to the obligation of diocesan bishops to visit every five years the tombs of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul. The bishops also have to meet the Pope and report on the state of their dioceses or prelatures. According to the news site Zenit, Odchimar spoke with Vatican Radio about the priority issues that Catholic bishops are facing in the Philippines. With an estimated 73 mi...

Certification requirement of host countries for OFW deployment suspended11/29/2010 | 06:57 PM Share3 Vice President Jejomar Binay has suspended for 60 days the implementation of the required certification of host countries for the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). A statement posted on the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) website quoted Binay, who is also the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, as saying that the suspension was to allow for ample time to assess compliance of host countries with the new Philippine law on migrant workers. The newly amended Republic Act 10022 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos’ Act of 1995 seeks to intensify protection for OFWs by deploying them in migrant-friendly countries. The statement said that in a meeting of the POEA Governing Board that was attended by Binay last week, both the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) agreed to extend the 90-day and 120-...

As tension continues to rise in Korea, the Department of Budget and Management reassured Filipinos in Korea that the government has enough funds for their repatriation if the need arises. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad gave this assurance Monday as he said President Benigno Simeon Aquino III continues to monitor closely the situation in the Korean Peninsula. “Meron tayong kahandaan na tumugon sa anumang contingency sa kasalukuyang tension na nangyayari sa Korea," Abad said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We are prepared to respond to any contingency resulting from the tension in Korea.) However, he did not give figures on how much the government expects to spend for repatriation if the need arises. Tension in the Korean Peninsula escalated over the weekend as the United States and South Korea started military exercises. Last week, North Korea shelled a South Korean island where four South Koreans, including two civilians, were killed. North Korea insisted its attack was in self-d...

The Philippines has signed a mutual assistance agreement with Israel on Customs matters in that country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, the DFA said the Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters was signed in Israel on Tuesday. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Philippine Ambassador Petronila Garcia signed the agreement on behalf of their governments, the DFA said on its website. Garcia said the Philippines is very fortunate to have Israel as a partner in this endeavor, noting that the negotiation process began five years ago. The agreement is essential for countries to safeguard their economies, public welfare, and international interest, she added. The agreement establishes the framework by which both countries will assist each other on customs-related issues according to the domestic laws of each party. Under the agreement, both countries will: Exchange information on whether goods exported from/import...

Philippine diplomatic and labor officials will hold an outreach program in two areas in the United Arab Emirates this weekend to cut down the large number of applicants for travel documents. An 18-member team from the Philippine Consulate General and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai will hold the program in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah on Saturday. “The outreach program will help reduce this number as applicants from RAK and Fujairah will not have to queue up at the Consulate," Consul General Benito Valeriano said in an article posted on UAE news site Khaleej Times Friday. He said the mission will cater to Filipino applicants queuing up at the consulate for affidavits and e-passports. Valeriano said the outreach program will serve the Filipino Community in Ras Al Khaimah in the morning and in Fujairah in the afternoon. Applicants for notarized affidavits and e-passport had gone up to an average of 300 and 200 daily, he noted. “Many of the staff have had a hectic...

Philippine diplomatic and labor officials will hold an outreach program in two areas in the United Arab Emirates this weekend to cut down the large number of applicants for travel documents. An 18-member team from the Philippine Consulate General and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai will hold the program in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah on Saturday. “The outreach program will help reduce this number as applicants from RAK and Fujairah will not have to queue up at the Consulate," Consul General Benito Valeriano said in an article posted on UAE news site Khaleej Times Friday. He said the mission will cater to Filipino applicants queuing up at the consulate for affidavits and e-passports. Valeriano said the outreach program will serve the Filipino Community in Ras Al Khaimah in the morning and in Fujairah in the afternoon. Applicants for notarized affidavits and e-passport had gone up to an average of 300 and 200 daily, he noted. “Many of the staff have had a hectic...

A Filipina hairdresser faced a court in Dubai last Thursday for allegedly forcing two women into prostitution after luring them to the United Arab Emirates. The 33-year-old Filipina was accused of human trafficking before the Court of First Instance, news site Khaleej Times reported Friday. One of the victims, a 25-year-old Filipina, told prosecutors the woman offered her a job as a saleslady in a supermarket in Dubai and demanded Dh6,000 (P71,132) as visa fee, flight ticket charge and housing cost. When the complainant could not pay the amount, the defendant allegedly agreed to shoulder the cost but on the condition that the complainant would pay it back. Last April 23, the defendant and a Filipino man met the complainant at the Dubai International Airport and took her to the defendant’s apartment in Muraqqabat. “There, she told me that I should pay her Dh20,000 (P237,108) as flight ticket charge, visa fee and rent for staying with her," the complainant said. When she told the de...

