KAKAMMPI News

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Dec 18 2018 04:51 AM  | Updated as of  Dec 18 2018 07:00 AM Firefighters operate at the site where a large explosion occurred at a restaurant in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan, in this photo taken by Kyod Sunday.  Kyodo via Reuters MANILA - No Filipino has so far been reported injured in the explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday. "According to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, police reported no Filipinos among the 42 individuals who were reportedly injured in the blast at a restaurant in Toyohara District in Sapporo," DFA said in a statement. Japanese authorities are still investigating the incident, but there were reports that it may have been a gas leak. Among those injured were several children and a woman who broke her leg after jumping from the building to escape the fire. The blast damaged buildings and caused a temporary blackout in the area. - with r...

Published  December 18, 2018 8:16am  WELLINGTON - New Zealand on Tuesday announced plans to tighten rules for temporary worker visas to encourage firms to hire more local people and send more migrant workers to regions outside its main cities. The proposed new scheme would ramp up oversight of employers planning to hire migrants on temporary work visas, including checks to ensure no New Zealander could do the job instead. "Overall, the proposals will ensure that access to work visas is better matched to where there are genuine and high skill needs, and that the system provides more incentives and support for businesses to employ more New Zealanders," Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said. "The proposed changes represent a significant shift in how we operate our Immigration system in the best interests of the New Zealand economy and our regions," he said in a statement. The government said it would accept consultation with affec...

Published  December 17, 2018 6:29pm  By  MICHAELA DEL CALLAR No Filipinos were among the 42 people injured in the explosion at a restaurant in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo on Sunday, an embassy report said. Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V reported to the Home Office in Manila that authorities are still investigating the cause of  the blast at a restaurant in Toyohara District in Sapporo,  which media reports say may have been caused by a gas leak. A fire following the explosion caused one building to collapse, reports said. Laurel also sent a letter to Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi expressing the embassy’s sympathies to those who were affected by the explosion.  — BM, GMA News

Published  December 14, 2018 6:12pm  By RONALDO Z. CONCHA A distressed OFW working as household helper in Taif, Saudi Arabia ran away from her abusive employer, and sought help from the Philippine labor office when she was allowed to renew her passport. In an exclusive interview WITH GMA News Online, Marlene ( not her real name) said that when her lady employer brought her to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah to renew her passport, she sought for help and begged to stay behind. Marlene recounted how she endured episodes of sexual molestation by his male employer and his sons for two years. And when the opportunity came to renew her passport, she carried out her escape plan. Inside the office of Assistant Labor Attache Germie Daytoc, Marlene told GMA News Online that her male employer and his two sons took chances on her, groping her when no one was looking. Also she narrated an incident when one of her employer's son forced o...

Published  December 13, 2018 5:00pm  An OFW group criticized last Wednesday the Philippine government's adoption of the United Nations-initiated Global Compact on Migration, belying claims that the agreement is a tool for development. In an article posted on  Migrante International's website , Joanna Concepcion, executive director of Filipino Migrants Center (USA) pointed out that "GCM propagates an illusion of migration as a tool for development ...but in reality it will only intensify the Philippine’ labor export program" as if it is a labor norm. “While GCM included the language of human rights in its contents, its non-binding nature does not really hold governments accountable in addressing the troubles faced by migrants,” she added. Adopted by 164 UN-member countries, including the Philippines, the GCM which was forged in Morocco from December 10-11 this year, has been opposed by Migrante International and migrant rights advocates. ...

