Overseas Filipinos: Migrant Workers and Global Labor Markets [Archive] - Page 14

la wood

December 12th, 2009, 12:45 PM

Nannies anti-exploitation law passes

Dale Brazao Staff Reporter/Toronto Star
Published On Fri Dec 11 2009

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" nanny advocate Pura Velasco shouts after hearing that tougher laws will help protect the rights of caregivers.

Nannies bravely told their stories of exploitation, their abusers were exposed, and lawmakers have acted.

After a year-long Toronto Star investigation, a tough new Ontario law is in effect to protect vulnerable foreign caregivers who look after children, the infirm and the elderly.

Anyone who charges a placement or recruitment fee to a caregiver to work in Ontario now faces fines of up to $50,000 and a year in jail.

The Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act, which passed into law late Wednesday, also makes it an offence to confiscate passports or personal documents from caregivers, and empowers provincial Labour Ministry investigators to retrieve them.

"Respect for the dignity and worth of others is one of the core things of this bill," Labour Minister Peter Fonseca said, adding the new law "seeks to protect those who protect and nurture others every day of their working lives.

"They care for our loved ones who cannot care for themselves."

Bill 210 passed 48-13, with the support of the Liberals and the NDP. The Tories voted against it, saying the legislation was rushed through Queen's Park and could put many legitimate recruitment agencies out of business.

Highlights of the new law include:

A ban on fees charged to live-in caregivers by recruiters, either directly or indirectly, or by anyone on behalf of a recruiter.

Preventing employers from recovering, directly or through a third party, recruitment or placement costs from live-in caregivers.

Prohibiting the practice of taking a caregiver's personal documents such as a passport or work permit.

Prohibiting reprisals against caregivers for exercising their rights under the legislation.

Allowing live-in caregivers up to 3 1/2 years to make a complaint – up from the two-year period under the Employment Standards Act.

"Our government has moved forward to fill and meet a pressing human need," Fonseca said.

"We're acting to ensure that these women and men, who are at risk of serious exploitation, receive the protections they need and deserve."

The new legislation follows a Star investigation that revealed widespread abuse in the Live-In-Caregiver Program, with some recruiters charging nannies as much as $10,000 for bogus jobs.

The Star also found numerous cases of nannies housed in high numbers in GTA basement apartments and flophouses, then forced to work illegally to start paying recruiters their placement fees.

A common tactic for rogue recruiters is to bring caregivers to Canada on federally approved contracts, then "release them upon arrival," telling them their employers no longer need or want them.

In two dozen interviews the Star conducted with GTA caregivers, only one ended up working for the family that sponsored her.

Many were also forced to surrender their passports and social insurance cards to agencies to obtain work with other employers.

The legislation was opposed by agencies, recruiters and immigration consultants who said their livelihood would be threatened if they could not charge nannies fees.

Some recruiters charged both nannies and employers. Under the new law, the cost of recruiting must be borne by employers. Nannies won't have to pay to get a job.

Nanny advocate Pura Velasco, who has worked for caregivers' rights for 20 years, was pleased with the new law.

"I give credit to those caregivers who stood up and went public with their complaints of abuse and exploitation, and the politicians for finally listening," said Velasco, head of the Caregiver Action Centre.

The Philippines is the principal source country for caregivers and foreign workers in Ontario. Its government bans agencies from collecting fees from caregivers in their homeland, but many recruiters get around that by recruiting from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Middle East and South America.

A Philippine labour official called the new law a "step in the right direction," but was concerned that calls to license recruiters and register employers were not answered.

Nanny recruiters were licensed in Ontario until 2001, when the Mike Harris Conservative government deregulated agencies.

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is expected to announce a "robust package" of measures to crack down on bogus immigration consultants and agencies who lure foreign workers, including nannies, to Canada with fake job contracts, his assistant said.

ruralvillage

December 12th, 2009, 08:02 PM

Filipinos fuel oil-rich Emirates’ progress, dreams (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091213-241723/Filipinos-fuel-oil-rich-Emirates-progress-dreams)
By Juliet Labog-Javellana
Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091213-241723/Filipinos-fuel-oil-rich-Emirates-progress-dreams)
First Posted 01:24:00 12/13/2009

Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Labor

ABU DHABI—When you arrive at this oil-rich nation’s swanky airports, look up at the massive glass skyscrapers and walk into luxury hotels, you won’t be mistaken if you think Filipino hands helped make all this progress possible.

At Abu Dhabi’s iconic landmark, the majestic $3-billion Emirates Palace Hotel, one is greeted by the friendly smiles and familiar greetings of its Filipino staff.

Even in the royal household of Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirates Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Filipinos were visible when the Sheikh hosted a banquet for 91 journalists from all over the world.

The journalists were invited to be part of the UAE’s 38th national day celebration on Dec. 2, a week before the $60-billion Dubai debt crisis erupted.

Top officials of the UAE paid tribute to foreign workers, not least of them Filipinos, as an important pillar of the economic progress that has made it the second biggest Arab economy next to Saudi Arabia.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told the visiting journalists that talks were ongoing to improve the wages and conditions of workers from the Philippines and other countries.

“The issue of labor will be a continuous issue for us for many years,” Dr. Anwar said at a briefing.

Work in progress

With no more than 20 percent of its five million population being locals (or emiratis), the UAE is highly dependent on foreign labor to build its ever-expanding oil-based economy.

The UAE is the eighth top oil producer in the world, with a daily capacity of nearly three million barrels. It is also ranked as the world’s third biggest oil exporter.

“We have a lot of labor from the Philippines and Indonesia, and we are talking to these countries about conditions of labor, how we can improve them. It is a work in progress,” Dr. Anwar said.

Some 529,000 Filipinos live and work in the UAE, according to 2007 data from the Philippines’ Commission on Overseas Filipinos. Most of them are in Dubai, one of the UAE’s seven emirates.

“We’re doing a lot, and I think in many countries, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, there’s more appreciation of what we are doing ... because [the workers] are basically living the experience with us,” he said.

‘Nothing will change’

The assurance was made a week before the Dubai debt crisis sent markets tumbling worldwide.

Dubai World, the UAE’s investment arm, sought a 6-month delay in the payment of its $60-billion debt, triggering fears of a debt default across the globe.

But in Manila, UAE Ambassador Mohammed Ebrahim Aljowaid downplayed the debt crisis’ implications on the UAE economy and the fate of Filipino and other foreign workers.

He said his government would honor its commitment to provide better employment terms.

“Nothing will change,” Aljowaid said in an interview during the Manila reception for the 38th national day on Dec. 2.

He denied that Filipinos were being retrenched or were losing jobs as a result of the debt crisis.

“Nothing. Up to now I have not seen anything like that. Don’t worry, everything will be OK,” he said.
Aljowaid said there had even been an increase in the deployment of Filipino workers for the UAE—from 150 a day to 250 in the past weeks.

Most preferred workers

Filipinos are outnumbered by other Asian workers here but they are said to be the most preferred.
“Kasi may utak daw tayo at No. 1 sa English (It’s because we are intelligent and are No. 1 in English),” said Raque Mah, a limousine
driver at the Hilton Hotel.
According to Mah, Filipinos are also paid higher than their Indonesian or Pakistani counterparts because of their skills. The minimum wage is 1,500 dirhams (P18,840).

The UAE is a good place to work in, said Mah, who has worked in other countries. She said those employed by private companies, like herself, were enjoying free housing, and those employed by the government, free food provisions.

About the only problem they encounter here is homesickness, Mah said.

She said there was talk about moves to grant foreign workers “equal pay” of about 2,500 to 3,000 dirhams (P31,450 to P37,680).

Not a bubble

Will the UAE remain a desert oasis for Filipino workers despite the crisis?

No less than Sheikh Mohammad assured the visiting journalists that his nation’s economy was sufficiently strong to withstand the global economic recession.

He invited the journalists to tour Abu Dhabi and Dubai to see the furious construction of towering office buildings, luxury hotels, transport systems and entire islands for new residential, commercial and tourism hubs.

He dismissed criticism that everything was a bubble.

“With challenges come opportunities, so you’ll have to take those opportunities now,” he said.

The visionary Dubai ruler recalled how his program to position the UAE as a regional hub for finance, investment and tourism had been met with doubt.

“They said, ‘You, Sheikh Mohammad, have big dreams.’ And now we tell them that we managed to turn our dreams into reality,” he told the journalists.

Sultan Nasser Al Suwaidi, UAE Central Bank
governor, allayed fears that the massive real estate projects would crash, saying the UAE economy was “dynamic.”

“When they build, they don’t know the future, and when you’re half-way you can’t stop [the projects]. We ended up with excess units but this will be resolved in time,” Nasser told the journalists.

Building boom

Among the developments here is the $40-billion Yas Island built to host the inaugural Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month.

jpdm

December 13th, 2009, 02:52 AM

^^^^
indeed.

la wood

December 13th, 2009, 09:08 PM

Ottawa takes steps to protect caregivers

Dale Brazao Staff Reporter / Toronto Star
Published On Sat Dec 12 2009

The federal government is moving to protect foreign caregivers from abuse and exploitation while making it easier for them to obtain permanent residency in Canada.