One of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who escaped from their employers in Jordan is due to return home this Sunday. Melith Ante, 27, is due to arrive with other OFWs on Sunday, her mother Berlita said in an article on news site Visayan Daily Star Friday. But Melith's sister Lenen, 25, is reportedly still en route to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Amman, Jordan, Mrs. Ante said. She said Lenen was rescued on Oct. 4 and was admitted to a hospital for a checkup. The elder Ante called anew for justice and settlement for the moral and financial damages her daughters incurred during their ordeal. Melith escaped from her employer after an attempted rape, and sought help at the Mactav Recruiting Manpower Domestic Worker. She stayed there for two days without food and was taken into custody by the Philippine Embassy. Mrs. Ante said her daughters were recruited for janitorial jobs by a friend who worked in a city government. Berlita said she was asked to pay P11,000 but receive...

Two of the 12 overseas Filipino workers arrested for taking part in a religious activity in Saudi Arabia criticized the Philippine embassy for refusing to sign the "kafala" or written guarantee for their release. One of the OFWs, an engineer, said the embassy promised to sign the written guarantee for them but never did. "We had to depend on our respective employers for our release. By 3 a.m. on Saturday, the police gave us back our iqamas," the OFW, who is also a local community leader, said in an article posted on Arab News Friday. “There were assurances that the Philippine Embassy would sign a kafala for us, but it never came," he added. Another OFW said that while they are thankful for the embassy's show of concern, they were "helpless" as far as the kafala was concerned. “We are thankful to the two officials because they showed concern for us, except that they were helpless as far as the issuance of a kafala was concerned," said the seco...

At least 84 Filipina cleaners have been living in misery since being abandoned by their employer without salary, food, water and electricity at a home in the United Arab Emirates. While the local Filipino community has extended some help, the Filipina cleaners are also seeking redress from labor officials in Dubai as well as help from doctors. “We welcome any Filipino doctor who will come and check our health. Many have symptoms of hypertension due to the depressing situation, breathing difficulties, asthma, skin rashes, cough and cold. We are sleeping on the rooftop where we can get fresh air," Mary Grace Teneros said in an article posted Sunday on UAE news site Khaleej Times. Teneros was one of the first four cleaners who filed a suit before the Dubai court after they found out they were illegally brought there. For now, leaders of the Filipino community have helped keep up the spirits of the stranded Filipina workers and have brought them food, medicines, and toiletries. Roach ...

Iniwan nila ang glamoroso at maingay na mundo ng showbizness upang makipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa at makapagsimula ng bagong buhay. Sa episode ng OFW Diaries hosted by Kara David nitong Biyernes, ikinuwento nina Julio Diaz at Bernardo Bernando ang kanilang naging karanasan bilang mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Dekado 80 nang sumikat si Julio sa industriya ng showbiz bilang dramatic actor. Sa husay niya sa pag-arte, dalawang Best Actor Award na kanyang naiuwi. Ngunit matapos makagawa ng mahigit 60 pelikula, unti-unti nang nawala ang ningning ng bituin ni Julio, na nagmarka sa ginawa niyang pelikula tungkol sa buhay ng bayaning si “Macario Sakay." “During that time kasi nandito ako sa bansa natin, siyempre medyo bumaba na nang bumaba yung career ko, bumaba na yung marketing value ko rito as an actor, so sabi ko hindi ako puwedeng titigil lang dito para lang sa isang bagay na para bang maghihintay," kuwento ni Julio sa OFW Diaries. Taong 2002 nang lumipad si Julio sa Aus...

A battered Filipino maid in the United Arab Emirates is getting another shot at justice after officials in Sharjah emirate decided to reopen her case. UAE-based news site Khaleej Times reported the Sharjah Immigration is looking into the reasons why Marialyn Vinluan has not received compensation for torture she endured from her employer. Vinluan had escaped from her Lebanese lady employer in Ajman on August 9 last year after she was beaten up, but it was not until May this year that the unpaid compensation came to light. (See: UAE-based Pinoy workers rally around battered colleague) Maritess Bautista, a coordinator of the consulate, said immigration authorities learned that Vinluan is being forced to go home without compensation for physical and mental torture. Bautista is assisting distressed Filipino workers in Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Major Ibrahim Hamdan, assistant investigation officer at the Sharjah Immigration, meanwhile said the papers for Vinluan’s case are...

overseas Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia needs government assistance as his health is deteriorating after suffering a stroke last August. Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Monterona said Tamano Saltan Ismail, 35, is staying at a shelter and needs to be rehospitalized. “Fellow workers and some kababayans (compatriots) are taking care of him but his recovery is too slow due to lack of proper medication and medical attention. As the KGS (Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan) welfare officers have told us, his condition is now deteriorating," Monterona said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. “We believe he must be rehospitalized for better medical attention and we need the help of the Philippine consulate on this matter," he added. Monterona said Ismail, a native of Maguindanao, was rushed to the King Saud Medical Center last August 24, and underwent brain operation. Citing a clinical abstract signed by attending physician Al...