Published  December 11, 2018 9:23pm  A new labor agreement was signed by the Philippines and Israel on Tuesday, opening more job opportunities to Filipinos who would like to work in the Middle Eastern nation. The agreement, signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, is projected to generate around 1,000 jobs for Filipinos who are willing to work as cleaners in Israeli hotels. When President Rodrigo Duterte visited Israel in September,  another agreement was also inked by the two countries to ensure the welfare of Filipino caregivers. The Philippine Embassy in Israel estimates that there are 28,000 Filipinos working there.  — Dona Magsino/BM, GMA News

By:  Faye Orellana  - Reporter /  @FMOrellanaINQ INQUIRER.net  / 10:58 AM December 01, 2018 A car is trapped on a collapsed section of the offramp of Minnesota Drive in Anchorage, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and buckled roads Friday morning in Anchorage, prompting people to run from their offices or seek shelter under office desks, while a tsunami warning had some seeking higher ground. (AP Photo/Dan Joling) No Filipinos were reported injured following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked Anchorage, Alaska on Friday morning, Alaska time. The assurance was given by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday as it continues to monitor the situation. An employee walks past a damaged aisle at Anchorage True Value hardware store after an earthquake, Friday morning, Nov. 30, 2018, in Anchorage, Alaska. Tim Craig, owner of the south Anchorage store, said no one was injured but...

By:  Consuelo Marquez  - Reporter /  @CMarquezINQ INQUIRER.net  / 12:23 PM December 08, 2018 Department of Foreign Affairs building. (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer) MANILA, Philippines–A Filipina was found floating in Pengalan River in Sabah, Malaysia and bore wounds that suggest foul play, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Saturday. The DFA identified the victim as Madelyn Bernardo Asuncion, whose body was found floating in the river last Nov. 28, according to a plantation worker. Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose said that authorities claimed there was enough evidence to classify the case as a possible homicide. The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the DFA expressed their condolences to the victim’s family. The Embassy is still awaiting for the official report and autopsy result from authorities. Asuncion is from Zamboanga City but is currently staying with her father in Malays...

By:  Germelina Lacorte  -  @inquirerdotnet Inquirer Mindanao  / 06:30 PM December 10, 2018 DAVAO CITY – China’s consulate general here formally launched its visa-processing center on Monday,  which means overseas contract workers, tourists and other visitors to China no longer have to go to Manila to process their documents. Davao Consul General Li Lin said the visa processing facility would play an important role in facilitating people-to-people exchanges and to improve further the existing bilateral relations between China and the Philippines. China’s consulate general office in Davao will serve mainly the Mindanao area in the country’s southern part, as there has also been an existing consulate general office in Cebu to cater to the Visayas, aside from the consulate general in Manila and a consular office in Laoag City to cater to the Luzon area. Li said the visa processing center is expected to increase the flow of traffic betwe...

Kyodo News Posted at  Dec 10 2018 12:38 PM  | Updated as of  Dec 10 2018 03:50 PM TOKYO - While a new visa system approved by the Diet and to take effect in April has been welcomed by Japan's labor-short nursing care businesses, questions remain about how to provide sufficient Japanese language education for foreign workers. Despite the government's steps taken in recent years to relax rules on foreign workers in the sector, language skills have been a major barrier. Vu Thi Thu Trang from Vietnam is among the people who could obtain working status after the government eased the requirement for foreigners to work as caregivers. The 31-year-old certified caregiver, who came to Japan in 2014, said she first found out about nursing care work while studying at a Japanese language school. She then entered a caregiver vocational school and finished a two-year curriculum earlier this year. "I'm happy when people say 'thank you' to me. It makes me ...

Thomas Suen and Ryan Woo, Reuters Posted at  Dec 10 2018 06:27 PM  | Updated as of  Dec 10 2018 06:28 PM JINAN, China - In the near pitch-dark, you can hear them before you see them - millions of cockroaches scuttling and fluttering across stacks of wooden boards as they devour food scraps by the ton in a novel form of urban waste disposal. The air is warm and humid - just as cockroaches like it - to ensure the colonies keep their health and voracious appetites. Cockroaches fed with kitchen waste are seen in a cell at a waste processing facility of Shandong Qiaobin Agriculture Technology on the outskirts of Jinan, Shandong province, China.  Reuters Expanding Chinese cities are generating more food waste than they can accommodate in landfills, and cockroaches could be a way to get rid of hills of food scraps, providing nutritious food for livestock when the bugs eventually die and, some say, cures for stomach illness and beauty treatments. On the o...

