KAKAMMPI News

Filipinos in Rome may now avail of legal counseling services from the Philippine Embassy there, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.   The DFA said the embassy formalized agreements with two Italian law offices that will provide the free legal aid on the embassy premises that  started Monday, Oct. 28.   "The services will be made available every Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and every Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.," the DFA  said .   Signing the agreements were Consul-General Leila Santos on behalf of the Embassy, the DFA said.   Witnesses were Ambassador Virgilio Reyes Jr. and Labor Attaché Atty. Viveca Catalig.   — ELR, GMA News

Among all Asian-Americans, Filipinos are the fattest. According to a study by the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, Filipino-Americans are 70 percent more likely to be obese  compared to the overall Asian-American population. The study also showed that 14.1 percent of Fil-Ams are obese, the highest percentage among Asian-Americans. Filipinos in the US also account for the second highest percentage of overweight, adult Asian-Americans, but not obese, at 33 percent. Asian Indians outweighed Filipinos by just one point at 34 percent. The overall numbers of the study also dispelled the notion that Asian-Americans can't get fat - a trait from the “model minority” racial stereotype. The stereotype complicates the problems Asian-Americans face in terms of health, University of Chicago professor of medicine Dr. Karen Kim told NBC News. Kim explained that  diseases associated with being overweight or obesity can appear in normal-weight Asians . This...

WASHINGTON   - US businesses, religious leaders and other supporters of overhauling the nation's immigration laws mounted a massive lobbying push on Tuesday to urge a reluctant House of Representatives to tackle the issue before the end of the year.   More than 600 people from 40 states planned to meet one-on-one with lawmakers to encourage the House to act soon on a top priority of labor groups, Latinos and businesses ranging from apple growers to software companies.   Measures aimed at dealing with the estimated 11 million people who are in the United States illegally have broad support among Democrats and many Republicans in Congress. But Republicans who control the House face resistance from some grassroots conservatives who object to giving millions of undocumented immigrants a potential pathway to US citizenship, which those critics see as "amnesty."   The divisions between conservatives in the Tea Party movement and more pragmatic Republican...

Tags:  Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's police force will help enforce the Kingdom's new visa laws, violators of which will be arrested after the grace period for illegal aliens lapses on Nov. 3. This will be  the first time public security officials will be assigned to detect visa violations , Arab News reported on Tuesday. Arab News reported that while the Labor Ministry and Passport Department had previously conducted random checks, they could not carry out full-scale inspections as the ministry was still suffering from "staff shortages and other logistical kinks." Under the arrangement, the security forces will determine if the professions stated on residency permits and the place of work match up. Brig. Jaman Al-Ghamdi, assistant director-general of public security, will  oversee arrangements on the implementation of the rules. Al-Ghamdi also visited prominent provinces and met with ranking police officials in the provinces to discuss strategies to arrest violators...

Philippine officials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday made a last call to Filipinas with children to undergo the procedures that will allow them to correct their status or return home before the grace period lapses Nov. 3.   In an advisory, the embassy particularly urged the Filipinas who passed DNA tests to go to the Al-Wafideen Office in Sumeisi Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. for fingerprinting or basamat.   It said this will allow them to  get the appropriate visas to return home  along with their children.    "Kaya pinapayuhan po kayo ng inyong Embahada na huwag mag-atubili na pumunta sa Al-Wafideen sa nasabing petsa at handa po kayong tulungan ng Philippine Embassy Team sa pangunguna ni Ebrahim Zailon," the embassy said.   Saudi authorities are giving illegal foreign workers until Nov. 3 to correct their status or return home. Those who fail to do so may face sanctions.   The embassy said a special co...

