KAKAMMPI News

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has adopted its new Gender and Development (GAD) agenda for inclusive and gender-responsive programs. In celebration of National Women’s Month, GAD Focal Point System Agency head and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo signed the GAD Agenda for 2023 to 2028 on Wednesday. Manalo said the GAD agenda is the strategic framework and plan on gender mainstreaming, which serves as the DFA’s basis for identifying and implementing priority programs, activities and projects to achieve its goals during the six-year period. “As a lead proponent of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and related international instruments, the Philippines has used and will continue to use its voice to break down barriers and ensure women’s full participation in all aspects of life,” he said. Manalo reiterated the DFA’s commitment toward a more resilient, responsive and inclusive foreign service where wome...

POLA, Oriental Mindoro — Idle fishing boats and unused nets line the shore of Pola town following an oil spill last week and a subsequent ban on fishing activities, leaving fishers—who are among the country's poorest sectors—high and dry. Oriental Mindoro’s 18,000 fishermen were ordered to put their activities on hold as the spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress had spread to the province’s southern towns. “It’s a very serious problem because our only livelihood is fishing,” Ramon Palogme, a fisherman from Brgy. Calima, told Philstar.com on Tuesday. As the northeast monsoon or amihan neared its end, Palogme was expecting better days at the sea. But on February 28, MT Princess Empress sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro and leaked industrial oil, dashing his hopes for a bigger catch. Before the ban was put in place, Arnold Maniego, a fisherman from Brgy. Batuhan, could earn up to P500 a day. It is not a lot of money, but it is better than nothing. “Now, I go to farm...

Amid high inflation, government allots P26.6 billion ayuda MANILA, Philippines — The government will provide a total of P26.6 billion in ayuda or subsidies to vulnerable sectors to help them cope with the rising prices of food and other commodities, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said yesterday. Of the amount, P9.3 billion would be allotted to targeted cash transfer, P3 billion to fuel subsidy for the transport sector, P1 billion to fuel discount for farmers and fisherfolk, and P13.3 billion to fertilizer discount voucher program. At a Palace briefing, Diokno said the P1,000 ayuda would be provided to 9.3 million poorest households for two months. “We have identified where to get the money and maybe in a few days or in a few weeks we will be able to give it to those affected by inflation,” he said partly in Filipino. “The funding source will come from of course, tax collection,” he added. Diokno clarified that the 9.3 million families were also the beneficiaries of the prev...

BEIJING — China said Sunday its military spending would rise at the fastest pace in four years, warning of "escalating" threats from abroad at a meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament that is set to hand Xi Jinping a third term as president. The increase in the world's second-largest defense budget came as Beijing announced an economic growth goal of around five percent for this year — one of its lowest in decades. The country's planned budgets for the year put defense spending at 1.55 trillion yuan ($225 billion), a 7.2 percent rise and the quickest rate of increase since 2019. It officially rose 7.1 percent last year. Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang told delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) that "external attempts to suppress and contain China are escalating". "The armed forces should intensify military training and preparedness across the board," he said as he presented the government's annual work report to thousands of ama...

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people, in a toll revised by AFP that includes figures from both government and rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Syria. A total of 5,951 people were killed across Syria, while Turkey recorded 44,374 deaths after the February 6 earthquake. The new tally brings to 50,325 the total number of deaths caused by the disaster across both countries. The Syrian government said 1,414 people had been killed in areas under its control, while Turkish-backed officials in Syria have put the death toll at 4,537 throughout rebel-held areas of the country. The toll in areas outside government control includes deaths in territory held by rival rebel groups. Local authorities relied on data collected from hospitals, medical centres and civil defence in Idlib and northern Aleppo province, health official Maram al-Sheikh told AFP. They also included civilian sources, he said, many of whom buried their dead...

DAMASCUS—The United Nations warned Thursday of grave risks to 3.7 million children in parts of war-wracked Syria affected by last month's earthquake, as the UN children's agency chief visited the country. The February 6 quake that struck neighboring Turkey killed more than 50,000 people, including almost 6,000 in Syria, according officials and medics. In Syria alone, at least 8.8 million people have been affected by the devastating quake, according to the United Nations. "The 3.7 million children in affected areas of Syria... are facing several growing and potentially catastrophic threats," the UN children's agency UNICEF said in a statement. It cited the disaster's emotional and psychological impact as well as the increased risk of disease and "a lack of access to basic services for families left vulnerable by almost 12 years of conflict". UNICEF's executive director Catherine Russell, who wound up a two-day visit to Syria on Thursday, sai...

SEOUL - South Korea announced plans Monday to compensate victims of Japan's forced wartime labor, but without direct Japanese involvement, as Seoul seeks closer ties with Tokyo to counter Pyongyang. South Korea and Japan are both key regional security allies of the United States, but bilateral ties have long been strained over Tokyo's brutal 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. Around 780,000 Koreans were conscripted into forced labor by Japan during the 35-year occupation, according to data from Seoul, not including women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops. Foreign Minister Park Jin outlined plans for a South Korean foundation to compensate victims and their families, saying: "I hope Japan will positively respond to our major decision today with Japanese companies' voluntary contributions and a comprehensive apology." Japanese media had previously reported that the country's firms could voluntarily provide donations, while Tokyo is e...

By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA Integrated News Published March 3, 2023 5:12pm At least 83 Filpinos abroad are on death row in different countries due to various offenses, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials told the House overseas workers affairs committee this week. advertisement Kabayan party-list Representative Ron Salo, head of the panel, urged the government to provide urgent assistance to the OFWs. Of the said figure, 56 are in Malaysia while the rest are facing death row in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, USA, Japan and Brunei. “It is surprising how many of our Filipinos overseas are facing death row and most of us are not aware of it. The most recent case of Mary Jane Veloso, the only one in Indonesia, wildly agitated our political landscape for quite some time. Now, how do we make of these 83 cases?,” Salo said in a statement. “Let us never forget that these 83 Filipinos are not just statistics. They represent the lives of o...

