KAKAMMPI News

Cory Ryther, whose pregnant wife, Filipina Joan Canino Ryther, was raped and murdered last week in Brisbane in Australia, on Thrusday vowed that his wife will have justice. GMA 7 news program “24 Oras” was able to speak with Ryther through Skype, and the widower said that he never thought that we would lose his wife through a violent crime. “From the time she was missing up to the time that... there was a body that was found, I was hopeful... hopeful that she will return safely,” lamented Ryther in the “24 Oras” interview aired Thursday. “She was a very strong woman. I love her. We were so in love.” Ryther was thankful for the attention the Australian government gave the crime as 40 investigators have been assigned to the case.   However, Ryther could not share what he knew of the investigation's progress as police authorities have prohibited him from discussing the matter with news organizations. Ryther was able to relate how public protests were organized condemning the rape and ...

A Filipina was shot and killed at a warehouse store in the U.S. state of Virginia by Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies Wednesday afternoon (US time), reportedly after she tried to attack deputies. The  Philippine Embassy in Washington  on Thursday night (Manila time) cited initial information identifying the Filipina as Mhai de Leon Scott, 38, from Bulacan.  According to the  embassy , the Sheriff’s Office had responded to report of "a disorderly subject" at the Costco in Price Cascades Plaza in Sterling, Virginia. There they found Scott  "who reportedly tried to attack deputies." Meanwhile, the Washington Post  reported  that a Loudoun County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Scott after she allegedly came at him with a knife. Frightened shoppers and employees hid behind cash registers and ran out of the Costco. Loudoun Sheriff Michael Chapman said two deputies had gone to the store to check a report of a disorderly person. They used a Taser on ...

For a range of reasons -- from having infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or C, or even just having abnormal x-ray results -- at least 142  overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were deported from the Middle East since last year,  a Saudi-based medical association reported.   Dr. Tawfik Khoja said the Filipinos  were repatriated from the Middle East in 2012 and 2013 after being found to have infectious diseases like HBsAg (Hepa B), HCV (Hepa C), HIV/AIDS, and abnormal x-ray results upon arriving in their host countries. Khoja is the director general of the Health Ministers’ Council for Cooperation Council States (GAMCA), an accredited medical association in Saudi Arabia,    The report said the OFWs were deported from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The cases included: 50 cases of HBsAg (Hepatitis B), 12 cases of HCV (Hepa C),  three cases of HIV, and 77 abnormal x-ray results.   “The Health Ministers Council for Gulf C...

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has urged several marine higher education institutions (MHEIs) to follow the closure or phaseout orders it has given them to avoid jeopardizing the employment of Filipino seamen overseas. This was regarding the visit this October of the European Maritime Safety Administration (EMSA), a European Union agency charged with reducing the risks in maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships, and loss of human lives at sea. According to JP Soriano's report on GMA News TV's "State of the Nation” on Wednesday, Filipino seafarers may be removed from the list of accredited mariners if the steps the Philippines has taken to improve the quality of maritime training fail to satisfy EMSA. The report said last month, CHED ordered several schools to gradually phase out or immediately close their BS Marine Transportation or BS Marine Engineering programs because of perceived lack of quality in line with EMSA standards. CHED has yet to release th...

With just a month to go before the grace period expires, Philippine officials have intensified their efforts to help Filipinos in Saudi Arabia correct their status. The grace period for undocumented workers to correct their status in Saudi Arabia is on July 3. Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago met on Wednesday with Saudi deputy interior minister Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Salem to tackle the matter. "(Ambassador) Tago stressed that the affected Filipinos are keen to correct their status, and are hoping that they will be able to accomplish this within the grace period despite various challenges such as the large number of applicants at the concerned offices; the lack of required documents by some Filipinos and the procedures for exit visas," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a  news release . The DFA said the deputy minister and Tago agreed to "continue working closely to further ensure that Filipinos will be able to take advantage of the corrective pe...

The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Hong Kong on Thursday reiterated an earlier advisory against bringing restricted items, particularly stunning devices, in their hand-carried or checked-in luggage. The PCG reiterated its warning after two recent arrests of travelers who had brought stunning devices and other similar devices at Hong Kong ports. The PCG noted that last year, 57 airline passengers were arrested by Hong Kong Police for the possession of stunning devices. In the first quarter of this year, 14 Filipinos, 13 of whom were seafarers, were arrested in Hong Kong for the possession of stunning devices. "Offenders will be arrested by the Hong Kong Police, prosecuted by Hong Kong courts and may face a penalty of up to HK$100,000 or approximately US$13,333, and a maximum prison sentence of 14 years," the PCG said.  - VVP, GMA News

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated that while their government will continue to seek justice for the Taiwanese fisherman shot by Philippine coast guards in disputed waters, it will not vent its anger on Filipinos. According to a report of  The China Post ,   Ma said the Taiwanese government will ensure the safety of Filipinos in Taiwan and "make sure that their rights and freedoms remain intact."   Ma also said the Taiwanese government "will not vent its anger and dissatisfaction on Filipinos in Taiwan," the report added.  The row between Taiwan and the Philippines stemmed from the alleged shooting of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, who was suspected of poaching by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on May 9. After saying the initial apology of the Philippines for the incident was insincere, the Taiwanese government issued an order freezing the hiring of new Filipino workers.   Taiwan demanded for an apology from the Philippine governmen...

