KAKAMMPI News

By Bombo Dennis Jamito -April 23, 2022 | 12:37 PM76 Tiniyak ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) na maihahabol ang pagbubukas ng kauna-unahang OFW Hospital sa mismong araw ng mga manggagawa sa Mayo 1, 2022. Ayon kay Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III, agresibo ang naging pagtatayo ng pasilidad sa lalawigan ng Pampanga, kung saan tumulong na ang iba pang tanggapan ng pamahalaan para makompleto ang pagamutan. Magsisilbi umano itong regalo para sa mga manggagawa mula sa ibayong dagat. Makikinabang ding dito ang pamilya ng mga OFW na nangangailangan ng serbisyong medikal. Ang OFW Hospital ay kagaya rin ng mga pagamutang nakalaan para sa specific na grupo at pangangailangan, kagaya ng military hospital na VMMC at maternity hospital naman na Fabella. Sa kasalukuyan ay nasa dalawang milyon ang recorded Filipino workers sa ibayong dagat. Pinakamalaki rito o 83.6% ay sa Asia, 6.7% sa Europa at 5.2% nasa sa Estados Unidos. Nakapag-ambag naman ang OFWs ng remittances na pumapalo sa P2...

SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Jong Un oversaw a huge public procession to celebrate the birthday of North Korea's founding leader, state media images showed Saturday, but the anniversary passed without an anticipated show of military strength. Known as the Day of the Sun in the nuclear-armed country, the April 15 birthday of the late Kim Il Sung — grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un — is one of the most important dates in Pyongyang's political calendar. Analysts and South Korean and US officials had widely predicted a military parade or even a nuclear test, but the celebrations Friday involved a civilian parade, synchronised dancing and fireworks. Photographs released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency showed thousands of colourfully dressed people marching through the capital's Kim Il Sung Square as Kim Jong Un looked on from a balcony. "Columns of workers, peasant dancers and others marched past the square," carrying banners and boards bearing soci...

Philstar.com KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's president showed a harrowing video of dead civilians to the UN Security Council Tuesday and called for "accountability" for apparent Russian atrocities, as fears grow that Moscow is preparing new offensives. With global revulsion solidifying over civilian killings in the town of Bucha, President Volodymyr Zelensky likened Russia's assault to Nazi war crimes and Western nations ramped up sanctions against the Kremlin. The United States is expected Wednesday to ban all new investment in Russia, while Britain announced it has frozen some $350 billion in assets from President Vladimir Putin's "war chest" so far. Despite the pressure, bombardments rocked the Kyiv area villages of Velyka Dymerka and Bogdanivka, where 12 people were killed by Russian firearms and artillery, Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said on Telegram. And new warnings emerged from Ukraine that other shattered communities, notably th...

STRASBOURG, France — EU leaders on Wednesday said the bloc will soon have to sanction all of Russia's hydrocarbon exports as they blamed Moscow for "war crimes" discovered in Ukraine, especially in the town of Bucha. The declarations, made to the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, came as the European Union was poised to implement a fifth round of sanctions cutting off Russian coal imports, while NATO and G7 foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for further steps on coordinated action. The EU must also impose oil and gas sanctions on Russia "sooner or later", European Council chief Charles Michel told MEPs. The deaths of civilians in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine were "war crimes" and "yet more proof that Russian brutality against the people of Ukraine has no limits," he said. "We the EU, we will not turn our backs. We will look reality straight in the eye. There must be, and there will be, severe consequences ...

Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM — Israel said it will close its only crossing from the Gaza Strip for workers on Sunday in response to overnight rocket fire, stopping short of conducting retaliatory strikes in an apparent bid to ease tensions. The rocket attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning followed days of clashes at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound and a month of deadly violence. The unrest — which comes as the Jewish festival of Passover overlaps with the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan — has sparked international fears of conflict, one year after similar violence led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza-based militants. "Following the rockets fired toward Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip last night, it was decided that crossings into Israel for Gazan merchants and workers through the Erez Crossing will not be permitted this upcoming Sunday," COGAT, a unit of the Israeli defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, ...

Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com National Task Force Against Covid19 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Monday began administering second COVID-19 booster shots to immunocompromised individuals in a bid to provide Filipinos additional protection against the virus. The Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City, Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (Tala) in Caloocan City, Valenzuela Medical Center, and the local government of Makati are scheduled to give second booster doses to vulnerable sectors, the Department of Health said in a message to reporters. More vaccination sites will start administering second booster shots in the coming days. The National Vaccination Operations Center targets to give additional protection to around 690,000 immunocompromised individuals. Immunocompromised individuals are defined as those with or are: Immunodeficiency HIV Active cancer Transplant recipients Undergoing steroid treatment Bedridden According to the DOH, the initial ro...

Angelica Y. Yang - Philstar.com MANILA, Philippines — Consumers may have to pay more for their fuel next week after the Department of Energy (DOE) said Friday that there will likely be a large increase in pump prices due to developments affecting the global oil market, where the Philippines mainly gets its supply from. Gas may experience an increase of P3.50 per liter, while diesel may rise by P4.54 per liter, Director of the DOE's Oil Industry Management Bureau Rino Abad confirmed in an interview with Dobol B TV on Friday. "We confirm that there will be a bit of a large increase [in fuel prices] next week...[But] I cannot say for certain how large the increase will be. The oil price movements are dictated by the Mean of Platts Singapore," Abad said in Tagalog, referring to the pricing yardstick for refined oil products in Southeast Asia. A barrel of oil in April 11 cost $117.45, but the figure went up to $128.11 in April 21. Abad attributed the projected increase...

Joris Fioriti - Agence France-Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed the "liberation" of the flattened city of Mariupol after nearly two months of fighting, demanding its trapped Ukrainian defenders be sealed into their underground last stand. The fate of the besieged port has become totemic as Russia battles to complete a land bridge covering territories already under its control, including Crimea — which would deprive Ukraine of its industrial heartland and most of its coastline. President Joe Biden, however, said Putin was doomed to failure, announcing $800 million (740 million euros) in extra US military aid including howitzers and tactical drones. "Our unity at home with our allies and partners, and our unity with the Ukrainian people, is sending an unmistakable message to Putin — he will never succeed in dominating and occupying all of Ukraine," he said. Ukraine appealed for an immediate humanitarian corridor t...

Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States — Ukraine needs $7 billion in month to keep its economy afloat amid the "economic losses" inflicted by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, as the United States announced another infusion of financial aid for the country. The "Russian military are aimed at destroying all objects in Ukraine that can serve as an economic base for life. That includes railroad stations, food warehouses, oil, refineries," Zelensky told leaders of the World Bank and IMF via video link at a meeting to discuss a financial lifeline for Kyiv. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced $500 million in aid to help Ukraine continue paying salaries, pensions and providing services. She detailed the assistance following her meeting Wednesday with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finance Minister Sergiy Marchenko, saying it was necessary to help their government continue to function amid the ongoing Russian invasion. ...

Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON — UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed the ongoing flare-up of tensions around Jerusalem's holy sites in separate calls Saturday with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president. In statements released after both calls, the UN said Guterres discussed "efforts to lower tensions, end provocations and unilateral steps, and restore calm". More than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been wounded over the past week in clashes in and around the Al-Aqsa compound, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews. Palestinians have been outraged by a massive Israeli police deployment and repeated visits by Jews to the holy site, which is governed through a tenuous power-sharing agreement. Guterres "reiterated that the status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld and respected," both statements read. The clashes at Al-Aqsa come amid a wave of deadly violence, which has sparked fears of a wider conflict. Rocket launches fro...

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - At least six people died, including a little girl, and almost 50 others were rescued after a migrant boat capsized off Lebanon, state media said, in the latest tragedy at sea off the crisis-hit country. The boat capsized on Saturday night near the northern port city of Tripoli, the departure point for a growing number of people attempting a potentially lethal sea escape. The deadly accident, weeks ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15, is not the first of its kind for the crisis-hit country grappling with its worst-ever financial crash. But it marks a grim reminder of the suffering behind a growing number of people, including Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees, risking their lives at sea in search of a better future abroad. "The army's naval forces managed to rescue 48 people and retrieve the body of a dead girl... from a boat that sank while trying to illegally smuggle them out," the army said in a statement. It said the boat t...