Nannies will now have up to four years to complete a total of two years of work that is necessary to apply for landed status and will no longer have to undergo a second medical examination when they do. And employers wanting to hire a nanny from overseas will have to pick up the travel costs and provide medical coverage until they are eligible for provincial health plans.

The changes to federal regulations, to be announced by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in Toronto Saturday, come in the wake of a year-long Toronto Star investigation that showed widespread abuse of the federally run Live-In Caregiver Program.

"These important changes help fulfill Canada's duty to those who care for our young, our disabled and our elderly," Kenney said, adding the changes will "help strengthen protection for live-in caregivers and reduce the potential for their exploitation and abuse."

Kenney's decision to eliminate the requirement that live-in caregivers undergo a second medical exam when applying to become permanent residents was originally advocated by the late Juana Tejada. Tejada developed cancer while working as a caregiver and was initially denied permanent resident status when she did not pass her second medical examination.

"Our government fully supports the `Juana Tejada Law.' We propose to implement this change in her honour, to ensure that this painful experience is no longer repeated," Kenney said.

Currently, a live-in caregiver must complete two years of work within 36 months, a task made onerous if the nanny is let go by the employer, falls ill or becomes pregnant. The changes allow a caregiver to apply for status after 3,900 work hours – the equivalent of working a standard workweek over two years.

Lucentino

December 14th, 2009, 01:23 AM

ruralvillage

December 14th, 2009, 09:22 PM

Canada moves to protect caregivers (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2009/december/14/news6.isx&d=/2009/december/14)
Manila Standard (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2009/december/14/news6.isx&d=/2009/december/14)

TORONTO—The federal government announced steps Saturday to better safeguard foreign caregivers from abuse and exploitation, but opposition critics say the changes Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is proposing won’t provide full protection, the Canadian Press reported.

The revised regulations stem from months of consultations with caregiver groups, and Kenney expressed hope they would provide a better life for people who come to Canada to become nannies.

“To ensure they’re not subject to abusive situations, to ensure they’re not exploited by unscrupulous consultants and to ensure they have a fair, clear pathway to permanent residency,” Kenney told a news conference.

Among the changes Kenney is planning to the Live-in Caregiver Program is elimination of the requirement for caregivers to undergo a second medical exam.

The measure was proposed by Juana Tejada, a Toronto nanny who developed cancer while working as a caregiver and was initially denied permanent resident status when she failed her second medical examination.

The changes would also give nannies up to four years to complete a total of two years’ work needed to apply for landed-immigrant status. The limit now is three years.

The government hopes the change will prevent events like pregnancies or loss of employment from stopping live-in caregivers from meeting government requirements.

Those wanting to hire a nanny from overseas would have to pick up the cost of bringing them to Canada and provide medical coverage until the nannies are eligible for provincial health plans. They would also have to pay any fees to recruiters, Kenney said.

“No longer will caregivers be paying people to get the jobs to work in Canada,” Kenney said.

The government is also going to require caregivers’ employers to clearly outline job duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, sick leave, and termination and resignation terms.

Employers who provide significantly different wages, working conditions or occupations than they promised may be blacklisted.

The public will have 30 days to comment on the changes before the final version takes effect sometime next year.

The changes were prompted after several caregivers went public with stories of being underpaid and being forced to work long hours.

Some were invited to testify before a parliamentary committee and their stories prompted the government to launch a consultation process with caregiver groups.

Opposition MPs said that while Kenney’s proposals were a start, they fell far short of the protection that foreign caregivers needed.

Kenney should have granted live-in caregivers immediate status as permanent residents when they arrived in Canada, opposition MPs said.

Jim Karygiannis, a Toronto Liberal MP, dismissed the proposed changes as “window dressing,” saying that giving caregivers permanent residency status would be the best way to give them rights.

“Why don’t you just land them,” Karygiannis said in a telephone interview.

“Why don’t you make them Canadian landed immigrants so they can have their rights and everything else that we enjoy?”

New Democrat MP Don Davies, the party’s deputy Citizenship and Immigration critic, said immediate permanent residency status would remove uncertainty for caregivers.

“As landed immigrants, they would not have to worry about being deported when they stand up for their labor rights,” Davies said in a news release.

Both MPs also said granting immediate permanent residency status would allow foreign caregivers to bring their families with them, rather than have to wait in limbo for several years.

Another New Democrat MP, Olivia Chow, the party’s immigration critic, was skeptical that requiring employers to clearly outline job descriptions and pay would curtail exploitation of nannies and other caregivers.

“On paper it looks good,” Chow said in a telephone interview.

“But without the kind of inspection that is needed between the federal and provincial governments, what the law is would remain on paper.

“Mark by words, I think that a year from now we will still have stories about live-in caregivers being exploited.”

ruralvillage

December 14th, 2009, 10:27 PM

More OFW families are saving (http://www.bworld.com.ph/main/content.php?type=2)
Business World (http://www.bworld.com.ph/main/content.php?type=2)

MORE FAMILIES of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are saving a portion of the money sent home by their relatives, ensuring they have funds for rainy days while flushing the financial system with funds that could be tapped for investments, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo told reporters late Thursday last week there has been a perceptible improvement in the number of families setting aside some of the remittances they receive, since the central bank began tracking this in 2007.

"In first quarter of 2007, of those families that reported they have one or two family members who are OFWs, there were only 7% doing the savings. In the third quarter of 2009, this went up to about 39.9% and in fourth quarter there was further improvement to nearly 45%," he said.

Results of the BSP’s fourth quarter consumer expectations survey also showed 95.2% of OFW families used remittances for household expenses. Over 65% spent these on education, 62.2% on medical expenses and almost half on debt payments.

Mr. Guinigundo pointed out more families of migrant workers are becoming aware of the importance of savings, which in turn, could be turned into investments.

"This is important because it means OFWs and their families are becoming more financially literate and conscious that what is earned overseas would have to be saved... These savings could then become investments," he said.

Mr. Guinigundo said the desire to save could have contributed to the resilience of remittances despite the global economic crisis, since OFWs continue to send home money to set aside funds for rainy days.

The BSP, however, does not have data on the average amount OFW families are saving.

Analysts interviewed by BusinessWorld yesterday agreed that more OFW families setting aside a portion of their relatives’ earnings is good for the country in the long run, but said this could have been more of a precaution against the slowing global and domestic economy.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Alvin P. Ang, an economist at the University of Sto. Tomas, said: "Because OFWs earn so much, their savings [would ensure] there is enough cash within the country to be used for investments," he said.

Eduard D. Robleza, research director of the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis, concurred but said it was not yet clear where OFW families are putting their money in.

"In terms of OFWs investing, it’s still not clear where they are putting this... Increased savings means they are thinking more long-term," he said.

Mr. Ang, however, noted that the Philippine economy is primarily consumer-driven, with local households’ savings rate at only around 20% compared to 30% in the region, so the high savings rate may just be temporary.

"That may be partly because we are in a crisis situation, so they tell families back here to save as a precaution because they are unsure whether they could keep their jobs," he said.

Mr. Robleza had the same view.

"Most likely [more] are saving because of the uncertainty of the global scenario... The savings figures could go back to normal but we don’t see it happening very soon unless there are definite signs of recovery," he said.

Mr. Robleza added that in the short term, more families tightening their purses could mean slower economic activity for the country, which is dependent on consumer spending.

Mr. Ang added that the data would have been better if it included the average savings of an OFW family.

The latest central bank data showed that remittances coursed through banks and other formal channels grew by 4.2% to $12.8 billion as of September. Data as of October will be released today.

Money sent home by migrant workers are projected to grow by 4% to a record $17.1 billion this year, up from an earlier projection of flat growth. Next year, the BSP estimated remittances to grow by 6%.

Remittances are considered an integral part of the Philippine economy as it provides funds for domestic consumption, which accounts for over two-thirds of economic activity.

jpdm

December 15th, 2009, 11:21 AM

Taiwan job market lures back OFWs

BY IRMA ISIP
Malaya Business Insights
Dec.15, 2009

TAIPEI. - Filipinos will have another crack at working in Taiwan as the job market in the country begins to normalize.

Reydeluz D. Conferido, director of labor affairs of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) here, said there are signs of recovery in the horizon for Taiwan’s job market both due to a new stimulus package of the government and the recovery of the electronics sector.

"We are hoping this positive trend would continue. But Taiwan remains vulnerable to the conditions of the world economy," he said.

Conferido said about 2,000 of 5,000 permanently displaced overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan due to the financial crisis are now back to work in the country.

This along with more deployment has resulted in net jobs created as of October this year of about 10,000, Conferido said.

Displaced OFWs who have been sent back to the Philippines are given priority in re-hiring because of their experience in electronics and other related positions.

Data from the MECO shows that cumulatively the number of OFWs in Taiwan now totals 70,537 from around 61,000 in the same period in 2008.

The Philippines is the fourth largest source of foreign employers in Taiwan. At its peak in the 1990s, Taiwan had about 120,000 OFWs here but competition from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand slowly eroded the Philippines’ share in the Taiwanese market.

Conferido said the new stimulus package of the Taiwanese government would open jobs in infrastructure and short-gestating rehabilitation work.

The net job creation for the year is a direct result of the recovery of the electronics manufacturing sector in Taiwan which exports its products all over the world.