Australian detectives are going through a "large amount of CCTV footage" to solve the rape and murder of Filipina Joan Ryther whom investigators believe to have been raped in Brisbane on May 22. According to a report of the  Courier Mail news site , a police officer said they are working to establish the movements of the people seen on the CCTV footage and eliminating non-suspects. The officer, who was not identified, also mentioned that they were conducting "extensive door-knocks" in the area where Ryther, who was three months pregnant, was murdered. Ryther, 27, was on her way to work at a fast food restaurant when she was raped and murdered. An earlier report said  investigators are still searching for possible witnesses, including a man in a yellow jumper  who was said to be "sobbing" in the front porch of a nearby home on the night of the murder. Friendly person A report of Claire Delfin for GMA Network's "Saksi" newscast on Wednesday sai...

A Hong Kong court on Wednesday dropped what was earlier branded as a "ridiculous" charge lodged against a Filipina maid for allegedly cheating her employer of HK$15 (P82). The dismissal of the case came after a magistrate asked if the police had "nothing better to do," the Hong Kong Standard  news site reported on Thursday. Cherry Obienda Sudaria, 41, smiled as she left Eastern Court after signing a HK$1,000 good behavior bond for 12 months, the report said. It was the second recent case in which the prosecution has been forced to drop a charge based on a small sum. An earlier case involved a taxi driver who overcharged a passenger by 50 cents. Cab driver Tam Hoi-chi, 57, had endured a six-month ordeal before the Department of Justice considered it was "not appropriate" to proceed with the charge. On Wednesday's hearing for Sudaria, principal magistrate Bina Chainrai described the case as ridiculous and asked whether the prosecution had considered othe...

December 31, 2012/ Marilen J. Danguilan After 14 years, the controversial Reproductive Health bill is now law. Without fanfare, President Benigno Aquino III on December 21 signed “The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.” Most Filipinos welcome the passage of the RH law–71 percent favor its passage, according to a Social Weather Station survey, and 78 percent support “sex education” in public schools. The law does not only lay the groundwork for RH services, but it also has become a symbol of the primacy of conscience over some church teachings, the importance of reason and choice and the enhanced dignity that comes with exercising control over one’s reproductive life. But the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Catholic Church groups like Pro Life Philippines and Couples for Christ, as well as conservative legislators, opposed the bill intensely. From their perspective, it is an evil that would destroy families, kill the “unborn,” entice adolesce...

Social Security  System (SSS) branches nationwide will open for business on four consecutive Saturdays in June to enable household employers and domestic workers or ‘ kasambahay’ , such as maids, nursemaids or yaya, gardeners, cooks and laundry women, to register with SSS. SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio de Quiros, Jr. said all its branches will be open to issue social security (SS) numbers for domestic workers as well as household employer ID numbers on June 8, 15, 22 and 29 to facilitate their mandatory SSS membership as provided under the Kasambahay Law and the Social Security Law. "As active SSS members, domestic workers realize the fruits of their hard work in the form of SSS benefits for sickness, maternity, disability, retirement and death. SSS also helps household employers from solely shouldering the burden when their househelp faces financial difficulties," he added. The Kasambahay Law, or Republic Act No. 10361, was signed into...

After languishing behind bars for some 13 years, overseas Filipino worker Rodelio "Dondon" Lanuza is one step closer to securing his freedom, Vice President Jejomar Binay said  Wednesday .   Binay, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers' concerns, said  Wednesday  the Saudi Royal Court in Dammam had confirmed the family of a Saudi national who Lanuza killed had issued a tanazul or affidavit of forgiveness.   "Dondon said he got a text from Sheikh Ahmad Al Othaimen, Head of the SRC in Dammam, stating that the family of the victim had already issued the tanazul. Philippine Embassy officials in Riyadh were able to confirm the settlement of the blood money and the issuance of the tanazul with Sheikh Ahmad Al Othaimen himself," Binay said on his Facebook page.   Lanuza was sentenced to death for killing a Saudi national in 2000.   However, Binay declined to speculate when Lanuza would be repatriated.   “I do not want ...