Kyodo News Posted at Apr 24 2022 03:46 PM | Updated as of Apr 24 2022 04:55 PM SAPPORO, Japan (UPDATE) - Ten people were confirmed dead Sunday after a tourist boat with a total of 26 passengers and crew aboard went missing the previous day off eastern Hokkaido, the Japan Coast Guard said. Aircraft and vessels dispatched by the coast guard and the Self-Defense Forces continued with rescue efforts following the 19-ton Kazu I losing contact after reporting it was taking on water around 1:15 p.m. Saturday. The 24 passengers aboard included two children. The vessel, crewed by a 54-year-old captain and a 27-year-old deckhand, told its operator, Shiretoko Yuransen, it was tilting 30 degrees around 2 p.m. before losing contact, according to the JCG. Twenty-two adult passengers, two children and two crew were on board when the boat left port around 10 a.m. Saturday, and all were believed to be wearing life jackets. The incident occurred while the boat was in waters off Kashuni Falls, a po...

JAKARTA, Indonesia - The offspring of Indonesia's infamous Krakatoa volcano erupted on Sunday, spewing a towering volcanic ash cloud some 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky. Mount Anak Krakatoa, which means Child of Krakatoa, belched thick ash over the strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra forcing authorities to warn nearby residents to wear masks outside. "We are still recording continuous eruptions with thick clouds towering at between 500 to 3,000 meters from the peak," Deny Mardiono of Indonesia's Geological Agency told AFP. Anak Krakatoa has erupted at least 21 times in recent weeks but Sunday's eruption was the largest yet, Mardiono said. Authorities ordered people to stay out of a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano, which is currently graded at level two of Indonesia's four-tiered volcanic alert system. "People, including tourists, should adhere to the recommendation from the Geological Agency, which prohibits ...

BEIJING — Fears of a hard COVID lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing as long queues formed on Monday in a large central district for mass testing ordered by the Chinese authorities. China was already trying to contain a wave of infections in its largest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new COVID deaths on Monday. Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing non-COVID medical care -- and the rising cases in the capital triggered fears of a similar lockdown. Downtown Beijing's biggest district Chaoyang, home to around 3.5 million people, ordered mass testing from Monday for residents and those coming to work there -- the area hosts the headquarters of many multinational firms and embassies. Queues snaked around malls and outside office complexes on Monday as people waited to be swabbed for samples by health workers in protective gear. "If a single...

GENEVA, Switzerland — Russian actions in Ukraine, which have included summary executions of civilians and leveling of civilian infrastructure, may amount to war crimes, the UN said on Friday. "Russian armed forces have indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, actions that may amount to war crimes," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Friday. UNHCR chief Michelle Bachelet said that "over these 8 weeks, international humanitarian law has not merely been ignored but seemingly tossed aside." In the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, a UNHCR mission has documented that 50 civilians had been killed there, including by summary execution, Shamdasani said. The UN mission "has also documented what appears to be the use of weapons with indiscriminate effects, causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects, b...

Aidan Jones, Agence France-Presse Thailand on Friday announced the end of compulsory Covid-19 tests for vaccinated travelers, as the country steps up efforts to revive its pandemic-thumped tourism industry. Tight border restrictions helped the kingdom limit infections and deaths in 2020 but brought the tourism sector -- which had accounted for about a fifth of the country's economy -- to its knees. Thailand's Covid-19 taskforce said that from May 1, fully vaccinated visitors would no longer have to take a test on arrival and wait in a hotel room for the result. Taskforce spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin said authorities will now only require arrivals to show proof of vaccination and health insurance coverage of at least $10,000. "This will propel the economic (recovery) momentum since we are a country that relies quite heavily on tourism," said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha. Unvaccinated travelers will either need to show a negative test result taken within...

