KAKAMMPI News

By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR Published October 18, 2022 11:11am Canada's Saskatchewan province on Tuesday announced a plan to hire hundreds of healthcare workers from the Philippines over the next two years. The move is part of Saskatchewan's long-term scheme to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more healthcare workers to strengthen its provincial healthcare system, a Canadian Embassy statement said. Full-time jobs will be offered to registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care assistants and medical laboratory assistants. “We want to spread the word to health-care workers in the Philippines that our province is a place of great opportunity,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health Paul Merriman said. “We would love to welcome into our friendly Saskatchewan communities health-care workers from the Philippines who are interested in coming to work and live here along with their families,” he added. Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to pilot an accele...

By GMA News Published October 17, 2022 8:49pm Filipinos flocked to a recruitment event in Mandaluyong where representatives from US hospitals are taking part to fill their huge need for nurses. According to Mark Salazar's report on "24 Oras", hundreds of applicants went to the event to try and be picked to fill up the reported 2 million vacancies for nurses in the US. Filipinos are reportedly preferred to be hired because of their proficiency in speaking English. One of the nurses applying for a job in the US said she was earning P30,000 a month which she said was no longer enough "for a single mother with dependents." Another said that she could earn P500,000 a month with the hourly rate of $35 an hour for nurses in Florida. It was much more than what she's earning as a call center agent in the Philippines. "We can honestly say talaga na mas appreciated ng ibang bansa yung mga nurses kaysa dito sa Pilipinas," she said. —NB, GMA News

By RICHA NORIEGA, GMA News Published October 15, 2022 4:57pm The Philippine Embassy in Italy advised Filipinos to remain vigilant following the eruption of Mt. Stromboli. advertisement In an advisory, the Philippine Embassy cautioned Filipinos in the affected areas and other nearby localities to continuously monitor the news after the Italian government issued warnings. The embassy said Mt. Stromboli erupted on Monday, October 10, at 4 a.m. as recorded by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). The Italian civil protection authorities also raised the alert level from yellow to orange. “While the Italian Department of Civil Protection indicated that monitoring parameters are ‘normal with a persistent activity of the Strombolian type and of ordinary intensity,’ all Filipino nationals in the affected areas and other nearby areas are advised to continuously monitor the news,” the embassy said in a statement released on Friday. The embassy said Filipinos m...

By RICHA NORIEGA, GMA News Published October 14, 2022 2:32pm The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Friday said it will make its certifications verified by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to avoid proliferation of fake certificates. At the public briefing, TESDA Deputy Director General Aniceto Bertiz III said this was discussed in the recent meeting with the DMW officials in order to prevent Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS) becoming victims of fake national certificates from TESDA. “Napagusapan yung mga kababayan na nabibiktima ng mga pekeng national certification ng TESDA. Kaya po we will make our certifications na pwede po siyang iverify ng POEA or ng DMW in regards the veracity of the certificate na hawak po ng mga workers,” Bertiz said. (The meeting also discussed the problems among OFWs who were victims of fake national certifications from TESDA. So we will make our certifications t...

By JOJO DASS Published October 13, 2022 11:01am DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A single mother, working as chef here, was the latest Filipino to win in the Mahzooz weekly draw, bagging AED100,000 (approximately P1.6 million) – a part of which, she said, will be used to finish work on her house under construction and donate to a charity group for persons with disabilities back home. advertisement “Masaya siyempre. Ilang years ko ring pag-iipunan (yung ganung halaga pero) instant na andyan na,” 43-year-old “Carrol,” who hails from Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu in central Philippines, told GMA News Online. “Saka…nag-pledge ako na once na manalo ako, magdo-donate ako sa charity para sa mga PWD po sa Pilipinas,” Carrol, who’s making around AED6,000 a month in her job, added. [I’m happy, of course. I don’t know how long will it take me to raise such fund, but right now, it’s here. I’ve pledged that once I win, I will donate to a charity institution helping PWDs in the Philippines.] Carrol said ...

By SUNDY LOCUS, GMA News Published October 11, 2022 5:56pm The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) closed down on Tuesday an immigration consultancy firm in Makati City over its alleged illegal recruitment operations. advertisement DMW Secretary Susan Ople and the Makati City police went to the consultancy firm in San Lorenzo to personally issue the closure order. “[Ito ay] example ng consultation agency na nagpapanggap na recruitment agency,” Ople told reporters in an ambush interview. (This is an example of a consultation agency that poses as a recruitment firm.) “‘Di siya lisensyado ng POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration], naninigil siya, nangongolekta ng resumes ng mga workers. Nagpapaasa [sa] mga worker na makapag-work sila sa abroad pero alam naman natin na ang pwede lang magpa-alis ng mga workers natin ay mga lehitimong recruitment firms,” she said. (It is not licensed by the POEA but it will charge fees, and collect resumés. It gives empty promises to w...

