KAKAMMPI News

Published  October 30, 2018 9:23am  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of several Filipinos in a raid on a Halloween party in Riyadh, even as it reminded OFWs to respect laws and traditions of their host countries. In a statement, the DFA said 17 Filipinos — not 19 as earlier reported — were arrested on Friday in a raid on a compound after neighbors complained of loud noise from the party. Citing the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, the DFA said the 17 Filipinas were being held at the Al Nisa Jail in Riyadh. "According to Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto, Embassy officials have been requesting access to the detained Filipinas since their arrest was reported on Friday," the DFA said. Alonto said the 17 were among a number of persons who were taken into custody by Saudi intelligence operatives following the raid. It was not immediately clear what charges will be filed against the Filipinas, although orga...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Oct 29 2018 03:01 PM Share Save Facebook Twitter GPlus LinkedIn MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday that there were no Filipinos onboard the Lion Air passenger plane that crashed into the sea. In a statement, the DFA said it offers its sympathies and prayers to Indonesia and also to the family of the passengers and crew members that were onboard the ill-fated Flight JT610. Indonesia says Lion Air passenger flight crashes off Sumatra Indonesian authorities said the Pangkal Pinang-bound plane lost contact 13 minutes after it took off from Jakarta. A search and rescue group later on reported that it crashed off Sumatra. Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group refused to comment on the incident as of the moment as it continues to collect information from the ground. A news conference would be held later on Monday, he told Reuters.

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Oct 30 2018 11:40 AM Share Save Facebook Twitter GPlus LinkedIn Wreckage recovered from Lion Air flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, lies at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia.  Reuters JAKARTA - Indonesian search teams Tuesday recovered more remains at the site of a crashed Lion Air jet that plunged into the sea with 189 people aboard, as a report said it had suffered an instrument malfunction the day before. The Boeing-737 MAX, which went into service just months ago, plunged into the Java Sea moments after it had asked to return to Jakarta on Monday. Flight JT 610 sped up as it suddenly lost altitude and then vanished from radar 13 minutes after take-off, with authorities saying witnesses saw the jet plunge into the water. Dozens of divers are taking part in the recovery effort. Search teams have filled ten body bags with limbs and other human remains, Muhammad Syaugi, head of Indonesian natio...

Published  October 29, 2018 1:33pm  Nineteen Filipinos were arrested early Saturday morning in a raid by Saudi authorities in a Halloween party in Riyadh, according to Consul General Christopher Patrick Aro. The Filipinos were among the guests in the party, Aro told GMA News. "Base sa info na aming nakuha, meron daw raid na ginanap sa  Al Thumama, may nagho-hold daw po duon na isang Halloween event, may mga costume daw ang mga tao," Aro said. "Ini-report daw sila ng mga kaptbahay dahil masyado daw maingay na parang may concert. Nag-respond daw ang mga pulis at hinuli ang mga nagpa-party ng malamang wala pala etong permit kasama ang 19 daw na Pilipino." Aro said they are still awaiting official communication from Saudi authorities, adding their information so far came from media reports. He said those arrested were turned over to the Intelligence Police and may face charges for holding an event without permit. Aro said the Embassy...

Published  October 29, 2018 1:33pm  Nineteen Filipinos were arrested early Saturday morning in a raid by Saudi authorities in a Halloween party in Riyadh, according to Consul General Christopher Patrick Aro. The Filipinos were among the guests in the party, Aro told GMA News. "Base sa info na aming nakuha, meron daw raid na ginanap sa  Al Thumama, may nagho-hold daw po duon na isang Halloween event, may mga costume daw ang mga tao," Aro said. "Ini-report daw sila ng mga kaptbahay dahil masyado daw maingay na parang may concert. Nag-respond daw ang mga pulis at hinuli ang mga nagpa-party ng malamang wala pala etong permit kasama ang 19 daw na Pilipino." Aro said they are still awaiting official communication from Saudi authorities, adding their information so far came from media reports. He said those arrested were turned over to the Intelligence Police and may face charges for holding an event without permit. Aro said the Embassy ...

Published  October 27, 2018 7:16am  PLANTATION, United States - Cesar Altieri Sayoc, the Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of Donald Trump, mentioned that he had Filipino ancestry in his LinkedIn profile and claimed his grandfather was a prominent surgeon in the Philippines. Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Florida, was arrested on Friday for allegedly mailing at least 13 explosive devices to leading Democratic figures, former high-ranking officials and others, FBI Director Christopher Wray said. Sayoc faces at least 48 years in prison although further charges are expected to be filed against him for the mail-bombing campaign which heightened political tensions and put the country on edge. Television footage of Sayoc in custody showed a muscular man in a sleeveless black shirt with close-cropped black hair. Sayoc has been arrested several times previously, including in Miami-Dade County in 2002 for making a bomb threat against a power ...

