KAKAMMPI News

No Filipino has been reported injured so far in a bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon on Friday, Philippine officials there said.   A report on "Balitanghali" quoted the Philippine consulate in Lebanon as saying no Filipino was among the casualties that killed at least eight and wounded some 80 people.   The report said the blast had occurred some 500 meters from the Philippine embassy at rush hour.   A report of the  British Broadcasting Company  (BBC) quoted Lebanese officials as saying a car bomb explosion killed at least eight people and injured 78 in central Beirut.   BBC said officials suspect the intended target may have been top intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan.   Hassan had been involved in the uncovering of a recent bomb plot that led to the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician, the BBC reported.   The report added that Friday's attack was the deadliest in Beirut since 2008. 'Huge' car bomb ...

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing  board has partially lifted the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Jordan and Lebanon, a report of radio dzBB said.  The board, headed by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, issued a resolution partially lifting the deployment ban in the two countries, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported. According to the  2010 Stock Estimate  of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Jordan is home to some 30,171 Filipinos while  Lebanon, to some 30,279 Filipinos.   Baldoz said OFWs in Jordan can come home for the holidays without fearing they would be unable to return there and lose their jobs.   Earlier, the Philippine government imposed a temporary suspension on the deployment of newly-hired household service workers (HSWs) for Jordan. In February this year, the  DOLE  said the six-year ban on the deployment of Filipino workers ...

In connection with the recent news that may affect the health of the Filipinos regarding Chikungunya, a viral disease caused by mosquito and the discovery of what is believed to be a new type of corona virus tentatively referred to as Novel Corona virus 2012, PhilHealth would like to reiterate the following: • Confinements due to the following illnesses are covered by PhilHealth • Both diseases fall under case Type A • When treated in a Level 3 or 4 facility, members are entitled to the following benefits under the fee-for-service payment : P500/day for room and board and maximum of P4,200 for drugs and medicines, P3,200 for x-ray, laboratory and others and P2,000 for professional fee. Chikungunya may also be treated in level 1 or 2 facility but with lower benefits. • Availment of these benefits is subject to medical evaluation and existing policies on claims payment. Employed and Individually paying members (IPMs) should have at least three months’ premium contri...

Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac yesterday issued a warning on the proliferation of employment scams in the internet and at the same time offered helpful tips on how to avoid them. Cacdac said more applicants use the internet to find jobs and with the popularity of internet-ready gadgets, and job search and social networking websites, they become easy victims of illegal recruiters and job scammers. Cacdac said  his office has received numerous queries and complaints about unsolicited e-mails, websites, and other job advertisements that offer  employment overseas which were found to be fake. As modus operandi, these unscrupulous persons would build bogus company websites or blogs, advertise in legitimate online job search companies, send mass emails,  or enter discussion boards or forums that are frequented by overseas Filipino workers to lure their victims,  Cacdac said. Administrator Cacdac identified some indicative signs that the job offer is a sc...

Operatives of the POEA Anti-illegal Recruitment Branch and PNP-MPD headquartersclosed down last week the office of a manning agency allegedly recruiting Filipinoseafarers without license from the Department of Labor and Employment and POEA.  Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said he ordered the closure of  West Coast Maritime Services located at Room 420, 4th Floor, Vicente Madrigal Building, Escolta Street, Manila upon verification of its illegal recruitment activities. Cacdac said POEA’s AIR Branch agents, after a day-long surveillance, have gathered evidence that West Coast Maritime Services was indeed very active in recruiting  seafarers, promising them jobs in several ocean-going vessels.“West Coast Maritime Services has committed acts of illegal recruitment as definedby Republic Act No. 8042 and the Philippine Labor Code that justified the closure order,” Cacdac said Other than the closure of its office, the name of West Coast Maritime Se...

