KAKAMMPI News

Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), whose tickets were purchased abroad, will be exempted from paying the terminal fee starting March 2017, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr). In a statement on Tuesday, the DOTr, citing Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal, noted that airlines have agreed in principle to automatically relieve OFWs who purchased abroad their return tickets to the Philippines from paying the terminal fee.   “Airlines have already agreed in principle, so, hopefully by March 2017, mawala na ang pangamba ng ating mga OFWs sa pagbabayad ng terminal fee,” Monreal said. The P550 terminal fee is currently integrated with the ticket fee and is given back through MIAA refund counters at airports, which causes inconvenience to OFWs. The exemption will be fully implemented by March 2017 to "give airlines time to update their programs and systems for this policy."   The Transportation Department noted the agreem...

The US House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that seeks to award Filipino World War II veterans the Congressional Gold Medal on November 30, two American lawmakers said Tuesday. "This week, Congress will take the next step to recognize the brave and courageous service of Filipino World War II veterans like Domingo Los Banos from Kaua?i," Senator Mazie Hirono said in a statement. The bill unanimously passed the Senate in July. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor the US Congress gives to civilians. "The unanimous support this bill earned in the Senate and the overwhelming backing it has in the House honors the sacrifice so many of these veterans made for our country," Hirono, a Democrat, said. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, for his part, urged his colleagues  "to join me in voting to pass this timely legislation, and to honor our veterans with this long-overdue recognition." "These loyal and courageous soldiers suffered, foug...

Amid mass demonstrations across the country protesting the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency and his plan to deport up to 3 million undocumented immigrants, two cities in New Jersey have reaffirmed their “commitment to remain welcoming and inclusive.” In Jersey City, where Filipinos comprise one of the biggest ethnic communities, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution on November 22 reaffirming the city’s “commitment to ensuring that Jersey City remains a welcoming and inclusive city for all of our residents, irrespective of background or immigration status, and will take all appropriate steps to protect our residents from hate, injustice, and hostility.” A parent-led unity gathering at the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza came out to support the city’s adherence to inclusivity and diversity. The Municipal Council first passed a resolution in 1996, declaring the City of Jersey City a safe haven or sanctuary for its non-citizen residents. The current resolution o...

SAN JOSE, California — Before night fades into dawn, a truck ends its trek at a residence in this southern tip called the "Peninsula" of the San Francisco Bay Area, where a cluster of vans have been waiting for its precious cargo.  Crews of two or four males — all related by blood or marriage — hoist up crates of previous hours' haul into their vehicles for their weekly destinations across the fertile landscape. In the darkness, the truck's contents are imperceptible.  But the air — cool and dry in earliest autumn — conveys a complex fragrance born of the earth and the sun, promising beauty and purity.  Roger Cruz revels in the voluptuous aroma of the season's last heirloom, Early Girl and grape tomatoes mingling with the tangy whiff of young bell peppers.  He likes the feel of soil caking the roots of the multicolored carrots, rainbow chard, red and white onions and bottoms of the kale and lettuce.  The scents and sensations remind him of his fortune — thi...

A recruitment firm in Malate, Manila has been ordered closed for allegedly recruiting Filipino workers for overseas employment without proper license from the government.  In a statement Wednesday,  the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it has ordered the closure of KBR International Agency Switzerland/AVA Documentation Services. An illegal recruitment case will also be filed against the firm's officers and staff, the POEA said. The POEA said it issued the closure order following a surveillance operation conducted by an operative who posed as an applicant. The POEA said its operative found out that although the firm does not collect placement fees, requires applicants to pay for medical examination and training fees. Employees had denied they were recruiting workers by presenting a business permit issued by the City of Manila in the name of AVA Documentation Services.   The POEA said the agency recruits waiters, construction workers, factory ...

By The Advocate 28 November 2016 *In response to the false accusations of Senator Richard Gordon *Father Shay Cullen a Judas Escariot -Senator Gordon. *Senator Gordon blocks freedom of speech of Senator Hontiveros *Father Cullen refutes allegations of Senator Gordon *Prophetic words of priest blocked in the Senate. During a Senate deliberation on the 2017 budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last November 16th Senator Risa Hontiveros was stopped from reading a newspaper column written by Father Shay Cullen depicting the awful conditions in detention centers in the Philippines and how the children must be helped. When Senator Richard Gordon heard the name of Father Cullen he reacted and angrily he interrupted Senator Hontiveros and ordered her to stop reading the column. It should not be heard on the Senate floor, he said, otherwise if she insisted on reading it, he, Gordon, would filibuster her presentation. The highly respected Senator Hon...