"There are signs of recovery, American buyers are reordering and new orders are coming in," Conferido said. Those who have been working on shorter working hours are now beginning to have normal working hours.

Exactly 46,972 of the total OFWs in Taiwan are in the manufacturing sector, over 25,000 of whom are in computer and communications and electronics parts manufacturing.

Conferido said he has asked Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs to consider Filipinos if it opens jobs otherwise reserved for locals.

He added that the Philippines has been pursuing technical and engineering jobs which are higher paying over household and community services.

But Conferido said the country should still go after high paying jobs in these services such as caregivers and nursing aides, especially now the Philippines has an excess supply of nurses.

Conferido also said the country should pursue jobs in agriculture. Taiwan is particularly lacking in fishermen.

The minimum wage in Taiwan for manufacturing, agriculture and fishery, construction and nursing aide is NT$17,289 while household service workers and caretakers receive NT$15,840.

jpdm

December 15th, 2009, 11:41 AM

Taiwan households dump Pinoy DHs

Malaya Business Insights
Dec. 15, 2009

TAIPEI. - Filipinos are no longer the housemaids of choice of Taiwanese.

Carlo Aquino, who heads the assistance to nationals program of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), said from a high of 60,000 household service workers and caretakers, the number had dropped to 22,509 as of October this year.

MECO said with the implementation of the direct hiring program – which entails no brokers or placement fee for household service care and caretakers two years ago - the Philippines lost some 15,000 jobs to Indonesians and Vietnamese.

Aquino said a lot of employers still use "brokers" in hiring nannies and maids.

Brokers earn more if they get workers from Indonesia and Vietnam at P160,000 per worker against P60,000 from the Philippines.

This leaves no incentive for Taiwanese and Filipino manpower agencies to get Filipino workers.

Unscrupulous agencies still charge placement fees in violation of the rules of the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration.

Aquino said the wide support system of Filipino housemaids from church and non-government organizations has empowered them to voice out complaints against employers. This turns off employers from hiring them.

Aquino said this has significantly lessened the load of the assistance to nationals program of the MECO as household help are the most vulnerable to abuse, with their undefined working hours and terms unlike factory workers who are covered by labor standards.

MECO has so far assisted 504 "illegals" of which 40 to 60 remain detained. Most of them have gone home. An OFW becomes illegal when he runs away and abandons his work which is in violation of his contract.

There are 70,537 OFWs in Taiwan, of whom 46,972 are in the manufacturing sector.

Of the total OFWs in Taiwan, 2,916 are considered undocumented or irregular.

Maids and caretakers receive a minimum of NT$15,840 a month compared to the NT$17,280 for those in manufacturing, agriculture, fishery, construction and nursing aide sectors. - Irma Isip

amigo32

December 15th, 2009, 11:47 AM

that's good news.
no to pinoy maids abroad.

jpdm

December 15th, 2009, 12:03 PM

Meco starts focus on high-value jobs in Taiwan

by Elaine R. Alanguilan
Manila Standard
Dec.15, 2009

TAIPEI—Manila Economic and Cultural Office is looking at higher value jobs in Taiwan as it continues to tap non-traditional but higher-paying sectors for Filipino workers.

Labor Attaché Reydeluz Conferido told Manila-based reporters here that the Philippines would now focus its efforts in training and retooling workers who used to be in the domestic services sector so they could move up the value chain to become nursing aides or caregivers.

“We are looking at an arrangement with Taiwan where more Filipino workers have access to higher-end sectors like engineering and banking,” said Conferido.

Conferido said while there were already a number of engineers working here in Taiwan, they still accounted for a small portion of the total labor deployment here.

He said the traditional markets for Filipino workers who wanted to provide higher-end engineering services was the Middle East, while Indonesia was also becoming an emerging market for banking services in the region.

“We want our workers to look beyond the traditional markets not only in terms of countries but also in terms of jobs. We want them to have access to higher-end opportunities,” said Conferido.

He said the Philippines wanted to be more selective on specific sectors like domestic services, the most prone and exposed to abusive employers.

“We are now more selective about the sectors we want our workers to go into. We are willing to let go of household services, where we are losing competitiveness, since this is the most vulnerable sector to abuse. From household services, we want our workers to move up the value chain to become nurses and caregivers,” said Conferido.

Carlo Aquino, Meco assistance to nationals, said there was no level playing field for Filipino workers here in Taiwan.

Kintoy

December 15th, 2009, 12:20 PM

that's good news.
no to pinoy maids abroad.

i agree

manila_eye

December 15th, 2009, 03:22 PM

that's good news.
no to pinoy maids abroad.

Dapat talaga graduate na tayo dyan. In Singapore dati puro chimay ang mga Pinoy ngayon mga professionals na. :)

ruralvillage

December 15th, 2009, 09:56 PM

Remittances total $14.3 billion in 10 months, up by 4.5% (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/234180/remittances-total-143-b-10-months-45)
By LEE C. CHIPONGIAN
December 15, 2009, 4:55pm
Manila Bulletin (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/234180/remittances-total-143-b-10-months-45)

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said remittances reached $14.32 billion in the first 10 months to October, up 4.5 percent year-on-year.

For the month of October alone, overseas Filipinos sent home $1.53 billion. It was the highest remittances in a single month, signaling the start of Holiday season fund transfers.

The BSP last December 2 signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with member banks of the Association of Bank Remittance Officers to utilize the BSP's real-time gross settlement system linking remittances of overseas workers to the beneficiaries' accounts in other banks for “faster and cheaper delivery of remittances to beneficiaries.”

The MoA also reduced the back-end processing fee from P100 to P550 per remittance transaction to P50 per remittance transaction, translating into lower overall remittance costs.
“These developments and initiatives are expected to further help promote a steady stream of foreign exchange inflows from overseas Filipinos' remittances,” said the central bank in a statement.

The BSP expects remittances to reach $17.1 billion for 2009.
According to BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., “the continued deployment of Filipino workers abroad, particularly skilled and higher-paid workers, has provided support to the steady flow of remittances over the ten-month period.”

Tetangco said remittances in October were “buoyed up by the seasonal pick-up in inflows during the fourth quarter to pay for semestral education expenses of overseas Filipinos families. In addition, higher transfers to families whose properties were damaged by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that hit the country in late September and early October contributed to the rise in remittances.

“The country's long-term deployment outlook has remained favorable in the Middle East countries, specifically in Saudi Arabia's construction and health sectors,” the central bank chief said.

BSP said the government through the Department of Labor and Employment also has measures to assist Filipinos based in Dubai in lieu of the financial difficulties in the area, which may result to loss of jobs to some.

lancetrn

December 16th, 2009, 03:22 AM

Number of jobless Pinoys increases to 7.1 percent - NSO

MANILA, Philippines - The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported yesterday that the number of jobless Filipinos increased to 7.1 percent in October from 6.8 percent last year.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), however, maintained that employment nationwide is improving despite the rise in the jobless rate.

Carmelita Ericta, NSO administrator, said results of the Labor Force Survey showed a growing number of unemployed as well as underemployed people.

There are an estimated 2.72 million unemployed workers in October 2009 while the number of underemployed persons – or those already employed but are looking for additional income – reached 6.9 million.

Ericta said the National Capital Region posted the highest unemployment rate at 11.8 percent, and most of the jobless people were male aged 15 to 24 years old.

Among the unemployed, high school graduates comprised more than one-third (34.7 percent), college undergraduates about one-fifth (21.7 percent), and college graduates, 18 percent.

“Underemployment rate was estimated at 19.4 percent, up from 17.5 percent last year and more than half or 59.4 percent of the total underemployed were reported as visibly underemployed or working less than 40 hours during the reference week,” Ericta added.

An NSO survey showed that the number declined in the proportion of employed persons from 93.2 percent in October 2008 to 92.9 percent in October 2009.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) posted the highest employment rate at 98.2 percent, followed closely by Cagayan Valley and Zamboanga Peninsula, both registering 97.2 percent. The NCR has the lowest at 88.2 percent.

But Labor Secretary Marianito Roque insisted that the employment situation has improved, considering the prevailing global financial crisis and other calamities that hit the country in the past months.

“We are actually doing better because the unemployment rate went down compared to the 7.6-percent in July. This means we are at the point of recovery from the financial crisis,” Roque explained.

Roque said the growth in the number of new entrants to the labor force as well as the twin typhoons that affected the country last September have to be factored into the survey.

“With the different crises that affected the country, the unemployment rate only increased by a little from last year and went down compared to the second quarter, so we should consider this as an improvement,” he pointed out.

The NSO data showed that there are approximately 38.2 million persons in the labor force for a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 64.0 percent as compared to last year’s LFPR of 63.7 percent.

Of the estimated 35.5 million employed persons in October 2009, the services sector was the largest employer, getting more than half (51.5 percent) of the total employed population.

The highest employed workers in the services sector were wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods (6.9 million or 19.4 percent of the total employed persons).

The agriculture sector was the second largest employer, accounting for 34 percent of the total employed. Only 14.5 percent of the total employed were in the industry sector.

A majority (53.6 percent) of the total employed population in October 2009 are wage and salary workers, most of them (39.7 percent) working for private establishments. Those working for the government and state-owned or controlled corporations accounted for only 8.1 percent.