Twenty-five Filipinos affected by the February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria have been repatriated, Unang Balita reported on Tuesday. advertisement Prior to their repatriation, the group temporarily stayed at a shelter provided by the Philippine Embassy in Istanbul. Some 100 Filipinos are staying in this shelter. Fifty more Filipinos affected by the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake are expected to arrive in the Philippines in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the composite Philippine rescue team has ended its tour of duty in Turkey where they were able to help rescue 10 earthquake victims. The team also helped in the search and retrieval of earthquake fatalities. —KBK, GMA Integrated News

Filipinos intending to visit Israel were advised by the Philippine Embassy to make sure they have legitimate documents, amid reports of some countrymen who were denied entry. "Nakarating sa atensiyon ng Embahada ang naging karanasan ng ilang kababayan na hindi inaprubahan ang pagpasok o 'denied entry' sa bansang Israel," the embassy said in an advisory posted on social media on Thursday. (It has come to the attention of the Embassy that some countrymen were denied entry to Israel.) Although Philippine passport holders have visa-free access to Israel, the embassy clarified that this does not mean guaranteed entry. "Nais po naming bigyang diin na subalit ang Filipino citizens ay visa-free (hindi kailangan ang visa) sa Israel, HINDI ITO GARANTIYA na lahat ng Pilipino ay patutuluyin o makakapasok nang walang aberya sa kanilang pagdating," it added. (We would like to emphasize that despite Filipino citizens having visa-free privilege in Israel, this does no...

A Colorado, USA court has meted out life imprisonment without parole to an American found guilty of killing his Filipino wife. Court records show that until now the body of the 28-year-old victim has not been found. Convicted Dane Kallungi, 42, is found guilty of first-degree murder for killing his wife Jepsy Amaga Kallungi in 2019. Also, the court found him guilty of tampering with a human body. In March 2019, the victim was reported missing. But police investigation has indicated that Dane killed his wife. Dane had gone into hiding midway into the murder case probe, until authorities arrested him in New Mexico and brought him back to Colorado. During the remainder of the investigation process, Dane admitted that he killed his wife by strangulation, and threw her body away. Until now, the victim's body could not be found. The victim's family had said that before Jepsy was reported missing, she managed to tell them that her husband subjected her to physical abuse. —with...

At least 100,000 job openings are available this year for Filipinos who want to work in Japan, according to a report by GMA Integrated News’ Mai Bermudez on Super Radyo dzBB on Saturday. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa said the jobs are in the fields of health care, outsourcing, tourism, and information technology. He added that Japanese employers prefer Filipinos because of their hard work and dedication. Jobs in Japan also pay more while providing a good working environment, the report said. — Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA Integrated News

Manitoba, Canada is keen on hiring more Filipino healthcare workers and is proposing to provide a scholarship fund for Filipino nursing students, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). advertisement Manitoba Minister of Labour and Immigration Jon Reyes paid a courtesy call on DMW Secretary Susan Ople to discuss the labor cooperation between the Philippines and the Canadian province on Wednesday. The DMW said Reyes expressed interest in hiring more skilled Filipino health professionals under a new program which would financially support Filipino nurses. The department said this program will include the provision of airfare, accommodation, and training of the Filipino healthcare workers. The Canadian province also proposed a scholarship fund for Filipino nursing students who wish to work in Canada, according to the DMW. For her part, Ople expressed her gratitude to the Canadian government for their hospitality and recognizing the professionalism of Filipino health p...

March 1, 2023 – With the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announcing that it has intensified its enforcement activities to ensure vape products sold in the market comply with the provisions of the Republic Act No. 11900 (RA 11900), or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, child rights advocates reveal that they have “high expectations” on the government body to pursue a child-friendly interpretation of the law. Child Rights Network (CRN), the largest alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children’s rights legislation in the Philippines, and the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), together with Parents against Vape (PAV), said that the DTI must ensure strict enforcement of the law to protect children from the marketing tactics of the tobacco and vape industry. This strict enforcement includes banning youthful marketing strategies and restricting flavors of e-cigarettes and vapes to conventional tobac...

Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP MANILA, Philippines — The oil spill caused by a sunken tanker in Oriental Mindoro could affect 21 marine protected areas, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said as it formed a task force to address the situation. Authorities are rushing to contain an oil spill from MT Princess Empress, which sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro. The vessel was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. Environmental advocates and locals fear the oil spill could threaten the already fragile Verde Island Passage (VIP)—considered by scientists as the center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world—and the livelihoods of people who depend on the marine corridor. Oriental Mindoro is one of the five provinces surrounding VIP. Environmental advocates and locals fear the oil spill could threaten the already fragile Verde Island Passage (VIP)—considered by scientists as the center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world—and...

PRESS RELEASE In celebration of the first anniversary of Executive Order No. 163 (EO No. 163), the Department of Justice (DOJ), through the Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit (RSPPU), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Philippines urged legislators in the House of Representatives and the Senate, during the Usapang Human Development online talk show of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), to pass a bill which will protect and uphold the rights and welfare of refugees, stateless applicants, stateless persons, asylum seekers, and people at risk of being stateless. On 28th February 2022, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed EO No. 163 to ensure the full protection of refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers’ rights to liberty, security, education, employment, and freedom of movement, among others. The Executive Order institutionalizes access to protection services for refugees, stateless persons and...