KAKAMMPI News

Dubbed as the Seattle Seahawk's "Unsung X-Factor" by sports website Bleacher Report, Filipino-American Doug Baldwin Jr. is set to see action in the championship game of the National Footbal League (NFL) and, perhaps, lead his team to victory. Baldwin pinged on Filipino's radar when  he carried an upside-down Philippine flag during a game last November after Typhoon Yolanda hit central Philippines . The act was not a fluke; rather, it was to show the team's support to the country, which was “at war” with the damage wrought by Typhoon Yolanda. “Too many to count,”  Baldwin told the Seattle Times  of the number of relatives he has in Tacloban, including his grandmother. He said the majority of his family had to stay in a grandaunt's house since their homes were destroyed by the super typhoon. Food and water, weeks before aid properly entered the region, was hard to come by. Though he has never visited his relatives, Baldwin said he wants to make a trip ho...

Tags:  Bantay Kaban London-based Jeane Napoles, daughter of detained businesswoman and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, has filed her counter-affidavit to a tax evasion case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. A report on “24 Oras” on Monday said the younger Napoles denied that she willfully avoided paying taxes amounting to over P32 million. She also reportedly said the properties being linked to her by the BIR are actually owned by her parents. According to the BIR, Jeane was able to acquire real estate and register them in her name in 2011 and 2012, but had no declared income during those years. Among these properties are a condominium unit in Los Angeles, California, and her share in a farm lot in Bayambang, Pangasinan. The counter-affidavit was submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) through the Philippine Embassy in London, where Jean Napoles had it notarized, the report said. Jeane Napoles became controversial after  she posted on the ...

Tags: OFWs in Thailand , Pinoys in Thailand The governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has banned the deployment of newly-hired OFWs in four specific areas in troubled Thailand. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced on Monday that the POEA board has approved a resolution on the ban in a meeting following consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Under the resolution, the ban is effective in Bangkok, Nonthaburi Province, Lad Lum Kaew District (Pathumthani Province), and Bang Phli District (Samutprakan Province). The ban was issued after the Thai government declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok and other surrounding areas stemming from the series of protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ying Luck Shinawatra “In view of this, the Governing Board decided to impose a temporary suspension on the processing and deployment of newly-hired OFWs bound for these areas in the Kingdom of Thailand,” said Baldoz,...

Tags:  Tacloban City Labor officials and recruitment agencies returned to Tacloban City Tuesday for a second job fair seeking to benefit survivors of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Philippine Overseas Employment Administration head Hans Leo Cacdac posted on his Twitter account they are to conduct relief and medical missions first. Good morning! Back to Tacloban with the recruitment industry, for the relief/medical/school supplies mission and jobs fair  #BangonPilipinas — hans leo j. cacdac (@HansLeoCacdac)  January 20, 2014 The Department of Labor and Employment said the job fair will be on Jan. 22, Wednesday, a day after the relief mission. Wednesday's  job fair will be held at Rizal Park in Tacloban , one of the areas hit hardest by Yolanda. It will have the theme "May Bukas Pa," and will underscore Filipinos' resolve as a nation to think and act positively despite the challenges they had gone through, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. "There is ...

By  MICHAELA DEL CALLAR Tags:  OFWs in Thailand  ,  Pinoys in Thailand Thai govt issues 60-day emergency decree  . An anti-government protester uses a sledgehammer to destroy the Royal Thai Police logo in Bangkok on Wednesday, January 22. A pro-government leader was shot and wounded in Thailand's northeast, a stronghold of PM Yingluck Shinawatra, as a state of emergency began in and around the capital where protesters are trying to force her to resign. The government issued a 60-day emergency decree on Tuesday, handing security agencies wide powers to detain suspects, impose a curfew and limit gatherings.  Reuters/Damir Sagolj The Philippines has called on Filipinos in Thailand to restrict their movements and prepare for possible evacuation amid intensified anti-government demonstrations there. Manila raised Alert Level 2 over Thailand as the 60-day state of emergency was enforced on Wednesday by the Thai government to quell weeks-long prot...

The governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has banned the deployment of newly-hired OFWs in four specific areas in troubled Thailand. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced on Monday that the POEA board has approved a resolution on the ban in a meeting following consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Under the resolution, the ban is effective in Bangkok, Nonthaburi Province, Lad Lum Kaew District (Pathumthani Province), and Bang Phli District (Samutprakan Province). The ban was issued after the Thai government declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok and other surrounding areas stemming from the series of protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ying Luck Shinawatra. “In view of this, the Governing Board decided to impose a temporary suspension on the processing and deployment of newly-hired OFWs bound for these areas in the Kingdom of Thailand,” said Baldoz, who chairs the POEA governing board....

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the conduct of emergency employment response to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and other calamities and disasters that may arise in the future. Shaking hands after the simple signing ceremonies held in PhilHealth’s Central Office in Pasig City are ILO Director Lawrence Jeff Johnson and PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla. Also in photo are  (L-R)  ILO Technical Cooperation Coordinator and Resource Mobilization Officer Ruth Honculada-Georget; and PhilHealth’s OIC-EVP and COO Ramon F. Aristoza, Jr.; Chief Legal Executive Edgar Julio S. Asuncion; and VP-Member Management Group Gregorio C. Rulloda.

THE Local Health Insurance Office of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in Pasig City recently opened its Members Healthcare Access (MHA) Room intended for breastfeeding clients, senior citizens, persons with disability and children tagging along with their parents who have transactions with the LHIO. This is the first MHA Room among eight LHIOs in the National Capital Region. The MHA Room is a dedicated area within the LHIO premises which provides maternal, child, first aid care and other related services for persons with special needs. It is a multi-functional room situated near the entrance of the LHIO Pasig office and has an area where breastfeeding mothers can express milk and pregnant women can relax. It also has a separate area where children can play while waiting for their parents/relatives who have PhilHealth transactions. On top of these, the room has a first aid corner and a public assistance desk. The formal opening ceremony of the MHA Room a...

To be able to respond to the growing health care needs of its members especially of the poor, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has recently re-introduced its Primary Care Benefit Package under a new brand called TSeKaP or Tamang Serbisyong Kalusugang Pampamilya. TSeKaP aims to make the said benefit package more endearing to its beneficiaries which include indigent and sponsored members, members of organized groups, and land-based OFWs. PhilHealth extended the said benefit to employees of the Department of Education last year as part of a pilot test. "Gone are the days when PhilHealth is just remembered when one is sick because our TSeKaP package is here to encourage entitled members and their qualified dependents to avoid getting sick or to even arrest sicknesses early on" PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla said, adding that  "disease prevention and early detection saves money, and strengthens the gate-keeping function of p...

The Department of Foreign Affairs Regional Consular Office in San Fernando, Pampanga is now accepting the following documents for authentication: 1.      NBI Clearance 2.        NSO issued documents in security paper including Certificate of No Marriage     (CENOMAR)                 3.        Barangay Certification w I  Mayor Certification* 4.        Police Clearance*      5.        Affidavits of Employment, Trainings/Seminars, and Baptism/Confirmation w/ Regional Trial Court (RTC) Certification*      6.        Other notarized documents ( Special Power of Attorney, Affidavit of Support and Guarantee, Consent, etc.)  with RTC Certification* 7.   ...

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reminded Filipinos in Malaysia to fully complete their immigration documentation and always carry proper identification documents in light of the Malaysian Government’s announced crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals starting January 21. “We would like to remind our nationals to make sure that their immigration or work documents are in order, and to carry with them proper documents, notably work permit or passport with valid visa, to avoid inconvenience in case of immigration checks,” Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya said. He also asked employers and agents to hand over any passport and other identification documents to their Filipino employees for the latter’s safety and protection.  Those who have no status in Malaysia are urged to make arrangements for their voluntary return to the Philippines.  Malaysian authorities have indicated that those who will leave voluntarily will not be prosecuted but will have to pay the overstay fi...

By Fr. Shay Cullen The story of the rescue of Rosemary is heartening and encouraging. When we read about such stories of young children like that of Rosemary being helped and rescued from the clutches of depraved people who are arrested, we rejoice. But we may not know that hundreds of thousands are not rescued, they suffer abuse like Rosemary who was trafficked and sold at 14 years old into sex slavery and bondage. She was rescued, sheltered and healed while many others are not. A charity like Preda Foundation with limited funds can do only so much. When children are saved by government social workers, police and charity workers, we applaud and approve and our admiration of good organized government services increases. Government is elected by the people, given public trust and paid through taxes on everything to serve the common good. In developing countries like the Philippines, government agencies, one by one have been captured by the rich to serve them rather than the poor. T...

