KAKAMMPI News

SSS awards Best Collection Partners Three banks received the Social Security System (SSS) “Balikat ng Bayan” distinction for topping their respective categories as Best Collecting Banks. The winners were Ventaja International Corporation as Best OFW Collecting Partner, Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI) as Best Collecting Commercial Bank, RCBC Savings Bank as Best Collecting Thrift Bank, and One Network Bank, Inc. as Best Collecting Rural Bank. Social Security Commissioner Daniel Edralin (left), SSS president and Chief Executive Officer Emilio de Quiros, Jr (2nd from left), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor and Guest of Honor Amando Tetangco, Jr (2nd from right), and SSS Chief Legal Counsel Voltaire Agas (right) pose with (from L-R) Ventaja International President Vincent Grey, BPI Vice President for Corporate Banking Ma. Teresa Anna Lim, RCBC 1st Vice President for Retail Banking Leonor Belen, RCBC President Rommel Latinazo, and One Network Bank President Alex Buenaventur...

A Filipino-American US Army soldier, who narrowly escaped death after he was shot through the pelvis by a sniper in Iraq and endured a grueling rehab to get out of his wheelchair, has become one of the new faces of American war veterans with his photo prominently featured at the newly-unveiled American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.   Joseph Bacani's photo is prominently featured at the newly-unveiled American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Filipino Reporter photo Joseph “Joe” Bacani, 29, currently a junior psychology major at Columbia University, said he was both shocked and humbled upon learning only a week prior his place of honor on the wounded-vets memorial which shows him still in his wheelchair after being awarded the Purple Heart. “I thought my image would be small, with thousands of veterans alongside me,” said Bacani at the recent unveiling of the memorial, with his image and story next to Bob Dole’s, the late...

As Filipino American History Month comes to a close, the Pilipino Workers’ Center (PWC) has continued its outreach to Filipino-Americans and Latinos, based at Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi), considered to be in absolute poverty. Household income in this neighborhood is lower than the threshold established by the Census of minimal standard of living for the composition of the household.   Dondi Mangan, service recipient, learns about the Changes Program from staff Teresita Mercado. PWC Executive Director Aqui Versoza (standing) guides the briefing.  Photo by Tet Valdez/The FilAm LA “There is a myth that persists about Filipinos and Asians as ‘model minority,’ thus hindi natin kailangan ng tulong sa gobyerno (a model minority myth promotes the idea that Filipinos and Asian do not need government assistance),” PWC Executive Director Aqui Versoza told TheFilamLA. Versoza cited census results stating that: “5.4% of Filipino Americans are in absolute poverty (Jerry Park, on “A...

Years of working overseas had finally paid off for a Filipina manager at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Singapore, after she was nominated for a customer service award. Sheila Marie Tan Benzon is the only Filipino nominee for the Customer Service-Hotel category of The Singapore Experience Award 2014 , the sixth inception of the Singapore Tourism Board event. The category recognizes the excellence in customer service by individuals in various fields. It was previously only open to taxi-provider services,  according to the Singapore Tourism Board . Some reviews on TripAdvisor.com , a tourism review site, have good words for Benzon, describing her as a helpful and reasonable employee. In a questionnaire, Benzon cited several incidents where she lived her motto of "pursuing excellence beyond expectations." One notable incident had her visiting a Mexican guest who had been hospitalized due to sudden illness instead of attending an awards ceremony. The guest's son was so moved by he...

The Philippines on Thursday urged hundreds of its citizens to leave Ebola-hit west African nations, as it announced anyone who returned would be placed under a 21-day quarantine. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government had made a "voluntary repatriation" call to about 900 workers in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. He told a local television network that President Benigno Aquino III had also ordered those who did return would have to be isolated in a government facility. "The president has asked us to come down with a ruling, anyone coming from those countries, they must undergo a 21-day quarantine," del Rosario said. With 10 million Filipinos working abroad, the country is "very vulnerable" amid the outbreak of the killer disease, del Rosario said. More than 100 Filipino peacekeepers who will be pulled from Liberia next month because of Ebola fears will also be quarantined in a military facility, health department spokesman Lyndo...

A United Arab Emirates (UAE) court has cleared a taxi driver of charges he abducted and tried to rape a Filipina waitress earlier this year, a UAE news site reported Thursday. The Court of First Instance acquitted the taxi driver of kidnapping, attempted rape, and making criminal threats,  Khaleej Times reported . Court records showed the incident occurred last April 2, where the Pakistani driver, 34, was accused of driving the Filipina, 24, to a sandy area in Nad Al Sheba. He allegedly threatened her that he would assault and kill her if she did not strip. The Filipina recounted that on the day of the incident, the driver had picked her up in Al Rafaa area and was asked to take her home. "(H)e took another direction and did not start the meter. I asked him why he took that way and he told me to keep quiet," the Filipina said in the prosecution investigation. When the Filipina said she kept talking, the driver allegedly shouted at her and kept her from using her mobile phone,...

ABS-CBNnews.com MANILA – Overseas Filipino workers' groups and advocates have filed a petition before a local court seeking to stop the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) from implementing the integrated terminal fee in all airline tickets starting November 1. The groups, led by OFW Family Partylist Rep. Roy Señeres, filed the complaint before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court on Tuesday. Señeres said the MIAA Memorandum Circular (MC) 08, Series of 2014, would violate a 19-year-old law that grants benefits to millions of OFWs. The petition named Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and MIAA General Manager Angel Honrado as respondents. "For OFWs, taking away this benefit through a memorandum circular without the benefit of consultations while citing how the IPSC (International Passenger Service Charge) is such an emotional issue to government betrays the spirit of the law and the intention of our legislators," Señeres said. The Memorandum C...

By  AMITA O. LEGASPI , GMA News October 29, 2014 2:05pm Tags:  Koko Pimentel Groups contesting the integration of terminal fee with airplane tickets have found an ally in Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who agreed with the argument that the new scheme violates the law exempting migrant workers from paying terminal fee. In a statement Wednesday, Pimentel said the new scheme, to be implemented by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) starting November 1, should be scrapped as it is “illogical, legally questionable, and extremely unfair” to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). He said the scheme particularly violates Republic Act 8042 as amended by RA 10022, which mandates the exemption of migrant workers from the payment of travel tax, documentary stamp and airport fee upon proper showing of the overseas employment certificate (OEC) issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Pimentel said he will be filing a resolution seeking a Senate inq...

GENERAL INFORMATION What is Balik-Manggagawa  (BM) Online   Processing System  ? BM Online Processing System is a web-based facility that enables the Balik-Manggagawa (BM) or vacationing OFW to apply online for Overseas Employment    Certificate (OEC) and have the   approved OEC printed by him/her anywhere,   anytime. This aims to expedite the issuance of OEC to vacationing OFWs who will    return to their respective foreign employers/principals. The  opening page of the system contains an  instructional video that will guide the BM in using the facility. Who may avail of the BM Online Processing System? OFWs on vacation returning to the same  employer/principal and jobsite, with employment visa / work  permit, have a record in the POEA database, and  previously issued OEC/E-Receipt under the same    employer/principal ma...