ABS-CBN News At least 24,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) working in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in South Korea will benefit from the new minimum wage hike that will be implemented on 2017, a Philippine labor official said Thursday. South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) announced that the 7.3 percent increase in minimum wage rate will raise the basic salary from KRW 6,030 or P250.46 per hour, to KRW 6,470 or P268.73 per hour, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Officer In-Charge Manuela Peña said. "The new minimum wage translates to KRW 51,760 or P2,149.87 per day on an 8-hour working day. This is equivalent to KRW 1,352,230 or P56,165.28 per month," Peña said. Based on South Korea's labor laws, wage increase covers "all employees, regardless of their employment status, whether temporary, daily or part-time employees, including foreign workers." The South Korean government said it will closely monitor th...

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News MANILA - Around 2,000 undocumented Filipino residents in Qatar can be repatriated without legal consequences under a three-month amnesty which ends on December 1, the Philippine Embassy in Doha said. Consul General Roussel Reyes told radio DZMM the amnesty covers "overstaying" foreigners, those with expired passports and workers who ran away from employers. Under normal rules, these "illegals" could be facing a huge fine or imprisonment for absconding. But until the grace period ends, they may return to their own countries just by presenting their passport, ID card or entry visa into Qatar and a plane ticket home at the Search and Follow Up Department. Reyes said it is important for those availing of the amnesty to present their plane ticket or at least enough cash to buy one because Doha officials typically release exit visas within the same day of application. "Ang requirement po sa pag-avail ng amnesty, dapat po pagp...

DOHA, Qatar - Kalawani has spent the past six years hiding from the Qatari authorities, but finally she is going home to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2010. The former housemaid is one of 9,000 undocumented residents expected to leave Qatar before December 1 after Doha introduced a three-month amnesty for those living in the country illegally to leave without "legal consequences". Kalawani ran away after her employer refused to pay her monthly wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals ($275, 260 euros), a common problem. "I didn't get any salary from my sponsor," she says while waiting for her papers to be approved. Under Qatar's strict sponsorship laws, anyone wishing to change their job must get permission from their employer, so Kalawani became an "illegal" after fleeing. She has existed by relying on her family for help and working in a cafe, though that was also illegal as her entry visa to Qatar allowed her to work only as a housemaid. ...

The peso's losing streak against the dollar has made many OFWs eager to send remittances to the Philippines to take advantage of the current exchange rate. In Hong Kong, some OFWs wished the current exchange rate —  P49.980:$1 as of November 25 — would extend until the new year to maintain the high value of their remittances. "Masaya po kaming mga OFWs na maganda ang rate ngayon," one OFW said in Maki Pulido's report on "24 Oras" on Friday. "Sana tataas pa until next year." For his part, Abner Gagal Gacias, 23, a cashier-waiter in Saudi Arabia, told GMA News Online, "As an OFW, [with] every cent increase, I’m happy because it will increase the total amount received by my family [in the Philippines]." "May additional feeling na masaya kasi alam mo mataas din value ng sweldo mo abroad pag mataas palitan," said Grace Guei, 49, a medical secretary in the United Arab Emirates. The OFWs, however, are aware that this good ne...

With less than two months before President-Elect Donald Trump takes over the White House on January 20, 2017, the immigrant community is gripped with fear and worry wondering whether he would really deport 3 million undocumented immigrants – and how. Regina Domingo, a Maryland-based immigration lawyer laid it out there: “Undocumented immigrants, no matter what foreign country they are from, will be deported. Filipinos are not spared nor excluded.” Lawyer Arnedo Valera, with offices in Virginia, echoed her view. He said, “If President Trump carries out his immigration policy rhetorics during the campaign trail as new adopted immigration policies, then the more than 500,000 undocumented Filipinos across the nation have reason to be alarmed.” He said Filipinos should “expect disruptions and strict regulation on immigrant visa allocated for the Philippines whether it be family-based or employment-sponsored visas.” Valera shared that after the election his law office immediately re...

