KAKAMMPI News

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has advised Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to remain calm amid reports of worsening conflict between the Kingdom and Syria. In a  short statement  on Wednesday, the embassy said there is "currently no reason to be concerned about the safety and security of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia." "The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh advises the Filipino community to remain calm," it said as it vowed to "provide regular updates on the situation in Saudi Arabia as the need arises." The embassy issued the statement after several pro-OFW groups appealed to the government to prepare in case the security situation in the Middle East worsens due to the Saudi Arabia-Syria conflict. Susan Ople of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-profit organization that helps distressed OFWs, said the embassy should open a hotline for OFWs worried that the conflict would lead to war . Saudi-based OFW leader John Monterona said the reported plan by the Sa...

A 22-year-old Filipino died after falling onto a ship's deck while exiting the vessel's engine room on Monday, Malaysian news site The Star reported on Tuesday. The  report , quoting Manjung OCPD Asst Comm Tengku Mohd Zailan Tengku Ahmad, said the Filipino fell on the deck of MV Necklace at around 2:45 p.m. The incident happened eight nautical miles northeast of Pulau Pangkor, it added. The report said that the Filipino, who has yet to be identified, died from severe spinal fracture and internal bleeding in the brain due to the fall. The report said the vessel was travelling from Singapore to Lumut, Malaysia when the incident happened.  — Rie Takumi /ALG, GMA News

Filipino-American Antonio Taguba, a retired Major General in the US Army, is among the honorees to the 2016 Asian Hall of Fame given by the Robert Chinn Foundation. Aside from Taguba, those who will be inducted on May 14 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle are television journalist Connie Chung, martial artist Bruce Lee, and Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating Kristi Yamaguchi. The Asian Hall of Fame is a national recognition event for Asian Pacific Americans, celebrating culture and achievement during Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. Honoree Bruce Lee will be represented by the Bruce Lee Foundation, which will accept his posthumous award. Taguba, who served 34 years with the Army, retired in 2007. He led a 2004 team that investigated reports of human rights violations of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The now-famous Taguba Report confirmed the torture and abuse of prisoners and denounced the Bush administration for “committing war crimes.” Born ...

The Commission on Elections is considering issuing ballot receipts to overseas absentee voters, Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said on Wednesday. The poll body, however, remains firm in doing away with the ballot receipt for local voters due to time constraints. "Isa sa pinag-usapan namin ay 'yung posibilidad na magkaroon ng resibo for overseas voters. Bakit? Dahil 30 days ang kanilang pagboto, at mas kaunti ang boboto," Bautista old reporters. More than 1.1 million Filipinos abroad will take part in overseas absentee voting, which will last for a month, starting April 9. Bautista acknowledged that the receipt will be good in aid of transparency, but it will be difficult to accommodate in a one-day synchronized national and local elections. In an earlier interview, Bautista said issuing receipts would mean an additional five to seven hours in the election process. Bautista also reiterated concerns over how the receipts could be used for vote-buying or even ...

A 26-year-old Filipina from Negros Occidental was found dead in her home in Dubai on Feb. 18, a report on Unang Balita on Wednesday said. She was identified as Maria Lenlie Oliverio. The victim was found with many stab wounds in her body. Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said police in Dubai are still investigating the incident.  Authorities are still trying to determine who may have killed the victim and what the motive was. Meanwhile, Oliverio's Facebook account revealed she has a boyfriend who is an Indian national and who allegedly is a jealous lover. Meanwhile, the Consulate said it is ready to provide assistance so the victim's remains can be brought back to the Philippines.  —KG, GMA News

An alleged illegal recruiter and his accomplice were arrested Tuesday in an entrapment operation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, a report by John Consulta on "24 Oras" said. Daniyala Radcala, a visa checker at the airport, and his accomplice Melba Portugal were arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents upon receiving the marked money from the victims, the report said. Citing the NBI, the report said the suspects would let the victims pass the airport's screening section using fake documents. According to the victim, he applied for a job as a driver in Saudi Arabia, but the Overseas Employment Certificate given to him by the suspects listed his occupation as electrician. The suspects, meanwhile, denied the accusation. "Hindi totoo 'yan. Visa check lang ako. Chini-check ko lang 'yung mga visa. Wala kaming tinatanggap na pera," said Radcala. Portugal, on the other hand, said she was just asked to acc...

A migrants' rights advocate on Tuesday called on Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia to open a hotline for Filipino workers worried about the supposed World War III breaking in the region given the rising tensions in Syria. In a statement, Susan Ople said her group, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, has been receiving queries from OFWs concerned about their safety in case war breaks out between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Syria. "All eyes are now on the Middle East, specifically on joint efforts by both the United States and Russia to defuse tensions in Syria so that military soldiers from Gulf countries no longer need to set foot in that war-torn country," Ople said. "It can’t be helped that some of our OFWs are looking at such developments and are trying to decipher what the immediate future holds for their families," she added. Ople is a former labor undersecretary and a senatorial candidate in the May elections. Her group is a non-profit organ...