Kyodo News Tokyo has returned to a hard-line stance in its decades-long territorial dispute with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating in its annual foreign policy report released Friday that four northern islands are "illegally occupied" by Russia. The wording on the status of the islands, off Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, used in the 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook appeared for the first time since the 2003 report, highlighting Tokyo's departure from a conciliatory approach toward Moscow. The dispute over the islands -- Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group -- stems from their seizure by the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state, in the weeks following Japan's World War II surrender on Aug. 15, 1945. It has prevented the two nations from signing a peace treaty. The bluebook also said the islands, called the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, are an "inherent" part...

Published April 19, 2022 3:36pm The deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers in Ethiopia has been partially lifted, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Tuesday. At a Palace briefing, Andanar said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a resolution after the alert level in Ethiopia was lowered from Alert Level 4 to 2. “Government has partially lifted the ban on the deployment of OFWs to Ethiopia based on board resolution made by the POEA. This after the Alert Level in Ethiopia was lowered from 4 to 2, “he said. In November 2021, the POEA imposed a total deployment ban to Ethiopia after the Department of Foreign Affairs informed that the Crisis Alert Level was raised to Alert Level 4. Alert Level 4 means evacuation and mandatory repatriation of Filipinos, according to the POEA. The total deployment was imposed due to the conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Federal Government of Ethiopia. — Joviland Ri...

By HANA BORDEY, GMA News There are no Filipinos hurt in the latest mass shooting in a subway in New York City, United States of America, a Foreign Affairs official said Thursday. Consul General of the Philippine Consulate General in New York Elmer Cato disclosed this in a tweet citing a report from the New York City Police Department. "The New York City Police Department has just informed @PHinNewYork that there are no Filipinos among the at least 29 people who were reported injured in the mass shooting on the N train in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning," Cato said. Police said the gunman was believed to have acted alone and immediately fled the crime scene. The attack unfolded as a Manhattan-bound subway train on the N line was pulling into an underground station in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood. Ten people were hit directly by gunfire, including five hospitalized in critical but stable condition, authorities said. Police said 13 more people suffered from smoke...

By SUNDY LOCUS, GMA News President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the proposed implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the transition committee of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), its member agencies said Wednesday. In a hearing conducted by the House committee on overseas workers affairs, six government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) confirmed the validity of a memorandum supposedly from Malacañang stating that the President has already approved the IRR of the Republic Act No. 11641 or “An Act Creating the Department of Migrant Workers”. “In recognition of the authority of the Transition Committee to formulate IRR pursuant to Section 23(A) of RA No. 11641, the President interposes no objection to the submitted IRR and cleared its immediate publication,” the memorandum dated April 18 reads. This effectively nullifies the IRR published by DMW Secretary Abdullah Mama-o which the committee ...

Oman has facilitated the release of 14 foreigners who were held in Yemen and transferred them from the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa to Muscat on Sunday, Oman's foreign ministry said. The people freed included a British man, his wife and child, seven Indian nationals, a Filipino, an Indonesian, an Ethiopian and a Myanmar national, the ministry added, without giving details of what had led to their detention. The ministry said that after communicating with Saudi Arabia to facilitate the issuance of the necessary permits, all 14 were transferred on an Oman Royal Air Force plane to the Omani capital, in preparation for their return to their countries. A Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthis, controls Yemen's sea and air space. Oman is not a member of the coalition. Earlier this month, the warring sides in Yemen's seven-year conflict agreed to a nationwide truce for the first time in years, under a UN-...

The Philippine government may possibly provide $200 or over P10,000 financial assistance to each overseas Filipino worker affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said. According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the Department may start providing the financial aid once the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has determined the OFWs who are in the area. The government is currently distributing food and medicines to the OFWs there, DOLE said. The eastern half of Shanghai earlier went into lockdown to curb the nation's biggest COVID-19 outbreak. Chinese authorities then said they would carry out a two-phased lockdown of the city of around 25 million people to carry out mass testing. About 42,000 individuals have been infected by COVID-19 in Shanghai alone. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said that safety measures are still in place regardless of the Philippines opening its borders to foreign to...

