KAKAMMPI News

AT 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 1, around 6,000 elderly are expected to join the simultaneous Walk for Life in Metro Manila and in selected cities in the country.  This is the kick-off activity of the Elderly Filipino Week celebration and is spearheaded by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Department of Health. The activity aims to promote healthy lifestyle and wellness among the elderly.  Participants may also avail themselves of the services offered in the sites such as medical consultations, random blood sugar screening, cholesterol screening, bone scanning, blood pressure measurement and vaccination.  PhilHealth will also put up service desks to answer queries and accept membership enrolment and data amendment.    Other government agencies will also set up booth s  to provide services to elderly participants. The activity sites are  PFVR Gym in Baguio City, San Fernand...

An expert on mental health on Wednesday bared the possible negative effects of a child being brought to another country by his or her OFW parent. At a forum in Quezon City, Dr. Kathryn Tan, assistant chief of the acute female division of the National Center for Mental Health, noted that children and adolescents who have to move abroad must cope with essentially a new life. "You're tearing them away from their home country, from their friends, from their relatives, from their comforts, and you're transferring them to another continent with different people, exposed to racism, different language, different culture. It's culture shock," she said. She said such adjustment to a new environment could sometimes lead to substance abuse, promiscuity, truancy and even depression. "The problem would be more often their coping mechanism to the stress," Tan said. The child's studies, Tan said, will also be adversely affected, as he or she will have to ...

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Wednesday opened its "Wellwishers Lounges" and encouraged OFWs and their families to avail of them. Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal, joined by OFW Girlie Maalihan who is leaving for Riyadh, cut the ceremonial ribbon for the lounge. —KBK, GMA News

The government has lifted the processing and deployment of returning Filipino workers with valid and existing contracts to Libya following the downgrading of the alert level there. From Level 4 (mandatory evacuation), the alert level in Libya has been downgraded to Level 2 (restriction phase), allowing the deployment of returning OFWs. The partial lifting of the deployment ban was formalized in Resolution No. 16 of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Board. "The POEA Governing Board now allows the resumption of the processing and deployment of Filipino workers to Libya," said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who chairs the POEA Governing Board, in a statement Wednesday. The order noted that only returning OFWs with valid and existing contracts are allowed to be deployed in Libya. For this they must submit the following: copies of existing contracts; certification of salaries and benefits of OFWs; letter from the employer requesting for th...

Invitations or sponsorships of travel agencies issued to Dubai-bound Filipino travelers need not be notarized starting October 3, 2016, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai said Tuesday. In an  advisory , the Consulate General said this is to give "due priority to the Bureau of Immigration's examination of the traveler's documents and determination of his/her capacity to support the travel abroad." Foreigners who wish to enter the United Arab Emirates for personal, tourism, visit to relatives or friends, or similar reasons are required a visit visa. The applicant for this type of visa should be sponsored by a person who is presently residing in the UAE. In the absence of a relative, a visitor can apply in any travel agencies in Dubai. — KBK, GMA News

A former doctor to the barrios, or a doctor who serves in rural areas, became the first Southeast Asian doctor to join the 120 Under 40 campaign for youth leaders who champion the cause of reproductive health around the world. Dr. Marvin Masalunga will join nine others in a series of talks at Maryland, Washington, and New York as part of the program by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute. "It’s a validation of what I, and our group of rural health workers in Palawan, do for the people. Aside from that, it speaks that I am probably doing something right in my service," said Masalunga, who works in Coron, Palawan, as a deputy municipal health officer. Masalunga, 27, was nominated by the the  Forum for Family Planning and Development , a non-government organization concerned with population management. Of his involvement with the Forum and rural health, Masalunga said, "In my involvement with the rural heal...

Filipina singer Ivy Grace Paredes left "The X Factor UK" in style after she received the best crowd reaction and praises from the judges alike during her last performance in the reality-singing TV show. Paredes, 33, impressed judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell on Sunday (UK time) with her rendition of the Filipino-favorite "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. Scherzinger commented that Paredes' voice was "way too big for the Philippines" while Cowell said her performance was exciting despite not being "the most original thing" the judges have heard. "I know why you left the Philippines because your voice is way too big for the Philippines alone, it's meant for the entire world to hear," Scherzinger said. "Is it the most original thing we've ever heard? No. Is it exciting? Yes. Should you be in a chair, yes," Cowell added. Though Paredes earned a slot in the next round of the show, visa troubles...

