KAKAMMPI News

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Sep 14 2017 08:48 PM MANILA- Applying for a passport may now be easier with the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) redesigned online appointment system. Passport applicants can now see, at first glance, available dates for an appointment, which are marked green on the  website . Dates that are fully booked meanwhile are marked red.  A feedback mechanism was also incorporated in the appointment system so that applicants are informed whether there is a problem with their application.Guidance on how to fix problems they encounter are also provided. "Before, when you applied for a passport, you were told to pick it up on a scheduled date. If for some reason there was a problem with your application, like discrepancies in the information or documents that you submitted, you wouldn't know until that day when you are supposed to pick up the passport. There's no feedback mechanism," Office of Consular Affairs Executive Director ...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Sep 20 2017 08:55 AM Ambassador Eduardo Jose de Vega surveys damage sustained by the Philippine Embassy in Mexico.  Photo by the Department of Foreign Affairs MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still checking on the condition of Filipinos in Mexico following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed at least 119 people on Wednesday. More than 100 dead in major earthquake near Mexico City In a statement, the DFA said authorities have been deployed to make sure the 60-member Filipino community in Mexico City are all safe and accounted for.  Ambassador Eduardo Jose de Vega said staff members at the embassy were all safe but "a bit shaken" as they had to rush out of the eight-storey building as debris began to fall during the tremor.  Ambassador Eduardo Jose de Vega surveys damage sustained by the Philippine Embassy in Mexico.  Photo by the Department of Foreign Affairs It was the second temblor Ambassad...

Reuters Posted at  Sep 21 2017 08:48 AM Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US Wednesday.  Eduardo Munoz, Reuters NEW YORK- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that countries need to unite to enforce sanctions and apply pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs. "Now is not the time for dialogue. Now is the time to apply pressure," Abe told a gathering of investors at the New York Stock Exchange, remarks he later reiterated in an address to the annual United Nations General Assembly. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump warned North Korea in his speech to the UN that the United States would "totally destroy" the country if threatened. In contrast, Japan's Asian rival China, and Russia, have called repeatedly for a return to international diplomacy and talks with North Korea to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's we...

Reuters Posted at  Sep 20 2017 07:04 PM RIYADH - Saudi Arabia will remove its ban on internet phone calls on Thursday, a government spokesman said, in a bid to stimulate online business as the kingdom looks to boost non-oil revenue. All online voice and video call services such as Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's WhatsApp that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (2100 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday. The lifting of the ban could pinch Saudi Arabia's three main telecoms operators - Saudi Telecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain Saudi - which earn substantial revenue from international phone and text calls made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom. The policy reversal comes as part of the government's broad reform program to diversify revenue sources as oil prices have hit the finances of the world's top exporter. "Digital tr...

There were no reports of Filipino casualties from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck central Mexico early Wednesday morning (PHL Time), Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Eduardo Jose de Vega told Super Radyo dzBB. However, de Vega added that the information the embassy had received had been limited. "Hindi pa kami makakuha ng updates kasi walang kuryente," the ambassador explained. He said that there were less than a hundred Filipinos in the areas affected by the quake. Some  119 people were killed in the earthquake , the epicenter of which the US Geological Survey reported was 120 kilometers south of the capital Mexico City, in Puebla state. Sirens blared as first responders rushed through the streets of Mexico City. President Enrique Pena Nieto said 27 buildings had collapsed or partially collapsed there. Initial reports showed the worst-hit area was the state of Morelos, just south of Mexico City. Power had also been cut to 3.8 million cus...

