Over 700 OFWs jobless in New Zealand after company suddenly closes By GMA Integrated News

More than 700 overseas Filipino workers in Christchurch, New Zealand found themselves suddenly jobless over the Christmas holidays when the company when they were working for shuttered. According to a 24 Oras report by Raffy Tima on Thursday, the OFWs found themselves adrift when ELE, described by the New Zealand government as a "skilled labor hire agency in the construction and manufacturing sector," shut down unannounced just four days before Christmas. While ELE initially promised to pay their remaining salary, there was no news of when this would happen. Most of the OFWs had not even been in the country for more than a year. “Wala pong abiso. Papasok na po kami noong umaga, tsaka na po nagsabi sa amin na, huwag kayong pumasok, may Zoom meeting po tayo. Sabi nila, ganun lang po. Ang sinabi na ngayong araw na ito, na magsasara na yung ELE,” said carpenter Gabby Martin. With their visas reportedly valid for three years, the OFWs weren’t allowed to switch jobs and have been living without any income for the last two weeks. “Naghihintay kami ng variation ng visa namin kung kailan lalabas yung bagong visa namin. Kaya lang habang naghihintay, eto, ganito, tambay,” said OFW Felix Castro. The OFWs are currently living off of fishing and have also been receiving food donations, and are currently living in homes provided by another Filipino. “Yung nagpapa-upa rito, yung Pilipino rin [na] naawa sa amin. Sinabihan kami na sige, diyan muna kayo hanggat wala. Tapos halimbawa magkatrabaho kayo, sabihin niyo na lang sa akin tsaka natin pag-usapan kung maghuhulog na kayo,” Castro added. Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand has started to distribute USD$600 or up to P30,000 to the stranded OFWs since last week as assistance. — Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/BM, GMA Integrated News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more