For their third food business, a Filipino couple in Abu Dhabi has decided to go Asian. And they did it on the back of the successes of their two previous endeavors. "Spoon & Bowl is the product of TFKR and RO. Kaya kami nakapag-create ng new restaurant in less than a year ay dahil sa dalawa," shared Len Gutierrez Calara, 30, referring to  The Filipino Kitchen Restaurant  and  Rice Overdose  in an email. "My husband and I thought about the idea. We based it on the location, which is on the main road and where there are a lot of Filipinos people passing by," the 30-year-old added. For these business ventures, Len had to quit her lucrative job as a nurse in Australia to help her husband, Joseph Ronald "Jayr" Calara, handle the day to day affairs of the restaurants in the United Arab Emirates. "As of now, bread and butter na namin ang resto. Jayr already quit his job as an engineer last December para makapag-focus muna sa business," s...

Filipinos seeking jobs abroad have been warned against bogus job opportunities being spread through email by an Ireland-based recruitment company. In a statement Monday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has already cautioned licensed recruitment agencies about e-mailed offers of overseas employment by foreign manpower firms. "We received information from POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac that a certain Omegal Manpower Services Limited, claiming to be based in Ireland, is offering commissions to interested manpower brokers or individuals that can supply workers for various job openings in Canada, Mexico and Europe," Bello said. "We caution the public to be wary of this offer," he added.   According to POEA, Omegal, in its email, promises local recruiters an amount equivalent to one-month salary of every worker supplied as agency commission. "The POEA has searched the online presence of t...

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has sought the help of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for the conduct of the civil service examination for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong who want to return to the country for good. In a press statement Monday, Bello noted that "thousands" of OFWs are now interested to work in the government under the Duterte administration, based on the result of a sign-up campaign initiated by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Hong Kong. "As part of the Department of Labor and Employment’s reintegration campaign to encourage OFWs to return to the country for good, we are working with the Civil Service Commission, through Chairperson Alicia Dela Rosa-Bala, to conduct the civil service professional and sub-professional examination among the OFWs, initially in Hong Kong," he said. The sign-up campaign of the POLO showed that many OFWs working in Hong Kong want to come home,  be with their families, and work fo...

PhilHealth OIC-President and CEO Ramon F. Aristoza Jr. PASIG CITY – Hospital confinements brought about by mental and physical conditions due to abuse of illegal substances are being paid for under the existing benefit schedule provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). In a recent Kapihan with national media, PhilHealth OIC-President and CEO Ramon F. Aristoza Jr. said that these conditions are among the components related to drug dependency that the state-run health insurer is paying for under the All Case Rate payment mechanism. At the same time, Senior Vice President for Health Finance Policy Sector Ruben John A. Basa explained that hospitalization brought about by mental and behavioural disorders secondary to substance abuse are being paid for by PhilHealth at a package rate of Php7,800, including payment for professional and hospital fees. In 2014 and 2015, PhilHealth has paid about Php25 million in benefit payments for the said related cases...

With the aim of establishing a mechanism for regular communication between PhilHealth and its accredited health care providers, Project ReachOut was created in February 2013. Since then, the ReachOut team has conducted several trainings, fora and seminars for our partner Health Care Providers in order to update them on the latest PhilHealth circulars and policies and to address their concerns. Based on the latest guidelines in the implementation of the PhilHealth ReachOut Program, the PhilHealth Regional Office I considers the Reachout Booth as one of the methods of bringing PhilHealth closer to the Health Care Professionals. In June, PhilHealth was invited to attend the 90th Anniversary and Induction Program of the Pangasinan Medical Society at CSI Stadia, Dagupan City. A Reachout Booth was set up, with members of the ReachOut Team, together with the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Section Head responding to questions of visitors. Forms like Application for Accreditati...

 The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration yesterday issued the guidelines on the online registration of seafarers in compliance with POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 13, Series of 2016. Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac said the online seafarer registry system was implemented to replace the seafarer registration certificate (SRC) which was issued exclusively at the POEA main office. Cacdac said seafarers for marine and non- marine categories, and land-based workers who are in possession of skills and work experience required of a particular sea-based position may register. The registrants should be at least 18 years old (except cadets); graduate of maritime courses or any related courses applicable to maritime employment; with Seafarer’s Information and Record Book (SIRB) issued by MARINA; and with no medical or legal impediments to qualify from overseas employment. Cacdac said seafarers who have previously registered under the SRC system need not register using the ...

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the government is planning to establish a bank for overseas Filipino workers, a report on Unang Balita on Monday said. Bello said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has pooled almost P20 billion from the contribution of OFWs. The government is planning to use this money to buy a bank and name it OFW Bank, the Labor secretary told OFWs in Hong Kong. Bello also met with labor officials in Hong Kong regarding the suggestion to add a clause in OFWs' contracts saying the cleaning of windows in high-rise buildings is not covered by the service agreement. A 35-year-old Filipina domestic helper fell to her death in August as she was reportedly cleaning the outside of the windows of her employer's apartment.  Domestic helpers in Hong Kong then  marched in protest  on Sept. 4 after several maids fell to their death from tower block windows as they tried to clean them. The Hong Kong government has no commitment yet r...