Wage and salary workers accounted for 51.9 percent while own-account workers, including proprietors and self-employed workers, constituted 34.5 percent of the total employed, with self-employed workers having the larger share (30.5 percent).

Malacañang officials welcomed the latest unemployment figures and expressed hope that more workers would find employment as the global economy slowly recovers.

Presidential economic spokesperson Gary Olivar also said the Arroyo administration would continue implementing its emergency employment programs.

“The dip in unemployment is a welcome development and we hope will be harbinger of even more good news as the spreading of global recovery lifts more boats among our trading and investment partners,” Olivar said.

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos earlier said the government will continue its pump priming activities but on a reduced scale next year to ensure the country meets its three-year deficit schedule while protecting the economy as the global economic crisis has yet to fully abate.

Santos said the stimulus spending is meant to create more jobs through various government projects until such time the private sector can take up the slack in unemployment.

“The Philippines has taken a conscious decision to continue but at a reduced scale. Stimulus (spending) is still there but we are still worried about our fiscal stability,” he said.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=532979&publicationSubCategoryId=63

WawaY[625]

December 19th, 2009, 08:33 AM

Dapat talaga graduate na tayo dyan. In Singapore dati puro chimay ang mga Pinoy ngayon mga professionals na. :)

marami ding prosting pinay na pumupwesto sa labas ng Lucky Plaza :lol:

amigo32

December 20th, 2009, 01:58 AM

;48740111']marami ding prosting pinay na pumupwesto sa labas ng Lucky Plaza :lol:

:lol:
meron nga akong nakasabay na seaman sa PAL pauwi ng probinsya, nag kwentuhan kami, ayun sabi nya mga pinay nga daw sa singapore maraming prosti, tatabihan daw sila sa table, tapos pag hindi mo raw type, aalis yung babae, may papalit na namn, hanggang magka sundo na:D
sabi pa nya ang mahal pa nga raw, tinanong kung bakit, kasi daw may Singaporean ek-ek(paper) na raw kasi sila:D

WawaY[625]

December 20th, 2009, 05:27 AM

^^ lol sad but true..pero in fairness di rin naman pinoy ang mga prosti..meron ding thai, chinese etc hehe

sabi nung taxi driver mahal daw ang pinay kasi pumipili lang ng puti..yun din sabi nung barkada ko although meron sa labas ng Lucky Plaza na pumapatol kahit sa ordinaryong mangagawa hehe

good_samaritan

January 9th, 2010, 08:51 PM

:lol:
meron nga akong nakasabay na seaman sa PAL pauwi ng probinsya, nag kwentuhan kami, ayun sabi nya mga pinay nga daw sa singapore maraming prosti, tatabihan daw sila sa table, tapos pag hindi mo raw type, aalis yung babae, may papalit na namn, hanggang magka sundo na:D
sabi pa nya ang mahal pa nga raw, tinanong kung bakit, kasi daw may Singaporean ek-ek(paper) na raw kasi sila:D

may professional prosti na pala ngayon.. :lol:

good_samaritan

January 9th, 2010, 09:03 PM

Nowadays many Filipinos are computer literate and Internet service is available in all major cities and towns here in the Philippines. I think that this is a good idea. With our unemployment rate that is an all time high, Filipinos should start venturing their employment luck over the Internet. Thanks.... :ohno:

I agree with you.. There are lots of jobs that are not on newspapers but are found in lots of jobs sites in the internet like GoPinoy.com (http://www.gopinoy.com)

up_mc

January 11th, 2010, 01:53 AM

just wanna share, I'm currently working for a Swiss company based in Manila. Our company president is a Swiss National who once worked for UN. When asked about his prospects about the country, he says "The Philippines is like Italy. There was a time when Italians go out of their country to work and earn money outside their home country due to limited work available at home and then everyone started to go back to Italy and invest their hard-earned money at home and help propel Italy to its current stature".

I just hope he's not mistaken. Well, were a hopeful bunch of people di ba? I believe!

up_mc

January 11th, 2010, 02:02 AM

thats good news knowing na may world financial crisis pa last year... :)

Remittances total $14.3 billion in 10 months, up by 4.5% (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/234180/remittances-total-143-b-10-months-45)
By LEE C. CHIPONGIAN
December 15, 2009, 4:55pm
Manila Bulletin (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/234180/remittances-total-143-b-10-months-45)

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said remittances reached $14.32 billion in the first 10 months to October, up 4.5 percent year-on-year.

For the month of October alone, overseas Filipinos sent home $1.53 billion. It was the highest remittances in a single month, signaling the start of Holiday season fund transfers.

The BSP last December 2 signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with member banks of the Association of Bank Remittance Officers to utilize the BSP's real-time gross settlement system linking remittances of overseas workers to the beneficiaries' accounts in other banks for “faster and cheaper delivery of remittances to beneficiaries.”

The MoA also reduced the back-end processing fee from P100 to P550 per remittance transaction to P50 per remittance transaction, translating into lower overall remittance costs.
“These developments and initiatives are expected to further help promote a steady stream of foreign exchange inflows from overseas Filipinos' remittances,” said the central bank in a statement.

The BSP expects remittances to reach $17.1 billion for 2009.
According to BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., “the continued deployment of Filipino workers abroad, particularly skilled and higher-paid workers, has provided support to the steady flow of remittances over the ten-month period.”

Tetangco said remittances in October were “buoyed up by the seasonal pick-up in inflows during the fourth quarter to pay for semestral education expenses of overseas Filipinos families. In addition, higher transfers to families whose properties were damaged by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that hit the country in late September and early October contributed to the rise in remittances.

“The country's long-term deployment outlook has remained favorable in the Middle East countries, specifically in Saudi Arabia's construction and health sectors,” the central bank chief said.

BSP said the government through the Department of Labor and Employment also has measures to assist Filipinos based in Dubai in lieu of the financial difficulties in the area, which may result to loss of jobs to some.

Retro

January 11th, 2010, 10:11 AM

I think the best possible way to create more jobs. If we can duplicate at the local gov't. level in partnership with private sector (like SME) the incentive given by PEZA to big corporation's both local or international.

This is through some tax discount or tax holiday for those who want's to open up a business on that municipality. In return aspiring local entrepreneur would recruit local residence in that municipality. Thereby producing more jobs :cheers:

Ph Man

January 11th, 2010, 03:06 PM

Unfortunately, the focus of the government (through PEZA) is attacting foreign investment. Hence, tax holidays, lighter import duties and other provisions are only enjoyed by foreign businesses.

I agree they should be extended to the local entrepreneurs.

Re SMEs, how is the tax scheme imposed to them? And what are the criteria to qualify for the SME classification? My father is planning to put up a small business in our town. I'm just concerned about the future taxes.

Right now, even the smallest piece of riceland is taxed heavily. :cry:

lgseccionph

January 12th, 2010, 04:13 AM

Canada best place for expats, US 8th—survey
By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano
INQUIRER.net First Posted 10:27:00 01/12/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Canada is the best place for expatriates in terms of accommodation, a survey of the HSBC Bank International in 26 countries revealed.

Canada was also the expatriates’ second-best choice in terms of setting up utilities, making friends who are nationals of the host country, family life, and doing hobbies, according to the same second Expat Explorer Survey

Canada is a destination country of an estimated 462,935 Filipinos, including an overwhelming 410,626 Filipinos who are now permanent residents there, according to 2007 stock estimates from the Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

The same survey said Australia follows as second best, with Thailand, Singapore, Bahrain, South Africa, France, the United States, Spain, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the top ten.

The survey said it looked at 23 social and economic criteria showing where there is the best quality of life for expatriates.

HSBC defines an “expat” or “expatriate” as somebody “over the age of 18 years old and currently living away from their country of origin.”

The Expat Explorer’s Survey was conducted from February to April 2009 among 3,100 respondents, with a sample size of 30 or more from each of the 26 countries surveyed, the bank said.

The survey, however, did not indicate the nationalities of respondents, as well as their occupations in the host country and their immigration status.

Surprise result

The surprise result of the survey was the small island country of Bahrain, a nation with an over 727,000 in population with 44,703 Filipinos (including 40,818 temporary migrants or overseas workers).

Bahrain ranked first in four of the 23 criteria of the survey: organizing one’s healthcare, joining local community groups, working hours, and social life.

The United States, where there are an estimated 2.8 million Filipinos of which nearly 90 percent (or 2.5 million) are permanent residents, had an overall rank of eight. While it topped three criteria—learning the local language, clothing, and household goods, the US had its worst rankings in criteria such as “social life” (22nd) and “organizing one’s healthcare” (24th).

Australia, second over-all, was chosen by many expats surveyed as the best place for “organizing finances.”

Another Asia-Pacific country, Thailand, topped two indicators: “finding somewhere to live” and “making friends.”

A total of 250,347 Filipinos are recorded to work and live in Australia while Thailand hosts an estimated 20,780 Filipinos, with nearly half of that number (or 14,121) working on a temporary contract.

Expat Economics

Another segment of the survey, “Expat Economics,” puts the Russian Federation, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates among the top-ranked countries.

These countries host nearly two million Filipinos, mostly temporary migrants or overseas workers.

