KAKAMMPI News

Tags:  Cavite A team led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Wednesday rescued 29 Filipinas from a mail-order bride syndicate in Cavite servicing Korean men. The group arrested five suspects, including two Korean nationals and three Filipinos, during a raid conducted by police authorities. PAOCC Executive Director Reginald Villasanta said the raid was organized after the agency received a tip coming from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas which cited complaints from the victims. “We have rescued 29 Pinays who were duped into promises of an instant wealthy life through marriage with Korean gentlemen although in most cases, they ended up in the losing end after becoming victims of grave abuses,” Villasanta said. He explained that most of these syndicates trick Filipinas who are quick to accept marriage proposals in the hope of a better life in Korea. However, he said most of the Filipinas are abused after the marriage resulting in divorce, separation, ...

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said when assistant labor attache to Saudi Arabia Antonio Villafuerte arrives in the Philippines from Saudi on Thursday, he will face the investigation into the alleged "sexploitation" of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In a report of radio dzBB's Rodil Vega, DOLE spokesman Nicon Fameronag said the DOLE will have Villafuerte air his side before deciding whether or not to present him to the media. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Villafuerte has been assured of due process. "Kailangan thorough ang investigation. We have to satisfy requirement ng due process," she added. Villafuerte had been linked by at least three OFWs to the alleged sexploitation mess. He has denied the allegations. At least three alleged victims of the "sex-for-flight" scandal have released their sworn statements on the supposed sexual exploitation that occurred in Manila’s Middle East diplomatic posts. Interviewed by Ivan Mayrina a...

Tags:  Department of Foreign Affairs The Department of Foreign Affairs came out with an updated list of the types of documents that can now be accepted for authentication in its Satellite Consular Offices in SM Megamall and SM Manila.   In a  statement   Wednesday , the DFA announced that the DFA-National Capital Region (NCR) East/SM Megamall and DFA-NCR West/SM Manila starting  July 1  will accept the following for authentication:   (1)  NBI Clearance (2)  Police Clearance (3)  Barangay Certification w/ Mayor Certification (issued within Metro Manila) (4)  NSO issued documents in security paper including CENOMAR (5)  Affidavits of Employment, Trainings/Seminars, and Baptism/Confirmation w/ Regional Trial Court (RTC) Certification (6)  Other Notarized Documents (special power of attorney [SPA], Affidavit of Support and Guarantee, Consent, etc.) with RTC Certification (7)  Medical Certification...

Philippine and Saudi authorities are working to help more than 10,000 undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) avoid arrest in Saudi Arabia when the crackdown on undocumented workers resumes after the reprieve ends on July 3, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. “Our understanding with the Saudi counterpart  officials is that part of our bilateral is to ensure that all 10,000 documents are already secured even after July 3,” Baldoz told reporters.   “I asked if that could be extended because July 3 deadline is very short considering 10,000 sila. But very politely they (Saudi government officials) said it is so difficult to get extension because its no less than Saudi King Abdullah  who will have to act on that,” she said.   She noted that the Philippine embassy "will continue to process the papers of OFWs and they are interested to keep the workers there.” The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an agency under D...

Tags:  Riyadh  ,  Saudi Arabia A Department of Foreign Affairs official inspected the Philippine Embassy's field office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia' Al-Hammam district this week, to gauge the embassy's efforts to help Filipinos beat the July 3 deadline for illegal workers. DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus Yabes visited the facility on June 25, the embassy said in a  news release  posted on its website Thursday. "During his visit to the field office... Yabes addressed several women with children who were being processed at the field office by a specialized inter-agency team from Saudi authorities," the embassy said. Yabes is visiting the Kingdom from June 20 to July 5. With him in the visit was Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago. So far, the Embassy has encoded 2,860 passport renewals and 4,972 replacement passports. It has released 3,982 of these passports, and urged those who have not claimed their new passports to do so at th...

(Updated 4:40 a.m.)  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate's vote passing a broad immigration reform bill fell two votes short of what some of its main backers had said was necessary to pressure the House of Representatives to act. The Senate voted 68-32 for the bill, giving more than two-thirds support in the 100-member chamber. Earlier, backers said they were pushing to get 70 votes to help sway the more conservative House to consider it. Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa called the failure to hit 70 votes a strategic setback for proponents. Yet backers insisted that they were happy with 68-32 tally, saying it demonstrated broad bipartisan support, and eight more than the 60 that is traditionally needed to clear procedural roadblocks.  —  Reuters

The 35-year-old Filipina  sentenced to death penalty  for carrying at least six kilos of heroin in China was reportedly recruited by a yet unidentified Nigerian to smuggle drugs, vice president Jejomar Binay said on Thursday.   In Kara David's report at "24 Oras," Binay said the Filipina was paid $3,000 to $4,000 per trip to smuggle drugs from Dubai to Hong Kong and China.    "Ang report dito ay kinuha (sila) ng mga Nigerian na naman, eh. At ('yung drugs) ay nanggagaling sa Dubai," Binay said.   President Benigno Aquino III has written to Chinese president Xi Jinping to lower the sentence to a life imprisonment.   The Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that the "preponderance of the evidence was so large that the decision was to give her the death penalty sentence."    "The court mentioned that she has been doing this for 18 times since 2008," Hernandez said of the Filipina.   He added th...

