KAKAMMPI News

At a press conference at the CBCP on Friday, January 30, leaders of 'Coalition No to 550' voiced out their opposition to the integration of airport terminal fee to airline tickets, the implementation of which will start on February 1. The coalition said the integration violates the grant of exemption to overseas Filipino workers from paying airport terminal fees as mandated by the Migrant Workers Act of 1995. Danny Pata

2 Filipinos among 9 killed in Tripoli hotel attack . Libyan security men are seen near the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli on Tuesday, January 27, where nine people—including two Filipinos and three other foreigners—were killed by armed men before blowing themselves up. The attack claimed by the Islamic State group, underlined the fragile security situation in the Libyan capital, which is controlled by a patchwork of militias allied with one of two governments claiming to rule the country. Reuters/Ismail Zitouny The Filipino engineer who was injured in Tuesday's terrorist attack in a Libyan hotel will be airlifted to Turkey for better treatment, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Thursday. In a statement, Baldoz identified the victim as Engr. Veron Pesigan Matoto, who sustained two gunshot wounds in the chest, one in the arm, one in the knee, and one in the leg during the incident. Matoto will be airlifted from a hospital in Tripoli to a facility with better equipment...

The provincial government of Isabela (PLGU-Isabela) has inked an agreement with the Social Security System (SSS) for the subsidy of SSS contributions of about 10,000 farmers in the province. Under the memorandum of agreement (MOA) that was signed on January 30, the PLGU-Isabela will appropriate P18 million to subsidize half of the contributions of farmers with one-fourth to one hectare of tillage. The subsidies will be based on P3,000 monthly salary credit that is equivalent to a contribution of P330 per month. Eligible farmers will be covered as self-employed members under the SSS program. “ This means a farmer will only have to set aside P165 of his earnings per month and this amount will be collected and remitted together with the corresponding share of the provincial government to the SSS based on our regular payment schedule,” De Quiros said. He added that farmers can also increase their monthly contribution to a higher bracket, subject to existing SSS rules and...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/29/2015 9:59 AM | Updated as of 01/29/2015 12:29 PM MANILA - Indonesia's Attorney General tells Parliament at least one Filipino is among those scheduled to be executed under the country's strict drug laws. Muhammad Prasetyo did not reveal the names of the prisoners on death row or how many Filipinos are involved. Two members of the so-called Bali nine, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, both Australians, are also scheduled for execution. There are also others from France, Ghana and Brazil.  - ANC

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/29/2015 2:58 PM MANILA – Thirty-two Filipinos who availed of the mandatory repatriation program of the Philippine government is set to arrive on Friday afternoon from Syria. The repatriates, on board Emirates Airlines flight number EK-332, will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 4 p.m. The group's arrival will bring the number of Filipinos repatriated from Syria to 5,578. Of this number, 2,535 were repatriated through Lebanon, with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut. Their tickets were shouldered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Damascus. The 32 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) traveled by land from Damascus to Beirut on January 28. They were assisted by the embassy personnel in Beirut during their transit at the Lebanese Masna’a border. The repatriates also underwent departure briefing and medical check-up prior to their travel to Manila. Meanwhile, the embassy in Damascus contin...

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/29/2015 2:58 PM MANILA – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has suspended the license of a recruiter for deploying household service workers to Dubai, United Arab Emirates with the use of visas different from their actual work. POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said Zareiko Productions Inc. committed acts of misrepresentation when it submitted documents of five household service workers for POEA processing as accounts assistant, cashier, cleaner, driver, and secretary. "OFWs deployed through misrepresentation or deceit are more vulnerable to abuse and maltreatment," Cacdac said. He urged OFWs not to accept job offers which require them to use another visa. The complainants against Zareiko Productions, Inc. were among the many household service workers who escaped from their respective employers and took shelter at the welfare center in Dubai. They all complained of overwork, inadequate food and low salary. Accor...

ABS-CBNNEWS.COM,01/30/2015 11:32 AM Villamor Airbase was in a somber mood as relatives quietly wait for the remains of the forty-two members of the Philippines National Police- Special Action Forces killed during a bloody encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at Barangay Tukanalipao, Mansasapo, Maguindanao last Sunday. Government leaders headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Department of Interior and Local Govenrment Secretary Mar Roxas, Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, PNP OIC Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina attended the arrival honors with other government leaders to pay respect to the slain police officers and condole with the relatives who lost their loved-one during the clash.  Colleagues from the police force also got emotional as the metal caskets are unloaded from the C130s that ferried the bodies of their fallen comrades from Cotabato. View  this slideshow in Desktop site The Philippine Airforce C130 carrying the remains...

