KAKAMMPI News

STATE health insurance agency Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) welcomes with high spirits and high hopes a new era of reforms in the Philippine health sector as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte finally signed the Universal Health Care into law this week.    “This is truly a groundbreaking development in the health sector. With UHC, no Filipino shall ever be deprived of quality health care  based on their capacity to pay. ”  PhilHealth Acting President and CEO Dr. Roy B. Ferrer, thanking President Duterte, the legislature and the different sectors who worked hard for its passage.  Republic Act 11223 entitled  “An Act Instituting Universal Health Care for All Filipinos, Prescribing Reforms in the Health Care System, and Appropriating Funds Therefor”  or simply  “Universal Health Care Act”  seeks to  “ensure that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and s...

February 24, 2019   By Marlon Purificacion   People's Journal HEALTH advocate Senator JV Ejercito has assured overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that they are covered by the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, or Republic Act 11223 that he fought for approval in the Senate. “OFWs are definitely covered. Basta Pilipino, kasama dito. Kapag umuwi sila after their tour of duty, they will be covered. Basta may proof na ikaw ay Pilipino, you would be covered by the National Health Insurance Program,” he said on Saturday during the “Executive Session” program of radio DZRH on which he was the guest. Ejercito explained that under the UHC all Filipinos are automatic members of PhilHealth. “That means, hindi na magigipit kapag nagkasakit dahil sa UHC, abot-kaya na ng bulsa ang medical services mula sa check-up, piling laboratory tests, hanggang sa pagpapa-ospital dahil katuwang ang gobyerno sa pagpasan ng gastos,” he said. Aside from the UHC, President Du...

February 25, 2019   By Cristina Lee-Pisco   People's Journal THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday reported there were no Filipinos on board the Biman Bangladesh flight that made an emergency landing following a hijacking incident on Sunday. The Philippine Embassy in Dhaka said Flight BG-147 bound for Dubai from the capital made an emergency landing at Chattogram airport in the eastern side of Bangladesh after a passenger brandished a gun after takeoff and attempted to hijack the plane. According to Bangladeshi Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mohibul Haque, the plane landed at Chattogram airport and all 142 passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft. Authorities said the suspect  was arrested.

Published  November 11, 2018 4:07pm  By RONALDO CONCHA JEDDAH —Overseas welfare officials are in high hopes Filipino workers affected by closure of the Saudi Oger firm would soon get their unpaid wages and service benefits soon, an official said last Friday. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Hans Cacdac told GMA News that the agency is waiting for the release of the Filipino workers' claims so that the OWWA can immediately disburse the money. “Ang Pinaka isyu lamang sa Saudi Oger ay yung takdang araw ng pag re-release ng claims. Nandudoon pa rin ang commitment ng Saudi Government na maging tapat sa pangako at mismo ang Saudi King ang nagsabing tututukan nito ang kumpanya,” Cacdac said. Cadac is in the Kingdom to personally supervise efforts at helping Filipinos affected mass layoffs due to the closure of a number of companies in Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Oger, Azmeel Contracting, among others. He even accompanied to the Dammam Airport OFWs laid of...

PRESS RELEASE An important wish of most Filipino women that they cannot attain is their desired number of children. Three out of four women want to plan their pregnancies, but they end up having one child more than they wanted. This has been the gray scenario in the country for decades, said Benjamin de Leon, president of the Forum for Family Planning and Development, Inc. (The Forum), the advocacy organization that works with local community networks in promoting reproductive health and rights. “Filipino women should be able to have the number of children that they want,” said de Leon. “If women are able to achieve this, they are also able to lead a better quality of life for their children and families.” De Leon cited the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) that found 75% or 3 out of 4 women in the childbearing ages of 15-49 years wanted to have only two children.   Most women said they wanted to stop having children (60% of the 75%) and the...

