KAKAMMPI News

GENERAL BACKGROUND OF THE 7 TH APCSRHR The  7 th Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights (APCSRHR) will be held on January 21-24, 2014 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines. The APCSRHR is a civil society-led regional forum for inclusive participatory dialogue leading to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all . This gathering was conceptualized during the ICPD + 5 country and NGO review in The Hague in 1999. A number of Asia-Pacific delegates noted that their voices and issues were not sufficiently heard in that global gathering and they decided that they would convene their own conference to bring together civil society organizations and their development partners to share policies, programs and experiences in implementing the ICPD-Program of Action (POA). The first conference was convened in Manila in 2001 by the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare, Inc.  Subse...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 08/28/2013 1:44 PM | Updated as of 08/28/2013 1:44 PM MANILA – The Saudi Arabian government has started deportation proceedings of jailed overseas Filipino worker Rodelio "Dondon" Lanuza to the Philippines, Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement on Wednesday. "I was informed by Ambassador Ezzedin Tago today, through Secretary [Albert] del Rosario, that the Dammam Reformatory Jail received on August 27 an advance copy of the order from the Emir of the Eastern Region regarding the release of Mr. Lanuza. Jail authorities have received the advance copy of the settlement of Mr. Lanuza’s case from the Dammam High Court,” said Binay. Binay, also the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns, said Police Case Officer Ahmad Al Sharie of the Dammam Reformatory Jail endorsed Lanuza’s case to the travel section for deportation procedures. “After receiving the documents, Mr. Al Sharie sent a memorandum to the Director of the Dammam Reformatory J...

By Mayen Jaymalin, The Philippine Star Posted at 08/29/2013 11:56 AM | Updated as of 08/29/2013 11:56 AM MANILA - Recruitment agencies that fail to protect Filipino household service workers (HSWs) from abuse and violence face sanctions. Administrator Hans Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said recruiters will be held accountable for the violence, abuse and other contract violations committed against HSWs. “Failure to abide by their responsibility to protect OFWs warrants cancellation or suspension of their license, depending on the gravity and frequency of the offenses,” he said. Administrator Carmelita Dimzon of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said 23-year-old domestic helper Rahima Panayaman of Cotobato City had returned home from Kuwait after suffering maltreatment from her employer for several months. Panayaman sustained burns when her Kuwaiti employer poured boiling water on her back, and she has become bald because he...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 08/28/2013 5:20 PM | Updated as of 08/28/2013 5:20 PM MANILA – The Blas F. Ople Policy Center opened a hotline for Filipinos who still have families who want to be rescued and repatriated from Syria. "In case families of OFWs remaining in Syria find it difficult to get through the DFA's hotlines, they can also call the Ople Center through its hotline: 833-5337 or send an SMS to +639158435498 to pass on information and messages that can result in the rescue and repatriation of their loved ones," the Ople Center said in a press statement. The Ople Center said families of OFWs or OFWs themselves can also send emails to blasoplecenter@gmail.com  or post information on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/blasoplepolicycenter . The Ople Center will share such information immediately with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, Syria and the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration (OWWA). Ople Ce...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 08/29/2013 2:56 PM | Updated as of 08/29/2013 2:56 PM MANILA – A preventive suspension was ordered against four recruitment agencies which recruited and deployed two of the female overseas Filipino workers who testified against officials of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Saudi Arabia in the sex-for-flight probe. Kozen International Inc., Azizzah International Manpower Services, Jobstar International Manpower Services, and Ideal Placement and Manpower Services, were found to have engaged in acts of misrepresentation, contract substitution, illegal collection of placement fee, and other recruitment violations in the process of recruitment and deployment of Elena B. Beleta and Grace Victoria P. Sales. Beleta and Sales are both witnesses in the ongoing sex-for-flight probe in the Senate. Atty. Leah Fortuna, chairperson of the DOLE Investigating Team endorsed the two cases to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), seeking le...