The Philippine Embassy in Washington on Tuesday noon (Manila time) made public the name of a Filipino welder reported missing following an accident in the Gulf of Mexico. In posts on its Twitter account, the embassy identified the Filipino as Peter Jorge Voces, whose kin it said had been notified of the accident. "Next of kin of Filipino welder Peter Jorge E. Voces (were) already notified he is (the) subject of search and rescue operation in Gulf of Mexico,"  it said . Voces, 38, fell off an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday evening, and  is the subject of search operations by the US Coast Guard . Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr., in a  news release , described Voces as a registered overseas worker hired by Offshore Specialty Fabricators based in Houma, Louisiana. For now, Cuisia said the US Coast Guard had assured the embassy that they are "searching aggressively" for Voces. “We have been assured by the US Coast Guard that they a...

As part of ongoing efforts to help members affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Central Visayas, the Social Security System (SSS) opened temporary satellite offices at the towns of Tubigon and Carmen, two of the hardest-hit areas in Bohol province. SSS Officer-in-Charge Edgar Solilapsi said the new temporary satellite offices are vital additions to the agency's network of offices in the province, which at present also includes the SSS Tagbilaran Branch and SSS Service Offices at the municipal halls of Ubay and Talibon. “These temporary satellite offices shall operate until April 30, 2014, or until such time that their services are no longer needed as Bohol fully recovers from the disaster,” Solilapsi said. “In the meantime, we will continue to identify other locations for similar offices to make SSS services more accessible to members, especially during this time of need.” The pension fund is anticipating the surge in applications for the SSS Calamity Relief P...

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration over the weekend canceled the license of a labor recruiter deploying overseas Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia, after seven OFWs accused it of contract substitution.   POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said the POEA found Allskills Manpower Services Inc. to have substituted POEA-approved contracts with those disadvantageous to the OFWs.   “Obviously, there is misrepresentation not only to the complainants but also to the Administration when the agency deployed the workers to an employer and position different from that indicated in the employment contracts submitted to the POEA,” Cacdac  said .   He said the POEA also found Allskills Manpower collected excessive placement fees from the workers and did not issue the proper receipts.   Cacdac ordered the agency and its surety agency to refund to the complainants the excess amounts collected from them.   The action against the firm ste...

“The selection of Dr. Dennis S. Mas as a Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee is PhilHealth’s testimony of excellent service and stellar performance.” This statement was made by Alexander A. Padilla, PhilHealth President and CEO as he welcomed the good news that one of the executives of the State Insurance Agency, was chosen as a Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee for the year 2013. Dennis S. Mas, the youngest among the Regional Vice Presidents of PhilHealth, was chosen among the 16 semi-finalists for the Lingkod Bayan (Individual) Category for his outstanding contributions that had nationwide impact on public interest, security and patrimony. Through his able leadership, PhilHealth Regional Office VI was able to reduce the turnaround time of members’ benefit claims processing from an average of 133 days in 2011 to five (5) to seven (7) days by December 2012. There was also a significant reduction in refiled claims which saved the Corporation more than Php3 Million in 2012. ...

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has acknowledged the findings of the Commission on Audit on its various allowances given its officers and employees amounting to P1.5 billion in 2012, but said it has strong legal basis in doing so. In a press conference held in its head office in Pasig City, the state-run health insurance agency assured its 81 million members that it has been prudent in the use of their hard earned contributions. "The bonuses and incentives are above board, not irregular, not extravagant and most of all, well deserved by the hardworking employees of PhilHealth" , PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas said in a statement, adding that the incentives were made possible due to good performance as well as the good relations between Management and the employees. PhilHealth has 5,806-strong workforce in 2012, the subject year of the COA report. Pargas clarified that the P1.5 billion in que...

Reacting to criticisms for the premium adjustment for its members working abroad, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) maintained that the move is appropriate and has been decided upon with the best interest of overseas workers and their families in mind. The move, which is contained in its Circular 25, s-2013, adjusts the contribution rate from P1,200 to 2,400 annually starting January 1, 2014 to rationalize its contribution structure with the rest of members from different categories. "There is a need to adjust given that the annual premium for every indigent family is already pegged at P2,400. With such gainful employment status, it is but proper that their contribution rate should at least approximate the rate for indigents" , said Chona S. Yap, PhilHealth Manager for Overseas Filipino Program. The state-run health insurance agency has also pegged the contribution for its informal sector members at P2,400 for those earning below P25,000 per ...