This segment studied four factors surrounding the economic conditions of expats: annual income in excess of $200,000; a monthly disposable income in excess of $3,000; an increase in savings while living/working abroad; and having at least two luxury items in the country they live in.

Saudi Arabia ranked first on “increased savings,” Bahrain topped in “luxuries,” Japan ranked first in “income,” while Qatar topped in “disposable income.”

The Expat Economics survey segment also showed that 68 percent of expats are saving and investing more since they moved away from their home country.

Some 63 percent of the respondents said the credit crunch resulting from the global economic crisis had changed their attitude to spending. Nearly 70 percent said they have been trying to save on a day-to-day basis, while some 60 percent have cut down on luxuries.

Remittances

According to the 2005 survey by the Asian Development Bank, Filipinos abroad remit home an average of $340 monthly to their families back home.

While the Philippines hosts expats, it was excluded in the survey. Still, except for Vietnam and Mexico, all the countries included were destinations for migrant Filipino workers. [inquirer.net (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100112-246891/Canada-best-place-for-expats-US-8thsurvey)]

RonnieR

January 15th, 2010, 05:35 AM

UK hospital to recruit more Pinoy nurses

by Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau | 01/15/2010 12:07 PM

HARLOW, Essex - Like Filipino nurses who leave the Philippines to find better job prospects elsewhere, UK’s home grown nurses are also leaving the country to seek opportunities abroad.

To replenish their workforce with only the best, some of UK’s National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are going further afield.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust confirms its recruitment in the Philippines.

“Here at Princess Alexandra, we want the best possible nursing staff that we can recruit. We can’t recruit everything we need from the locality or indeed from the UK. I’m quite excited about going to other parts of the world including the Philippines. Hopefully, lots of nurses will sign up and they will have a very warm welcome here when they arrive,” said the chairman of Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Gerald Coteman.

Pinoy nurses as valuable assets

It is not the first time the hospital has recruited Filipino nurses to join its work force, and it very pleased so far with the nurses that have joined its work pool, especially with the quality of patient care and work ethics Filipinos have brought with them.

Executive Director of Nursing/Patient Care Yvonne Blucher said the compassion of Filipino nurses in dealing with patients also sets a good example for their colleagues. She added that Filipino nurses at the hospital are "actually valuable assets to the organization."

“They are very thoughtful, considerate in patient care, they look at the holistic approach not just of the patients but also of the carers,” said Blucher.

“The NHS has very good experience in recruiting nurses in the past including those from the Philippines. We still have nurses here who were recruited some years ago, and that’s the case elsewhere in the NHS, so we are very pleased to be able to go back to the Philippines to see if we can get more nurses to come and work in our hospital,” said Coteman.

‘Every area would accommodate Filipino nurses’

As a growing organization, there are various opportunities in the hospital for Filipino nurses, such as vacancies in critical care, theatres, the general wards like emergency medicine, emergency trauma, surgery, and pediatrics, among others.

“Every area would actually accommodate Filipino nurses, every specialty, we could probably accommodate, currently.”

“But they have to be of a certain caliber, of a certain standard that actually fit in with our (organizational) values,” said Blucher.

Nelia Jalandoni applied for work at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in December. She is now taking the adaptation course in the hospital. She said all the processing fees, including visa application fee and airport tax, were covered by the agency.

“Masyadong mabilis, actually. Nag-apply ako sa kanila, online lang. Pinadala ko yung curriculum vitae ko, right there and then tumawag sila sa akin, nag schedule ng interview. All it took was just 2 weeks, actually,” said Jalandoni.

Jalandoni is also happy with the continuous support she’s getting both from the hospital and the agency that facilitated her application.

100 nurses needed

Jai-kin Resource has inked the contract to provide 100 nurses to the hospital. But its Operation Manager, Nancy Cunniff is apprehensive that she might not be able to deliver the number on the agreed dates. She said recent applicants in the Philippines are not meeting some of the most basic requirements of the NHS Trust. Applicants are falling short of the mandatory IELTS score, which is a score of not lower than 7 for all the areas in the test for international English language proficiency.

“Ang major na problem nila ay yung pagpasa nila ng IELTS. They should have 7 score in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and once they are qualified, they can apply for NMC kasi yan ang number one requirement,” said Cunniff.

Cunniff clarified that the average score of band 7 for all the areas will not suffice.

Apart from the IELTS, a minimum of 2 years clinical experience in a hospital setting, medical and NBI clearance are also required. If applicants have met these requirements, Jai-kin will help them apply for their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) qualification in the UK.

She is looking at bringing the successful applicants to the UK in 3 installments: by the end of February, last week of April and mid July.

Interviews set for February

Louise Barnes, who is the head of Elderly Care and June Barnard, Matron of the hospital are flying to the Philippines to lead the screening process.

They said interested applicants need to sell themselves to compete for the vacancies.

“I think it’s important that they are sure with their communication skills. Communication is very important in the way that they are dealing with the public, with the family especially in the hospital environment when people are suffering from stress, etc. so it’s very important that people’s communication skills are very good,” said Barnard.

“They should have a degree of self-confidence because obviously it’s going to be daunting coming across the UK and working in a new environment,” said Barnes.

They are a little bit too shy. They have the clinical knowledge but too shy in challenging us, the medical team,” she added.

The hospital has done it in the past and it is doing it again. Its recruitment of foreign nurses, which aims to diversify its workforce and cut the shortage of staff means opportunities for work in the UK for Pinoy nurses.

But the chairman said what is imminent is not just employment for Filipino nurses but a chance to grow both personally and professionally in a culturally-diverse working environment.

“It’s a partnership. It’s not just telling our staff what they need to do to develop. It’s also asking them how they want to develop, where they see themselves in 3, in 5 year’s time. We can have that discussion and we can decide and we can support their aspiration in terms of development,” said Coteman.
as of 01/15/2010 12:07 PM

ruralvillage

January 18th, 2010, 01:32 AM

The Philippines’ ‘OFW advantage’ (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/20986-the-philippines-ofw-advantage.html)
Business Mirror (http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/20986-the-philippines-ofw-advantage.html)
Written by Manny Villar / The Entrepreneur
Sunday, 17 January 2010 20:15

IN this second part of a “look-back” at the economy, I pay tribute to our modern heroes, the overseas Filipino workers (OFW). They have once again responded to the silent distress call of the economy as it teetered into recession last year.

I believe that our countrymen, who continue to endure separation from their families to eke out a living abroad, are a big factor behind our success in avoiding the recession that hit richer countries and bigger economies in 2009.

The estimated 1-percent growth in terms of gross domestic product for 2009 is nothing to crow about, but the figure would have been negative if it were not for those 10 million OFWs who continue to send precious foreign exchange home.

I call this our “OFW advantage,” something that other labor-exporting countries cannot claim. This is the continued deployment of Filipino workers last year, defying predictions by economists and multilateral agencies that demand for imported labor would decline because of the global economic slump.

As a result, remittances from overseas Filipino workers increased by 6.7 percent to $1.53 billion in October 2009, the highest monthly remittance level recorded so far. It also brought the country’s total remittance inflows to $14.3 billion for the first 10 months of the year, up 4.5 percent from a year ago.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) estimates remittances for the whole of 2009 at $17.1 billion, up 4 percent from $16.4 billion in 2008. For 2010 the BSP expects remittances to grow 6 percent to breach the $18-billion mark.

On the other hand, foreign direct investment inflows increased by 17.9 percent to $1.33 billion in the first 10 months of 2009, from $1.126 billion during the same period in 2008.

In the meantime, exports of Philippine goods dropped by 24.6 percent to $35 billion (the actual inflow will be much less if the value of the imported components of export goods is deducted) during January to November 2009, from $46.2 billion for the same period in 2008.

Given these developments, it is reasonable to say that OFW remittances contributed significantly in making the Philippine peso the second less volatile currency among 13 selected currencies. Volatility is a measure of the extent of fluctuation of a currency.

To all exporters and importers, the less volatility, the better. That’s because wide fluctuations in exchange rates make it difficult for them to plan their operational budgets. And their income, in peso terms, depends on the exchange rate.

According to the Bangko Sentral, the volatility of the peso stood at 1.51 percent in 2009, the second least volatile after the 0.08 percent of the Chinese yuan.

BSP data show the volatility of other currencies in 2009 as follows: Japanese yen, 3.8 percent; Thailand baht, 2.49 percent; euro, 5.16 percent; Indonesian rupiah, 8.17 percent; Korean won, 7.81 percent; Singapore dollar, 3.23 percent; Taiwan dollar, 2.19 percent; British pound, 5.96 percent; Australian dollar, 11.89 percent; Malaysian ringgit, 2.59 percent; New Zealand dollar, 12.18 percent.

OFW remittances provide the funds to service our foreign currency-denominated debt, keeping our balance of payments in surplus. Remittances fuel consumption, which has been driving economic growth in the retail and services sectors and, together with the business-process outsourcing industry, keeping the real-estate industry bullish.

This is significant. As I mentioned in a previous column, the government was not able to pump-prime the economy as much as it should have done because of poor revenue collection.

Even the domestic automotive industry attributes its unexpected 6.4-percent increase in sales to 132,444 units last year to OFW remittances. The industry is also confident that, because of the continuing inflow of remittances, automotive sales will grow by at least 4 percent to reach 138,000 units this year, another record-high.