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will launch what local media on Wednesday called its "biggest ever" crackdown on an estimated half a million illegal foreign workers, as a crime wave focused the nation's attention on security. Under the three-month operation to begin on Sunday, authorities would seek to deport some 500,000 foreigners, mostly from the country's vast and less-developed neighbor Indonesia, Immigration Department Director General Alias Ahmad said. The operation would involve 135,000 personnel led by the department, he was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying. Normally laid-back Malaysia has been on edge over dozens of reported shootings, many fatal, that authorities have blamed largely on a gang turf war. While foreigners are not generally seen as a key source of crime, the presence of large numbers of undocumented workers has fuelled security worries. The violence has added to a widespread public perception of rising crime such as thefts, burglaries, and robber...

Janet Napoles, the suspected brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam, spent Wednesday night at a vacant office inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Interior secretary Manuel Roxas said Thursday. Roxas said members of the elite PNP Special Action Force (SAF) and Camp Crame police secured Napoles, who was brought to Camp Crame after surrendering to President Benigno Aquino. "Hinanda ang isang bakanteng opisina sa headquarters mismo ng Crame," he said in an interview on dzBB. A separate report by dzBB's Sam Nielsen said elite police forces in full battle gear secured Napoles at Camp Crame where she spent Wednesday night. SAF members held position at key points of Camp Crame since Napoles was brought there Wednesday night, the report added. Media representatives were not allowed to enter the PNP national headquarters where Napoles was held. The area around the PNP national headquarters became a virtual parking lot for vehicles of media...

Police in Makati City on Thursday beefed up security at the Makati Regional Trial Court in preparation for the appearance there of Janet Napoles, the central figure in the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam. The Makati City police assured the safety of Napoles, who spent Wednesday night at Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, radio dzBB's Paulo Santos reported. Napoles is  expected to be brought before the Makati Regional Trial Court, which earlier this month issued an arrest warrant  for her and her brother Reynald for serious illegal detention. An updated dzBB report quoted Makati City police chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban Jr. as saying they can provide escorts and support teams for the Napoles convoy from Camp Crame. Lukban added they are used to provide security to diplomats and VIPs. This is aside from security arrangements for the RTC where Napoles is to be brought and presented. Napoles' lawyer Lorna Kapunan earlier said her client surrender...

While the tension in Egypt may have eased, Philippine foreign affairs and labor officials are not yet letting their guard down for some 5,000 Filipinos still staying there. Radio dzBB's Roland Bola reported that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it remains ready to help Filipinos who want to be repatriated after the peaceful outcome of protests against former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. The report quoted DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs executive director Rolando Endaya as saying that no Filipino has so far registered to avail of voluntary repatriation after the third batch of repatriates arrived in Manila Monday afternoon. Endaya said the DFA remains on alert for overseas Filipinos who may be affected if there is tension in Egypt again. For her part, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Carmelita Dimzon said her office remains on alert for Filipinos who want to return home, according to a report by dzBB's Denv...

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday said many Filipinos in Egypt had refused to be repatriated despite the apparent security threat in the troubled African state. "Marami ang nagre-resist [dahil] ayaw raw nila mawala ‘yung trabaho nila, especially for those who are working. But the situation is really serious," he told reporters after visiting families affected by the recent heavy monsoon rains at the Mandaluyong Elementary School. The President said there are 5,000 to 6,000 Filipinos in Egypt, most of them students and domestic helpers. Last Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)  raised Crisis Alert Level 4 , which calls for mandatory repatriation shouldered by the Philippine government, over Egypt after assessing the security alert there. Tension escalated in Egypt after authorities there implemented a crackdown on deposed President Mohamed Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood by arresting the Islamist organization's top leader. Hundreds have alread...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 08/16/2013 12:10 PM | Updated as of 08/16/2013 12:10 PM MANILA – A total deployment ban to Egypt has been imposed by the governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) citing security risks for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). "The POEA Governing Board, in an emergency meeting, has approved yesterday Governing Board Resolution No. 9 Series of 2013 imposing a total ban on the processing and deployment of all overseas Filipino workers bound for Egypt," Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. Felix Oca, Estrelita Hizon, Alexander Asuncion, and Milagros Isabel Cristobal all signed the resolution, together with POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Governing Board Vice Chairman. "It is not safe for OFWs to go to Egypt and work there, considering the present circumstances," Baldoz added. Reuters reported that at least  623 people died  and thousands were wounded on Wednesday when police cleare...