More than 32,000 qualified overseas Filipino workers with active accounts at the Social Security System’s (SSS) provident fund for OFW-members earned additional income totaling P12.54 million in the form of annual incentivesfor 2012. This is triple the amount of guaranteed earnings on their Flexi-fund savings from last year. SSS Senior Vice President and International Operations Division Head Judy Frances See said nine out of every ten SSS Flexi-fund members qualified for the first-ever release of the annual incentive benefit (AIB), which is based on OFW-members’ personal Flexi-fund equity posted as of end of the applicable year. "Flexi-fund members with no full early withdrawal claims or benefits filed in 2012 qualified for the AIB. They do not need to file an application for availment because the SSS automatically posts the AIB amount to their Flexi-fund accounts," she said. "The more Flexi-fund savings a member has, the higher the AIB amount will be. For 2012, the me...

Panawagan ni Ma. Fe P. Nicodemus Ang mga issue sa mga ofws ay hindi na bago para sa mga non-government organization tulad ng KAKAMMPI, dahil kung babalikan ang mga panahon marami ng hinawakang kaso ang grupo ng kakammpi,  na ganito ang sumbong, ngunit napakahirap ng maging isang biktima dahil na rin sa ayaw ng mga ofws ang ma-iskandalo lalong-lalo na nais pa nilang magtrabaho sa ibayong dagat… at sa mga naiulat…   tama rin ang mga bansa nabanggit tulad ng Kuwait , Jordan at ilan sa KSA.ito ang karanasan ng kakammpi. Nakakalungkot kasi wala talagang magawa sila,(ofws) kung hindi sumunod nalang … hirap ang KAKAMMPI  na tumulong sa kanila dahil  na rin sa  ayaw ng lumantad ng mga naging biktima ... dahil na rin di umano  sa seguridad ng mga ofws at siyempre alam natin ang confidentiality. Pero dahil sa may ganitong isyu… nanawagan ako sa lahat na naging biktima na sana ay lumabas tayo at magbigay ng testimoniya. Upang mabigyan ng kasagutan ...

MANILA, Philippines – The political party Bayan Muna said the alleged sex-for-flight scheme by Philippine embassy officials in the Middle East is “just the tip of the iceberg" and must be fueled by the crackdown of host countries on undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Bayan Muna Rep Neri Colmenares said on Monday, June 24, that undocumented OFWs, especially in Saudi Arabia, are “getting desperate” especially with the resumption of the crackdown efforts on July 3. The Saudi government  ordered a 3-month grace period for "illegal" workers “in breach of the labor and residency regulations in the kingdom to clarify their status .” Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah will not likely finish processing the amnesty applications of many undocumented Filipino workers in time for the July 3 deadline. Colmenares said around 6,000 OFWs have set up "Tent Cities" in Jeddah and Riyadh. Ins...

By Jovan Cerda   (philstar.com)  |  Updated June 24, 2013 - 2:17pm   14     95   googleplus 0     2   MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered the recall of the assistant labor attaché in Riyadh amid an alleged 'sex-for-flight' scheme perpetrated by Philippine officials against overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the Middle East. In a radio interview on Monday, Lea Fortuna, head ofthe DOLE investigating team, said there is already an advisory ordering Assistant Labor Attache Antonio Villafuerte to come home to answer allegations mounted against him. The accusations sprang from a group of OFWs in Riyadh who implicated Villafuerte in the alleged scheme. On June 18, Akbayan  Rep. Walden Bello tagged three government officials allegedly involved in sexual exploitation and prostitution rings victimizing OFWs in the Middle East. Three OFWs based in Riyadh formally gave...

Malaysian police rescued 10 Filipino women who were forced to work as guest relations officers (GRO) for a karaoke bar in Sarawak state, the Philippine Embassy there said over the weekend. "[The Filipinos] were recruited to work as service crew in Baila Me Karaoke Bar in Bintulu, Sarawak but ended up working as GROs," the embassy in Kuala Lumpur said  on its website,  citing information from one victim. The victims, who were illegally recruited on February 6, were forced to work beyond regular hours without regular salaries. They only earned from the "commission" on top of the drinks for the customers, the embassy added. Meanwhile, the Chinese-Malaysian operator was arrested for possible violation of Malaysia's  Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act of 2007 . According to Section 13 of the law, those involved in human trafficking through force, deception, abuse of power, among others, are penalized with an imprisonment ranging from...