Again, this is significant given the continuing slump in the global automotive markets.

What happened last year, and what would have happened were it not for overseas Filipino workers, give us a better appreciation of our OFW advantage. We saw that it sustained the economy during the crisis.

I try to show my appreciation by helping OFWs who suffer abuse, one of the risks of working abroad, and those who want to start a new life home. But I wish the government will do more to protect them where they work and live, help them when they get in trouble, and support them when they finally come home to begin a new livelihood.

You may send your comments/feedback to mbvillar_comments@yahoo.com.

RonnieR

January 22nd, 2010, 04:59 AM

Filipino seamen learn to fight pirates

Alastair McIndoe
The Straits Times
Publication Date: 22-01-2010

Captain Wilfredo Iligan, a seafarer for 36 years, is going back to the classroom - to learn anti-piracy and hostage survival techniques to prepare him for his next voyage through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden.

Under a Philippine government order, all Filipino seafarers - who comprise about a third of the world's one million merchant mariners - must go through anti-piracy training from next month before going out to sea.

"There was a clamour from seafarer groups and the manning sector to address the piracy situation," said Philippine Overseas Employment Administration deputy administrator Hans Cacdac. "This is not just about protecting our seafarers, but also the Philippines finding its place in the international anti-piracy effort."

The country is not part of a coalition of navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. "But at least we can ensure that our seafarers are prepared so they can protect themselves and their vessels," said Cacdac.

Somali pirates stepped up attacks on merchant shipping last year. International Maritime Bureau data showed that 217 ships were involved in piracy incidents - with 867 crew members taken hostage in 47 hijackings - compared with 111 incidents in 2008.

Graduates from training colleges and experienced seafarers alike must undergo the anti-piracy training. Maritime recruitment agencies are responsible for holding the courses, and most are expected to use material drawn up by an industry association using international guidelines.

Crewing company Marlow Navigation began its anti-piracy training in the Philippines last July. It covers readying a ship's anti-piracy defences, and instructions on how to react to an attack and survive being taken hostage, said training director Mona Intong.

About 45 per cent of the Cyprus-based firm's 11,500 employees are Filipinos. In 2008, two vessels crewed by its personnel were hijacked by Somali pirates; there were no incidents last year.

An International Recommended Transit Corridor was set up last February to protect ships travelling through the Gulf of Aden. In this area, navies from the European Union, China, Russia, India and other nations escort ships and respond to distress calls from vessels under attack.

There have been at least two attacks there since the start of the year. Last Sunday, pirates armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers on a high-powered skiff fired at an oil tanker.

It took evasive action and sent out a distress call. The pirates aborted the attack after sighting a military helicopter scrambled from a coalition warship.

About 470 Filipino mariners have reportedly been kidnapped by Somali pirates since 2006, held hostage on their vessels - sometimes for months - until the ships' owners paid hefty ransoms to secure the release of the crew and cargo. Fifty-seven Filipinos are currently being held in captivity.

At Marlow Navigation's modern training facility in Manila, Captain Jess Pascual tells his class of 30, all officers, to stay calm if taken hostage.

"Survivors (of hijackings) say the pirates are friendly if you don't intimidate them, so be careful. Don't be a dead hero and don't interfere with their business."

Merchant ships prepare for the gauntlet of the Gulf of Aden by using defence and deception tactics to repel and evade pirate attacks - like razor wire, high-pressure fire hoses and dummy crew members positioned to resemble lookouts. Crazy fenders - logs trawled in the water from ropes to stop pirate speedboats pulling alongside - made an appearance last year.

Capt Iligan has been through five piracy scares - the last in September, when his 3,000-ton bulk carrier was shadowed by pirates off Yemen's Sukutra Island.

"They followed us for 45 minutes in what looked like a fishing trawler, and then gave up. We were sitting ducks," said the father of three teenage sons.

The veteran mariner has his own ideas about making a vessel pirate-resistant. "Israeli and Russian ships have zero hijackings because they have armed men aboard," he said approvingly.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?id=9722&sec=1

juniordiscovery

January 25th, 2010, 02:04 AM

RonnieR

January 25th, 2010, 05:38 AM

Japan rejects plan to make exam easier for overseas nurses

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201001/2800615.htm?desktop
Last Updated: 4 hours 15 minutes ago

The Japanese health ministry has rejected a plan to make it easier for Indonesian and Filipino nurses to qualify for work in Japan.

A 2008 Economic Partnership Agreement allows a number of Indonesian and Filipino nurses and caregivers to train and work in Japan.

But the compulsory national exam and the level of language the overseas workers must pass is for most too difficult.

No Indonesian nurses passed the 2009 exam.

Nurse trainer, Healthy Seventin says Indonesian nurses face many obstables.

"In Japan and Indonesia, it's different. The equipment [is] so difficult. And then about the examination - so difficult."

Ms Seventina's Indonesian trainees study four to six hours a day for six months at home, and then another six months in Japan just to qualify for the training. They then have three chances to pass the national licence exam.

She says her students also face language barriers, with exams being conducted in Japanese.

"So difficult because there is hiragana, katakana, and kanji - kanji's so very difficult"

At a meeting earlier this month in Tokyo, the Japanese Foreign Minister assured his Indonesian and Philippines counterparts that his government would consider addressing the exam's language problem.

But Dr Yuko Hirano, a sociologist at Kyushu university, says it's unlikely to happen.

"The latest news I heard was the Ministry of Health and Welfare say they've rejected making the exam easier," she said.

Language concerns

The Japanese Nursing Association (JNA) has also expressed concerns about making the exam easier, especially when it comes to kanji, which consists of tens of thousands of Chinese characters.

In an email to Radio Australia, JNA's executive director, Shinobu Ogawa, says no nurse can do without kanji in a healthcare setting in Japan.

He says, for example, a kanji character for 'right' is very similar to the one for 'left'. Mr Ogawa says if a nurse confuses them, a tragic accident may occur.

Mr Ogawa also says a dependence on anything from overseas is risky and therefore a policy seeking foreign healthcare providers will never be supported by the Japanese people.

Dr Yuko Hirano says the JNA attitude reflects wider community values, which makes the obstacles for the Indonesian and Filipino workers even higher.

"Since the [agreement] started, huge argument's been going on here."

"Many of those people are saying it's too early for the Japanese society to accommodate those foreigners because we have a still strong stereotype against those foreign workers in Japan," she said.

"[Foreign workers] are easily connected to the idea that if you introduce the foreign labour to the health sector, then the health sector, or health-related labour will be spoiled."

Long run

Dr Hirano says while the nurses and caregivers are struggling to make the grade, a lower standard of national exam would put them at a greater disadvantage in the long run.

"If you offer examination in English and even if you pass it, you will be [considered] by Japanese people "you cannot pass the Japanese language, you passed the English, so you're the second level of nurse."

With similar agreements expected to be signed by Japan with Thailand and India soon, and Nepal also hopeful of one, Japan's strict policy could be set to cause even greater problems.

anone

January 26th, 2010, 07:55 AM

Warning sa mga "Bakasyonistang OFWs, Balikbayan at sa lahat nating kamag-anak sa Pilipinas...

MAG-INGAT KAYO sa Metro Manila at sa ibang lugar sa Pilipinas
As received, I'd like to share this very important warning message for the hardworking fellow kababayans abroad who are going on vacation to the Philippines ....
Mahalagang paala-ala sa ating mga kababayan na nagsisikap na makapagpundar ng salapi para sa kanilang pamilya.
Narito ang isa sa mga bagong karumaldumal na gawain ng mga bayarin na alagad ng batas para sila ay magkamal ng salapi sa masamang paraan.
Kung kayo ay kumakain sa anumang Food Court , restaurant o fastfood ay mag-iingat kayo sa ganitong scenario... habang kayo ay kumakain, may pwe-pwesto sa tapat ng lamesa nyo na isang tao (babae o lalaki) at ito
ay magkukunwaring kakain din, kalimitan ang suot ay parang balikbayan din. Gagamitin niya and kanyang cellphone at malakas na mag sasalita
para makuha ang atensyon mo.
Bigla itong tatayo at a-akto na nagmamadali. Iiwanan niya sa table ang susi ng kotse nya. Dito ay dapat kang mag-isip ng mabuti dahil sa oras na kunin mo ang susi at ihabol sa labas ng fastfood o restaurant para iabot sa umalis na customer ay pagdating sa labas ay hindi mo na
makikita ang taong ito. Pag-balik mo sa loob ng fastfood or
restaurant, biglang may lalapit sayo na magpapakilalang pulis at sasabihin sayo na ikaw ay suspect sa carnapping, at bubulungan ka na huwag mag-ingay at kailangang sumama sa labas dahil nandoon ang complainant, at may tatayo pa na apat na tao sa loob ng fastfood o restaurant at magpapakilalang mga intel agent. Dito ay malilito ka na
at mapipilitan kang sumama sa labas.
ITO AY ISANG MALINAW NA FRAME-UP!
Kapag kayo ay nasa labas na, dito na magaganap ang pagpilit sayo na sumakay sa kotse nila upang ikaw daw dalhin sa presinto subalit dadalhin ka nila sa lugar na halos walang tao at doon ka tatakutin na ipa-pa-media at sasampahan ng kaso.
Ito na ang simula ng pag-alok nila sa iyo ng ibang option para hindi ka makasuhan. Ito ay ang pagbibigay mo sa kanila ng pera, una ay hihingan ka nila ng P500,000.00 hanggang sa makipag ne- gosiate ka sa kanila.
KAYA PO MGA KASAMANG MGA OFW, MAG-INGAT PO KAYO SA PAGMAMAGANDANG LOOB
KAPAG NASA PILIPINAS.
IWASAN PO NINYONG DAMPUTIN ANG ANO MANG BAGAY NA MAIIWAN NG MGA KUSTOMER NA AGAW-PANSIN.
IPAALAM PO NATIN ITO SA LAHAT NG ATING KASAMANG OFW AT MAGING SA MGA
KAMAG-ANAK NATIN NA NASA PILIPINAS.
HINDI PO TAYO NAMUMULOT NG SALAPI PARA NAKAWIN SA ATIN NG MGA WALANG PUSONG NAGPAPAKILALANG ALAGAD NG BATAS ANG SALAPING ATING PINAGHIRAPAN, PATI PO ANG MAGANDANG PANGALAN NATIN AY KANILANG
SISIRAIN.
Ito po ay nangyayari sa lugar ng Bulacan, Laguna, Antipolo, Bataan , at
Quezon City ..

