Stranded OFWs in Hong Kong Filtered By: News NEWS PAL, DND TAPPED TO HELP will be home for Christmas —Bello



The government is now working toward helping the Philippine-bound OFWs who were stuck in Hong Kong after their travel agency failed to confirm their flight bookings on time.
Interviewed on Balitanghali on Thursday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said his department is now coordinating with the Philippine Airlines and the Department of National Defense (DND) to arrange flights for the affected OFWs, reportedly numbering between 200 to 1,000.
Bello said he got confirmation from PAL that it will update their flight from Hong Kong to Manila to have "extra seats" to accommodate the OFWs.
"They committed na 'yung mga stranded diyan makakauwi in two to three days so makakarating kayo before Christmas," Bello said.
Apart from arranging flights with the flag carrier, Bello said he and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano have requested Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for a C-130 plane to bring the OFWs home.
"I'm just waiting for the head of office in charge of the C-130 for us to be able to give the details kung ilan at kung sinu-sino 'yung mga isasakay nila," Bello said.
He added, "'Wag po kayong mag-alala, alam po namin ang inconvenience tsaka discomfort na nangyari sa inyo. We are doing our best upon instruction of President [Rodrigo] Duterte na kailangan maiuwi namin kayo bago mag-Christmas."
Bello said the DOLE is also coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation for possible large-scale estafa case to be filed against Peya Travel, the travel agency blamed for the incident.
"Large-scale estafa, non-bailable 'yan," he said.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vietnam condemns China's 'brutal behavior' in fisher attack ---- Agence France-Presse

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday China's "brutal behavior" during a violent attack on Vietnamese fishers in the disputed South China Sea. The 10 fishermen were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands -- an archipelago in the resource-rich waterway claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Vietnam "resolutely protests the brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam", foreign ministry spokesperson Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, using the Vietnamese term for the Paracel Islands. "The above actions of Chinese law enforcement forces seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty" over the archipelago, the statement said. Four of the Vietnamese crew were taken to hospital on Monday
Read more

Africa roads are world’s deadliest despite few cars ---- AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects — unsafe habits, speeding and drinking — but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars. As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts. But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services. A recent World Health Organization report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia — which recorded the most road deaths — with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Home to only around four percent of the world’s automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year. “What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa,” said Jean Todt, a former head of the Internati
Read more

Russia captures town after 2 years of Ukrainian resistance --- Reuters

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era
Read more