KAKAMMPI News

A Filipina nurse was abducted and held for several hours and allegedly raped while in captivity, a Saudi news site reported late Wednesday. Citing reports from wire agencies, Arab News quoted medics and security officials in Libya as saying "unknown kidnappers" seized the nurse Wednesday in Tripoli.   The report said the abductors held the nurse "for several hours and raped her."   It quoted a health ministry statement as saying the incident could prompt the Philippine government to speed up the evacuation of its citizens.   Some 3,000 Filipinos work in Libya as doctors and nurses, the report added.  —  Joel Locsin /ELR, GMA News

(Updated 8:30 p.m.)  A ship that can carry up to 1,000 passengers is being readied to evacuate Filipinos from Libya, according to Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario as the Philippine government scampers to repatriate its citizens from the strife-torn country. In a report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, Del Rosario said the ship, which the DFA will rent, will come from Malta and sail to Benghazi, Sirte and Misrata in Libya. "We hope that we can get close to a thousand on that ship, because those ships are expensive," Del Rosario said. There are more or less 13,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Libya, according to the DFA. The government has been urging Filipinos to return from Libya due to the security situation there. On Tuesday, a new batch of Filipino workers from the troubled African nation arrived home, with some of them claiming they were harassed by men who were wearing police uniforms. No funds for repatriation? Meanwhile, the ...

The Philippines raked in over a hundred medals in the recent World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in Hollywood, California. The  Filipino contestants took home 42 gold, 38 silver, and 30 bronze medals  — or 110 medals all in all — in various categories and were named  overall champions in dance and vocal divisions . Industry awards were also granted to the following representatives : Juniors: Jayrah Kaye Perfecio Adeva Lloyd Edisonne Judilla Montebon Seniors: Mark John de Vera Magno Kristia Julia Marie Guillermo Banda Kim Chrstopher Lacanilao Recio Wincel Mae Ocampo Portugal Mary Rose Boto Pasigue All 45 candidates arrived early Wednesday, according to a report on GMA News TV's "News To Go" program. Montebon, 12, was also named the 2014 Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World, while Xtreme Dancers (Jay-R Melody and Macz Alminaza) became the 2014 Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World and the Senior Dance Group of the World. The Philippines als...

Officials of the Philippines and New Zealand last week met to explore more ways to promote the well-being of Filipino workers, especially those involved in the rebuilding of quake-hit Christchurch. Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Virginia Benavidez went to Christchurch last July 22 to check on the status of Filipino workers there, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. She met with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and Labor Inspectorate officials in Christchurch. "Discussions focused on the continuing action and possible steps that can be undertaken by relevant authorities both in New Zealand and in the Philippines to address concerns and resolve problems related to employment, visa status and workers’ rights," the DFA said in a  statement . With Benavidez were Philippine Honorary Consul to Christchurch Peter Wait and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Glenn Joseph Obach. Exploitation The visit came after New Zealand news program "3rd Degree"  reported tha...

Some Filipinas illegally staying in Saudi Arabia have fallen sick and approached local community leaders for help in going home, a Saudi news site reported Wednesday. But  Arab News cited a source  who said the community leaders told the women they may have to go to their employers to request an exit visa. While the report did not specify how many women had sought help, it noted many of them are with children and were referred to the Philippine Embassy for assistance. Arab News quoted its source as saying the women who wanted to go home were told they have to pay penalties, such as SR500 for every year that their iqamas were expired. It added the illegal residents had sought help from the embassy last year, when an amnesty period was still in effect for residents to rectify their status or go home. But at the time, they did not go back after receiving their passports. They should have returned to the embassy to undergo the repatriation process. “They probably don’t want to be...

Corral explains to a member the need to update her records PHNOM PENH, Cambodia---Filipinos here recently had their member data records with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) updated, their identification cards printed and their questions on membership and benefits availment answered. Through the 2nd Inter-Agency Mission for Filipino Nationals organized by the Philippine Embassy and the Samahan ng mga Pilipino sa Cambodia (SAMAPI), hundreds of Filipinos working here were able to avail themselves of various frontline services from government agencies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. A member proudly shows her PhilHealth ID which was generated during the Mission Aside from PhilHealth, other government agencies that joined the Mission were Social Security System, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Labor and Employment. The Philippine Embassy also processed Embassy IDs, while registration of overseas Filipinos for the...

Shown signing the agreement are (seated from L-R) Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman and PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), together with the Departments of Health, and Social Welfare and Development formally sealed a partnership with the local government of Oriental Mindoro through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement that aims to expand the Social Protection Support Initiatives (SPSI) in the said province. SPSI is an umbrella project of the three social government agencies aimed at improving the level of well being and economic status of targeted poor families and individuals through better and coordinated delivery of social protection services using advanced information and communication systems technology. Ona, Soliman and Padilla led the signing ceremony participated in by  (seated at the back, extreme left) Gov. Alfonso V. Umali of Oriental Mindoro,  ...