Share Some Love   Talk Directly to OFW , OFW Families and Balikbayan The  9th MegaBalikbayan OFW Expo (MBOX)  is a trade expo dedicated to providing business and investment opportunities to OFW and Balikbayan during the holiday season. Christmas Season is a period where the OFW and Balikbayan return to the country, with their savings, to celebrate with their family. MBOX  is the longest running expo that caters to the OFW and Balikbayan market. It aims to be the bridge of OFWs and Balikbayan in becoming Entrepreneurs.    OFWs and Balikbayans that Visited MBOX are Eager to Invest! Our data shows that OFW and Balikbayans that visited MBOX are people who wanted to invest and become entrepreneurs. This is an opportunity that your company may want to take ADVANTAGE. Eager market gives you the following  benefits   during the actual event: 1.  Friendly and welcoming exchange of inform...

THE   Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)   launches its first ever nationwide running event on February 17, 2013 to mark its 18th year of establishment. "The PhilHealth Run 2013 is part of our  'Be PhilHealth Now'  campaign and indeed an excellent platform for us to celebrate our mandate of Universal Health Care as we move closer to achieving universal coverage next year"  announces PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon during the event’s media launch in Quezon City. PhilHealth is mandated to provide all Filipinos regardless of status in life with financial access to quality health care services. In July this year, President Benigno Aquino III announced during his State of the nation Address that it reached its 80 million mark which translates to 85 percent of the entire Philippine population of 96 million. "This time, we are running towards bringing UHC a reality as well as making a statement on the importance of mother and ...

ABS-CBNnews.com MANILA, Philippines - Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is set to launch long-haul flights to United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia by the second half of 2013, Bloomberg reported quoting the company's president Lance Gokongwei. In an interview with Bloomberg, Gokongwei said the airline is planning to corner 25% of the P50-billion Philippine-Middle East market by 2015. No Philippine carriers are currently plying the Middle East routes. Cebu Pacific will be up against Emirates Airlines, which is the only airline with direct flights from Dubai to Manila. Emirates is adding an additional flight from Dubai to Manila in January 2013. It currently flies twice daily non-stop between Manila and Dubai. Cebu Pacific is planning to lease up to 8 Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets beyond the range of its current fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. It had earlier mentioned international destinations such as Australia, Middle East, Hawaii and Guam as potential long-haul r...

ABS-CBNnews.com MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is assisting 24 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in filing complaints against their erring employers. The embassy, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Al Khobar, first assisted 10 OFWs employed at Ali Fahad Al Huraish Establishment in filing a complaint against their employer at the Saudi Labor Office in Al Khobar. The complaint stemmed from the workers’ delayed salaries, non-payment of overtime pay and requiring its workers to drive without a license. In an agreement reached between the workers and the company, five of the complainants will be repatriated soon while the remaining five will follow later. Labor Attaché Adam Musa of POLO-Al Khobar assured affected workers that his office will continue to provide them assistance, including food, toiletries, and financial support.   Musa added that the workers’ deploying agency in the Philippines was also required to provid...

Philippine officials on Friday said the death penalty imposed on a Filipina for drug trafficking in Malaysia is on appeal and the sentence will not be carried out anytime soon.  In a news release, the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the defense counsel of the Filipina filed a notice of appeal right after the death penalty was imposed on her on September 28 after having been found guilty of trafficking 800 grams of heroin and morphine. "Appeal proceedings in Malaysia generally take some two years or even more. Even after a guilty verdict is handed down at that level, the case can be elevated to the Federal Court," the embassy said.   "Appeal proceedings in Malaysia generally take some two years or even more. Even after a guilty verdict is handed down at that level, the case can be elevated to the Federal Court. In the event that the Federal Court will uphold the capital punishment conviction, an application for an executive clemency will be undertaken,”...

Some 50 Filipinos based in Australia nearly lost P11 million to a fake travel agency that was supposed to arrange a trip for them to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod on October 21. According to a report on  Radyo Mo Nationwide  on Friday, after being duped, many of the pilgrims had to shell out the equivalent another P214,000 for plane tickets that would bring them to Rome and back to Australia.   Quoting Margarita Maria Matheu, secretary of the Cebu-based Calungsod Committee secretariat, the report said the victims learned that they were not scheduled for any flight when they went to the airport to get their tickets.   Many of the pilgrims plan to pursue charges against the travel agency upon their return, the report added.   A separate report on  Bombo Radyo  said the pilgrims lost as much as P11 million to the travel agency.   The Bombo Radyo report said the victims included doctors based in Aust...