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A group of foreign fishermen, including several Filipinos, were locked around the clock in tiny windowless rooms in Taiwan to stop them escaping while not at sea, prosecutors said in the island's latest abuse case involving migrant workers. Fishing and boat company owners were among 19 people charged Monday in the southern city of Kaohsiung for illegally holding 81 foreign fishermen in buildings after they had berthed their boats. When they were at sea, the fishermen were sometimes made to work for 48 consecutive hours without rest for a monthly wage of US$300-$500, the prosecutors said -- despite Taiwan's labor laws which stipulate a maximum working day of eight hours and minimum wage of around $930. "The accused exploited the fishermen with illegal methods for their own profit," prosecutors said in a statement, describing the fishermen as "slave labor in the sea". The 19 face charges of human trafficking and offen...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Sep 17 2017 06:55 PM Watch also in  iWantv  or  TFC.tv Halos 30 pang manggagawang Pinoy ang stranded sa Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia matapos mawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pagkalugi ng kompanyang kanilang pinapasukan.  Tapos na rin ang amnesty program ng Saudi government kaya hindi na sila nakasama sa listahan ng mga pinauwi sa Pilipinas. Isa sa mga apektadong OFW si Albert Catalino, na nag-expire na ang Iqama o residence permit, at ngayo'y tuluyan nang stranded sa Saudi Arabia dahil hindi mabigyan ng exit visa. Limang taon dapat ang kontrata ni Albert, pero naging dalawang taon na lang ito nang malugi ang kompanya Ang masaklap pa, wala na siyang sinahod nitong huli. Ayon sa Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), nakikipag-usap na sa mga apektadong kompanya ang ating embahada sa Saudi Arabia para mapabilis ang pagpapauwi ng mga OFW at pagproseso ng kanilang mga Iqama. Nangako rin si OWWA Deputy Administrator J...

Published  September 19, 2017 2:32pm  Philippine officials in Taiwan on Tuesday cautioned Filipinos working there against syndicates and individuals engaged in identity theft and electronic fraud. The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) gave the warning following reports of Filipinos who have fallen victims to unauthorized use of their ATM and SIM cards. Reports reaching MECO said four Filipinos were recently held by Taiwan immigration after law enforcement records show they were involved in bank fraud cases. "It turned out that they were victims of a syndicate who used unclaimed ATM cards from a loan shark to carry out illegal transactions," said MECO Chairman and Resident Representative Angelito Banayo in a statement. Banayo said last year, Taiwan police investigators nabbed a couple engaged in illegally lending money to Filipino factory workers in exchange for their ATM cards, from where they extract payments for the loans. He said in...

A former OFW who decided to stay home for good is making good money from old discarded tires, a report on Balita Pilipinas said Friday. The report, by GMA News' Cebu stringer Lou-Anne Mae Rondina, said Magno Gilbuela was forced to come home after the company he was working for closed. In the Philippines, he decided to turn his hobby into a profitable business. "One time nagpapaayos ako ng motor ko na na-flat ang gulong. Wala akong maupuan doon. Nakakita ako ng gulong at doon ko naramdamang maganda pala itong pang-upuan kasi malambot," Gilbuela said. In three months, his start-up business of furniture sets made from old tires became profitable. From furniture, which he sells for P3,000, his business eventually expanded to belts, slippers, and vases made from various waste products. Gilbuela said his new venture helped him find a new source of income for his family and make positive contributions to the environment. "Ang mga klase ng waste mater...

The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum aimed at bolstering mutual cooperation in hiring Filipino domestic workers. A   report on Gulf News   said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UAE Human Resources Minister Saqr Ghobash in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday. The MOU specified that the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers will take after a "UAE model contract." It also tasked recruitment offices to send the job offer to the employee in their home country with a list of obligations included in the labor contract. They will also be responsible in securing awareness and guidance programs before the worker leaves the country. The contract will then be signed by the employer and applicant upon the applicant's arrival. Under the MOU, only recruitment agencies registered with the Human Resources and Emiratisation for the UAE will be authorized to offer recruitment and employment ap...

MALACAÑANG has assured Filipinos who will be affected by US President Donald Trump’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that they will receive assistance from the government. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella told Palace reporters in his briefing that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the government’s embassy and consular officials and staff, is closely coordinating with the members of the Filipino community in the United States following termination of the program. “We will provide assistance, through the use of the Assistance to Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund, to Filipinos who may end up getting deported as a result of Washington’s decision,” Abella said. Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said an estimated 10,000 Filipinos would be affected by the termination of the immigration program put in place in 2012 by then-US President Barack Obama. DACA protects from deportation immigrants brought i...

