KAKAMMPI News

SONA 2018 Published  July 23, 2018 7:47pm  By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called on countries hosting Filipino workers to ensure their welfare. In his third State of the Nation Address, Duterte recognized the millions of overseas Filipino workers for their “selflessness and courage” in enduring the hardships of living away from home to provide for their families as well as their contribution to the national economy. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier reported that personal remittances stood at  $13.172 billion in the five months of 2018, up 4.4 percent from $12.613 billion the previous year. “You epitomize the innate resilience of the nation...You have also contributed greatly to the national economy, even as you help in small and big ways to the economies of our international partners,” the president said. Duterte then “strongly condemned” the deaths and abuses experienced by Filipino migrant workers in ...

Written by Cristina Lee-Pisco THE Czech Republic is set to hire more Filipino workers in different fields as negotiations for group recruitment is underway, the Czech envoy in Manila said. Czech Republic Ambassador to Manila Jaroslav Olša Jr., said starting this year, he is expecting some 300 to 400 Filipino workers to get their visas. “We are starting this year. We think some 300 to 400 (Filipino workers) will probably get the visas but next year it will be 1,000,” the Ambassador said in an interview. He explained the special program just started a month and a half ago where qualified Filipino workers will be recruited by agencies accredited by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). “There is a program which was prepared by the government this year which will bring 1,000 Filipinos a year to the Czech Republic on special program. It started only a month and half ago,” Olša said. He said local recruitment agencies working with POEA are in contac...

Written by Cristina Lee-Pisco THE Czech Republic has recorded an increasing number of Filipino tourist arrivals in the past few years due to growing interest in the Central European country. Czech Republic Ambassador to Manila Jaroslav Olša Jr. said that from 2,000 Filipino tourists visiting Prague before he was assigned in Manila, the figure has grown to 20,000 to 25,000. “When I arrived (in the Philippines), we started promoting incoming tourism here in 2014 with the first big event. And while practically nobody was travelling to Prague, let's say before, only 2000, only a handful of people wanting to see Sto. Niño de Praha (Prague), nowadays we counted 20,000 to 25,000 Filipinos going to Czech Republic,” the envoy said during the launching of a three-day travel Madness Tourism Expo 2018 at the SMX Convention Center at the MOA in Pasay City that ended yesterday. He noted the increase in Filipino tourists in Czech Republic started in 2010 to 2011 after the economic cri...

posted  July 22, 2018 at 11:19 pm  by   Manila Standard Duly constituted associations of overseas Filipino workers can look forward to availing of livelihood assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment—Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. This after the government allocated P300 million for the Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa Pag-Unlad ng Samahang-OFWs, or Tulong PUSO program. The program aims to provide assistance to OFW organizations for the formation, enhancement, and restoration of livelihood projects in the form of raw materials, equipment, tools and jigs, and other support services. The livelihood assistance is a one-time grant that ranges from P250,000 to P1 million, relative to the requirements of the business project and the number of OFW members applying for the grant. “The Tulong PUSO is one of DOLE-OWWA’s mechanisms to encourage OFW organizations to engage into viable and sustainable livelihood undertakings. Together with partner a...

posted  July 22, 2018 at 11:21 pm  by   Manila Standard ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III said the House of Representatives will investigate the premature release of the integrated Department of Labor and Employment cards. “We’ve already filed the resolution enabling the House good government and public accountability committee to conduct the probe, after Labor Secretary [Silvestre] Bello [III] himself acknowledged the irregularities,” Bertiz said. He said state-run security printer APO Production Unit Inc. has yet to explain why it prematurely generated and released thousands of iDOLE cards. “The copies apparently lacked the security features of a real iDOLE card, and this allowed counterfeiters to quickly reproduce phony iDOLE cards that are now being illegally sold to departing OFWs,” Bertiz said. Bello earlier said he already had the iDOLE project scrapped after several racketeers tried to make money from OFWs through the cards. The iDOLE ca...

 13 July 2018  The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is now accepting applications for nurses under the Triple Win Project of Germany. Qualified applicants must be Filipino citizen and permanent resident of the Philippines with Bachelor of Science in Nursing, active Philippine Nursing License and at least two years related professional experience (bedside) in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and/or care institutions.  Applicants must have German language proficiency or willing to undergo German language training in the Philippines to attain Level B1 (to be paid by the employer) and must be able to attend the language class in October and November 2018; or with Bl or B2 Language Proficiency Level in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Successful candidates shall have a starting monthly salary of €1,900 (gross) that will be increased to € 2,300 after recognition as a qualified nurse. The employer will pay the visa a...