By Fr. Shay Cullen Mobile No: Sun  +639228768621 , Globe  +63 917 627 4910 Immediately after the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest typhoon ever to hit land on  8 November this year, I wrote an article titled "The Lost Orphans of Yolanda" on  12 November  in the knowledge that the children without parents are the most vulnerable to abuse, abduction, malnutrition and human trafficking. Hungry children go wandering off in search of food their parents cannot provide and you see them at city street corners begging and asking strangers for money. That article on the orphans was based on the initial report that as many as ten thousand people had been killed by the storm surge and high winds and flying debris. The confirmed death toll has reached 6,500 dead and more bodies are uncovered as the debris is gradually removed. It was expected that there would be many homeless, hungry and orphaned children. They tend to be overlooked in the chaos that follows a great st...

by Fr. Shay Cullen When I was growing up, Christmas was a lovely childhood story of the baby Jesus born in a clean looking stable surrounded by his loving parents in clean robes, singing angels, adoring shepherds, kings holding gifts and harmless adoring animals. Yet in reality, it was a hard, cold, miserable time for this impoverished couple, who were like refugees and soon became such, with almost nothing in the world as they fled the killer King Herod to Egypt. They were most likely overwhelmed by the cold bitter weather and hunger like the refugees from the conflict in Syria today, fleeing the cruel “King” Assad. They have only hovels and nowhere else to live. No singing angels for them. In the Philippines, hundreds of thousands are suffering deprivation like that of Jesus and his parents as they struggle to survive in the ruins caused by the greatest typhoon ever to hit the Philippines. It will be a tough and hungry Christmas for them who still survive under plastic sheets a...

After a six-month detention in Argentina, four Filipino seafarers arrived home Sunday afternoon to the warm embraces of their families. The four — Harvey Baladjay, Stephen Nalumen, Ryan Lagumbay, and Vicente Siguan — were detained in August after being accused of throwing four African stowaways overboard. A news release from ANGKLA, a party-list group representing Filipino seafarers, said lack of jurisdiction was cited as reason behind the four's release. Through their families, the four, maintaining their innocence, sought assistance from the Philippine government in their case. “Hindi talaga kami nawalan ng pag-asa. Alam namin na hindi kami pababayaan ng Diyos. Malaking bagay ang suporta ng pamilya namin,” said Joy Nalumen, Stephen's wife, who wrote the letter to ANGKLA seeking assistance for the four seafarers' case. Philippine Ambassador to Argentina Rey Carandang said the four seafarers were released under the custody of the Philippine Embassy. The four arrived at the ...

The family of an overseas Filipino worker who suffered a stroke in Saudi Arabia has appealed for help to be able to bring her home. A report on “24 Oras” Monday said the family of Novelita Perez could not afford the bill worth 200,000 riyal (P2 million) she incurred for her four-month hospital stay in Jeddah. The report said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has agreed to shoulder the cost to bring Perez home, adding it is just waiting approval from the Office of Fiscal Management. Migrants' rights group Migrante has also promised assistance, the “24 Oras” report said. —  KBK, GMA News

A United Arab Emirates court on Monday sentenced an Emirati housewife to 15 years in jail for torturing her Ethiopian and Filipina maids.   The Ethiopian maid died after she was forced to drink pesticide and developed pneumonia due to her infected wounds, UAE-based news site Gulf News reported.   In its decision, the Dubai Court of First Instance also found the housewife prevented the Ethiopian from “getting proper and timely medication” for her infected wounds.   The Filipina maid, 30, was also unfed and locked up in the housewife's Al Rashidiya residence for more than a month.   Judge Urfan Omar likewise sentenced the housewife to another month and fined her Dh2,000 for beating a third maid.   The court also ordered the Emirati's husband jailed for three years for allegedly aiding his wife by preparing a room with sealed windows at the top of the villa for the maids.   But the couple pleaded not guilty.   The Gulf News re...