  AROUND 140 Filipino nationals will be repatriated from the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Anguilla, and Sint Maarten. They requested to be evacuated in light of the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean islands.    The DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., Philippine Embassy in The Hague, and POLO-OWWA in Washington, D.C. reported to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter S. Cayetano that they are closely coordinating to ensure the smooth schedule of flights from BVI, Anguilla, and Sint Maarten to San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 17 and 18 20. From Puerto Rico, the repatriates will catch a chartered flight to the Philippines.    Atty. Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, the Vice-Chair of the Crisis Management Team of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., arrived in Puerto Rico and discussed boarding procedures with Louis Rodriguez of GMD Airline Services Puerto Rico ...

The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum aimed at bolstering mutual cooperation in hiring Filipino domestic workers A  report on Gulf News  said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UAE Human Resources Minister Saqr Ghobash in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday. The MOU specified that the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers will take after a "UAE model contract." It also tasked recruitment offices to send the job offer to the employee in their home country with a list of obligations included in the labor contract. They will also be responsible in securing awareness and guidance programs before the worker leaves the country. The contract will then be signed by the employer and applicant upon the applicant's arrival. Under the MOU, only recruitment agencies registered with the Human Resources and Emiratisation for the UAE will be authorized to offer recruitment and employment ...

Over 200 Filipinos in several islands in Caribbean that were devastated by Hurricane Irma have asked to be repatriated, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. "There are now as many as 236 of our kababayans from various parts of the Caribbean who have asked to be repatriated," DFA Secretary Cayetano said. "We assure then that we will bring all of them home." Citing the latest report from the Philippine Embassy in the US, Cayetano said from 160 to 180 Filipinos are waiting to be repatriated from the British Virgin Islands, 20 from Anguilla, and another 36 from St. Martin. A Filipino was also reported hurt in Turks and Caicos after he fell while clearing debris at his workplace during the aftermath of the hurricane, the DFA said. The Philippine Embassy in the US has already sent response teams to the British Virgin Islands as well as to the US Virgin Islands to assist the Filipino victims of Hurricane Irma, which is considered one of the most...

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Bulacan Chapter and the International Pro Bono Alliance (iPBA) recently undertook a legal mission aimed at assisting vulnerable Overseas Filipino Workers in Hong Kong. The mission, dubbed "The Sunday Beauty Queen Mission" after the award-winning film by Babyruth Villarama, provided the Hong Kong OFWs with lectures on various Philippine laws of concern and free legal consultations. With the help of various Hong Kong-based Filipino organizations, more than a hundred OFW’s were served in four different venues: at St. John’s Cathedral, the Prime Credit Building, and the Hong Kong branches of Metrobank and the Philippine National Bank. The IPB-Bulacan and iPBA  lawyers also visited the Bethune House, a shelter for distressed migrant workers run run by the Mission for Migrant Workers. The mission was also an opportunity for the the IBP Bulacan and iPBA to strengthen ties with their international counterparts. Meetings were held ...

  About 70 government hospitals will soon have wards exclusively for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families, a report on Unang Balita said Monday. The report said this was after ACTS-OFW party-list signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health (DOH), under which government hospitals are tasked to allot a separate ward or wing for OFWs and their families. According to the report, the fund for the project will be sourced from the Hospital Facility Enhancement Program of the DOH. The project was a pilot project of ACTS-OFW party-list in cooperation with the DOH, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Governors League of the Philippines. During the MOA signing, ACTS-OFW party-list Representative John Bertiz thanked Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial for working with the group to make the project possible. "Hindi naman ganon kasimple iyon na mago-open sila ...