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News Published April 23, 2022 5:18pm The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital, which was established in Pampanga's San Fernando City, would be operational on May 1-Labor Day, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Saturday. The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital, which was established in Pampanga's San Fernando City, would be operational on May 1-Labor Day, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Saturday. "[A]ll OFWs, kung mayroon silang sakit kasama ang kanilang legal dependents (if they or their legal dependents are ill), will be treated in this hospital for free," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said at the Laging Handa briefing. Executive Order 154, which directed the establishment of the OFW Hospital, also created the Inter-Agency Committee on the OFW Hospital. ICOH would be chaired by the DOLE Secretary and co-chaired by the Secretary of Health. Its members included the Department of Budget and Mana...

HONG KONG - A Hong Kong judge ruled Friday the police had "prematurely curtailed" their investigation of a Philippine domestic worker being exploited by her employer, a biting assessment of the city's failure to protect victims of human trafficking. The landmark ruling marks a rare victory for migrant worker activists, who have long argued that the city's 340,000 domestic workers -- mostly women from the Philippines and Indonesia -- are acutely vulnerable to various forms of abuse and exploitation. Last year, Brian Apthorp, a British permanent resident, was convicted of committing indecent assault against his domestic helper -- referred to in legal documents as "CB". After her win in court, she mounted another legal challenge in July 2021 -- this time against the government for failing to properly investigate her more serious accusations of trafficking and forced labor. High Court judge Russell Coleman on Friday ruled in CB's favor, saying that autho...

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese prosecutors on Wednesday charged nine people for exploiting and abusing foreign crew on a longline fishing boat, a scourge that activists have long warned was going under-reported and unpunished. Prosecutors allege that crew beat migrant fishermen, forced them to work up to 20 hours a day, and made Muslim employees eat pork. Taiwan operates the world's second-largest deep-sea fishing fleet, with boats spending months—and sometimes years—crossing remote oceans to supply the seafood that ends up on our supermarket shelves. But the lucrative industry has come under fire for subjecting its migrant workforce to forced labor and other abuses, contrasting with the government's promotion of Taiwan as a regional human-rights beacon. Activists welcomed Wednesday's indictment, saying it was rare to prosecute Taiwanese in such cases, as they called on authorities to follow through on promises to reform the industry. The nine people indicted by the prosec...

By RICHA NORIEGA, GMA News At least 10 Filipinos are in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 in Shanghai, which is currently in lockdown due to a virus surge, according to the Philippines' envoy in the city on Wednesday. Philippine Consul General in Shanghai Josel Ignacio said they have reached out and are in direct communication with the infected Filipinos to provide them assistance. “We regret that right now we have 10 of our nationals [who] have been taken to quarantine, who have tested positive. They have reached out to us and we are taking care after and looking after them one on one,” Ignacio said in an interview with ANC. “We are in direct communication, they tell us what they need. We try to elevate that to the authorities in different ways depending upon their needs,” he added. Ignacio said they requested food vouchers that can be used to purchase goods online and can be delivered straight to the COVID-positive Filipinos' households amid the limitation ...

Jerome Favre, EPA-EFE Workers spray disinfectant in a massage parlor a day before re-opening in Hong Kong, China, Wednesday. On 21 April, Hong Kong will relax social-distancing measures for select businesses, with gyms, beauty salons, massage parlors, spas, cinemas and places of worship among premises set to resume business.

Fr. Shay Cullen Easter Sunday 17 April 2022 Jesus of Nazareth tells his story. “I have a story to tell. I came on earth as a man, fully human with all the feelings, emotions, desires and challenges of growing up in a land where there were great injustices, hardship, and poverty in the middle of great wealth.I saw the suffering of the poor and how they were rejected, excluded and declared of no value to society, that was the great injustice in society in my day, Many poor, a few rich owned everything. It is the same in the world today. I declared my mission in the Synagogue at Nazareth and with the Prophet Elijah I declared Good News for the poor, liberation for the captives, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed and I came to save the people. I declared children to be the most important of all, those that accept and protect a child, accept me. Today most are blind to child abuse, but I saw it and I said abusers must be brought to justice with a millstone around their...