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has issued guidelines on the online registry of seafarers as part of government effort to secure a universal identification for Filipino sailors.  “The online seafarer registry shall likewise pave the way ... for Filipino seafarers' identification that is acceptable to all government agencies and Port States in compliance with ILO Convention No. 185 or the Seafarer’s Identity Document Convention” said POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac in a statement. This set of rules is in compliance with POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 13, Series of 2016. Some of the guidelines include: Those who may register are marine and non- marine categories, and land-based workers who are in possession of skills and work experience required of a particular sea-based position Registrants should be at least 18 years old (except cadets); graduate of maritime courses or any related courses applicable to maritime employment; with Seafarer’s Informa...

COPENHAGEN - Dressed in a red-and-black lumberjack shirt, jeans and sneakers, she looked more like 16 than her actual age of 19. The petite au pair wrung her hands as the policeman took her statement. "He didn't rape me, but he kept saying he wanted to have physical relations with me and wanted to kiss me," she said. "That's still wrong, isn't it?" "Of course it is," the policeman said. The young Nepalese woman had come to Denmark to live with a host family as an au pair through a scheme billed as a cultural exchange program. Common in Europe, such programs allow young people, usually women, to immerse themselves in an overseas culture while helping with child care in exchange for food, accommodation and a modest allowance. In Denmark, rights groups say inadequate protections leave au pairs vulnerable to labor exploitation and sexual harassment. For the woman in the red flannel shirt, who declined to be identified, problems had s...

A former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Parañaque City shortly before midnight Thursday, according to a report by radio dzBB's Luisito Santos. The victim was identified as Allan Francisco, who died on the spot after suffering multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body. The report quoted Francisco's relatives as saying that he was an OFW who came home from Abu Dhabi in 2014 after his contract as an electrician expired. The shooting occurred in Sitio de Asis in Barangay Martin de Porres, the report said. The report also said nobody witnessed the shooting.  —KBK, GMA News

Some Europeans are bothered by recent news coming from the Philippines, particularly the killings related to the Duterte administration's war on illegal drugs, according to a report by GMA News' Jay Sabale on State of the Nation on Thursday. The report said in Brussels, Belgium, where the headquarters of the European Union is located, the spate of killings in the Philippines has become a common topic of conversation among ordinary Europeans. "Punishing drug dealers or suspected drug dealers without justice. That sounds, compared to the human rights standards here in Europe, it sounds really scary," said a Czech national who refused to be identified. For her part, Jacqueline Hale, a British national, said: "We all have to address the problem of crime, but to do so in a way which is so violent? It shouldn't happen anywhere. Not in Europe, not in the Philippines." Jerick Parrone, a Filipino in Brussels, said foreigners have suddenly become curious ...

WASHINGTON - An influx of immigrants is likely to have little impact on wages and jobs for native-born US workers, unless they have less than a high-school education, according to a study published Wednesday. The report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine looks at economic and demographic trends in the United States over the past 20 years. It found that "the impact of immigration on the wages of native-born workers overall is very small," particularly when examined over the course of a decade. "To the extent that negative impacts occur, they are most likely to be found for prior immigrants or native-born workers who have not completed high school—who are often the closest substitutes for immigrant workers with low skills," it said. The report also found "little evidence that immigration significantly affects the overall employment levels of native-born workers." In fact, an inflow of skilled immigrants may even force...

The suspect in the murder of an overseas Filipino worker in Dubai last May has been arrested, Unang Balita reported on Thursday. The Dubai Police has arrested the suspect, Glin Ambro, said to be a relative of the victim, Manormeeta Salwaro. Salwaro's head was found near the University Road in Alwar-Ka, Unang Balita said, citing a report by Khaleej Times. Police said Salwaro had escaped from her employer for a week already before her body was found. The Philippine Consulate in Dubai is coordinating with the police to get more details about the case.  —KG, GMA News

To attract more travelers, Taiwan has relaxed its visa policy for the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India, its representative office in Manila said Wednesday. Eligible applicants from these countries will be issued multiple-entry visas valid for three months and allows single stays of up to 30 days if they hold permanent resident certificates issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Schengen Agreement signatories, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Holders of a visa or a resident card from one of these countries “either valid or expired within 10 years from the date of expected arrival in Taiwan” are also qualified to apply under the simplified visa scheme. The new policy was enforced on September 1. Visa applications should be filed online  here  to obtain a Travel Authorization Certificate, which is free of charge. “The adjustments come following consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nation...