By Cherry Sun December 10, 2018 Kinilala si Marian Rivera bilang Best Actress sa OFW Gawad Parangal ng KAKAMMPI o Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak at Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino, Inc. Ginawad kay Marian ang pagkilala para sa kanyang mahusay na pagganap sa 'Milya-milyang Agwat ng Mag-ina' episode ng kanyang programang  Tadhana. Anang Kapuso Primetime Queen, “Special sa akin ang episode na ito dahil muli kami nagkasama sa trabaho ng asawa ko bilang aking director. Salamat sa'yo Mahal ko, sa suporta, sa pag-aalaga at pag-guide mo sa akin para maibigay ko ang tamang pagganap. Personal man o sa trabaho, you always bring out the best in me. Naks!” “At lalo pang naging special dahil sa nabigyan ako ng parangal. Salamat pong muli KAKAMMPI,” dugtong ni Marian.

Published  December 6, 2018 8:47am  Investigation is ongoing on the case of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who supposedly helped Filipino domestic workers who are allegedly being maltreated by their employers in Kuwait. According to an Unang Balita report by Bam Alegre on Thursday, taxi driver Jelamar Fuentes was facing charges for violating the law of Kuwait when he extended help to other OFWs who were planning to escape from their employers. "Mukhang ang chinarge sa kaniya is parang kidnapping. We will provide the legal assistance for him," said Chargé d'Affaires Mohammad Noordin Lomondot. The report said Fuentes was using his Facebook account, "Dave," to get in touch with other Filipino workers. In one of the chat messages, an OFW was asking Fuentes to pick her up and help her escape. The OFW gave her address to Fuentes and promised to pay him for helping her. Fuentes, who is now under the custody of the Office of the Do...

Published  December 5, 2018 10:45pm  President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he wants faster airport transactions for Overseas Filipino Workers whose welfare, he claimed, is one of his administration's top priority. "No more human contact. You just swipe your... two minutes, i-swipe mo lang 'yung visa mo , you're out. Wala nang tanong-tanong, no more human contact and that will be true and I'm ordering it now. You have to make it faster," Duterte said during his speech at the Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the  2018 Model OFW Family of the Year Awards ceremony in Malacañang. Last week, the Bureau of Immigration announced that  18 electronic gates are now open in three international airports  in the country, exempting the Philippine passport holders from queuing at immigration counters. Duterte also reminded those present at the Malacañang ...

Published  December 5, 2018 8:34pm  By  MICHAELA DEL CALLAR The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday issued a travel advisory for France, cautioning Filipino travelers and residents there to exercise caution as violent protests swept capital Paris since weekend due to a government plan to increase fuel prices next year. “Filipinos in France as well as those in the Philippines who are traveling to Paris are advised to exercise caution in view of the violent protests that have been taking place in the French capital and other areas during the past several weekends,” the travel notice said. They were asked to avoid going to major tourists sites, such as the Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Tuileries, Place Vendome, Avenue Friedland, Avenue Kléber, and other parts of France where demonstrations are expected to take place on Saturday. “Filipinos should also not participate in the protests against the imposition of environmental tax o...

Published  December 5, 2018 2:38pm  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday announced that undocumented Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may still avail of the amnesty grant until December 31, 2018. According to DFA, the UAE government has extended the amnesty program's deadline from December 1 to allow more undocumented foreigners there to go home without penalties. The DFA said undocumented Filipinos should take advantage of the program as the UAE government is set to implement more stringent measures against undocumented workers in 2019. "The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai have informed the Home Office that UAE authorities are expected to launch an extensive inspection campaign against violators of its residency laws at the start of the year," the DFA said. Some 2,700 Filipinos from UAE who have availed of the amnesty program have been flown home by the DFA since August. — Dona Ma...