A Filipino seaman will get more than P2.4 million in damages after becoming permanently blind in an accident inside the ship he was working for, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.   In a news release, the DOLE said seaman Roger Farillon will receive P2,425,920 in full settlement of his claim for permanent disability after figuring in an accident while on ship duty. The DOLE said Farillon, serving on board the vessel M/V OBO BIC IRINI, was injured when a chemical rust remover splashed on his face and hit his right eye. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Farillon was under the Global Gateway Crewing Services, Inc. (GGCSI), a licensed manning company registered under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).    The GGCSI is headed by Capt. Simeon Flores.   According to the DOLE, Farillon sought the intervention of the NCMB on May 11 this year. Atty. Reid Valmores filed on his behalf ...

The DFA office in SM Manila or the DFA-NCR West located at the 5th floor of SM City Manila started its operation this October. It is now ready to offer the following services: new passport application, passport renewal, and authentication services. It is open from: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 pm for both processing and releasing of passports and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm, for passport releasing only. Set an appointment by logging in to manila.passport.com.ph or calling the DFA appointment hotline at (02) 737-1000. It will also accept walk-in applicants but it will be limited to the following individuals: senior citizens, infants and minors below one year old, persons with disabilities (PWD), and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

A migrant workers' rights group on Monday said undocumented overseas Filipino workers are not disqualified to register as absentee voter. Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Monterona made the statement after receiving reports that there were undocumented OFWs in the Middle East who are not allowed to register as an overseas absentee voter. "Being an undocumented or being an ‘illegal’ as to the status of a migrant worker’s stay in the host country is not one of the disqualifications mentioned by the law," Monterona said. He cited that Section 5 of Republic Act 9189 or "The Absentee Voting Act of 2003" numerates five instances of disqualifications, stressing that being an undocumented is not set forth as a disqualification to be an overseas absentee voter. “Undocumented OFWs should need to bring with them their passport and present it to the Philippine embassy’s consular official in-charge in OAV registration," Monterona said. "The em...

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 10:14 MANILA, Philippines – The banking system remains the favored platform of overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) for sending money to beneficiaries in the Philippines. Likewise, the survey results released by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) covering the periods April to September 2011, show that of the 2.2 million Filipinos who bagged jobs abroad, the Middle East is still the top destination for migrating Filipinos. In the six month period covered by the survey, Filipinos sent P156.3 billion, nearly 11 percent better from P141.2 billion in the same period in 2010. Incidentally, total remittances for 2011 amounted to $20.1 billion (roughly P885 billion). Majority of OFWs sent their remittance through banks (71.9 percent), while others remit money through door-to-door (6.2 percent), agency/local office (4.7 percent), friends/co-workers (0.5 percent), or through other means (16.8 percent). According to the Bangko Sental ng Pilip...

by Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau LOS ANGELES - A week after their announcement of a class action suit against the Holiday Inn Los Angeles Airport workers staged a one day strike to protest the firing of two whistleblowers, including Filipino Nico Quiapos. Quiapos is one of the lead plaintiffs in a class action suit against the franchised hotel. “First they fired John who's been with the company for 30 years. Then, they fired me. I've been here for 15 years just for telling the truth because of the charges that we charged them. Because of the charges they fired me,” said Quiapos. Quiapos said he's had no violations during the 15 years he worked at the hotel and was not surprised the firings took place a day after he announced the lawsuit which claims the hotel is paying its 150 or so employees at least a dollar below the $11.97 living wage ordinance as required by Los Angeles Airport area hotels. The class action lawsuit expected to be worth in th...