February 18, 2019   People's Journal Former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) and aspiring senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go assured overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that he will work to provide them with better and faster services. “Makakaasa po kayo na mabibigyan ng agarang aksyon ang inyong mga hinaing,” Go said on Sunday while visiting OFWs and other overseas-based Filipinos in Hong Kong’s Deep Water Bay Public Beach and Central District. Go was welcomed by some 2,500 attendees, comprised of OFWs, Philippine officials in Hong Kong, and other Filipinos residing in the area. Go readily took selfies with event attendees, interacted with them and listened to their pressing concerns. He greatly appreciated the hospitality shown by his fellow Filipinos. “Mahal namin ang aming kapwa Pilipino, mga OFWs, alam niyo ‘yun. Kaya po kami naririto, minsan po, nakikipaghalubilo sa inyo, (ay para) marinig po ang inyong mga hinaing at mapasaya kayo kahit ...

ABS-CBN News Posted at  Jan 13 2019 01:06 PM Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from Kuwait arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila on February 12, 2018.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News  MANILA - A measure pushing for mandatory social security coverage for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) has been transmitted to Malacañang for President Rodrigo Duterte's signature, a senator said Sunday.  Land and sea-based OFWs below 60 years would be covered by the Social Security System (SSS) once Senate Bill 1753 is signed into law, said its author and sponsor, Sen. Richard Gordon.  The move may help expand the number of OFWs with SSS coverage to 2.5 million from the current 500,000, Gordon said in a statement.  This would generate P16 billion in premium collections in a year, which would be able to help extend the fund life of the SSS, agency president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Dooc earlier said.  It would ...

February 14, 2019   By Cristina Lee-Pisco   People's Journal THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its reminder for Filipinos seeking job opportunities in Poland to only transact with licensed recruitment agencies with approved job orders from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). This, after the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) reported about the thousands of careers in Poland that it said Filipinos can apply for. Chargè d’Affaires Maria Alnee Gamble of the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw said Filipinos should ensure that they have a valid working permit, a working visa and a written employment contract before leaving the Philippines. She also cautioned about recruitment agencies that charge excessive fees since the Embassy received information from PASEI that Poland is a “no placement fee” destination. According to the Embassy, Poland usually provides foreigners coming from outside the Europe...

February 13, 2019   By Lee Ann Ducusin   People's Journal THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment, has warned Filipino nurses seeking jobs in Germany under the Triple Win Project to be vigilant against online illegal recruitment activities. The POEA issued the warning in the wake of reports regarding a website run by alleged illegal recruiters who promise nursing jobs in Germany. POEA administrator Bernard Olalia discourages jobseekers from submitting their application, as well as personal information via online, and instead personally submit their documents at the Manpower Registry Division of the POEA. “The Triple Win Project is a joint initiative between the Philippines and Germany to help bring qualified nurses in the country to work in Germany. The whole recruitment and deployment process here in the Philippines is being handled only by POEA and no other outside agen...

February 24, 2019   By Marlon Purificacion   People's Journal HEALTH advocate Senator JV Ejercito has assured overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that they are covered by the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, or Republic Act 11223 that he fought for approval in the Senate. “OFWs are definitely covered. Basta Pilipino, kasama dito. Kapag umuwi sila after their tour of duty, they will be covered. Basta may proof na ikaw ay Pilipino, you would be covered by the National Health Insurance Program,” he said on Saturday during the “Executive Session” program of radio DZRH on which he was the guest. Ejercito explained that under the UHC all Filipinos are automatic members of PhilHealth. “That means, hindi na magigipit kapag nagkasakit dahil sa UHC, abot-kaya na ng bulsa ang medical services mula sa check-up, piling laboratory tests, hanggang sa pagpapa-ospital dahil katuwang ang gobyerno sa pagpasan ng gastos,” he said. Aside from the UHC, President Du...

Published  February 21, 2019 8:39am  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is extending assistance to the three Filipino call center employees jailed in Hong Kong for alleged involvement in a bank scam. According to Consul General Antonio Morales, the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong has been providing in-kind support and legal aid to the three Filipinos. The three have been sentenced to five-month imprisonment last February 18 as their “free Hong Kong tour” was allegedly a scam to open bank accounts using forged documents. Morales said the three Filipinos are expected to be freed in March after serving a reduced sentence for pleading guilty to two counts of “using a false instrument” before the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts. The DFA said the Filipinos went to Hong Kong in October and opened bank accounts at the Bank of China and Standard Chartered Bank using forged documents. They were later nabbed after returning to the Bank of Chin...

