KAKAMMPI News

 The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has allowed the deployment of a group of Filipino workers to a company in South Sudan, but only upon recommendation by the Department of Foreign Affairs.  In Resolution No. 3, Series of 2016, the POEA Governing Board approved the deployment of OFWs to Pacific Architects and Engineers, Incorporated (PAE) which has projects with the US State Department in South Sudan under the Flight Ops Support Program. In a letter to the POEA Governing Board Chairman, Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, the DFA reiterated that South Sudan is under Alert Level 3 (Voluntary Repatriation Phase) and as such, the travel and deployment ban on all OFWs is maintained.  However, the DFA said Filipinos working for the United Nations, and other international organizations and international NGOs with travel clearance may travel and temporarily stay in South Sudan. The deployment of OFWs to PAE was allowed subject to employer’s assumption of res...

Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has issued an advisory about bogus job advertisements that proliferate on social media. Cacdac said applicants for overseas jobs should be wary of “employment opportunities” advertised in Facebook and Twitter, especially those using the name of legitimate businesses abroad and licensed recruitment agencies in the Philippines as modus operandi. He cited the case of a Philippine licensed recruitment agency which was advertised as recruiting Filipino workers for supposed jobs in Austria and Spain. The agency has clarified that it has not posted the said ads and it has no job orders for the two countries. Cacdac said jobseekers should ensure the authenticity of job offers posted on Facebook and Twitter by calling the POEA hotlines 7221144 and 7221155 and its regional offices; using the online verification system at poea.gov.ph the POEA application for smart phones.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said overseas employment prospects for Filipinos remain positive in 2016 as it lines up opportunities for OFWs in various parts of the world. In his report of DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said overall demand for overseas Filipino workers remains strong as indicated by continuing job orders of various occupations.  Cacdac said that in terms of volumes and diversity of skills required, Middle East remains to be biggest prospect employer of OFWs in 2016 and onwards. Other than household workers, nurses, engineers, construction workers, medical and laboratory technicians, cooks, waiters and food servers, electricians, welders are the most common skills and professions needed by employers in the Middle East. Cacdac said Africa’s requirement for highly skilled and professional workers in mining and construction related industries remains high. Health workers including nurses, medics and doc...

 Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration yesterday advised job applicants to ignore overseas jobs offered by travel agencies because they are not allowed to recruit overseas Filipino workers. Recently, officers of the POEA and Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG)PNP shut down the office of Gemille Travel and Tours which was found to have been illegally recruiting workers for supposed jobs in the Netherlands.  Cacdac said the travel agency was recruiting bellboys, waiters, service crew, receptionists, and room attendants and charges them 120,000 pesos to 150, 000 pesos as payment for placement and processing fees. Gemille Travel and Tours which is located at the Ground Floor of Joncor Building in A. Mabini St., Ermita, Manila and allegedly owned by a certain Jocelyn D. Hafiz Ismael was primarily engaged in holiday travel booking. Cacdac said two of the travel agency’s employees were caug...

 The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) cautions overseas job applicants to be extra careful in considering employment offers through e-mail. Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon has reported continuing cases of Filipinos who have been victimized or received e-mails from entities offering jobs and promising to process entry visas or work permits.  Cacdac said these unscrupulous individuals have represented real and even reputable companies in Portugal by using information on their websites but replacing their contact information. They require payment of fees for Entry Clearance Certificates, International Overseas Employment Certificates (IOEC), and Affidavits of Guarantee Fund, all of which are not required by the Portuguese authorities.  In other cases, the email recipient is asked to transact with designated travel agency that will process the necessary documents and visa required for the job contract for a fee. C...

THE Second Division of the Supreme Court recently   dismissed outright the complaint for disbarment (docketed as A.C. No. 10846) filed by the Eye Center Conglomerate, Inc., represented by Dr. Raymond Evangelista, against  Alexander A. Padilla, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Health  Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). In a Resolution dated October 5, 2015, the SC Second Division resolved to dismiss the complaint for  “violation of the Lawyer’s Oath and Canons of the Code of Professional Responsibility”  against Padilla  “there being no prima facie case against respondent.”   The dismissal of the case by the Second Division was immediate and without the need of the respondent’s comment. The case stemmed from a press conference conducted in May 2015 where PhilHealth announced to the media the issuance of the STOP-Claims (Suspension of Transaction of Payments of Claims) Order on claims filed by two (2) eye cente...