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia will hold a passport renewal outreach for male overseas Filipino workers in the Second Riyadh Industrial City on Nov. 2. In an advisory, the embassy said the outreach mission will process male applicants only, at the Daawa Islamic Center. The  mission will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  and will process only up to 250 male applicants only. It said service will be on a "first come first served" basis. The embassy advised applicants to bring their original passports and a photocopy of the data page of their passport "as there are no photocopying machines at the venue."  — LBG, GMA News

Less than a year after its launch, a Filipino-oriented radio station in the United Arab Emirates bagged the Best Radio Station in Dubai Award in a competition organized by a Dubai magazine, according to a report on UAE-based news site Khaleej Times. Tag 91.1 topped the one-month voting by readers of Ahlan, UAE’s leading celebrity magazine,  edging competitors like Virgin Radio Dubai, Dubai 92, City 101.6 and Radio 1,  the report added . Launched just last March, Tag 91.1 is the first multi-platform and dedicated Filipino radio station in the UAE. It got over 50,000 votes in the competition. Farida Parekh, public relations manager of Arabian Radio Network (ARN) that runs the radio station, said the Filipino community had their say by voting for TAG 91.1. The radio station, which has a website Tag911.ae, also has iOS, Android, Nokia and Blackberry apps, and a built-in player on all Samsung smart TVs. It targets some 645,000 Filipinos living in the UAE, and has gained more than 5...

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration over the weekend canceled the license of a labor recruiter deploying overseas Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia, after seven OFWs accused it of contract substitution.   POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said the POEA found Allskills Manpower Services Inc. to have substituted POEA-approved contracts with those disadvantageous to the OFWs.   “Obviously, there is misrepresentation not only to the complainants but also to the Administration when the agency deployed the workers to an employer and position different from that indicated in the employment contracts submitted to the POEA,” Cacdac  said .   He said the POEA also found Allskills Manpower collected excessive placement fees from the workers and did not issue the proper receipts.   Cacdac ordered the agency and its surety agency to refund to the complainants the excess amounts collected from them.   The action against the firm stemmed...

A six-year-old Filipino boy was killed after being hit by a taxi in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates Monday evening, a UAE news site reported early Tuesday. Gulf News reported  the child died immediately  after the accident that occurred along the King Faisal Road. UAE police said the boy was crossing the road on his own when the taxi hit him. Authorities did not immediately name the child. The boy's remains were brought to a hospital. Meanwhile, authorities are holding the taxi driver who is being interrogated at the Al Buhairah police station.  — DVM, GMA News

Search efforts are ongoing for a Filipino welder who was reported missing after being knocked off an oil rig near the Louisiana coast late Sunday, the Philippine embassy in Washington said Tuesday.   In posts on its Twitter account, the embassy said the US Coast Guard was still searching for the Filipino as of Tuesday morning, Manila time.   "US Coast Guard tells Embassy Welfare Officer Saul de Vries that  search and rescue operations for (the) 38-year-old Filipino worker (are) still ongoing ," it said.   However, the embassy did not immediately name the missing Filipino welder.   Citing initial information, the embassy said the accident occurred Sunday evening US time, some  55 miles off the coast of Louisiana .   It quoted the US Coast Guard as saying the Filipino  fell off the platform in Vermillion Block  200 south of Freshwater Bayou, between Lake Charles and Baton Rouge.   The US Coast Guard has dispatched ...