(UPDATED 3:30 P.M.) -  Amid the continued unrest in Egypt, A Filipino-Egyptian teenage girl was hit Thursday night by a stray bullet on her shoulder while she was inside her family's apartment in Cairo. In an interview with Pia Arcangel on "Balitanghali" on Friday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Egypt has relayed to him the news about the first case of an injured Filipino in the strife-torn Middle Eastern country. “May isang Filipino-Egyptian teenager na natamaan ng isang stray bullet doon sa Helwan sa Cairo kahapon ng gabi. Nandoon [siya] sa kanilang apartment pero yung bullet ay tumagos doon at siya ay tinamaan sa kanyang balikat,” he said. In a text message to reporters on Friday, Hernandez said, "Last night, a teenage filipina-egyptian residing in Helwan, Cairo was hit in her right shoulder by a stray bullet that penetrated their apartment." "She is now con...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 08/16/2013 1:01 PM | Updated as of 08/16/2013 1:01 PM MANILA – Two veteran officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have been designated to head the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Labor Attache Rustico M. De La Fuente will man the POLO-Riyadh and simultaneously coordinate all POLO operations in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region. Labor Attach Jainal T. Rasul Jr., on the other hand, has been designated as labor attaché in Jeddah. Baldoz's action follows her issuance of DOLE Administrative Order No. 262 and A.O. 262-A, imposing stringent measures that would forestall, pre-empt, and permanently root out the alleged malpractices and misdemeanor against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), such as the "sex-for-flight" scandal. De la Fuente, who is the director of the DOLE's National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) from 16 September 2012 ...

The Social Security System (SSS) attracted a total of 284 informal sector groups (ISGs) to join its microsavings program called “AlkanSSSya” so far, which translates to over 21,500 workers in hard-to-reach sectors now effectively covered with social security protection. SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio de Quiros, Jr. said the agency intensified its coverage drive and diversified the types of covered ISGs to enable more workers to benefit from the AlkanSSSya, which evolved from the original “TrikanSSSya” scheme conceptualized by SSS for tricycle operators and drivers. “The AlkanSSSya addresses a concern shared by many informal sector workers that saving for monthly SSS contributions is beyond their means. But we have shown that with a little discipline, setting aside as little as about P10 every day will enable them to receive SSS benefits when their ability to earn is hampered by various SSS-covered contingencies,” de Quiros noted. AlkanSSSya participants...

By Jing Castañeda, ABS-CBN News Posted at 08/16/2013 12:17 PM | Updated as of 08/16/2013 12:18 PM First lady Michelle Obama is applauded by Menchu Sanchez (second from right) along with Dr. Jill Biden prior to U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union Speech on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 12, 2013.  Photo by Jonathan Ernst, Reuters MANILA - A Filipina nurse hailed by no less than US President Barack Obama is back home to receive yet another award. Obama praised the heroism of Filipino-American nurse Menchu Sanchez during his State of the Union Address back in February. At the height of hurricane Sandy, Sanchez led her team in evacuating 20 infants to safety from the neo-natal intensive care unit of the hospital she worked for. Sanchez became an instant celebrity being interviewed by the international press and receiving awards from various organizations. Now, she has come home to receive the Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan award. Sanchez arrived in Mani...

Tags:  Ninoy Aquino International Airport Immigration authorities on Wednesday stopped 21 overseas Filipino workers from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as they were allegedly victims of a human trafficking syndicate. Immigration Officer-in-Charge Siegfred Mison said that the alleged victims were intercepted at the NAIA 2 terminal when they presented questionable travel documents. Mison said it appeared from secondary inspection of the passengers that they were undocumented overseas Filipino workers disguised as tourists. This was the latest case of human trafficking encountered by the Bureau of Immigration at the NAIA. Last August 7, 12 passengers were prevented from boarding a flight to Singapore. The passengers had presented visas and plane tickets which showed that their final destination was Dubai, where, they claimed, they would be traveling as a group for a nine-day vacation. However, they were barred from leaving after they gave inconsistent answ...