Despite closer ties between the Philippines and Japan, Japanese-Filipino children are still finding it hard to find their identity owing to Japan's strong national identity that discourages Japanese fathers from acknowledging their children from a foreigner. Take Ken Ishikawa for example. Interviewed through Facebook, Ishikawa lamented how he continues to struggle to "make sense of myself as a person" in the face of Japanese societal taboos involving mixed-race children. "My greatest struggle so far is being able to make sense of myself as a person and to integrate the elements of my Filipino and Japanese heritage together," he said. "I would have a healthier sense of it if I had a connection with my relatives there (Japan)." Ishikawa said Japanese-Filipino kids, or Japinoys, like him find it difficult to create a cultural identity as their Japanese relatives—their tangible connection to Japan—refuse all attempts at communication. Ishigawa is ...

Inspectors of the Bureau of Immigration stopped seven suspected human trafficking victims from leaving the international seaport in Zamboanga City last Jan. 11. The victims, whose names were not disclosed, were set to go to Sandakan, Malaysia aboard a vessel when they were intercepted, Immigration Commisioner Ronaldo Geron said. They were asked by members of the Immigration Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) to disembark from the vessel. Because of the incident, Geron ordered BI officials at the port to be more vigilant to prevent a similar case from happening. Geron also instructed Immigration personnel to be stricter in screening departing passengers.  —KG, GMA News

A farmer in Bagac, Bataan, has appealed to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and their town mayor to help his wife—an OFW in the United Arab Emirates who left her employer five months ago—return to the Philippines. According to Bernaldo Pelayo, his wife, Lani Jane Dalis, became a "TNT" or "tago nang tago" after leaving her allegedly abusive employer in Dubai. "Minamaltrato raw ng amo kaya umalis ang asawa ko at nakikitira sa ibang overseas Filipino workers," Pelayo said in a report by GMA News stringer Ernie Esconde. "Wala sa kanya passport dahil kinuha ng amo niya," he added. "Ang trabaho niya ngayon pa-jab-jab (freelancer)." Dalis, who used to send P14,000 to her family until she left her employer, went to Dubai on February 1, 2014 to work as a babysitter. She and Pelayo have a four-year-old son who is living with him in a small unfinished house in Bagac. "Ako po'y nananawagan sa Department of Foreign Affairs...

A Filipino war veteran in Hawaii was arrested by the police after allegedly stabbing his wife of 35 years in their home on the morning of January 18, reports said. Isagani "Sonny" Fajotina, 65, is facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly stabbing his wife, Melita, at their Salt Lake home in Oahu, according to a  report on Hawaii News Now . A  separate report on khon2  quoted Lt. Phillip Lavarias of the Honolulu Police Department as saying that a woman was injured when she tried to intervene in the domestic violence. She is now reportedly in good condition. Fajotina himself was rushed to the hospital for self-inflicted stab wounds. He was released pending further investigation, the khon2 report said. A tenant in the couple's home said he heard the victim's sister-in-law screaming in Filipino during the early-morning commotion. Honolulu News Now reported that detectives are looking into a possible case of murder-attempted suicide due to Fajotina'...

HONG KONG — The historic drop in temperatures here has forced many Filipinos to cancel their activities and stay home rather than brave the freezing weather outside. Fely Ovejera, 62, who has been working as a domestic helper for about 20 years, said this is the chilliest winter she has experienced in the territory.  Ovejera lives in her employer's house in Sha Tin, part of the New Territories in Hong Kong. "Dati naranasan din namin ang 5 degrees [Celsius] pero sandali lang iyon at gabi o madaling araw lang. Noong Linggo, nasa 3.2 degrees [Celsius] lang dito tapos buong maghapon pa," she told GMA News Online in a telephone interview. Owing to the cold, she said she told her employer that she would spend her rest day at home instead of meeting her friends in public parks as was her practice every Sunday. "Dito sa bahay, naka-bonnet ako, naka-jacket at scarf pa. Naka-prepare naman ang mga gamit. Ang mga amo ko nga nagamit na din nila pang full winter clothes n...