kiretoce

January 30th, 2010, 08:18 AM

Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture

4cG-0yKtiEY

dinabaw

January 30th, 2010, 11:18 AM

I thought I'd address this issue although the poster is now banned. Having lived in enough years in the Philippines and most of my life outside the country, I would like to point out 2 things, the cultural and the political.

1. The Philippines descended from one group of Austronesians (same as the aborigines of Taiwan) who settled in northern Philippines. (You can just google Austronesians). That one group became the ancestors of the Filipinos, Malays, Polynesians all the way to Madagascar to Easter Island, Hawaii to New Zealand.

These Austronesians (or early Filipinos) developed into a very maritime culture, and some call their migrations, the Austronesian express. This started about 3,000 years ago, and the design of the banca (parau or balanghay) is still the same original design. They first settled the Philippines, and when times got tougher they just moved on, and on, and on. There were no supercats or airlines then, but they had their bancas, balanghays and paraos. The smallest unit of settlement in the Philippines is called "baranggay" from the word balanghay (boat). The people of Y'ami island (Taiwan, just north of Batanes) called themselves, Tao or Tawu (meaning man, people.)

These ancient Filipinos also traded heavily with their neighbours, including China, Japan, and so did other Malays. We belong to a traveling people, not quite as nomadic as the gypsies because whereever they ended up, they settled there. During the Spanish times, the sailors of the galleon trade were primarily Filipinos. The oldest Filipino settlement in the US is in Louisiana, by Filipino shipwrecked sailors. In Mexico, outside of Acapulco, there were Filipino settlers also descended from Filipino sailors. A couple of them became governors or officials of the state of Guerrerro.

There were also many Filipinos who worked in the sugarcane industry of Hawaii and the farms of California at the turn of the last century. Many also joined the US Navy, became the cooks and in charge of the galley on many US warships. There were also highly skilled Filipinos who worked for US companies like Aramco. Other professionals trooped to the US to get higher education or worked in specialized fields, like the health care industry. Filipinos like to travel, even in these times, Cebu Pacific airlines are packed with Filipinos flying to places in Asia (where they don't need visa entry) to see places. Long weekends (some call holiday economics) is proof that people just don't stay and sit at home. They're all over the country.

2. Political - The big exodus occurred during the dictatorship of Marcos. In the beginning, it was the professionals, middle class, skilled people who left the country because it was politically unstable. Countries like Canada, Australia where there were no traditional Filipino immigrants saw a buildup of applications at their embassies in the early 70's. Many of these immigrants (like mine) left lock, stock and barrel with the whole family entourage.

The next major push was the overseas contract workers. In the mid 1970's Marcos set up the POEA, which exported Filipino laborers to countries in the middle east. There were more sinister motives behind this but this policiy has been carried on successive governments.

In any case, when people ask me the same question, I just tell them it's cultural (in our heritage) and sometimes historically motivated. Filipinos are very easy to adapt, to adjust, and to blend in with other cultures. We're not monolithic people. We're not even "pure" as every Filipino is a mix of the Austronesian, some Asian, some Western. It shouldn't be taken as something negative, just the way Filipinos are.

i disagree with the former, filipinos are close-knit family , lack of financial oppurutity which are also evident in 3rd world countries.

sandwindstars

January 30th, 2010, 03:37 PM

i disagree with the former, filipinos are close-knit family , lack of financial oppurutity which are also evident in 3rd world countries.

Close knit family? that may well be very true in rural areas, less "sophisticated" communities, previous generations. but presently, it has been eroded esp in urban, semi urban areas. sometimes i think the closeness is based on what they will get financially from their relatives. i have seen that, known OFW's, balikbayans (including me) complaining who have been treated like walking banks by their relations. suddenly, we find so many relatives. sorry to put some holes on that theory. but yes, i'd much rather be in a rural area where close social, family ties exist.

financial opportunity? i missed to mention that. yes, original, ancient Filipinos moved when there is social, political, and financial pressures in their societies. i think the more we learn about our roots, who we are as a people, then we can address issues better.

i think Filipinos have a natural inclination to travel because of "cultural" genes, that we did not lose. i encourage young Filipinos to travel, to work a bit here and there, see and experience the world because it only makes us richer (not necessarily financially, but in spirit) as a nation and as a people. the sad thing is that the people who really need financial opportunity cannot afford or do not have access to go overseas to work. it costs money to be an OFW.

RonnieR

January 31st, 2010, 05:01 AM

anone

January 31st, 2010, 06:36 AM

^^^since 1993 pa ako dito sa Saudi at hanggang ngayon ay wala pa naman ganyang nangyari sa akin at mukhang malabong mangyari yan.

anone

January 31st, 2010, 06:38 AM

Filipinas on death row pardoned, sent home
Ronaldo Z. Concha | Arab News
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=132153&d=31&m=1&y=2010

JEDDAH: Two Filipino women who were facing the death for killing a pregnant mother here in 2001 were sent home on Thursday, months after they were granted a royal pardon.

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said Idan Tejano and Noraisa Talib Mabanding were taken to King Abdulaziz International Airport on Thursday straight from the Briman Prison where they had been locked up for over eight years. Philippine Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor accompanied the two women on their way to board a Qatar Airways flight, Consul General Ezzedin Tago said on Friday.

Tejano is from Batangas province near Manila and Sakilan is from the southern island of Jolo, Sulu province. The Jeddah General Court sentenced Tejano and Sakilan to death after being found guilty of homicide and robbery in connection with the death of the pregnant wife of Tejano’s employer on May 21, 2001.

Records of the case showed that Tejano brought her friend Sakilan into her employer’s apartment, killed the pregnant victim and fled with her jewelry. The duo then sought refuge at the shelter for distressed Filipino workers inside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, claiming to be victims of abusive employers.

When the employer came home, he found his wife, an Egyptian, lying dead in a pool of blood. The woman’s eight-month old fetus was also dead.

Tejano caught the curiosity of everyone in the shelter when she became very generous and started giving away some of her loot, said consulate staff, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Police soon learned that the suspects were inside the shelter and when they came to search and arrest them they found more jewelry in Tejano’s luggage.

In May 2004, the Supreme Judicial Council upheld the death sentence, which prompted Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to make appeals on behalf of the accused. She sent the first of several appeals to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on July 23, 2005, requesting clemency for the two Filipino women.

According to Tago, a second letter from President Arroyo to King Abdullah was hand-delivered by DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis to the director general of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sequis said that after reconciliation talks the murdered woman’s family agreed to accept an unreported sum of money in blood money, which removed the death penalty.

“In April 2008, the heirs represented by the victim’s husband affirmed in court their forgiveness and declared that they do not object to release of the accused from jail. After the private rights aspect was resolved, the case went back to court for the decision on the public rights,” said Tago.

A press statement of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the diyah (blood money) was paid to the heirs of the victim, but no amount was mentioned.

Tago also refused to divulge any amount, but Arab News learned from a former embassy personnel that the Philippine government shelled out SR4 million riyals ($1,066,779), down from the original demand of SR6 million ($1.6 million).

With the private rights resolved, the death penalty was removed. At that point the two women still faced the public-right of serving 12 years and receiving 1,200 lashes for the violations of robbery with violence and other related crimes.

Arroyo sent a total of four appeal letters to King Abdullah to request clemency and immediate repatriation of the two women considering that they had already served over seven years.

On Jan. 13, the king signed the pardon of the two women, absolving them of the remaining time to their prison terms.

RonnieR

January 31st, 2010, 01:12 PM

^^^since 1993 pa ako dito sa Saudi at hanggang ngayon ay wala pa naman ganyang nangyari sa akin at mukhang malabong mangyari yan.

That's good to know.

RonnieR

February 4th, 2010, 08:18 AM

Philippine Bans Work Permit For Women Seeking To Work At Bars In Korea

SEOUL, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- The Philippine government has stopped giving work permits to its women seeking to work at bars and clubs near U.S. bases in South Korea amid concern they often fall victim to prostitution.