(Updated 11:25 a.m.)  WELLINGTON - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck south of New Zealand's capital, Wellington, on Friday, sending panicked workers and residents into the streets just weeks after a similar size quake struck the city.   The quake, which hit near the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island, was at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), according to NZ Geonet, which originally gave it a magnitude of 6.0.   While fire authorities said it was too early to assess the impact, there were some reports of superficial damage to buildings from the quake, which did not cause a wider tsunami alert, but sent items tumbling from shop shelves.   Air and rail services were being suspended while officials checked tracks and runways for damage.   There were also widespread power outages across the north of the South Island. There was no specific threat of a widespread tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Cente...

  Tags:  Department of Foreign Affairs There are no reports yet of any Filipinos being injured during an earthquake which struck New Zealand's capital Wellington earlier in the day, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday .   In a text message to reporters, DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Virginia Benavidez told them that they  have not received any reports of Filipinos being injured in the Wellington quake .     "Our embassy will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety and welfare of Filipinos there," he said.   Hernandez said there are about 36,000 Filipinos in New Zealand. Little damage A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of New Zealand's capital on Friday, sending panicked Wellington workers and residents into the streets, but caused little major damage just weeks after a similar size quake shook the harborside city. The quake, which hit near the...

Installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems and implementing stricter rules are among the measures the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is undertaking to prevent the sexual abuse of distressed overseas Filipino workers at Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) and Bahay Kalingas. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz issued the instructions in Administrative Order No. 262-A, where the rules are "gender-balanced and sensitive and values-oriented," to help  disadvantaged female migrant workers abroad. "(T)o prevent, pre-empt, and hopefully permanently root out the alleged malpractices and misdemeanor against overseas Filipino workers, such as the sex-for-fly, I have further issued reform measures to be strictly implemented in the POLOs," she said in a  news release . The order stemmed from the alleged involvement of Philippine labor officials in the incidents. Baldoz ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices to "install sufficient CCTV camera...

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Friday said even before the “sex-for-flight” scandal surfaced, the automation of foreign operations in the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) and Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) through the Foreign Labor Operations Information System (FLOIS) was already set to be implemented. In a  news release , the DOLE said the implementation of the FLOIS is a move to stengthen the monitoring and reporting system of the DOLE to ensure the security, welfare, and enforcement of rights of OFWs around the world. FLOIS aims to make POLO transactions and processes more convenient, accessible, and transparent. The system will be accesible to DOLE, Philippine Oversease Employment Administration (POEA), and the Oversease Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),  ensuring real-time reports of all POLO transactions and stored data  while considerably reducing operational expenses. ILAB Director Rodolfo Sabulao stated that the ten posts selecte...

Labor officials on Friday imposed a total deployment ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Egypt amid the continued unrest there. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's (POEA) Governing Board cited the security risks for OFWs in Egypt at this time. "The POEA Governing Board, in an emergency meeting, has approved yesterday Governing Board Resolution No. 9 Series of 2013 imposing a  total ban on the processing and deployment of all overseas Filipino workers bound for Egypt ," Labor Secretary and POEA Governing Board chairperson Rosalinda Baldoz said in a news release. The DOLE said the deployment of new workers, as well as the return to Egypt of vacationing workers, spouses of Egyptian nationals, Islamic University students, and their dependents, is likewise suspended. "It is not safe for OFWs to go to Egypt and work there, considering the present circumstances," she added. Among those who signed the resolution were POEA Administrator a...

(UPDATED 3:30 P.M.) -  Amid the continued unrest in Egypt, A Filipino-Egyptian teenage girl was hit Thursday night by a stray bullet on her shoulder while she was inside her family's apartment in Cairo. In an interview with Pia Arcangel on "Balitanghali" on Friday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said the Philippine embassy in Egypt has relayed to him the news about the first case of an injured Filipino in the strife-torn Middle Eastern country. “May isang Filipino-Egyptian teenager na natamaan ng isang stray bullet doon sa Helwan sa Cairo kahapon ng gabi. Nandoon [siya] sa kanilang apartment pero yung bullet ay tumagos doon at siya ay tinamaan sa kanyang balikat,” he said. In a text message to reporters on Friday, Hernandez said, "Last night, a teenage filipina-egyptian residing in Helwan, Cairo was hit in her right shoulder by a stray bullet that penetrated their apartment." "She is now con...