Kabilang ang isang turistang Pinay sa lima kataong nasawi sa pagsalpok ng isang sasakyan sa mataong pasyalan na Tiananmen Square sa Beijing, China. Samantala, tatlo pang Pilipino ang kabilang sa mga nasaktan sa naturang insidente. Hindi pa matiyak ng mga awtoridad sa China kung "terrorist act" ang nangyaring insidente matapos mapunta sa mataong bahagi ng pasyalan ang kotse at nagliyab. Patay din umano ang tatlong tao na lulan ng sasakyan. Sa ipinalabas na pahayag ng Department of Foreign Affairs, sinabing kinumpirma sa paunang ulat na galing sa Embassy ng China, na kabilang isang Pilipina sa mga nasawi sa insidente.   "Beijing's Public Security Bureau informed our Embassy that a Filipina was one of those killed in the car crash in Tiananmen Square earlier today. Three other Filipinos, a male and two females, were also injured and  brought to the hospital," ayon sa ipinalabas na pahayag ni Raul Hernandez, tagapagsalita ng DFA. "Our  information is that the F...

JERUSALEM - Israel is to release 26 Palestinian prisoners in a second stage of a deal brokered by the United States in July that brought a resumption of peace talks. Israel said in August it would free 104 inmates in four stages as negotiations resumed after a near three-year hiatus following a dispute over Jewish settlement construction in land Palestinians seek for a state. The issue of thousands of prisoners held by Israel is highly emotive for Palestinians who welcome the inmates home as heroes after being jailed for more than 20 years for attacks on Israelis, and highly divisive inside Israel. Far-right allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were deeply critical of the move after the cabinet rejected their proposal earlier on Sunday to approve legislation that would prevent further such prisoner releases from taking place. Housing Minister Uri Ariel, of the pro-settler Jewish Home party that sponsored the thwarted bill, said in several television interviews that freeing priso...

Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia will hold a passport renewal outreach for male overseas Filipino workers in the Second Riyadh Industrial City on Nov. 2. In an advisory, the embassy said the outreach mission will process male applicants only, at the Daawa Islamic Center. The  mission will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  and will process only up to 250 male applicants only. It said service will be on a "first come first served" basis. The embassy advised applicants to bring their original passports and a photocopy of the data page of their passport "as there are no photocopying machines at the venue."  — LBG, GMA News

Elinor Indico.  Photo: Handout LAS VEGAS – A 30-year-old Filipino-American woman is charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter and open murder for the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department Homicide Detective Unit said suspect Elinor Indico is the victim's sister-in-law. Prior to the homicide, a verbal argument had taken place between Indico and the victim. Police said that upon entering a back bedroom, officers located the pregnant victim dead from apparent stab wounds. The victim was nine months pregnant. Later, the unborn child died as a result of the attack. The incident occurred on October 16 in a North Las Vegas apartment. The suspect herself is suffering from apparent non-life threatening stab wounds. Indico was transported to the UMC Trauma Center by arriving medical personnel. She is due for a preliminary hearing on November 8th. Indico's bail is set for $120,000.

MANILA – The family of Joselito Zapanta, the overseas Filipino worker in death row in Saudi Arabia, is appealing for more prayers as the deadline for the blood money to spare his life is about to end next month. Zapanta's mother Mona earlier urged relatives, neighbors and friends to join the family in a small gathering in honor of their son. She said the small gathering with simple snacks was the only thing she could give her son whom she has not seen for six years. His mother admitted that they have yet to raise the P45 million as payment for the blood money to the family of the Sudanese national that his son allegedly killed. The deadline for the blood money is due on November 3. Vice President Jejomar Binay said that although the deadline was extended for three times, the blood money they have collected is still short by P27 million. Despite this, the family remains hopeful. They hope that donations will continue to pour to help save the life of their son.  Report fro...

ANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has launched a survey on the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), a major contributor of the country's foreign exchange, a state agency said Thursday. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said that the Survey on Overseas Filipinos (SOF) aims to gather information on the number of Filipino citizens who leave the country to seek work abroad, their remittances (cash and in-kind), mode of remittances, their occupation and place of work abroad. "In light of this, the public is encouraged to participate in the survey," said the NSCB, adding that the government has earmarked P10 million ($232,558) to cover around 50,000 households nationwide. It noted that in the 2012 SOF, there were about 2.2 million OFWs in the country, 95 percent of whom were overseas contract workers or those with existing contracts abroad. More than half of them were male OFWs and one in every three OFWs was a laborer or an unskilled worker. ...