Philippine officials have started helping overstaying Filipinos in Saudi Arabia take advantage of a six-month amnesty period allowing overstaying foreigners to leave the kingdom without punishment. Ambassador Antonio Villamor said he will meet with Interior Ministry officials in Saudi to clarify certain details so he can guide the concerned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on how to avail of the amnesty. "I have informed the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines about this development. We are indeed thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for this generous gesture," Villamor said in an article on Saudi-based news site Arab News. Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said it will issue an advisory about the amnesty to the concerned OFWs. Labor Attache David Des Dicang of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the Eastern Region said the organization was “indeed happy beyond words over this good development." “OFWs who ran aw...

Seven Filipinas staying in London were recently arrested by the United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency and are set to be deported following a series of immigration crackdown operations. In a release posted on the website of the British Embassy in Manila, the seven Filipino women were arrested, along with other foreign nationals, during Border Agency raids on different addresses in Willesden in northwest London on September 16. “The enforcement operations are part of a planned nationwide crackdown by the UK Border Agency to tackle illegal working, sham marriages, bogus colleges and organised immigration crime," the release said. It was unclear, however, what specific immigration laws were violated by the seven. The release said UK Border Agency officers received information on locations of illegal migrants in Willesden and conducted the raid, along with Metropolitan Police officers and Brent Council staff. They found 50 people inside the addresses and in one accommodation, and arrested ...

After Saudi authorities announced a blanket royal pardon for all violators of the Kingdom’s residency laws, a Filipino migrant advocacy group there urged the Philippine government to assist undocumented overseas Filipino workers to avail of the amnesty. In a statement, Migrante-Middle East said there are thousands of undocumented Filipinos in the Kingdom who can benefit from the pardon. “We are urging the concerned RP posts to immediately guide and provide assistance to undocumented and illegally staying OFWs to avail of the Royal pardon," said Migrante regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona. An article posted on the Saudi Gazette said Saudi’s Ministry of Interior has announced a blanket “Royal pardon" for residency law violations, and illegal residents are advised to complete the procedure for their departure at the foreigners’ personnel offices of the Kingdom. According to the article, applications for inclusion in the pardon will be processed from September 25, 2010 t...

JERRIE M. ABELLA, Migrants’ rights groups have slammed two agencies of the Philippine government for allowing an “illegal" provision to be added to the employment contract of the 13 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Taiwan who have raised it as one of their labor issues. The Asian Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) scored the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan (MECO) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) for letting the 13 OFWs sign an addendum in their contract, which they said was declared illegal under Taiwanese law since 1999. According to a CBCP News article, the APMM said the addendum required OFWs to pay 2,500 New Taiwan Dollars (about P3,400) for their food, accommodation and airfare to and from Taiwan. APMM director Ramon Bultron said that by allowing the addendum to be part of the workers’ contract, both the MECO, the Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan, and the POEA are party to the crime of human trafficking. The addendum, t...

A labor group has urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to prioritize overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) coming from Iraq when deploying laborers to Guam. In a statement, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said DOLE should give preference to some 6,000 Filipino workers who will move out of Iraq, as it is set to enlist as many as 10,000 workers for deployment to Guam. "On one hand, we have 6,000 workers out of Iraq. On the other hand, we have 7,000 to 10,000 initial job openings in Guam. The DOLE might as well give priority to our workers from Iraq in filling up the Guam vacancies," said TUCP secretary-general Senator Ernesto Herrera, a former senator. He said doing so will minimize the potential economic impact on workers and their families of the continuing employment ban in the war-torn country. The US government last July ordered all its military contractors to send home all foreign workers coming from countries that have imposed a deployment ba...