However, the DMW said in JP Soriano's Saturday's "24 Oras Weekend" report that everything depended on the talks with Germany. “Hintayin natin ‘yung bunga ng talks with Germany. Tinginitignan namin ibang occupational skills hindi lang ‘yung sa health workers so on-going yung talks ngayon,” said DMW Secretary Susan Ople. — Sherylin Untalan/DVM, GMA News

Nowadays, giving birth in the Philippines does not necessarily usher in new lives, or prolong them, as rising cases of obstetric deaths prove otherwise. Among Filipino babies and their mothers, the increasing rate of their mortalities in the past two years has been indicative of the difficulties in obtaining services related to maternal and newborn health, which have produced “fatal consequences,” the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) said. Based on a recent release from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the number of fatalities classified under “other direct obstetric deaths,” which indicate access to maternity services, posted a notable increase in the first six months of 2022 at 468, compared to 425 in the same period last year. According to the World Health Organization, direct obstetric deaths, or direct maternal deaths, are those “resulting from obstetric complications of the pregnant state (pregnancy, labor and puerperium), and from interventions, o...

South Korea and the United States fired four ground-to-ground missiles into the East Sea, more commonly known as the Sea of Japan, the Yonhap news agency said Wednesday, citing South Korea's military. The launches were in response to North Korea firing a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, the South Korean military said. South Korea and the United States each fired two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which hit mock targets, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called the North Korean launch a "provocation", and vowed a "stern response". On Tuesday, South Korean and US fighter jets had carried out a bombing drill at a target in the Yellow Sea. The last time Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan was in 2017, at the height of a period of "fire and fury" when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traded insults with then-president Donald Trump of the United Sta...

By GMA News "Further to Public Advisory dated 24 September 2022, the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC advises Filipino Communities along the path of Hurricane Ian to continue to monitor the movements of the storm, undertake all necessary preparations, and heed the warnings of local officials," the advisory read. Hurricane Ian made landfall over South Carolina on Friday afternoon (US time) after it caused devastation in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, according to a report by Reuters. Ian had maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 mph (140 kph) as a Category 1 hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center reported. The embassy said Hurricane Ian is expected to "move farther inland across eastern Southern Carolina and central North Carolina over the weekend." "Filipinos in the abovementioned areas are advised to monitor the developments and check local advisories on the said tropical storm," the embassy advisory read. Filipinos needing assistance may ...

Several repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia asked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for help in getting their backwages, Mark Salazar reported on Friday“24 Oras.” Allen Del Rosario, a former computer programmer in Riyadh, is among the thousands of OFWs who lost their jobs in Riyadh and Jeddah which left them begging in the streets for food in 2016. They were convinced by former Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Silvestre Bello III to return to the Philippines and wait for their backwages. “Nanghihingi na lang kami sa mga NGO (non-government organization) at Filipino communities ng kaunting makakain po. ‘Yun ho ang ano, kaya napalipas namin ‘yung three months na ganun lagi,” Del Rosario said. (We were just asking NGOs and Filipino communities for their help so that we can eat. That's what happened, that's why we survived in the past three months.) “Since 2016, ni-repatriate kami na wala man lang kaming dala ni piso sa b...

Starting Thursday, September 29, 2022, Filipinos can again enjoy visa-free travel to Taiwan, according to an Unang Balita report, citing Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA). advertisement Under the scheme that will last until July 31, 2023, Filipinos can stay in Taiwan for up to 14 days. "Nationals of Philippines (effective till July 31, 2023), except those holding diplomatic or official/service passports, are eligible for the visa exemption program, with a duration of stay of up to 14 days," BOCA said on its website. The visa-free privilege covers activities that do not require permits like visiting relatives, attending social events, tourism, fact-finding missions and international exchanges. For more details, visit the BOCA website. Taiwan has included Filipinos in its visa-free policy during a nine-month trial period from November 2017 to July 2018. The scheme had been extended yearly since but was affected by the travel restrictions caused by the COVID-1...