Published  October 28, 2018 5:16pm  DOHA, Qatar — Long-awaited reform of Qatar's controversial exit visa system, which requires foreign workers to obtain their bosses' permission to leave the country, came into force on Sunday, the government said. "Law No. 13 of 2018... regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates is being implemented starting today," the interior ministry announced on Twitter. Qatar announced in September it had approved legislation to scrap the visa system—a lynchpin of the country's "kafala," or sponsorship, system which many liken to modern-day slavery. Under the new law, all but five percent of a company's workforce—reportedly those in the most senior positions—can leave without prior permission from employers. Those not allowed to leave Qatar "for any reason" can file a complaint to the Expatriate Exit Grievance Committee that will "take a decision within three working ...

Published  October 28, 2018 10:47pm  There were no Filipinos hurt during the  Pittsburgh-synagogue shooting , in which 11 victims were killed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Sunday. "The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expresses its sympathies to the families of the 11 individuals killed in the shooting incident at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday," the statement added. "The Department also hopes for the speedy recovery of the six other individuals reported injured after a 46-year-old gunman opened fire inside the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh." According to data from the DFA, there are some 4,000 members of the Filipino community in Pittsburgh and the rest of Western Pennsylvania.  — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News

Published  October 29, 2018 1:33pm  Nineteen Filipinos were arrested early Saturday morning in a raid by Saudi authorities in a Halloween party in Riyadh, according to Consul General Christopher Patrick Aro. The Filipinos were among the guests in the party, Aro told GMA News. "Base sa info na aming nakuha, meron daw raid na ginanap sa  Al Thumama, may nagho-hold daw po duon na isang Halloween event, may mga costume daw ang mga tao," Aro said. "Ini-report daw sila ng mga kaptbahay dahil masyado daw maingay na parang may concert. Nag-respond daw ang mga pulis at hinuli ang mga nagpa-party ng malamang wala pala etong permit kasama ang 19 daw na Pilipino." Aro said they are still awaiting official communication from Saudi authorities, adding their information so far came from media reports. He said those arrested were turned over to the Intelligence Police and may face charges for holding an event without permit. Aro said the Embassy ...

Published  October 26, 2018 4:16pm  The 21 stranded Filipino seafarers in India missed their flight back to the Philippines this Thursday due to problems with their final exit clearance. GMA News' Mark Makalalad reported on Super Radyo dzBB that the stranded seamen were expected to arrive at the NAIA Terminal 2 at 1:30 p.m., but failed to take PAL flight PR 301. 

Published  October 26, 2018 3:42pm  An overseas Filipino worker, who had suffered from severe homesickness, drank liquid bleach and was hospitalized for a week in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) before she was sent home to the Philippines. According to her recruitment agency's representative, Clara (not her real name) was rushed to a hospital by her Saudi employer after seeing her drink the bleach. An initial investigation showed that Clara, 28, and who had worked as household help in the KSA for just a month, drank two small glasses of the bleach. Labor Attaché Nasser Munder with Clara. Labor Attaché Nasser Munder said Clara has been sent back home together with some distressed OFWs that had stayed at the Bahay Kalinga for expatriates in Suadi Arabia. Munder also said that Carla's case is an example of an OFW failing to overcome homesickness, and that what she did was her way out of a condition she disliked. Munder advised recruitment a...

‘Japan faces an aging society and lacks labor force, while the Philippines is abundant with young labor force with great potential,’ Ambassador Koji Haneda says Miriam Grace A. Go @miriamgracego Published 9:45 AM, October 20, 2018 Updated 2:43 PM, October 20, 2018 FILIPINOS IN JAPAN. In this file photo, the Philippine embassy in Japan holds a consular outreach mission for Filipinos working in Hokkaido. Photo from the Philippine embassy's website MANILA, Philippines – More than 50,000 skilled workers from the Philippines have the chance to get employed in Japan in the next 6 years once the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finalizes its new rules for giving temporary residence to foreign manual laborers. Japan’s parliament is set to deliberate during its extraordinary session in autumn on the creation of a new residency status that would allow foreign workers in a wider range of industries to stay for 5 years. "While we ...