Tags:  Mamasapano clash VP Binay condoles with kin of slain PNP-SAF men . At Villamor Air Base on Thursday, January 29, Vice President Jejomar Binay condoles with the bereaved family of one of the 44 PNP Special Action Force commandos who died in an encounter with members of the MILF and BIFF in Mamasapano, Maguidanao on January 25. President Benigno Aquino III did not show up during the arrival honors.  Danny Pata Dumating nitong Huwebes ng umaga sa Villamor Air Base sa Pasay City ang mga labi ng 42 pulis na miyembro ng Special Action Force ng Philippine National Police na nasawi sa engkuwentro sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Gayunman, naging kapansin-pansin na wala si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III sa paliparan para salubungin ang mga nasawing pulis na tinawag niyang mga bayani sa kaniyang talumpati nitong Miyerkules. Pero nandoon sina dating Pangulong Fidel Ramos, Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay, at ilang opisyal ng militar at pulisya para magbigay ng respeto sa m...

An alert Filipina saleslady helped authorities in the United Arab Emirates catch a Nigerian man paying for various items with fake $100 bills last year. The Nigerian, 25, confessed buying cheap items using fake $100 bills so he can get change in dirhams, news site Khaleej Times reported Friday. He was sentenced to six months in jail by the  Court of First Instance , which also ordered him to pay a fine of Dh2,000 and to be deported after completing his jail term. An investigation showed the Nigerian bought a box of color pens and a gadget, and got Dh308 in change from the saleswoman at a shopping center at Al Rafaa. But when the Filipina went to convert the $100 bill at an exchange outlet, she said she was told the bill was fake. Police also tracked the Nigerian following complaints from many shops in Bur Dubai that an African national bought items and paid with fake $100 bills. They eventually tracked him down using surveillance footage of the shop, and authorities arrested him wh...

A Filipino worker has won 5kg gold worth Dh741,250 at a raffle in a Dubai mall and is planning to use it to save the life of his cancer-stricken father in the Philippines. John Francis Angel won the gold after joining a raffle during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) following his purchase of a pair of earrings as a gift for his mother from Joyalukkas, a leading gold retailer in Dubai, according to a  report on Gulf News . The promo offers customers a chance to win 1kg of gold and a one-carat diamond every day of the month-long festival. A weekly draw offers people 5kg gold for every purchase of gold and jewellery worth Dh500. It was the first time Angel joined a raffle, the report said. His mother works as a midwife in Leyte, which has been devastated by super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. The report added that the first person who came to Angel's mind after winning the gold was his father, a retired lawyer in the Philippines who was diagnosed with colon cancer late last year....

The Filipino engineer who was injured in Tuesday's terrorist attack in a Libyan hotel will be airlifted to Turkey for better treatment, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Thursday. In a statement, Baldoz identified the victim as Engr. Veron Pesigan Matoto, who sustained two gunshot wounds in the chest, one in the arm, one in the knee, and one in the leg during the incident. Matoto will be airlifted from a hospital in Tripoli to a facility with better equipment in Turkey while awaiting repatriation, Baldoz said. “Once she is repatriated, her family and she will receive proper assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration even if she is not an active member,” said added. OWWA will also help Magtoto undergo psycho-social counseling, stress debriefing, and transport assistance to her home province. Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) will assist Matoto in receiving her salaries and benefits from her employer. She is an employee of APR Energy Lib...

Thirty-two Filipinos are scheduled to return home from strife-torn Syria on Thursday afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in an advisory. The 32, who availed of the government's mandatory repatriation program set in place due to Syria's Alert Level 4 status, are scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 4 p.m., the DFA said. The alert level also bans the deployment of Filipino workers to Syria, which has been under severe political turmoil for months. Personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Beirut assisted the Filipinos in crossing the Lebanese Masna'a border and undergoing medical checkups before their flight aboard Emirates Airlines flight EK-332. With their arrival, the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Syria increased to 5,578, with 2,535 repatriated through Lebanon. Citizens with family members in Syria may contact the Philippine Embassy through the following contact details: 00963-11-6132626 00963-949155557 00963-934...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday confirmed that a Filipino woman is facing execution in Indonesia for smuggling large amounts of prohibited drugs in 2010. Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the Philippine government “is aware of the case” and has already sought judicial review. Jose said the woman, who flew in from Malaysia to Indonesia, was arrested by authorities on April 25, 2010 for alleged trafficking of 2.6 kilograms of heroin at the Yogyakarta airport. In many countries, such as Indonesia and China, smuggling of large quantities of prohibited drugs is punishable by death. Jose said the government is making “all the appropriate representations” with the Indonesian government at all levels on its intention to file a request for judicial review. In coordination with her defense lawyer, Jose said the formal application for judicial review was filed on Jan 19, 2015 at the District Court of Justice of Sleman, Yogyakarta. “We continue to provide the Filipino...