Many Filipinos in New York City spent their Sunday shoveling thick snow from their sidewalk, a day after a massive blizzard paralyzed much of the US East Coast. "It's really bad, 'yung blizzard ngayon," said Boyet Loverita of the Bronx in an interview on "Balitanghali" on Monday (Manila Time). Loverita said like everybody else in the area, he spent practically the whole Sunday clearing their car parks and sidewalks. Yet, in his case, the task was far from being completely done. "I'm waiting for body pain to set in kasi I was shoveling kanina for the whole day," he told anchor Connie Sison. "Hindi pa nga tapos ngayon kasi 'yung sasakyan sa front ng bahay at saka sa likod natatabunan pa ng yelo." "Everybody's in their house doing something," he said when asked on how the Filipinos in the area were doing after the blizzard. Like Ondoy Some Filipinos in the US East Coast have compared the blizzard to Ondoy, ...

The historic cold snap currently being experienced in Hong Kong did not stop Filipino domestic helpers there from enjoying their Sunday day off outdoors. A report by GMA News stringer Corazon Amaya-Cañete said despite temperature dropping to as low as 3 degrees Celsius, many Filipinos,  including those who are in Hong Kong for a vacation, still chose to spend the day in Central. One OFW who has been working in Hong Kong for 20 years said it was the first time she experienced such weather there. "In [my] 20 years sa Hong Kong ngayon ko lang naranasan ang 3 degrees sa Hong Kong," she told Amaya-Cañeta. "Sobrang lamig, grabe." She said she copes by wearing gloves, bonnet, and four layers of clothing. Filipino domestic helpers who were hanging out in parks brought with them coffee, ginger tea and red wine to keep them warm, Amaya-Cañete's report said. Some also brought food and blankets. According to a  report on South China Morning Post , average tempe...

  “Para siyang Ondoy, yun nga lang yelo.” This was how Filipinos residing in the US East Coast described the blizzard that paralyzed most parts of the region over the weekend. Winter storm Jonas reportedly buried a wide area from Washington D.C. to New York City with more than two feet of snow, forcing authorities to close roads, bridges and tunnels until Sunday morning. In all, there were at least 19 deaths in several states related to the storm. It ranked No. 2 in terms of snowfall accumulation in New York City history with 26.8 inches (68 cm) by midnight, just short of the record set in 2006, the US National Weather Service (NWS) said. It was among Washington's biggest ever snowstorms too. Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. One person died in Maryland and three in New York City while shoveling snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, officials said. On the New Je...

Ipinahayag ni Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz na patuloy ang pamahalaan sa pagseseguro sa kaligtasan at pangangalaga sa mga Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) laban sa pinaghihinalaang sindikatong sangkot sa tanim-bala. “Nagsagawa na ng ilang hakbang ang Inter-Agency Committee upang tiyakin na nabibigyan ng nararapat at agarang tulong ang mga OFW na mahuhuling may baril o bala sa mga paliparan sa Pilipinas,” ani Baldoz sa isang pahayag na inilathala online ng Official Gazette.     Batay sa ulat ni DOLE Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III, sinabi ni Baldoz na nakipagpulong ang DOLE sa mga opisyales ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Aviation Security Group (Avsegroup), National Prosecution Service (NPS), at sa Public Attorney’s Offi...

WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday began implementing restrictions to its Visa Waiver Program under a law passed after last year's Paris attacks that makes it harder for citizens of some countries to visit. Several of the Islamic State attackers who killed 130 people in France held European passports that would have allowed them to easily enter the United States under the former system. Citizens of the 38, mainly European, countries in the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), who were previously able to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa, must now obtain one if they have visited Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria since March 1, 2011. They must also obtain a visa if they are dual Iranian, Iraqi, Sudanese or Syrian nationals, the US State Department said. Citizens from the 38 nations are required to obtain a travel authorization through the so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before coming to the United States. The State Departme...