The Philippine post in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Monday said it is still confirming the nationality of the domestic helper who reportedly jumped to her death last week to escape her employer. In a phone interview, welfare officer Nini Lanto of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah told GMANews.TV they have yet to verify if the domestic helper was a Filipina. “As of Sunday, we have yet to confirm if she was a Filipina. But out Assistance to Nationals Section (ANS) is working on the case," Lanto said. A report by the Saudi Gazette said the helper jumped from the window of her employer’s flat on the seventh floor of a building in Madina on August 31. The report said based on information from witnesses, the woman used an umbrella as a parachute to escape, but the umbrella failed to open at the right moment and the domestic worker crashed on the pavement, killing her instantly. Witnesses said the helper tossed out a bag containing her clothes before jumping. Her employer said the ...

A militant migrants’ group asked President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to seek pardon for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) jailed in Saudi Arabia. Migrante Middle East (Migrante-ME) said the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia usually grants amnesty for OFWs before or after the holy month of Ramadan, which ends September 10. “Gaining amnesty for jailed OFWs is usually granted by the Royal Family, before or after the Ramadan. We’re hoping that President Aquino should grab this opportunity to help our compatriots in jail, here in Saudi," Migrante Middle East coordinator John Monterona said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. Monterona voiced alarm over the death of prisoners in jails in Saudi Arabia due to suffocation reportedly because of the high temperature and overcrowding in jails. He cited a newspaper report indicating that five Ethiopian prisoners died due to the heat in a Saudi jail in Jizan province. “In Malaz (district) Central Jai...

All the close to 700 Filipino workers who were staying in a shelter in Saudi Arabia had been repatriated, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). In a statement, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said all the 698 Filipinos who used to stay at the Seaport Hajj Terminal in Jeddah have been repatriated as of September 1. “Our Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah had reported that as of September 1, there is not a single Filipino national remaining in the Hajj Seaport Terminal," Baldoz said. Citing a report by Labor Attaché to Jeddah Vicente Cabe, Baldoz said that 137 of the 628 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Jeddah from July 10 to August 31 this year were children. Of the total number of repatriated Filipino workers, 399 were adult females while 162 were adult males. OFWs who seek shelter in Saudi Arabia are usually those who escaped abusive employers. The DOLE explained that the Seaport Hajj Terminal is a place designated and operate...

The Hong Kong police will return the three mobile phones that the Manila authorities have mistakenly handed over along with the personal belongings of the victims of the August 23 hostage tragedy. According to a news report of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Monday, the Hong Kong police confirmed on Sunday that some of the mobile phones turned over to them by the Philippine authorities did not belong to the Hong Kong victims. The mix-up was revealed on Saturday when the Philippine investigating team discovered that one of the two phones that the hostage-taker used on August 23 was missing. "Of the eight phones that were given to them, only five were identified as belonging to the Hong Kong victims," said Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The Philippine National Police (PNP) is an attached agency of the DILG. Robredo is the vice-chairman of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) probing the August 23 hosta...

The central bank is again set to revise the country's balance of payments (BOP) position forecast, confident that the projected surplus would be breached this year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. said over the weekend that monetary authorities will review the revised BOP surplus projection of $3.7 billion set in April, and come up with a revised target. "We will be reviewing the numbers and releasing the updated projections by November," Tetangco said. He attributed the widening of the surplus to strong foreign exchange inflows – higher foreign commercial borrowings of the national government, increased remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and robust earnings of the business process-outsourcing (BPO) sector. The BOP measures the difference between foreign exchange inflows and outflows representing the country's transactions with the rest of the world I n a given period. BSP data showed that the country's BOP surplus climbe...

The central bank is again set to revise the country's balance of payments (BOP) position forecast, confident that the projected surplus would be breached this year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. said over the weekend that monetary authorities will review the revised BOP surplus projection of $3.7 billion set in April, and come up with a revised target. "We will be reviewing the numbers and releasing the updated projections by November," Tetangco said. He attributed the widening of the surplus to strong foreign exchange inflows – higher foreign commercial borrowings of the national government, increased remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and robust earnings of the business process-outsourcing (BPO) sector. The BOP measures the difference between foreign exchange inflows and outflows representing the country's transactions with the rest of the world I n a given period. BSP data showed that the country's BOP surplus climbe...

Ninety-seven repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Kuwait will arrive in Manila on Monday morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday. Most of the workers left their employers for various reasons and sought refuge at the government-run Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) where they stayed for three to eight months, a DFA statement said. According to Philippine Ambassador Shulan Primavera, Kuwaiti immigration authorities waived the usual exit or repatriation requirements through representations made by the Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office there. Kuwaiti authorities also shouldered the repatriates’ plane fares, the DFA said. The DFA said the usual deportation procedure requires the OFWs from FWRC to be surrendered to the local police first. The police will then summon the workers’ employers, who will then be required to surrender the workers’ passports. The workers’ visa will also be canceled and authorities will produce their plane ticket...