  The Philippine Embassy in the United States on Sunday said it is working 24/7 for the repatriation of Filipinos from the British Virgin Islands (BVI) devastated by Hurricane Irma. The embassy said they are still securing necessary clearances to be able to enter the British Virgin Islands and start the repatriation of Filipinos based there. At least 90 Filipinos have reportedly signed up for repatriation from the hurricane-devastated BVI. It was learned that there are at least 260 Filpinos in the British territory. "The Philippine Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., USA, is moving as quickly as it can to extend assistance to Filipinos in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)," it said. The embassy said the BVI's airport is currently on limited operation and commercial flights have been temporarily suspended. It said coordination is also being made with possible third countries that may s...

Published  September 9, 2017 9:05am  The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday said that the agency is ready with its repatriation plan for Filipino workers in South Korea if the north-south tension worsens.  In an interview on radio dzBB, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that even though the level of tension is still low, contingency plans are in place for Filipinos in the Korean peninsula. "Meron na kaming usapan ni Labor Attaché Luz Talento before midnight last night she gave me an update and then this morning dahil papunta akong airport to go to Mindanao, nag-report na ulit siya, may tension pero level 1 pa lang," Bello said. "Level 1 pa lang yung sa South Korea pero sabi ko nga kahit level 1 ay dapat handa na tayo, kaya meron na kaming repatriation program just in case kailangan talaga i-repatriate sila. Pero sabi naman ni labor associate Talento medyo remote pa yung possibility, yung actual conflict," he added. Nort...

THE Department of Labor and Employment has sought for cooperation on reintegration of overseas Filipino workers.  Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III called on all sectors to work together for the productive reintegration of OFWs. In a message to the summit on OFW reintegration at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Bello said the government has set the impetus to reverse the decades old labor export policy and instead utilize Filipino talent and expertise to move the Philippine economy forward.    He urged business to “open your windows for partnership with OFW groups” and asked families of OFWs to prepare for their reunification.    “I call on the local governments to make each province, city and municipality a haven to go back to,” said Bello, adding that services of agencies must nurture an environment conducive to OFW return.    The summit, which is the culminating activity of the Enhancing Reintegration Programme for OFWs, will draw u...

The Philippines has placed its embassies in Washington and Mexico on a higher state of readiness to allow them to immediately come to the rescue of Filipinos in the United States and the Caribbean who may be impacted by Hurricane Irma. “We have seen how powerful and destructive Hurricane Irma is,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said after receiving initial reports of the damage the category 5 hurricane had inflicted on several Caribbean islands. He said “we should not be taking any chances and should be ready to assist our nationals who may get caught in the middle of this storm.” The Secretary said he has instructed Chargé d’Affaires Patrick Chuasoto of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. and Ambassador Eduardo De Vega of the Philippine Embassy in Mexico to be ready to deploy teams to hurricane-affected areas in case there are Filipino nationals there that would need assistance. Cayetano, at the same time, said he has instructed Foreign Affairs Unde...

THE Department of Labor and Employment reported that a team tasked to pursue bilateral cooperation agreements between the Philippines and host countries was formed recently to strengthen the promotion of the welfare of overseas Filipino workers. Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said this was made possible through Administrative Order No. 138-A, which mandates that the team will negotiate with its counterparts on the coverage of agreements on general labor and standards in foreign countries in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs.    Bello said the body is also tasked to provide negotiating plans, as well as in the preparation of implementing protocols and standard employment contracts, if necessary.    “The team will prioritize the adoption of measures and mechanisms to protect and promote the welfare and interest of OFWs, and pursue bilateral agreements between our country and host countries,” he said.    The team i...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Sep 10 2017 07:43 AM Royal Navy ground crew unload disaster supplies from a Wildcat helicopter at Tortola airport in the British Virgin Islands September 8, 2017. Picture taken September 8, 2017.  Royal Navy/MoD/Crown Copyright 2017/Handout via Reuters MANILA - Dozens of Filipinos who were displaced by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands will be repatriated, the Philippine Embassy in Washington said Sunday, as the monster storm closed in on Florida after devastating the Caribbean. "More than 90" of the 264 Filipinos who work in the medical, accounting and construction industries in the British territory asked to be brought home, citing the lack of medicine and essentials, according to the statement. An embassy team will go to the islands from neighboring Puerto Rico to rescue the Filipinos as soon as possible, said Chargé d’Affaires Patrick A. Chuasoto. Those who volunteered to be repatriated will be brought directly to the...