Published  July 20, 2018 12:52pm  Filipino nurses are encouraged to try their luck in Germany which has job openings for foreign nurses, a report on News To Go said Friday. Only practicing nurses and those who have two-year professional experience must apply, the report said. They should also know how to speak the German language or at least willing to learn. Starting monthly salary is at 1,900 euros or P118,000 which can be increased to 2,300 euros or P140,000 For additional details, interested parties should go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) website.  —KBK, GMA News

'SOBRANG SAYA PO' Published  July 20, 2018 9:13am  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Graynne Angel Edralin Sicam-Panitan could not contain her excitement, and for a reason: she may hold the distinction of being the first Filipina to secure a license to drive in the Kingdom. "Masayang-masaya ang pakiramdam na nakakuha na ako ng Saudi license. Sobrang saya po ang pakiramdam and excited at the same time," Graynne told GMA News. Video of Graynne driving in Saudi Arabia has become viral on Facebook. It has over 31,000 views and 566 shares as of posting time. According to the 37-year-old Graynne, she secured her license on July 17, one month after she applied for it. She said her husband immediately allowed her to drive after she secured her license. "With license I guess ako po yata ang nauna although may mga nagsabi po na may mga nakapag-drive na before pero walang lisensya po," said Graynne, who is from Dagupan City. Last month, the g...

Published  July 22, 2018 10:49pm  The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, a non-government organization that deals with OFW issues, asked the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to bar Kuwaiti social-media influencer Sondos al-Qattan from ever obtaining a domestic worker from the Philippines. Center head Susan Ople said in a Sunday statement that al-Qattan personified "the ugly face of modern-day slavery and should be included in the POEA’s blacklist of abusive and undesirable foreign employers." “By her words, publicly uttered and shared through social media, her undesirability as a foreign employer, cannot be denied. She is not worthy to be even in the same room as our valiant and hardworking OFWs.” Al-Qattan had posted a video in which she  criticized a new law  which allowed domestics to have days off and to keep their passports rather than surrender them to employers. However, POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia made it clear that...

Published  July 19, 2018 11:34am  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday offered to help Filipinos in Nicaragua who want to go home amid the ongoing civil unrest there that has already resulted in deaths. "We would like to assure our kababayan in Nicaragua that we are ready to fly them home anytime," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement. There are only 86 Filipinos in Nicaragua, according to the DFA. None of them has so far been affected by the unrest. Cayetano said three Filipinos have already availed of the DFA's voluntary repatriation offer. They were flown out of Managua on July 8 and arrived in Manila on July 10. A Reuters report said at least 275 people have been killed in Nicaragua since protests erupted in April over a plan by the administration of President Daniel Ortega to trim pension benefits. The government’s heavy-handed response sparked a wider protest against Ortega’s rule. Ortega ...

Published  July 16, 2018 2:05pm                                       By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News The leader of a pro-Duterte group on Monday called for the resignation of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III after he allegedly refused to help an OFW bring home her nine-month-old child from Saudi Arabia. "Secretary Bello, alam mo sa sarili mo ‘yan, hindi ka karapat-dapat diyan dahil wala kang puso, dahil wala kang malasakit sa mga tao. Alam mo ‘yan, huwag kang magpapogi," Allie Dizon, secretary general of Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change, said at a press briefing. She threatened to bare more of Bello's supposed illegal activities if he will not vacate his position. "Dapat mag-resign na po siya, graceful exit na lang Secretary Bello dahil kung hindi po marami pa akong isisiwalat. Sabi n’yo magpa-lie detector test tayo, oras mismo!" she said...

Kyodo News Posted at  Jul 17 2018 01:33 PM Save Facebook Twitter GPlus LinkedIn MITO, Japan - A 36-year-old Filipino man arrested last year admitted Tuesday to raping and murdering a female university student in eastern Japan in January 2004. During his first court hearing, Lampano Jerico Mori admitted his crimes against the 21-year-old woman, then a second-year Ibaraki University student, but the defense team expressed an intention to contest part of his charges such as the number of knife stabs he committed. According to the indictment, Mori conspired with two juveniles and snatched the woman into a car on a street near the town of Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture, before sexually assaulting and choking her in the early hours of Jan. 31, 2004. They then killed her by stabbing her multiple times with a knife at a riverbank in the neighboring village of Miho. Last September, police arrested Mori, who was working at a factory in Gifu Prefecture in central Jap...

Published  July 11, 2018 3:48pm  "The Helper," a crowdfunded, feature-length documentary on domestic workers, will be available for purchase on DVD, BluRay, and various distribution platforms soon. Originally released in 2017 with a sold-out, 11 week run in Hong Kong theaters, "The Helper" chronicled the stories of several Filipino overseas workers, including Liza Avelino, a domestic worker who climbs mountains in her spare time. Avelino first made headlines in 2015 after climbing and planting a flag on Island Peak, a neighbor of Mount Everest and Africa's highest mountain Mount Kilimanjaro two years later. "The film gave the audience an opportunity to become more compassionate towards these group of women. I myself have been approached a number of times just to be told how inspiring and brave my story was and how it made them reflect on their own lives," Avelino said in a statement. The documentary also kept track of ...