RESCUE OPS ONGOING Published  February 20, 2019 10:50pm  TAIPEI, Taiwan - A rescue operation was under way after a knife fight broke out aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean, with one worker killed and several thrown overboard, Taiwan's coast guard said Wednesday. A nearby Taiwanese boat responded to the distress call and rescued four seamen from the waters 1,500 nautical miles northeast of Mauritius. "Many of the crew members were forced off the ship, but we don't know how many are in the waters," a coast guard statement said. Rescuers from the nearby vessel were prevented from boarding the distressed ship by a worker wielding a metal bar as a weapon, a government official said. A Taiwanese fishing association said at least 10 people had been sighted in the water. "We believe that the captain and his chief engineer are safe and have locked themselves inside the bridge," said Chai Pao-hsin, manager of the Li...

Published  February 20, 2019 6:57pm  By JP SORIANO, GMA News As Israel prepares to deport Filipino mothers and their children, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday requested Israel to treat them in an orderly and benignant manner. According to the DFA, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Leslie Baja asked Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Director General Gilad Cohen during their meeting “to treat overstaying Filipinos who need to be repatriated in an orderly and benignant manner, specially since children may be involved. “ The issue was discussed at the sidelines of the annual bilateral consultations between the Philippines and Israel, the DFA said. Baja also said that “Filipino workers have a responsibility to observe the immigration laws of the host government.” According to Israeli authorities, the children who will be deported were born in Israel to migrant workers whose...

An important wish of most Filipino women that they cannot attain is their desired number of children. Three out of four women want to plan their pregnancies, but they end up having one child more than they wanted. This has been the gray scenario in the country for decades, said Benjamin de Leon, president of the Forum for Family Planning and Development, Inc. (The Forum), the advocacy organization that works with local community networks in promoting reproductive health and rights. “Filipino women should be able to have the number of children that they want,” said de Leon. “If women are able to achieve this, they are also able to lead a better quality of life for their children and families.” De Leon cited the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) that found 75% or 3 out of 4 women in the childbearing ages of 15-49 years wanted to have only two children.  Most women said they wanted to stop having children (60% of the 75%) and the rest wanted t...

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Acting President and CEO Dr. Roy B. Ferrer assured the Filipino public that the state-run agency is prepared for the imminent enactment of the Universal Health Care (UHC) bill. “Our strong performance last year clearly displayed our capability to run the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP). In fact, our record-setting performance in 2018 is a perfect prelude to our transition to UHC,” said Ferrer, adding that, “We have categorically proved our ability to keep the [NHIP] fund robust, dynamic, and responsive to the medical needs of the Filipinos.” Ferrer referred to the social health insurer’s successful financial turnaround last year that was highlighted by a staggering P11.6-B in net income, or 4400% higher compared to 2017 end. Its premium income was recorded at P132.5-B which is 23% higher than that of 2017, stemming from enhanced collection measures. It also received a P6.8-B boost from investments and othe...

Evelyn Macairan ,  Sheila Crisostomo  (The Philippine Star) - February 20, 2019 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — With the number of measles cases still on the rise, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday expressed concern over its possible impact on tourism and the deployment of workers overseas. Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said over 800 more measles cases were recorded in a span of two days. “It’s still increasing. We now have 9,267 measles cases from our report on Feb. 16,” Domingo said. He said the death toll from measles has climbed to 146 from 136. Domingo said 824 new cases were reported, bringing to 9,267 the total number of measles cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 18 this year. DOH data showed that 8,443 measles cases, with 136 deaths, were recorded from Jan. 1 to Feb. 16. There were only 2,534 measles cases during the same period last year. The regions where measles outbreaks were declared posted the highest number of cases....