BAGUIO CITY— A migrant workers’ rights advocate urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Tuesday to consider holding a fourth presidential debate abroad for the benefit of an estimated 1.4 million absentee voters. Senatorial candidate Susan Ople said the Comelec could hold another round of the PiliPinas 2016 presidential debates in either Hong Kong or Saudi Arabia, the two countries that have large populations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “The [overseas] presidential debates will be for the benefit of our OFWs. There are 1.4 million potential votes via absentee voting mechanism [that could be tapped],” she said in a press conference here. As of 2015, the Comelec said some 300,000 OFWs in the Middle East have signed up for overseas absentee voting, while 105,000 registered to vote in Hong Kong. Acknowledging the power of OFW votes, Ople, who is running for senator in the May elections, said migrant workers could also influence the way their family members in the Phil...

Joseph Urbiztondo, the Filipino instructor in Kuwait who was jailed for 20 years for a crime he said he did not commit, is finally home, a radio report said Tuesday. A report by Mao del Cruz on dzBB radio said Urbiztondo arrived in the country past 8 a.m. on board a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight and was greeted by his family and relatives at the airport. The report said Urbiztondo thanked all the people and organizations who helped him pay the $26,000-dollar blood money needed for his release. Urbiztondo, 45, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in 1996 for killing a Bangladeshi co-worker. He was released January 2016 after paying the blood money and securing a letter of forgiveness from the victim's son. Even today, Urbiztondo maintained his innocence, saying he was forced to admit to the crime after he was tortured by authorities. The dzBB report said Urbiztondo, who is from Cavite province, intends to visit the tombs of his parents first, adding both died while ...

HONG KONG — Dozens of Filipino domestic helpers here joined the over 1,000 participants who marched Sunday to call for an end to all forms of violence against women. The march was part of the "One Billion Rising" movement was led by Filipino theater actress Monique Wilson and "Vagina Monologues" playwright Eve Ensler, who swung to the city to join the event. The participants, wearing purple shirt, marched in Central and chanted that they want immediate "system change, social inclusion" and an "end to poverty." The group said One Billion Rising or OBR is the biggest mass action to against violence against women in human history. In the past two years in Hong Kong, Asian women migrant workers and supporters highlighted the issue of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih to call for justice and an end to violence against women domestic workers in the territory. Sulistyaningsih is the former Indonesian domestic worker who was abused and maltreated by ...

No Filipinos were hurt when a powerful storm ripped through Fiji late Saturday, flattening remote villages and cutting off communications. According to Honorary Consul General Dr. Virgilio de Asa, tropical cyclone Winston did not pass through Suva and other urban areas where there are Filipino communities. He said the small islands were the areas severely affected by the storm, and that the worse they experienced was heavy rain with strong winds that toppled electric posts. There are an estimated 300 Filipinos in Fiji working as doctors, civil engineers and technicians. The storm,  which left 17 people dead as of Monday , was regarded as one of the most powerful recorded in the southern hemisphere. A Reuters report said almost 8,000 people remained hunkered down in hundreds of evacuation centers across Fiji where they had headed before tropical cyclone Winston hit late on Saturday with winds of up to 325 kph (200 mph).  —KBK, GMA News

Filipinos in the Middle East have asked President Benigno Aquino III to reactivate the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC) in case the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Syria worsens. OFW leader John Monterona issued the appeal amid reports that the coalition backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia is preparing to penetrate Syria — a development that, he said, "may trigger World War III scenario" especially since Russia has vowed to help Syria. "We can't simply dismiss and undermine the impact of the Midde East conflict—that is when the US-Saudi-led coalition started penetrating Syria amid pronouncement by Russia that it will help Syria against any foreign attack," said Monterona, who is based in Saudi Arabia. "Many believe it may trigger World War III scenario that nations of the world would not want to happen," he added. The PMEPC was created pursuant to Executive Order (EO) No. 6 dated September 2, 2010 and was head...

  BARELY five (5) years after introducing its first special benefits for persons with disability (PWDs), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is expanding the Z MORPH Package or the Z Benefits for Mobility, Orthosis, Rehabilitation, Prosthesis Help to provide its members with better financial risk protection.   At its 21 st  Anniversary celebration held at Chardonnay by Astoria in Pasig City, PhilHealth formally announced the Expanded Z MORPH which is a special benefit for the fitting of upper limb prostheses, orthoses and orthoprostheses.   “Based on our assessment of the Z MORPH package and on a series of consultative meetings and dialogues with our stakeholders, our current coverage of P15,000.00 per lower limb is enough. However, there are still some services that need to be included such as physical therapy, other levels of amputation, and orthoses, thus we are expanding the package now,”  said PhilHealth President and Chief...