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Oct 23 2018 05:06 PM TOKYO - A Japanese government probe has uncovered more cases of universities discriminating against female applicants in an investigation prompted by a scandal at a Tokyo medical school. The education ministry launched the investigation into 81 public and private medical schools after the Tokyo Medical University in August admitted it had systematically altered the test scores of women to keep out female students. After initial investigation, the ministry carried out field visits to 30 institutions to learn more about how they conducted entry exams. "Inappropriate practices were discovered at several universities," the ministry said in the interim report, without specifying a number or naming the schools. The report found evidence of schools using various methods to keep out female applicants and candidates taking the entrance test for the second or third time. Some female applicants were rejected de...

Reuters Posted at  Oct 24 2018 12:25 AM ISTANBUL - Crime scene investigators have found two suitcases and possessions believed to belong to slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a search of a Saudi consulate car in Istanbul, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Tuesday. A Reuters witness said a Saudi team was accompanying the Turkish investigators as they carried out the search in a car park where the vehicle was found in Istanbul's Sultangazi district on Monday. On its website, CNN Turk said the investigators found a computer and documents in the car which were said to belong to Khashoggi. Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by Saudi agents on Oct. 2. He did not appear to be carrying belongings when he entered the consulate on that day, according to video footage. The search of the vehicle in the car park has been halted and will resume on Wednesday morning, the broadcaster said.

Published  October 23, 2018 10:08pm  An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait was rescued by her friends after her employer kept her locked up in a house for two days. Jam Sisante-Cayco's report on GMA's 24 Oras on Tuesday showed how help was extended by fellow OFWs to Arna Ayunan. Honie Grace Cortez dela Cerna and Regina Valdez risked their own jobs and safety when they lowered down a plastic bag--containing a cellphone, portable wi-fi and food--from the rooftop of a building to the window where Ayunan was peeking through. The video was taken on October 15. According to dela Cerna and Valdez, Ayunan was maltreated by her employer. She was not compensated for the last four months and was not allowed to go home to the Philippines when her husband died on April. Hours after the video was taken, Ayunan was given permission by her employer to go home. She, however, received only a month's worth of salary. The rescued OFW, who hails fro...

Published  October 23, 2018 6:53pm  There may soon be 5,000 openings for Filipino hotel workers in Israel, the Department of Labor said Tuesday. A report by JP Soriano on Balitanghali said that Israel has expressed a preference for Filipinos to fill these job positions. There are no job orders or guidelines yet, but Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III expects these to be ironed out in November. "The pay is always very good. You know naman that our caregivers are receiving $1,350 to $2,000 a month…Probably [the hotel workers] will have the same emoluments," he said. Certificates from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) are among the requirements for applicants who want to enter the hotel and restaurant industry. Gerson Hernandez, an HRM Tesda student, said that the training is hard, “pero kung gusto mo, kayang-kaya naman po,” he said. He also mentioned that he wants to work abroad because of the good compensation...

Published  October 22, 2018 8:04am  JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Some 35,000 to 40,000 distressed OFWs have benefited from the government's Balik Pilipinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program this year, according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac. Cacdac said this is a stark increase, or 250 percent, from the 3,600 distressed OFWs recorded in 2016 and 20,000 recorded in 2017. The program targets distressed OFWs who want to come up with a business upon their return to the Philippines. Beneficiaries can receive from P10,000 to P20,000 from the government Cacdac clarified that only distressed OFWs — regardless whether they are skilled or household service workers — are qualified for this program. These include victims of abuse as well as of human trafficking and illegal recruitment, among others. "'Yung programa ng OWWA kung mapapansin niyo ay 'yan ay depende rin sa kakayahan ng pondo. P19.6 billion ang pondo ng OWWA, ...

Published  October 19, 2018 4:03pm  By RONALDO CONCHA OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cadac and Labor Attache Nasser Munder talk with distressed underage OFWs at a Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Saudi Arabia. JEDDAH—The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will run after recruitment agencies responsible for the deployment of underage OFWs to Saudi Arabia, an OWWA official said Friday. OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, in an interview with GMA News, said those found guilty of violating overseas employment policies should be held liable for their misdeeds. In his trip to Al Khobar to assist the over a thousand OFWs affected by the lock-out of the firm employing them, Cacdac learned about the plight of abused Filipina domestic workers who were deployed to the Kingdom under the allowed age of 23. Also, Cacdac told GMA News that OWWA has laid down the steps to be taken against the agencies involved in irregular deployment of OFWs, including: ...