By GMA News The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is offering job opportunities and legal assistance to victims of illegal recruitment who still want to work abroad. advertisement According to a report by Lei Alviz on "24 Oras", over 700 job applicants have benefitted from the job fair hosted by DMW and participated in by licensed recruitment agencies. Many job seekers at the fair were victims of illegal recruiters who have been arrested by the PNP, the local government units, and the DMW. There were job orders for carpenters, housekeepers, kitchen and restaurant workers, and hairdressers in New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. The DMW also offered free legal assistance as they warned OFWs to be cautious of illegal job offers to prevent scams and human trafficking cases. "'Wag kakagat sa mga offer na mayroong libreng plane ticket at minsan pa bibigyan ng pocket money," DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo. J. Cacdac said. "Sa konting pera na matata...

By GMA News The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is offering job opportunities and legal assistance to victims of illegal recruitment who still want to work abroad. According to a report by Lei Alviz on "24 Oras", over 700 job applicants have benefitted from the job fair hosted by DMW and participated in by licensed recruitment agencies. Many job seekers at the fair were victims of illegal recruiters who have been arrested by the PNP, the local government units, and the DMW. There were job orders for carpenters, housekeepers, kitchen and restaurant workers, and hairdressers in New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. The DMW also offered free legal assistance as they warned OFWs to be cautious of illegal job offers to prevent scams and human trafficking cases. "'Wag kakagat sa mga offer na mayroong libreng plane ticket at minsan pa bibigyan ng pocket money," DMW Undersecretary Hans Leo. J. Cacdac said. "Sa konting pera na matatanggap mo mag...

By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA News Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople on Tuesday directed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to extend assistance to overseas Filipino Workers in Japan who were affected by Typhoon Nanmadol. advertisement Nanmadol forced at least four million residents to evacuate from their shelters. Heavy rains and strong winds hit Japan's southern island, with nearly 98,000 households in Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagasak, and Miyazaki already without power. Aside from OWWA, Ople also instructed the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) to continue monitoring the situation of OFWs and be ready to provide aid when necessary. Citing information from POLO-Osaka, the DMW said some 13,904 OFWs have been accounted for and are unharmed and safe. Of the total number, 5,368 are in Fukuoka, 660 in Saga, 1,001 in Nagasaki, 2,520 in Kumamoto, 1,607 in Oita, 786 in Miyazaki, and 1,962 in Kagoshima. POLO-Osaka is also in contact with most...

Published September 20, 2022 5:05pm Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople underscored Tuesday the need for more research and published articles about the impact of climate change on labor migration around the world. advertisement Ople mentioned this during her bilateral talks with International Organization on Migration (IOM) director general Antonio Vitorino in New York City. Ople is part of the Philippine delegation in President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s official trip to the United States. “The Philippines is sadly very familiar with the effects of climate change and how it results in the displacement of people,” Ople said in a statement. “We are also aware of the need to enhance multi-sectoral, multi-agency, and multi-country partnerships to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on migrant workers and communities,” she added. For his part, Vitorino said the IOM is expected to tackle the need to support countri...

By HANA BORDEY, GMA News Published September 28, 2022 2:05pm Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople on Wednesday proposed the criminalization of the use of agents to recruit domestic helpers bound overseas. Ople made the proposal as the Senate conducted a hearing on the death of Jovelyn Tang Andres, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia. Andres was apparently recruited by a certain Emma Fernandez, who, according to the head of a Philippine-based recruitment agency, is a secretary of Saudi Arabia-based firm who was directed to go to the Philippines to follow up with the applicants. According to Ople, that was prohibited as only employees of a local recruitment agency could process the employment of applicants. Asked if Fernandez could be considered as an illegal recruiter, Ople answered in the affirmative. "Illegal recruiter siya dahil hindi siya empleyado ng isang licensed agency. Pangalawa, sir, malamang commission basis ...

POPCOM: Gov’t needs to set programs for ‘aging’ PHL by 2030 The Philippines should have solid programs in place to care for a graying society— and the government has less than a decade to prepare for it. In a recent radio interview, Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, former executive director of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), noted that while their number is steadily increasing, Filipinos 60 years of age and older are currently beset with health and social issues, as their quality of living is taking a downturn. Based on a recent release by the Philippine Statistics Authority, senior citizens now account for 8.5% of the population, or 9.2 million individuals. Dr. Perez represented the country in a September 30 conference in Bangkok, Thailand for the International Day of Older Persons, where he cited figures from the University of the Philippines-Population Institute (UPPI). There, he mentioned that the annual growth rate of Filipino seniors in the past 10 year...