KAKAMMPI News

A lawmaker on Thursday called for a top-to-bottom revamp of the officials and personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in light of the so-called "laglag bala" extortion racket victimizing tourists and OFWs. Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said the total overhaul should be done as NAIA has become a “source of disgrace and national embarrassment” because of the “laglag bala” scheme. "The NAIA has become the biggest source of embarrassment for this administration, not only here in the Philippines and but in the entire world," said Nograles, chairman of the House committee on labor. "A top-to-bottom revamp is now necessary even just to prove that the government is taking this issue very seriously." Nograles said the revamp should start with Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) Jose Angel Honrado, who he said "has contributed nothing but shame and disgrace to the government." The "laglag bala" scheme involved...

The Filipina domestic helper in Saudi Arabia who underwent a delicate surgery to remove a blood clot in her brain in September died after being in a coma for a month, an online report said. A  report on Arab News  said the victim, Rehana "Rina" Lusay Bayan, died around 3 p.m. on October 23, based on information shared by her Riyadh-based cousin Henry. Bayan was initially reported as a rape victim  who was dropped off at the Saudi Social Welfare Agency (SWA) last September 19 by her employer in a weakened state. The Arab News report said the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia denied that Bayan was a victim of rape. Despite this, migrants' rights group Migrante-Middle East is still calling for justice for Bayan, and urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to conduct an investigation. "We and her family in the Philippines demand justice," said Migrante-Middle East leader John Leonard Monterona in the Arab News...

Qatar has announced modest plans to reform its labor laws for foreign workers, but rights groups said on Wednesday that the 2022 World Cup host remains complicit in "modern slavery."   Foreign workers employed in Qatar, making up nearly 90 percent of the population, still need permission to leave the country, keeping them at the mercy of their employers, said the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).   "Promises of reform have been used as a smokescreen to draw in companies and governments to do business in Qatar as the Gulf state rolls out massive infrastructure developments to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup," ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said in a statement.   "The tragedy of 1.7 million migrant workers trapped in Qatar defines modern day slavery," Burro said.   Legislation signed by Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday will give foreign workers the ability to appeal to a government committee if their empl...

A showbiz reporter has accused a porter at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) of trying to extort money from his wheelchair-bound mother, a report on "24 Oras" said Wednesday. The reporter, Ruel Mendoza, said instead of bringing his 74-year-old mother, Dalisay Mendoza, to the airport's designated waiting area, the porter with a nameplate identifying himself as A. Barra brought her to an isolated part of the airport and asked for money. "Habang nagbabantay, humingi siya ng pera. Humingi siya ng load sa kanya. Panay parinig pa na malapit na po ang Pasko," Mendoza told GMA News' John Consulta, citing his mother. At the time, Dalisay Mendoza just arrived from the United States. "Binibiktima niya 'yung naka-wheelchair para walang laban? My mommy's seventy-plus. Kailangan niyang uminom ng gamot, gutom na siya, kahit ako gutom sa kaka-antay, Mommy ko galing pang LA, Korea, tapos Manila," Mendoza said. The incident occurred Tuesday night...

Only 1.4 million of the estimated 8 million to 9 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have registered as absentee voters, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday. Comelec Commissioner Arthur Lim said the biggest number of registrants for overseas absentee voting (OAV) came from the Middle East, with 300,000 OFWs signing up to vote, followed by the United States with 200,000. Some 105,000 migrant workers, meanwhile, registered as absentee voters in Hong Kong. Although less than 20 percent of the estimated number of OFWs abroad signed up for the OAV, the Comelec considers breaching the 1-million mark as a milestone since it began registration activities on May 2014. “The 1 million mark was our Holy Grail when we started the registration way back in May [2014],” Lim said. At the sidelines of the hearing at the House of Representatives, Lim noted that only around 700,000 OFWs signed up for the OAV in the 2013 midterm polls. “Malaki na ‘yan,” he said, referring to the 1.4 m...

After three days of competing at the Busan Choral Festival and Competition in South Korea earlier this month, the Filipino group Baao Children and Youth Choir came home emerged victorious. A report on "Unang Balita" said the Camarines Sur-based choir won the first or gold prize in the youth category, besting other choirs from South Korea, China, Indonesia, England, Russia, and Taiwan. The group also won the audience prize awards. the Baao Children and Youth Choir also received the silver prize for the ethnic category of the competition for non-professional choir groups. The report said the Baao Children and Youth Choir was formed in 2004 and has joined other international competitions. Other Filipino groups also placed in the 11-year-old Busan Choral Festival and Competition. Los Cantantes de Manila snagged the gold prize for the classical mixed category and silver for the pop or accapella segment, where Koro Ilustrado won the bronze prize. Koro Ilustrado also claimed silver ...

Some 30 percent of OFWs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia jails have cases related to illegal drugs.   A report on "Unang Balita" on Wednesday said the Philippine Consulate there has expressed concerns over the high incidence of drug cases involving Filipinos in the Kingdom. Records from the consulate showed that 60 of the over 200 Filipinos in Jeddah detention facilities were involved in illegal drugs use, sale, or smuggling. Moreover, the report said that the consulate has reported one OFW on death row, and another one is due for deportation. Most of the OFW cases there are still on trial, the consulate noted. Next to drugs, the most number of cases that led to OFW detention include immorality and theft.  — LBG, GMA News  - See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/542238/news/pinoyabroad/phl-consulate-30-of-detained-ofws-in-jeddah-due-to-drug-cases#sthash.dprce6Oz.dpuf

Filipinos in Qatar have been warned against an investment scam allegedly being operated by a group in Doha who promises high interest rates. The Philippine Embassy in Doha issued the warning after it received complaints from the victims of the supposed scam known as "Invest Your Money and Earn Double" and "Fastline," according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a news release Tuesday. The DFA said the scam, which started in March 2015, is being operated like a  paluwagan  in where interest rates could go as high as 600 percent. "The Philippine Embassy in Doha wishes to inform the public and all overseas Filipinos in the State of Qatar that it received complaints from the public who were victimized by an investment scam known as “Invest Your Money and Earn Double” (paluwagan) and “Fastline” which is operated by a group of individuals in Doha," the DFA said. The DFA said the first batch of investors collected their invested money with an interest...