According to the IMF, Ukraine's war-ravaged economy could shrink by up to 35% this year if Russia's invasion becomes a protracted conflict. This will have serious consequences on the Ukrainian popular classes who are reeling under serious difficulties. At the end of 2021, Ukraine was already burdened with $94 billion in public debt on its shoulders, 61.7 per cent of its GDP. The war is going to seriously aggravate the situation. Of course, the most tragic is the terrible loss of life and human suffering, but the material destruction too is enormous. The Ukrainian working people are left to bear the brunt as they are attacked from all directions - socially, politically and economically. We present a 2018 article dealing with the Ukrainian debt to Russia. The issue is more relevant than ever as the London court case on the matter, is still on. A month back, the Argentine Senate approved an IMF deal in a bid to avoid a debt default. The controversial agreement restructures $45 bi...

Fr. Shay Cullen Let us turn our minds and hearts to the spiritual values of life. This is the sacred time of year when we recall the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the man from Nazareth. His life commitment to goodness and self-sacrifice as a champion of the poor and the oppressed led to his arrest torture and execution at the hands of the unjust and cruel authorities. He and his mission did not die and disappear forever nailed to the cross of the Roman execution squad. His person and his mission live on in people of faith. He rose from the dead and the life-giving values he gave the world; unselfish love, compassion, justice, mercy, human rights and dignity have changed the lives of millions. By his example, his teaching, storytelling and wisdom he inspired generations to be his followers. He called everyone to repent, change their lives and become people of God not people of the selfish greedy world. But the powers that ruled were hard of heart, they opposed him, they ...

By: Daniza Fernandez - Reporter / @DFernandezINQINQUIRER.net / 12:06 PM March 13, 2022 MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will get expanded insurance coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Sunday. “The pandemic has left our migrant workers vulnerable to various risks and perils. By expanding the compulsory insurance coverage, we aim to extend the protection to all OFWs, at no cost to our workers,” DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement. The expanded insurance policy guarantees coverage in case of death, disability, repatriation, medical emergency, and litigation. In case of accidental death, at least $15,000 will be provided as survivor’s benefit while at least $10,000 will be given in case of natural death. The insurance provider will also arrange and pay for the repatriation or worker’s remains. For disability benefits, at least $7,500 will be provided. Also covered under the policy is repatr...

Just when people thought it was safe to travel again for the Holy Week break after two years of COVID lockdowns, the first tropical cyclone of the year hammered parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. As of late yesterday afternoon, at least 22 people were reported killed in landslides and floods spawned by Tropical Depression Agaton in Baybay, Leyte, with three more fatalities reported in Monkayo, Davao de Oro and in Cateel, Davao Oriental. Thousands of ship passengers were stranded in different ports. Another cyclone was spotted yesterday afternoon approaching Mindanao, prompting Signal No. 2 to be hoisted over Surigao del Sur. Tropical Storm Basyang is expected to make landfall in Caraga region today. The two cyclones hitting in the peak of summer provide a timely reminder about the need to prepare for this year’s typhoon season. People living in areas at high risk for landslides and torrential flooding must be prepared for rapid evacuation. This is not as simple as it sounds especial...

By: Cristina Eloisa Baclig - Content Researcher Writer / @inquirerdotnetINQUIRER.net / 04:09 PM April 05, 2022 FILE PHOTO: Overseas Filipino workers or OFWs wait at the airport. MANILA, Philippines—As the number of repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) continued to increase, concerns grow about the looming uncertainty that they would face at home—including employment and source of income. For many decades, OFWs leave their families to try their luck and look for better job opportunities across the globe. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—as well as other challenges impacting countries—has led to a reverse diaspora and left many OFWs wondering about what will be their next step to provide for their families as they return home. Over two years into the pandemic, a key question is still begging to be answered—What will happen now to those already home? Huge reverse diaspora continues Last March 31, 385 Filipinos from Beirut and Kuwait were brought home by Cebu Pacific (...

By: Cristina Eloisa Baclig - Content Researcher Writer / @inquirerdotnet MANILA, Philippines—Every December in the Philippines, people do not only celebrate the holiday season, but they also observe The Month of Overseas Filipinos—honoring the country’s modern-day heroes. Proclamation No. 276, signed by the late President Corazon C. Aquino in 1987, declares December as The Month of Overseas Filipinos to recognize and honor Overseas Filipinos (OFs)—who are spread across the globe as immigrants, workers, students and professionals. The proclamation also acknowledged the contribution of OFs who “struggle against the prior regime and fought for the restoration of Philippine democracy.” As the proclamation stated, OFs has since then contributed to the Philippine economy through their taxes and remittances.

