KAKAMMPI News

Four more Filipino peacekeepers arrived over the weekend from Ebola-hit Liberia, and have been brought to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center in Quezon City. This developed as another soldier from the first batch of Filipino peacekeepers who arrived in the country was also brought to the hospital on V. Luna Road on Monday after complaining of chest pains.   AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said the soldier was taken from Caballo Island to Manila on board a Philippine Navy vessel. He said the soldier would stay at the AFP hospital until his condition got better and would be brought back to Caballo to finish the 21-day quarantine. According to the Department of Health, the symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease are fever, headache, diarrhea, vomitting, stomach pain, muscle pain, and unexplaned bleeding or bruising. Commercial flight The peacekeepers arrived Sunday aboard a commercial flight, radio dzBB's Tuesday Niu quoted AFP Public Informa...

An anthology featuring contemporary Filipino-American writers sharing their personal insights on San Francisco is now available at the iconic City Lights Bookstore.   Book jacket of 'Claiming Our Stories.' Titled "Claiming Our Stories," the anthology features the works of Oscar Peneranda, Guilo Sorro, Emil Guillermo, Janet Alvarado, among others. “What an honor for my father, ‘Manong Ricardo’, that the book, which showcases some of his unique historical photographs and various contributors’ intergenerational stories about the earlier roots of Filipino American life in our San Francisco neighborhoods, is sold at the renowned City Lights,” said Janet Alvarado, curator of  The Alvarado Project , which published the first edition of the book. The book was published as a companion to a crossover exhibit of original artwork and historical photographs by the late Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado, Janet's father, called "Compositions: A Filipino American Experience....

While motorists can rejoice over a series of oil price rollbacks, such downtrend in fuel prices could take its toll on overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) employed in the oil industry, according to an Energy official. In a report on GMA News TV's “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho (SONA)” Monday night, Energy Undersecretary Zenaida Monsada said low demand for petroleum products in the world market may result in oil-producing firms cutting down operations, like what happened during the global financial crisis. “Kapag tuloy-tuloy ang rollback, maalala natin nung 2008 and 2009, ang daming nawalan ng trabaho sa mga OFWs natin, kasi wala na yung mga projects nila, kasi hindi maganda yung presyo eh,” Monsada said. On Tuesday, oil companies Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc., Petron Corporation, Seaoil, PTT Philippines and Flying V rolled back the price of gasoline and diesel at P0.90 per liter and kerosene at P1.05 per liter. The pump prices have ...

Filipinos in the United Kingdom were advised that the Philippine Embassy in London will be closed most of late December and on the first two days of 2015. The embassy also announced hotlines that Filipinos can use in case of emergencies. "In case of death or detention of a Filipino citizen in the United Kingdom, please contact the Embassy’s emergency mobile phone at 07802790695," it said in an  advisory . The days the embassy will be closed include: -- Wednesday, December 24: Special non-working day (Philippines) -- Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day (Philippine and UK holiday) -- Friday, December 26: Special non-working day/Boxing Day (Philippine and UK holiday) -- Monday, December 29: Building maintenance work -- Tuesday, December 30: Rizal Day (Philippine holiday) -- Wednesday, December 31: Last day of the year, Special non-working day (Philippines) -- Thursday, January 1, 2015: New Year’s Day (Philippine and UK holiday) -- Friday, January 2: Special non-working day (Phi...

Filipino students bolstered anew their solidarity with counterparts from other member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through this year's ASEAN Student Exchange Program. The Department of Education said this year's ASEP focused on education's role in pursuing a strong and progressive ASEAN community. “It's always heartening to meet the youth of the region who are keen on discovering their neighbors and sharing a bit of themselves to others as a way of fostering friendship and camaraderie within ASEAN,” said DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro in a  statement . Under the program, students from ASEAN member countries got a chance to experience different learning environments to broaden their perspectives. For this year, the theme “One ASEAN: Sharing Dreams, Building our Future” promoted camaraderie among the ASEP delegates. Delegates visited Makati Science High School and Angono Regional Lead School for the Arts, interacting with Filipino students and shar...

Travelers arriving in the Philippines, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), are required to fill out a yellow form as a precaution to the possible entry of the dreaded Ebola virus. In a tweet, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) showed the yellow form that passengers must fill out upon arrival. Arriving passengers are encouraged to fill out the form truthfully. According to the World Health Organization, 5,420 people had so far died of Ebola across eight countries, out of a total 15,145 cases of infection, since late December 2013.  — KBK, GMA News

Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello will lead an ocular inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to find out if the payment of terminal fee is the reason behind long lines at immigration counters. OFW party-list Rep. Roy Señeres Sr. moved to conduct the ocular inspection following the statement of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado that its plan to integrate terminal fee to the price of airline tickets was prompted by the lengthy queues of passengers who need to pay it before boarding their flight. “In my opinion, [the integration of terminal fees] is one way of enhancing our travel experience. You could just imagine, more than 7 million passengers no longer need to line up to pay the fee, while almost 200,000 can have the fees reimbursed,” Honrado said. Bello, who heads the House committee on overseas workers affairs, did not mention any date for the visit, but only said members of the committee and representatives from...