A Filipino scholar in South Korea had won an award in the first Mirvac Film Competition in Australia for his two-minute film about poor Filipino children. Nash Ang, a scholar of Korea's Ministry of Culture, won the adult's under 5 minutes category of the Western Australian competition for his “My Reason for Existence,” a film about children living in a dumpsite in the Philippines. Interviewed via email, Ang told GMA News Online that his decision to feature urban poor Filipino children was inspired by Jose Rizal and his belief in the youth. "Like what Jose Rizal and my film is saying... I want to say that we need to educate the youth because we need them in order for our nation to progress," he said. The filmmaker is furthering his education at the Korea National University of the Arts after a four-year stint at Polytechnic University of the Philippines for a degree in broadcasting. “I was encouraged to continue my studies in Seoul when I met one of the the staff of...

LYON, France – The Philippines, participating for the first time in the prestigious Pastry World Cup (Coupe du Monde de Pâtisserie), ranked in the top half of 21 participating countries and bested veteran competitors like Argentina, China, Mexico and Morocco. The “Igorot Hunter” carved in ice by Vicente Cahatol also earned the “Best Artistic Creation made of Sculpted Ice.” “This is a magical moment,” chorused Buddy Trinidad and James Antolin, pillars of the Philippine Pastry Alliance (PAP), who pushed for, motivated and organized the Philippine participation to this illustrious competition created in 1989 by French master pastry chef Gabriel Paillasson.   The Philippine team: (L-R) Manas, Dimayuga, Cahatol and Trinidad. The team is composed of sugarcraft master Rizalino Mañas,  pastry chef Bryan Dimayuga for chocolate and kitchen artist Cahatol for ice and chocolate sculptures. Trinidad is Team President, who also acted as member of the international jury. The country a...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday reiterated its call to Filipinos in Yemen to return to the Philippines as soon as possible for their safety. ?The government made the renewed call following the resignations of high officials of the Yemeni government,  including President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi , and after the Houthi occupation of the presidential palace. "All Filipinos in Yemen are urged to leave the country as soon as possible. The Republic of Yemen continues to be under Alert Level 3 (Voluntary Repatriation) with all new deployments of Filipino workers or their return from vacation banned," the DFA said. It said all Filipinos who wish to avail of voluntary repatriation must immediately coordinate with the Crisis Management Team (CMT) based in Sana’a for assistance. The DFA further urged Filipinos "to avoid unnecessary travel outside their homes which should also be fortified against stray bullets." It also cautioned them against participating i...

Hailed as the personification of Filipino beauty in Canada in 2014, Miss Philippines Canada Krisgelle Maramot joined Lal-lo residents in Cagayan in planting trees as part of her prizes. Maramot planted a Lubeg or Philippine Cherry tree during a ceremony with the Lal-lo residents to help promote solutions to environmental problems, climate change, hunger and malnutrition. Lubeg cherries are used in making wine, candies, jam, and other products by women's groups in Lal-lo and has been adopted as the official municipal tree. Under the Lal-lo official One Town One Product (OTOP) Program, income from Lubeg by-products are donated to projects by the municipal nutrition committee. The Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation, the organization behind Miss Philippines Canada, invited Filipinos in the North American country to join their projects in 2015. Filipino workers and immigrants in Canada can enter as either Miss Philippines Canada, Little Miss Philippines Canada, or Mrs Philippi...

Despite the virtual ban on sending Filipino household helpers to the United Arab Emirates, local recruiters have found ways to skirt this, a TV report said Wednesday. Citing the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), the report on GMA News TV's “Balitanghali” said such agencies lie to the OFW regarding his or her real job or occupancy, or reprocess them and issue two different working visas. Some licensed recruiters also disguise themselves as referral agencies for unlicensed firms and create fake certifications from POEA and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to further confound the system. The report said around 20 agencies had been shut down since June 2014 while 10 others had been suspended for these infractions. “Pagka may pinarusahan tayong Philippine recruiter, sabay nun yung UAE counterpart ay pinagbabawal na rin nating mag-recruit ng manggagawang Pilipino," said POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac in the report. He added the continued use of fake cer...

The Philippine government is still verifying reports that two Filipinos were among the fatalities in the terrorist attack on an upscale hotel in Libya, but confirmed that a Filipino woman was among those injured in the assault. A report by Agence France-Presse earlier  said two Filipinos where among the five foreigners killed when gunmen, who later blew themselves up, stormed a luxury hotel in Tripoli popular with diplomats and officials Tuesday in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the Filipino victim sustained five gunshot wounds and was declared out of danger after undergoing surgery. “She is in stable condition,” Jose told a press briefing. Jose said he cannot disclose the identity of the Filipina without her family’s consent, but revealed that she works for an energy company in Libya. The victim’s husband and brother told embassy officials that they intend to avail of the Philippine government’s mandatory evacuation progra...