Indonesia has confirmed its earlier commitment to respond to the Philippines' request for assistance in prosecuting the people responsible for bringing Mary Jane Veloso to Indonesia, where she is on death row for drug trafficking. This occured during a recent meeting between Yogyakarta Chief Prosecutor Tony Spontana and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Veloso's Indonesian lawyers. "At that meeting, the two sides confirmed their respective government’s commitment to work together in responding to the Philippine Government’s request for mutual legal assistance in relation to the prosecution of those responsible for bringing Mary Jane to Indonesia," the DFA said in a statement Thursday. Veloso, a 31-year-old single mother who was looking for overseas employment, was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking. Her execution was put on hold on the last minute last year after the Indonesian government granted the Philippines'...

Filipino domestic helpers in Singapore are set to receive a SGD$50 increase in their monthly salary starting January, the  Straits Times reported  Thursday. Minimum wage for Filipino domestic helpers in Singapore was originally set by the Philippine government at $400. Singaporean agencies agreed to increase the wages to SGD$500 following an agreement between the Association of Employment Agencies Singapore (AEAS) and the Philippine Embassy three years ago. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz told GMA News Online through a text message that the increase to SGD$550 brought wages of Filipino maids closer to the Philippine minimum wage of $400.   "I think (SGD$550) is almost equal to $400. If that is so, the Singapore market will be compliant for Filipino DH minimum salary," Baldoz said.   "There is no minimum wage for domestic helpers. It is our Philippine minimum wage of $400 that we follow," she added.   The agreement was reached to avoid exchang...

A Filipino domestic helper in Singapore was sentenced to jail for stealing expensive pieces of jewelry from her Filipino employer reportedly to fund her gambling habit. A district court sentenced 48-year-old Mary Jane Importante Escalona to two and a half years in jail for stealing almost $400,000 worth of jewelry, including diamond rings and earrings, from Jose Isidro Navato Camacho, her 60-year-old employer. A  report on Straits Times  said Escalona, who faced 37 charges, pawned the stolen items and used the money to gamble in casinos. She reportedly pleaded guilty to 12 counts of theft as a servant. The theft reportedly happened between 2014 and October last year. It was revealed when Camacho reported the incident to the police on October 18 last year and accused Escalona of doing it. The remaining 25 charges filed against Escalona, including theft of cash and a shopping voucher totaling about $19,000, were taken into consideration, the report said.  —KBK, GMA...

No Filipinos were hurt in the armed assault on a university in Pakistan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. "There is no report of any Filipino casualty in the incident," the DFA said in a statement condemning "in the strongest terms" the  attack on Bacha Khan University . The DFA said the attack, which left at least 21 students dead, "is a cowardly and reprehensible act." "As we extend our most heartfelt sympathies to those who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident, the Philippines expresses the hope that the perpetrators will be identified and held responsible," it added. The number of dead rose rapidly after armed men stormed the Bacha Khan university in Charsadda, about 50 kilometers from the city of Peshawar, in the latest outrage to hit the militant-infested region. Police, soldiers and special forces swarmed the university from the ground and the air in a bid to shut down the assault, as television im...

WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court challenge to President Barack Obama's immigration policies could have an impact far beyond determining whether millions of undocumented immigrants can remain in the country. The case has the potential to constrain the power of Obama's successor to bypass Congress and act alone. Should Obama's order blocking deportations for certain immigrants be invalidated by the justices, the decision could hamper future presidents' ability to craft policy through executive fiat, legal experts told Reuters. "The question is not the merits of the immigration issue," said T. Gerald Treece, a constitutional law professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston. "The question is what the president's power is." The high court said Tuesday it would hear the lawsuit brought by 26 states that seeks to overturn Obama's 2014 executive order that shields more than 4 million immigrants in the country illegally from deportat...