ABS-CBN News MANILA - The central bank said Friday it was guarding against "excessive movements" in the foreign exchange market after the peso weakened to the key P50 per dollar level. The peso  held at P49.99  after slipping to a level not seen since the 2008 global financial crisis in the previous day, as investors braced for an interest rate adjustment by the Federal Reserve and US president-elect Donald Trump's assumption into office. "We will continue to monitor market action to ensure excessive movements are in check," Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco said in a text message to reporters. An expected pick-up in remittances as the Christmas season nears is affected to strengthen the peso, Tetangco said. The peso's weakness is in line with other currencies in the region with robust economic data in the US adding fuel to the dollar's charge. The observed peso weakness is in line with the movements in regional curre...

A group of Filipino nurses working as household helpers in Hong Kong received free training on dementia care from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) there. The seminar, offered by POLO and the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, trained 17 Filipina nurses on how to care for elderly patients to diversify their skill sets and allow them to find alternative work from housekeeping, according to a news release fro the Department of Labor and Employment on Thursday. The nurses were trained in supporting the physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and even intellectual needs of their elderly charges, as well as creating a secure, loving environment for them, the DOLE said. Participants were also taught how to identify and resolve problems and to communicate effectively with their charges without losing their patience. Labor Attaché Jalilo O. Dela Torre of POLO-Hong Kong said the seminar was crucial in teaching nurses new skills and "understanding ...

ABS-CBN News MANILA - US demand for Filipino workers could slow down due to US President-elect  Donald Trump 's protectionist stand, according to an executive of overseas jobs website WorkAbroad.ph.  "There might be an effect on demand for OFWs, but let's hope for the best," said WorkAbroad.ph business unit head Rhea Suiza in a press conference on Wednesday.  The impact on job opportunities for Filipinos, however, may not be that significant, given the limited number of openings in the US.  There were only 1,225 job postings in the US for Filipinos from January to September 2016, based on a study by WorkAbroad.ph.  Middle East countries were still the top destinations for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the first 9 months of 2016. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, had the most number of job postings for Filipinos, WorkAbroad.ph said. Of the 117,696 overseas jobs offered from January to September 2016, 46,02...

Jon Carlos Rodriguez, ABS-CBN News MANILA - Middle East countries are still the top destinations for overseas Filipino workers, a study released Wednesday showed. Six countries in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, have the most number of job postings for Filipinos abroad, overseas jobs website WorkAbroad.ph said. Of the 117,696 OFW jobs offered from January to September 2016, 46,026 or 39 percent are in Saudi Arabia, the study said. Demand for Filipino workers from private companies in  Saudi Arabia  remains high despite the drop in oil prices, WorkAbroad.ph business unit head Rhea Suiza said. Qatar has the second highest number of jobs for OFWs with 11,991 postings, followed by United Arab Emirates with 6,670 and Kuwait with 3,456. Bahrain has 2,433 jobs for Filipinos overseas while Oman has 1,950. There are 1,225 job postings in the US. Demand for Filipino workers could slow down over US President-elect...

MANILA - US President-elect Donald Trump's protectionist stand could slow demand for Filipino workers, according to an overseas job portal. Trump, who will assume office in January, has promised to grow the US economy by creating more jobs, a move that could also affect the country's  business process outsourcing  industry.  "There might be an effect on demand for OFWs, but let's hope for the best," said Rhea Suiza, business unit head of WorkAbroad.ph. Suiza said Filipino workers who could be displaced in the US could look for opportunities in emerging destinations like New Zealand, Qatar and Germany. The government is looking into the impact of Trump's policies on overseas Filipinos, said Robert Larga, licensing and regulation director at the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency. "Deployment is still ongoing. We are on wait and see mode if policies are going to take place as promised during his campaign," he said. Jon Carlos Rodrigu...

MANILA - (UPDATE) Filipinos looking for work overseas should consider the health care sector if they want lucrative pay, or engineering for the most opportunities, a study released Wednesday showed. Filipino doctors abroad earn an average P111,620 a month and in the United Arab Emirates, the rate can double to P253,000, jobs website WorkAbroad.ph said. Engineering jobs are the most in demand, with 30,972 opening posted recently, according to the study. Other top specializations, with monthly pay of P50,000 to P90,000, include process design and control, public relations, aviation or aircraft maintenance, legal services, education, quality control, information technology and architecture or interior design, the study said. Aside from engineering, general works, hospitality, healthcare, sales, administrative support, and creatives are also in high demand. Saudi Arabia is still top OFW destination with 46,026 posted jobs, followed by Qatar with 11,991, and UAE with 6,670...