By Louella D. Desiderio, The Philippine Star A peek at construction of Gerry's Grill in Qatar.  Photo from the Facebook page of Gerry's Grill MANILA, Philippines -- Restaurant chain Gerry’s Grill is opening two new outlets overseas and five within the country this year, in line with its growth plan. In a statement, Gerry Apolinario, chief executive officer and president of Prime Pacific Grill Inc., the operator of Gerry’s Grill said the restaurant chain is opening its third branch in Singapore next month. The third Gerry’s branch in Singapore will be located at Makansutra Glutton’s Bay at the Esplanade Waterfront. Makansutra is a popular food destination among locals and tourists in Singapore. “Aside from expansion, the opening of more branches in Singapore aims to promote Filipino cuisine in locales where many tourists go. It’s about time we go mainstream,” Apolinario said Apart from the third Gerry’s Grill outlet in Singapore, the restaurant chain is also set...

by Rodney Jaleco, ABS-CBN North America Bureau LORTON, Virginia -  A feared hurdle to sending “Pamasko” to relatives back home this Christmas was lifted – even if just temporarily – after a potentially crippling port workers’ strike was averted. A strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) would have affected ports all along the East Coast down to the Gulf. It was averted at the last minute with the union and port operators United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) settling for a 90-day extension of a collective bargaining agreement that expired last Sept. 30. Maria Castro, who runs Lorton-based Manila Forwarders Corp. (MFC) said the strike could have spoiled the Christmas gift-giving plans of thousands of Filipinos from Boston all the way to New Orleans and Galveston in Texas. It would have forced cargo consolidators here like Manila Forwarders to divert their shipments from Baltimore or Norfolk by adding an overland leg to the West Coast. The popular “Balikba...

ABS-CBNnews.com MANILA, Philippines - Blessed Pedro Calungsod, who is set to become the second Filipino saint, may become the patron of Filipino migrant workers. Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said Calungsod’s heroism "could serve as a great inspiration to millions of our migrant Filipinos who face daily challenges in their places of work abroad." "I would like to hope that after his canonization, Saint Pedro Calungsod would become not only an exemplary role model for our youth but also the patron saint of all Filipino migrants," he said. Calungsod was a young Filipino missionary, who along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, was persecuted and martyred in Guam for their missionary work in 1672. Binay will be representing President Benigno S. Aquino III in Calungsod's canonization rites at the Vatican in Rome on October 21 (Sunday). Aside from Calungsod’s canonization, Binay will also attend the 2012 European Development Days (EDD) in Brussels,...

ABS-CBNnews.com MANILA, Philippines – An organization of overseas employment service providers (OESPs) is urging the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to disallow the deployment of “illiterate” household service workers (HSWs) to Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) said they have asked POEA “to expressly disallow the deployment of ‘No Read-No Write’ HSWs.” PASEI has also called the attention of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to the issue. In a letter addressed to POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, PASEI President Victor E.R. Fernandez Jr. said that their proposal is in line with the guidelines issued by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila regarding the procedural requirements for visas that are to be followed by accredited recruitment agencies. “The prevailing rules and regulations in the Kingdom do not allow anyone who cannot read and write to enter the Kingdom to work,” according...

An overseas Filipina worker (OFW) who had multiple lacerations on her neck and cheeks, alleged that a Kuwaiti cop raped and abused her on Monday last week. The victim, who refused to be identified, claimed that the cop kicked her, brought out a cutter, and slashed her several times on her neck and cheeks. In a report of GMA Network's “News to Go” program, the victim said, “Dito na dumiretso sa leeg ko [yung cutter], ito siya” as she showed the lacerations on her neck. “Ginanun niya, tapos sinabi ko pa sakanya bakit mo pa ako nilalaro nang ganito,” she recounted. According to the victim, who hails from South Cotabato, she was with a friend when a police patrol car pulled over and asked them to stop. She was asked for a identification card which she had with her but was already expired. She was thus told that she had to come to the police station. However, instead of being brought to the police station, she claimed that she was brought to a dark alleyway where she was alleged...

At least 26 Filipino nurses who were evacuated from a strife-torn area in Libya are to be reassigned to Libyan hospitals, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez on his Twitter account said the Libyan health ministry sought the reassignment of the nurses. "(The Philippine Embassy in) Libya (said) 26 nurses evacuated from Bani Walid (are) to be reassigned to hospitals after (the) Libyan Ministry of Health asked their redeployment,"  he said . But he did not say what would happen to the other two Filipino workers who had been evacuated last October 4. Last Wednesday, Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Libya evacuated 28 Filipino "medical and other workers" from Bani Walid to Tripoli. The evacuated Filipinos were brought to the Embassy quarters at the time,  he said .  Earlier, Hernandez also  denied claims  there were 22 OFWs who were “kidnapped” in Misrata, Libya. He was referring to the claim of militant grou...