DALY CITY, Calif. - Every Sunday and Monday, people stream in and out of Holy Child and St. Martin Episcopal Church feeling full and flush with optimism. That’s the day the congregation led by Reverend Leonard Oakes partakes of the bread distribution compliments of a national bakery chain.  That’s also the time when they may shake a leg at the exercise classes to stay in shape or relieve aches and pains.  Or when they may have their blood pressure checked and pick up a few health tips along the way. Children join Rev. Leonard Oakes and Daly City officials at rites marking the future site of an elevator to give access to all Holy Child & St. Martin parishioners. For free.  Regardless of address.  Not just for the 251 registered members of the church but for anyone who wishes to engage with the community nurtured by a pastor who happens to be a professional health practitioner. “We have seven registered nurses, four LVNs, five CNAs, 2 senior health administr...

A Filipina domestic helper was arrested in Macau for allegedly dumping her newborn baby in a waste bin in an apartment building in Taipa. A  report on Macau News  on Friday said the 23-year-old Filipina, identified only as Literato, admitted to throwing her baby to the waste bin inside their communal utility room because she thought it was dead. She said the baby did not cry when she gave birth to it. The report said a cleaner stumbled upon the infant inside a bin in the utility room on the 17th floor of the Lei Yip Building on Tuesday morning.  According to the report, Literato arrived in Macau with her employer and her employer's two children and mother on February 4. They have been renting a unit on the floor where the newborn was found. The report said a DNA test confirmed that Literato was the mother of the infant. The suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office. She may be charged with child abandonment and penalized with up to five years ...

The printing of the official ballots that will be used for overseas absentee voting was almost complete as of early Friday night, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). In a phone interview with GMA News Online, lawyer Genevieve Guevarra, head of the poll body's printing committee, said at least 972,000 official ballots had been printed as of 7 p.m., 12 hours since printing began around 5 p.m. Thursday. She added that they are looking to finish the ballots for 1,189,350 registered overseas absentee voters who will be voting through the automated system. Guevarra said printing has been running smoothly, as well as work at the ballot verification station where each ballot passes through a vote-counting machine to make sure it can be read. "Wala pa naman po[ng problema], as reported," she added. "Hopefully po matapos namin tonight." In a separate interview aired on 24 Oras, Guevarra e said the VCMs have not rejected any ballot so far. ...

Immigration authorities in the United States has deported a Filipino who admitted to doing surveillance for a law enforcement task force in the Philippines linked to the disappearance of several opposition politicians. Regor Cadag Aguilar, 42, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in Union City in January last year for overstaying, the agency said in a  news release . Prior to his deportation on Wednesday last week, Aguilar said he had worked as a surveillance agent for a law enforcement task force in the Philippines targeting rival political figures from 1998 to 2001. During removal proceedings initiated by the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), he said his superiors told him that the task force used the information he shared to "abduct and murder" a politician in 2000. Aguilar also said he heard superiors order other task force members to torture abductees "on at least two occasions." He further claimed he k...

Filipino community groups in Los Angeles and southwestern United States met with President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday to personally express their appreciation for his administration's reforms. Jose Bañas, vice president of umbrella organization Kalayaan Inc., said he was specifically struck by the progress in the field of education, particularly the implementation of the K-to-12 program. "The big step of moving education from a K-10 structure to K-12 is a huge initiative that the government has taken in the last two years," said Bañas, an assistant principal in Rosemead High School. "That makes Filipinos more globally competitive," he added. The meeting took place at the Ballroom of Hilton LAX on February 17 and marked the conclusion of Aquino's working visit to the US for the ASEAN-US Summit. More than 800 members of Filipino community groups attended the event, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cu...

A Filipina who has pleaded guilty to illegal lending in Scarbrough, North Yorkshire, in England has received a suspended prison sentence. A  report on Scarborough News  said the York Crown Court gave Adelaida Thompson, 65, two eight-month sentences, suspended for two years, and ordered her to do 150 hours of unpaid work. She was also given a curfew of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for three months for illegally receiving over £140,000 in repayments in a "5-6" scheme involving Filipino health professionals in Scarbrough. The report said Thompson lent more than £113,000 and received more than £142,000 in repayments in 167 transactions to 29 different borrowers "over a period of more than four years." Simon Mortimer, solicitor for the England Illegal Money Lending Team, said this may only cover a small part of Thompson's transactions with close friends, all of whom were Filipino healthcare workers or nurses at Scarborough Hospital. Thompson told The Scarborough News ...

THE country’s oldest government teaching hospital is now ready to provide the special benefits package for members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) who are diagnosed with colon and rectum cancers. Through a memorandum of agreement signed with PhilHealth this morning in Pasig City, the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has formalized its commitment to be the first contracted provider of the Z Benefits for colorectal cancer. The signing ceremony took place at the Chardonnay by Astoria on the occasion of PhilHealth’s 21st Anniversary.  Signatories to the MoA were PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Alexander A. Padilla and UP-PGH Director for Fiscal Services Dr. Margarita Luna. Under the agreement, the UP-PGH shall make available the benefit packages for colon cancer Stage I to II (low risk) worth P150,000 up to Stage II (high risk)-III worth P300,000 to PhilHealth members who pass the selectio...