Amid the alleged "sex for flight" scandal involving Philippine officials facilitating repatriation of  distressed overseas Filipino workers, a migrant workers' group said the problem has "intensified" since the beginning of the crackdown on undocumented workers in Saudi Arabia. Migrant workers group  Migrante International in a statement  on Friday said Philippine government's failure act on the immediate repatriation of illegal OFWs in Saudi Arabia has  resulted in the exploitation of women migrants by embassy and consulate officials in the kingdom. “The bottom line here is abusive embassy and consulate officials are taking advantage of the desperation of OFWs... a further exploitation of the exploited," said Migrante International chairman Garry Martinez. "This is not an isolated matter that has nothing to do with the overall condition of stranded OFWs seeking immediate repatriation... due to the crackdown that started last March,” he said. King ...

By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON - A flood of new federal agents and high-tech surveillance devices would be dispatched to the southwestern U.S. border with Mexico under a deal aimed at winning passage of an immigration bill in the U.S. Senate, congressional sources said on Thursday. The proposal, which could be formally offered as an amendment to the sprawling immigration bill as early as Thursday, would double the overall number of U.S. border patrol agents, according to senior Senate Democratic aides. That would mean assigning 21,000 new officers to the southwestern border in an attempt to shut down future illegal crossings by foreigners. The bipartisan bill, which was crafted by a group of eight senators and is supported by President Barack Obama, currently calls for adding 3,500 Customs and Border Protection officers by 2017. The plan also calls for building an additional 50 miles (80 km) of fencing to complete a 700-mile (1,130-km) border barrier, Senate aides sa...

ANDREI MEDINA , GMA News As Singapore continues to be enveloped by smog from slash-and-burn activities in Indonesia, Filipinos in the city-state have been complaining of difficulty in breathing. Through GMA's citizen journalism arm YouScoop, Lovely Diana Reynante, a Filipina residing in Pasir Ris in Singapore, shared a video showing the fog brought about by smoke blown from Indonesian illegal forest fires to clear out land in Sumatra island. “This afternoon I went to school and na notice ko na a lot of people na nandito naka mask na tapos sa school po wala ng mask kasi they're running out of stocks na po,” Reynante said on Thursday night's “Saksi” newscast. The video showed a fog-covered Singapore similar to what Filipinos see after New Year's Eve. Reynante also shared a photo showing the the fog's thickness, which brought the city-state to almost zero visibility. Reynante described the fog as having a burnt smell that sticks to one's clothes. “Nahihirapan na...

Three Filipinos and a Pakistani were injured after a vehicle reversed into them in the United Arab Emirates. A  report on Khaleej Times said the three Filipinos, who included a nine-year-old boy  and his parents, suffered moderate to minor injuries. Also injured in last Wednesday's accident at Al Fisht was a pregnant Pakistani woman, the report said. The four are under supervision at a nearby hospital. A separate report on  Gulf News said the driver has been arrested and reportedly admitted negligence . An investigation showed the driver of the car was reversing but did not notice the four standing behind the vehicle. The confused driver stepped on the accelerator and hit the four. Police Captain Abdul Rahman Khatir, director of Media and Traffic Awareness at the Sharjah Police, reminded drivers to be careful in busy public and residential areas.  — LBG, GMA News

Tags:  Saudi Arabia RIYADH   - More than 1.5 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia have changed their residence status since April ahead of a planned crackdown on illegally registered expatriates in the world's leading oil exporter, the labor ministry said on Saturday.   Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce a black market in labour among the estimated nine million foreigners in the country, which the government says makes it harder for Saudi citizens to find jobs and economists say fosters inefficiency.   Unemployment among Saudis is officially estimated at 12 percent, but is seen as being higher among young people, something concerning to the authorities after joblessness contributed to Arab Spring protests in other countries.   Remittances from millions of workers in Saudi Arabia are important to the economies of countries including Yemen, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan.   Huge crowds of foreign workers have queued f...

Tags:  Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Benigno Aquino III did not give the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) a deadline to finish its probe on the alleged "sexploitation" of overseas Filipino workers at some Philippine embassies abroad. However, Valte said Aquino wants the probe to be thorough. “Wala namang naibigay. The president does not like giving timetables (pero) laging bilin ng Pangulong Aquino, conduct a thorough investigation with speed in mind but we’ll not sacrifice the quality of the investigation,” she said. She also reiterated the government’s assurance of a fair probe, with punishments to be based on the evidence gathered. “According to the DFA, pinabalik ang consuls general sa Middle East at ambassador natin para makabigay ng information. Dapat narito na sila para magbigay ng information to assist in the fact-finding investigation ,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio on Saturday. Arrival of...