By: Joanna Rose Aglibot - @inquirerdotnet OFW Overseas Filipino workers from Diego Garcia, an island military outpost in the Indian Ocean, arrive Dec. 13 at the Subic Bay International Airport under the government’s OFW repatriation program. (Photo courtesy of SBMA) SUBIC BAY FREEPORT––A total of 303 Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) from Diego Garcia, an island military outpost in the Indian Ocean, arrived Monday, Dec. 13, in this free port. In a statement, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair and Administrator Wilma Eisma said it was part of the expanded “Bayanihan” flights by the Philippine Airlines aimed at bringing home more OFWs in time for the holidays. Oscar Ebalan, an OFW from Masinloc, Zambales, arrived with his son Aldean, also a contract worker employed by KBR Diego Garcia LLC, a military contractor, that provides operations, maintenance, and logistics services on the island. Ebalan said the OFW flight from Diego Garcia to Subic took more than seven hours, with...

By: Joanna Rose Aglibot - @inquirerdotnet SUBIC BAY FREEPORT––Despite strict travel restrictions, the Subic Bay International Airport will continue to accommodate the arrival of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) via Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights under the government’s repatriation program. In a statement on Dec. 5, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said two PAL aircraft carrying more OFWs from the United Arab Emirates arrived in this freeport that day within two hours. Since July last year, 42 OFW flights or 11,410 repatriated individuals have arrived via the Subic airport. “The OFWs continue to be repatriated through Subic, and everything’s as normal as when the program started here in July,” SBMA Chair Wilma Eisma said. She added: “We can be assured that no passengers will be brought here from any red-listed country because the government has prohibited the inbound international travel of all persons from red-list areas regardless of vaccination status.” The natio...

Fr. Shay Cullen 8 April 2022 Christians everywhere will be celebrating Palm Sunday, a day when the Gospel account tells of Jesus of Nazareth being escorted by his supporters into the city of Jerusalem. They waved branches of palm trees and called him Messiah, a role he never claimed himself. He was a charismatic leader who spoke his mind from the heart. He challenged the corrupt power structure that ruled Palestine, one that exploited and oppressed the poor in his day. Today we have political power structures that are waging wars and exploiting the poor and the earth. The super-rich and their multinational corporations have so much wealth and power that they control governments and manipulate the political systems and support corrupt politicians to protect and increase their wealth. They control the economy by manipulating the buying and selling of shares, goods and commodities. That is what Jesus of Nazareth saw in microcosm when he came to visit Jerusalem. The Holy Temple had...

Frankie Taggart - Agence France-Presse Brandon Bell / Getty Images / AFP WASHINGTON, United States — The US Congress voted Thursday to end normal trade relations with Moscow and codify the ban on Russian oil, as the White House ratchets up pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. The legislation — which also applies to Russia's ally Belarus — enables President Joe Biden to inflict steep tariff hikes on imports from both countries. Biden announced the steps in a speech last month arguing that Russia must "pay the price" for the bloodshed in its ex-Soviet neighbor, where it has denied accusations of committing atrocities. "Putin must absolutely be held accountable for the detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine: the images we have seen coming out of that country... are just pure evil," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. "It reminds us of the worst moments in human history, caused by the evil ma...

Philstar.com (As released) Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion has encouraged citizens to get their needed booster shots against COVID-19 so as not to waste vaccines already available for use. Concepcion earlier revealed that 27M doses of COVID vaccines are set to expire by July. These vaccines which are a combination of procured vaccines and donations, are part of a total of around 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in storage. The 80 million doses of various brands of COVID-19 vaccines with an estimated worth of P40 billion are currently stored in the Department of Health’s 3rd party logistics warehouses, regional warehouses and Zuellig’s warehouse. “We call on fellow Filipinos to think about their safety and the safety of their families as well and get their booster shots immediately. As citizens, we also have a responsibility to help our government in its efforts to control the pandemic and ensure our safety while keeping the ...