Published  July 11, 2018 6:32pm  Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday voiced her concern for the welfare and treatment of Filipino migrant workers in Malaysia amid a crackdown on undocumented workers launched there this month. Hontiveros called for more transparency on the part of Malaysian authorities regarding procedures for conducting raids and detaining undocumented migrant workers. “While I understand that the law must be followed, I ask the Malaysian government to ensure that procedures take into account human rights principles and proper observance of ILO [International Labor Organization] conventions. It is important that as the law is observed, its implementation must be tempered to avoid abuse,” she said in a press statement. Citing local sources, Hontiveros said that on the first day of the implementation of the crackdown dubbed Ops Mega 3, over 229 immigrants were arrested. Last July 6, immigration authorities arrested 43 illegal forei...

Published  July 12, 2018 12:06pm  By  MICHAELA DEL CALLAR Taiwan on Thursday announced that its trial visa exemption for Filipinos has been extended for another year, its representative office in Manila said. Visa-free entry for Filipinos will continue until July 31, 2019 and will be reviewed for further extension, according to a statement by the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO). "This visa-free privilege is a reflection of Taiwan’s goodwill and friendship towards all Filipinos under the 'New Southbound Policy' which aims to build stronger bilateral relations and closer people-to-people connectivity between Taiwan and the Philippines," said Michael Peiyung Hsu, Taiwan’s Representative to the Philippines. Manila and Taipei have no formal diplomatic ties in deference to the One-China Policy. Taiwan is represented by TECO, which acts as its de-facto embassy in the country. Taiwan is a self-ruling democratic island which separat...

Published  July 16, 2018 10:05am  Updated  July 16, 2018 12:00pm A pro-Duterte organization has accused Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III of corruption. Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Alie Dizon, secretary general of Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change, said they have "documented" evidence against Bello. "Meron kaming ebidensiya na siya (Bello) mismo ang kasabwat," Dizon said, accusing Bello of refusing to help an OFW who left her five-month-old baby in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. She said the OFW was seeking assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) but was instead banned from the department's offices and even cursed by Bello. Worse, she said Bello asked for P1.5 million from the OFW's recruitment agency. In a press conference in Manila, the OFW said it was Bello who introduced her to the recruitment agency which she refused to name. “Nag-email ako kay Secretary Bello, tumatawag ako sa k...

Published  July 12, 2018 3:01pm  Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez on Thursday said Filipinos need not fear migrating to the US despite the Trump administration's toughened policy on immigrants. Interviewed on News To Go, Romualdez said the Philippines has many "allies" in US Congress who look at Filipino communities as an "asset." "Meron tayong mga kaalyado sa US Congress na sa tingin ko naman they look at their Filipino communities as an asset to them," he said. Romualdez clarified that what President Donald Trump doesn't want entering the US are "criminals," stressing that as far as he knows, Filipinos have "good image" among many American lawmakers. "Like I said maganda ang ating image dun. Lahat ng mga American senators na nakausap ko meron silang mga kanya-kanyang Filipino communities," Romualdez said. "Isa lang sinasabi nila: proud sila sa kanilang F...

Published  July 16, 2018 10:05am  Updated  July 16, 2018 12:00pm A pro-Duterte organization has accused Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III of corruption. Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Alie Dizon, secretary general of Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change, said they have "documented" evidence against Bello. "Meron kaming ebidensiya na siya (Bello) mismo ang kasabwat," Dizon said, accusing Bello of refusing to help an OFW who left her five-month-old baby in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. She said the OFW was seeking assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) but was instead banned from the department's offices and even cursed by Bello. Worse, she said Bello asked for P1.5 million from the OFW's recruitment agency. In a press conference in Manila, the OFW said it was Bello who introduced her to the recruitment agency which she refused to name. “Nag-email ako kay Secretary Bello, tumatawag ako sa k...

Published  July 12, 2018 9:29am  Updated  July 12, 2018 9:45am A party-list lawmaker on Thursday accused the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of using the OFW ID as a cash cow. Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, ACTS-OFW party-list Aniceto Bertiz III said DOLE has been charging P720 per OFW ID or the iDOLE. "This ID should be free," he said, adding it was their group which donated the OFW cards as an expression of gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte. He also said the ID was useless as it is "not a functional card." "Dagdag basura lang sa wallet," Bertiz said. Bertiz also accused DOLE officials, including Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, as well as Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), of spreading misinformation against him. Bello: ID project already scrapped In a separate interview, Bello said he put the OFW ID project on hold after learning that some p...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Jul 14 2018 09:52 AM LOS ANGELES - Several Filipino protesters staged a rally outside the Chinese consulate here to mark the second anniversary of the landmark international court ruling that favored the Philippines and invalidated China's excessive claims in the South China Sea.  This even as the government recently said it has been asserting the country's sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the contested waters.  Philippines taking 'diplomatic actions' vs China over South China Sea activities "ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries will follow the lead of the Philippines to defend their territories in the South China Sea. But as we know the Philippines is beholden to China because of the "Build, Build, Build" idea of Duterte, which is actually "Steal, Steal, Steal"," activist Art Garcia said. Garcia was referring to government's P8-trillion infrastructure...