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado on Tuesday defended the apprehension of a departing overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was allegedly found carrying a bullet in her bag at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. At a Senate hearing on terminal fee refunds, Honrado said the police had to arrest the OFW, a 56-year-old woman on her way to Hong Kong, as the bullet had all the components of live ammunition. "Kumpleto po 'yung component niya as an ammunition. Kaya sabi ng PNP (Philippine National Police), we're basing our judgement on the ammunition. Let the court, let the fiscal court decide [whether] to let her go or not," Honrado said. Pro-OFW groups, however, said the OFW, identified as Gloria Ortinez, has been working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 20 years and did not fit the profile of someone who would smuggle live ammunition abroad. Susan Ople of migrants' rights group Blas Ople Policy Center said the woman...

Starting March 2016, Qatar will implement an electronic contract system for migrant laborers working to ensure transparency and lessen cases of contract substitution, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “This will be the first of its kind in Qatar,” the DFA quoted Mohamed Ali Al Meer, a senior official at Qatar's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as saying in a news release on Tuesday. Citing information from the Philippine Embassy in Doha, the DFA said under the new system, laborers will be able to access a government website where, by entering personal details such as their name, ID or visa number, they will be able to view their work contract. The DFA said this would enable workers to see what they have signed up for in Qatar for the first time in their own language since the service will be initially offered in 10 languages. Although the scheme will not be compulsory, Meer said that he expects many companies to sign up. Officials said that the electronic c...

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Tuesday that 55 out of 255 passed the Civil Engineer Licensure Examination in the Middle East last month. [ Click here for complete list of passers. ] The examinations were given by the Board of Civil Engineering in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; and in Kuwait. The PRC said the result of examination with respect to one examinee was withheld pending final determination of his liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination. — KBK, GMA News  

The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) on Tuesday offered to share its database of OFWs to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in order to expedite and simplify the refund of terminal fees. "We have a standing offer to MIAA for a database sharing arrangement so that they can verify those who are buying tickets online if they are seeking for exemption, if they are legitimate OFWs," POEA Deputy Administrator Liberty Casco said duiring a hearing in the Senate on Tuesday. The database would allow MIAA to separate online ticket sales from OFWs  and to possibly create a system for automatic refunds. "It is very feasible to do it. In fact, we might even go so far as to refund it through an ATM. So it could be convenient for everybody, including the OFW and the MIAA itself," said Undersecretary Louis Casambre of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Casambre estimated that the database would cost P1 million to P10 million to implement and ...

Twenty-one Filipino seafarers were rescued by a Chinese vessel early this month after their ship sank along Vitiaz Strait in Northern New Guinea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a news release Tuesday. The seafarers, led by Captain Jonathan Montel, were crewmembers of MV Foxhound, which sank October 17 due to inclement weather in the area. "After experiencing inclement weather which led to the sinking of MV Foxhound, Captain Montel and his crew sent a distress signal and later boarded a lifeboat," the DFA said. The call reached MV COSCO Shanghai, a UK-registered and Chinese-owned vessel, which came and retrieved the Filipino seafarers from the lifeboat. According to the DFA, MV COSCO Shanghai, owned by China Ocean Shipping Company Group or COSCO Group, arrived in Port Botany in Sydney, Australia, on October 22. "The Filipino seamen were met onboard the ship by Consul Marford Angeles and Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Officer Erlinda Albay of the Philippine...

The European Union is set to hold in November its annual education fair in a bid to provide more opportunities for Filipinos who wish to pursue higher studies in European universities. The one-day fair, set on November 7, will feature more than 20 universities and colleges from Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Formally known as the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF), this year's fair will have the theme “Quality. Mobility. Innovation.”   In its fourth year, participating educational institutions at the EHEF are eyeing the inclusion of mobility opportunities across the EU and a better platform for dialogue to further strengthen partnership between the European Union and the Philippines. EHEF Philippines 2015 also includes lectures on the European educational system and way of life to prepare applicants who aspire to enroll in any of the participating educational institutions. "By enrolling ...

Philippine officials in Hong Kong are still checking with authorities to find out if a Filipino was among the 130 passengers hurt when a ferry returning from Macau collided with an unknown object Sunday night. In a report aired on “Balitanghali” Monday, GMA News stringer Azon Cañete said there is still no word from the consulate on whether a Filipino has been injured in the accident. Based on the information she received from Hong Kong authorities, Cañete said 60 men and 70 women were hurt in the ferry’s collision with an unidentified object. Their ages ranged from 6 years old to 86 years old. According to a  Reuters report , the injured were taken to five different hospitals in Hong Kong for treatment, though the nature and extent of injuries were not immediately known. The report quoted local media group RTHK as saying that the vessel supposedly took in water and lost power after the collision. Cañete said police have yet to identify the object with which the ferry collided near ...