The Philippine Embassy in the United States on Sunday said it is working 24/7 for the repatriation of Filipinos from the British Virgin Islands (BVI) devastated by Hurricane Irma. The embassy said they are still securing necessary clearances to be able to enter the British Virgin Islands and start the repatriation of Filipinos based there. At least 90 Filipinos have reportedly signed up for repatriation from the hurricane-devastated BVI. It was learned that there are at least 260 Filpinos in the British territory. "The Philippine Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., USA, is moving as quickly as it can to extend assistance to Filipinos in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)," it said. The embassy said the BVI's airport is currently on limited operation and commercial flights have been temporarily suspended. It said coordination is also being made with possible third countries that may serve as la...

DOLE SAYS Published  September 9, 2017 9:05am  The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday said that the agency is ready with its repatriation plan for Filipino workers in South Korea if the north-south tension worsens.  In an interview on radio dzBB, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that even though the level of tension is still low, contingency plans are in place for Filipinos in the Korean peninsula. "Meron na kaming usapan ni Labor Attaché Luz Talento before midnight last night she gave me an update and then this morning dahil papunta akong airport to go to Mindanao, nag-report na ulit siya, may tension pero level 1 pa lang," Bello said. "Level 1 pa lang yung sa South Korea pero sabi ko nga kahit level 1 ay dapat handa na tayo, kaya meron na kaming repatriation program just in case kailangan talaga i-repatriate sila. Pero sabi naman ni labor associate Talento medyo remote pa yung possibility, yung actual conflict," he a...

Published  September 8, 2017 7:52pm  Over 100,000 jobs will be open soon in Japan for Filipinos and other foreign workers, GMA News' JP Soriano reported on 24 Oras on Friday. Citing the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the report said Filipino workers may be given priority once Japan starts hiring. According to Bernard Olalia, POEA officer-in-charge, Japan's Ministry of Health and Labor has told them they would soon open the market for Filipino skilled and semi-skilled workers under the Technical Intern Training Program. At present, officials from both countries are drafting the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the program, the report said. "Kapag ito ay napirmahan na, 'yung MOU, magde-deploy tayo ng mga professional semi-skilled workers under this new framework," Olalia said. "Under this new track magde-deploy tayo for private institutions," he ...

A Filipino-Nigerian teenager in the United Kingdom died of a mysterious bacterial infection in Brighton and Hove city last week, two weeks after he complained of a painful ear infection. Joshua Ayuba died Sunday after an unknown bacteria spread from his ear to his brain, according to  a report on The Argus . He was initially prescribed medicine by his doctor at the Mile Oak Medical Centre, but was immediately sent to the ER of the Royal Sussex County Hospital after five days of being unable to eat and sleep properly. Doctors found out that an unknown bacteria spread from his ear to his brain and had begun causing him to hallucinate and suffer seizures. He eventually failed to recognize his own family. The teen, whose mother is a Filipino, was mourned by friends and family on social media, with one cousin from Ilocos Sur in the Philippines asking for prayers a day before his death.

By LUCKY MAE F. QUILAO The deaths of Kian Loyd delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz should be a wake-up call for parents, especially those who work overseas, to be always aware of their children's activities. Aldrin Mejares, a 30-year-old nurse in Saudi Arabia, said constant monitoring and communication "on the importance of self-limitation" is important especially if the children are still minors. "For those minors, i-monitor na lang sila through other family member and always advise them on the importance of self-limitation," he said. Delos Santos, 17, was killed in a police anti-narcotic operation in Barangay 160 in Caloocan City last August 16, while Arnaiz, 19, was killed after he allegedly robbed a taxi driver on C3 Road in the same city on August 18. Both were children of OFWs. Though police claimed the two were killed in a shootout, autopsy and forensic reports appear to show otherwise. "Ray," 40, an IT worker in Singap...