Offering social protection for as little as P11 per day, the AlkanSSSya program of the Social Security System (SSS) has attracted more than 74,000 members from 748 informal sector groups (ISGs) nationwide as of May 2013. Amalia Tolentino, SSS AlkanSSSya Program Director, said informal sector workers who save at least P11 per day – about the price of cellphone load or softdrink --- can complete the minimum P330 monthly AlkanSSSya contribution based on a declared monthly income or “salary credit” of P3,000. “ The growth in participating ISGs reflects the AlkanSSSya's appeal to the needs of informal sector workers such as affordability and convenience, especially since many among them have busy work schedules and tight budgets,” Tolentino noted. A total of 180 ISGs representing over 17,000 members joined the program within the first five months of 2014. Luzon-based groups account for 337 out of the 748 covered ISGs – nearly half of the nationwide total – while 179 ISGs were f...

A new batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) repatriated from Libya arrived home Tuesday afternoon with stories of being held up by men wearing police uniforms while still there. One of the 24 OFWs interviewed by radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen shortly after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said the men took their mobile phones and other valuables. "Naka-uniporme po... pagbaba [namin ng] sasakyan diretsong tutok ng baril sa amin. Wala kaming magawa kundi ibigay," said the OFW. He said they were near the Philippine embassy at the time of the incident. Even the female OFWs were searched, he said. The 24 OFWs were part of the latest batch who left strife-torn Libya Tuesday afternoon. Last Sunday, 42 OFWs from Libya arrived in Manila while five more arrived early Monday. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the repatriated OFWs are to be briefed and assisted by DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) representatives at the airport. The...

A California-based firm has pulled out a scene from its training video that could potentially portray Filipino health care workers in a negative light after the Filipino community complained about it. CRM Learning of Carlsbad, California, also said it will withdraw the training video from the market, the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. said Tuesday. "The CRM Learning video, entitled 'It’s a Dog’s World,' showed two Filipina healthcare employees gossiping in Tagalog in front of an American patient,"  the embassy said in a statement . It said a Filipina nurse was offended after seeing the video at a hospital training workshop, and reported it to Filipino community leader Victoria Navarro. Navarro in turn brought up the matter with Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. The embassy, together with the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) and the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), told the company the video violated cultural sensitivities. Cuisia welcomed CRM Learnin...

MANILA, Philippines - Another batch of Filipinos from Libya will be arriving in Manila on Tuesday (July 29). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said 24 Filipino repatriates are set to arrive at 4 p.m. on board QR926 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, while the remaining six OFWs will arrive at 4:35 p.m. on board EK332. This would bring the total number of repatriated Filipinos from Libya to 708. On Sunday, 42 OFWs from Libya arrived in Manila. Five more OFWs arrived on Monday afternoon. The OFWs will be briefed and assisted by DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) representatives at the airport. Amid the continued violence in the country, the DFA has raised Alert Level 4 in Libya, which calls for mandatory repatriation. The DFA urges all Filipino nationals to immediately contact the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli and register for repatriation. Filipinos can contact the Embassy through the telephone numbers (00218) 918-244-2...

Overseas Filipino workers repatriated recently from crisis-hit countries may avail of a host of job vacancies offered by various firms, the Department of Labor and Employment said Friday. But while DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the jobs are part of "Assist WELL"—a package of services to ensure the reintegration of repatriated OFWs into society—she admitted they may not pay as well as the OFWs' jobs abroad. She said that while local salaries may be lower than those abroad, OFWs who come home for good should consider that being in one's own country mitigates the social cost of migration. "The local job vacancies are there and OFW-repatriates may consider these as an option," she said in a  statement . Baldoz said she had contacted a conglomerate that can offer jobs similar or related to those of repatriated OFWs from Libya. These include management positions in power plant construction and operation such as design managers, engineering managers,...

Amazing win! A South African court ruled that the government violated our right to free speech when they tore down ads calling for the protection of South Africa’s lions -- let’s use this momentum to build our petition further and save the lions:   Dear friends,  South African lions are being slaughtered for their bones, just to make bogus sex potions for men.  But if we show President Zuma that this hurts South Africa’s image as a tourist destination,  he could stop this cruelty by banning the trade in lion bones and organs.  Sign the petition below  -- we’ll take out ads in major tourism magazines and websites: Hundreds of South African lions are being slaughtered  to make bogus sex potions for men. But we can stop this cruel trade by hitting the government where it hurts -- the tourism industry. A global ban on tiger bone sales has traders hunting a new prize -- the majestic lions. Lions are farmed under appalling conditions in South Africa fo...