From Announcements - 8 June 2011 02:03 PM All Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are advised of the passage of the Italian Parliament of Law No. 92 (Law 92) titled Security Package’, and sub-titled ‘Measures for a More Secure Life for the Citizens’. The new law aims to stem illegal migration by making it more difficult for foreigners to enter Italy if they do not have the proper documentation. Law 92, which effectively makes illegal entry a crime in Italian jurisdiction, has the following provisions/features, among others: a) Imprisonment from six (6) months to four (4) years and the obligatory arrest of the illegal entrant who will be subjected to a quick trial; b) Phenomenon of the so-called ‘marriage for convenience’ with the sole purpose of acquiring Italian citizenship; c) Establishment of a national data bank to ascertain paternity of a person and blood relationships of foreign citizens; d) Easier expulsions/deportations; e) Arrest and confiscation...

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines to adopt payment to Institutional Health Care Providers (IHCPs) through Auto-Credit Payment Scheme (ACPS). No less than our PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon and Land Bank Senior Vice President Jocelyn DG. Cabreza (both at the middle) led the ceremonial MOA signing in behalf of its President, Gilda E. Pico. With them are PhilHealth’s OIC-GVP for Quality Assurance Dr. Francisco Z. Soria, Jr. (extreme left) and LBP Vice President Jennifer A. Tantan  (extreme right) . The MOA calls for the use of ACPS, a payment scheme where providers’ claim is directly credited to their designated deposit account with Land Bank of the Philippines. This scheme guarantees more efficient service to partner stakeholders and this will also ensure a faster and a more convenient way of claims reimbursement. This applies initially to all hospital cla...

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has set forth its single largest benefit payment ever, spending up to P600,000 for the kidney transplant procedure of every member and dependant suffering from end-stage renal disease. "We are affording every member and dependant with kidney failure the chance to enjoy a superior quality of life. We are now subsidizing the full cost of a kidney transplant procedure, up to P600,000,"  said Dr. Eduardo Banzon, Philhealth president and chief executive officer. "This is our way of giving every member considerably greater value for money. They will be entitled to a P600,000-benefit in return for premium contributions as low as P2,400 per annum or less than P7 per day by January 1, 2013,"  Banzon said. Philhealth has members as young as 23 years old with chronic kidney disease, according to Banzon. "While they have their whole lives ahead of them, they have to undergo constant dialysis. Some of them die young. Hop...

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) join hands with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in its endeavor to provide a much better frontline services to the Filipino people through its   "Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB)." Together with six other government partner agencies, including the National Computer Center of the Information and Communications Technology Office  (NCC-ICTO), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Contact Center ng Bayan was launched at the CSC Bulwagang Serbisyo Sibil on September 27, 2012 . It is conceived to be the Philippine Government’s main helpdesk where general information on the policies and procedures of participating agencies will be provided, as well as act as a two-way platform to allow citizens, civil society organizations and other entities to voice out their concerns, complaints, recommendations, including positive feedbacks regarding the quality o...

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation recently joined the 2012 Kabisig National Government Expo at the Events Center, SM Fairview, Quezon City. The expo is also a part of the 112th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary activities. With this year's theme  "Kapit-bisig sa Matuwid na Daan: Gabay sa Kaunlaran", the expo is a one-stop information exhibit, a good venue for the people to avail the services of the participating government agencies. It was participated by twenty four different government agencies who showcased their services and products to the event visitors. Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon, PhilHealth President and CEO said that,  "PhilHealth works hard to achieve the universal health care to all Filipinos. To attain our goal, we should be where our members are. We need to bring our services closer to the people. Hence, supporting the Kabisig Expo is one way to delight our members". An exhibit and info booth was set up by the Corporation through the ...