Citing the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for U.S. forces overseas, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the government in Manila has decided to reject requests from recruiters seeking authorisation of Filipino women to work at the bars prevalent near U.S. military bases in Songtan, Dongducheon, Osan, Pyeongtaek and elsewhere.

These Filipino bar workers are hired to serve U.S. servicemembers and talk them into buying them expensive drinks in exchange for their continued company and conversation.

Those who failed to meet their drink-sale quotas are often the subject of "bar fines", as in these women must sell sex to customers to make up the shortfall.

After securing "entertainer visas" from South Korea, these women must get their proposed employment contracts approved by the Philippines government.

Many of these women actually come to Korea believing that they are being hired to sing and dance, rather than sell drinks, let alone sex, to U.S. servicemembers, according to the Philippine Embassy.

While the number of Filipino bar workers has dropped by 40 percent after the Philippines crackdown, women from Russia and other countries are quickly replacing them, according to My Sister's Place, a non-profit organization working to help juicy bar employees forced into prostitution.

On another side, U.S. military officials have been moving to discourage human trafficking and prostitution at base-area establishments, placing any institution found engaging in prostitution off limits, Yonhap said.

Osan Air Base officials recently declared four bars near the base off limits, the newest in about 50 base-area bars that have been categorised as illicit.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=473312

kiretoce

February 6th, 2010, 01:55 AM

The Invisible Majority – Female Migrant Workers (http://www.migrant-rights.org/2010/02/03/the-invisible-majority-female-migrant-workers/)

One of the last (two) countries where divorce is illegal and where the ruling Catholic elite maintains a staunch anti-reproductive rights stance, the island nation of the Philippines boasts a staggering population of 90 million people and (exponentially) counting. To better appreciate this figure, consider that the Philippines has nearly one third of the US population living in an area slightly bigger than Arizona.

According to the latest statistics compiled by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (part of the Philippine Dept. of Labor and Employment), the agency responsible for facilitating the government’s aggressive export labor policy, ten percent of the Philippine population works abroad.

A fresh batch of 1.3 million citizens leave every year for employment overseas and a daily average of 3,377 workers pass through the country’s international airports to work abroad. Of the Filipino migrant workers who left in 2008, 51.1% were headed for the Middle East and there are 2.3 million Filipino migrant workers in the region (over 1 million in Saudi Arabia alone).

As the world’s largest exporter of women- 70% of migrant workers from the Philippines are women- the Philippines holds considerable bragging rights to the fact that women comprise the majority of the world’s migrant workers (this according to an alphabet soup of UN agencies, grassroots organizations and state labor departments).

To be sure, male and female migrant workers are often subject to similar abuse and exploitation as economically displaced persons whose labor is considered disposable and replenishable; however, unlike their male counterparts, female migrant workers experience an entirely unique set of issues and are most vulnerable to abuses as a sex-linked class. Female migrants workers are more likely to find themselves isolated and ensconced within their employers’ homes because they make up the majority of household service workers in the Middle East – official figures indicate that 79% of household service workers and 85% of non-professional nurse caretakers deployed to the Middle East in 2008 from the Philippines were women – and housework is considered unalterably private.

When female domestic workers ready themselves for the daily treadmill of barbarously petty housework activities (there is no clear delineation of tasks), they live with the knowledge that rape and murder are occupational hazards. Indeed, female returnees recount stories of wearing three or four pairs of underwear at night and barricading themselves in their quarters with chairs jammed beneath their doorknobs.

Rape is not sex in the sense that a woman is attractive and a man can’t resist her. Elderly women and babies are raped. It’s about being a convenient victim and dominance. The domestic worker is the highest manifestation of “convenience”.

As activist Angela Davis wrote in describing the collective rape of Black women by their white American slavemasters: “Having already established their economic dominance over their female subordinates, employers may attempt to assert this authority in sexual terms”, especially in environments where employers are immune to prosecution and their authority unchallenged. There are no accurate figures on the rape of migrant workers but it is very common.

This culture of impunity importunes abusive employers to continue to mistreatment their domestic workers: some women are flogged, cut, shaved bald, and even beaten to death as punishment. Cases of abuse filed to the OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Association) rank in the hundreds of thousands each year yet the organization has been remiss in its handling of migrant workers’ concerns, refusing to subsidize the shipment of migrants’ murdered bodies home, ricocheting rape victims between one indifferent government agency to another, and acting complicit in the deliberate dissolution of the family as women are forced to raise other children and service other needs at the expense of their own (Awfully reminiscent of the state-implemented separation of Black women and their families in apartheid South Africa, no?).

The desperate situation is reflected in the high death toll and high rate of suicide among female migrant workers. In 2008 a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch reported, “Domestic workers are dying in Lebanon at a rate of more than one per week. All those involved – from the Lebanese authorities, to the workers’ embassies, to the employment agencies, to the employers – need to ask themselves what is driving these women to kill themselves or risk their lives trying to escape from high buildings.”

Despite all good intentions, organizations advocating migrant rights often share a common thread with the OWWA in that they, consciously or subconsciously, ask women to good-naturedly take the backseat to and “not inject gender into” a purportedly genderless overarching agenda. However, the lived reality, as discussed, is not gender neutral. Women’s rights are not the parenthetical, Other issue to be handled by a special caucus, but are an integral part of human rights.

To break women’s invisibility, we have to first realize that women are not being listened to or seen (Note: we are confronted only by photos of male migrant workers on the homepage of this website). We have to take some real, not rhetorical, actions in advocating the fact that the overwhelming majority (both statistically and anecdotally) of the most egregious abuses are perpetrated against female migrant workers. Let us take power out of its hiding place while bringing women’s voices and leadership to the forefront of the struggle against oppression.

One would be hard-pressed to find a Filipino who does not know of or (surprisingly often) in the personal, at least one Filipina co-worker, neighbor, relative, friend or partner who has been raped while working in the Middle East. I can count three whom I know personally: a family friend (impregnated by her rapist-employer while working as a domestic in Riyadh), a former colleague and telecommunications engineer (gang raped while working for a Nokia-Siemens subsidiary in Saudi Arabia) and Grace Vasquez.

This is Grace’s story, told in her own words.

“Sometime in April 2005, my father suffered a second stroke and was unable to work since then. I wanted to be able to work in Oman in order to care and provide for my parents as I did not want them to return to the Philippines. This prompted me to seek for any job placement for Oman. Sometime in May 2005, I read Jinhel International Recruitment Agency’s (hereinafter, “Jinhel”) Manila Bulletin advertisement for job placements in countries in the Middle East. I immediately placed a call in the telephone number contained in the ad.

After one week, I went to Jinhel’s office and paid P3,000.00 for my medical exam. I was assured of a job placement in Qatar so I decided to resign from my work as Guidance Counselor in Systems Plus Computer College in Caloocan City. I went L-R Medical & X-ray Clinic. I paid P2,730.00. Then Jinhel called in March 2006. I was told to prepare as I was sure to be sent for work in Qatar. I paid Jinhel Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) to Haja Fatima as payment, she said, for her services.

Jinhel and I agreed on the following terms of my employment in Qatar: monthly salary of QD700; work is Executive Secretary; the first two months’ salary will go to Jinhel as it’s commission.

At the airport, inside the immigration area, we were asked to pay P1,500.00 each, unreceipted. We were previously advised by Nelia to prepare the said amount. One of the Immigration Staff said “arbor ko na silang tatlo” (Hand those three over to me) because we didn’t have proper documents.

I arrived in Qatar on June 8, 2006. At the airport, I was met by Faruq, a Pakistani National who introduced himself to be from Al Waleed Agency – Jinhel’s Qatari counterpart agency. Faruq asked me to sign a contract with the following terms: monthly salary of QR600; work is to take care of a five-year-old child all day long with no day-off. I can’t do anything just to accept the contract.

Mr. Faruq brought me to my employer, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Jumiah (hereinafter, “Dr. Abdul Aziz”). I came to know that Dr. Abdul Aziz is a Saudi National and a surgeon at the Al-Ramelah Hamad Hospital. His wife, Dina, was then pregnant and they had a five-year-old son.

I worked from 5:00 in the morning until about 1:00 or 2:00 the next morning as I was not allowed to sleep while my employers’ child was up. And since the child was asleep most of the time during the day, he usually went to bed past midnight.

Sometime in June (after about 2 week-stay in Qatar), I called the Philippine Embassy and I was able to talk to one Mr. Jack. I told him about my situation but, in return, he coldly told me: ”Hindi pa naman grabe ang nangyayari sa yo. Tapusin mo na yang 2 years mo.” (What’s happening to you isn’t even that bad. Just finish your two years.) He also gave me Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) telephone number.

In the last week of June, I called OWWA and talked to one Mr. Sam to whom I repeated my story. He told me: “Tumakas ka na kung ayaw mo na. Lumabas ka at sumakay sa taxi.” *Escape if you’ve had enough. Walk out and get in a taxi.)

Madam Dina brought me with her to her hometown Syria. Where I cleaned all the house of her parents and brother’s house. I slept past 3 am and woke up at 6 am also.

We came back to Qatar in September.

On 14 September 2006, I was at the kitchen while Madam Dina was upstairs taking a bath, when Dr. Abdul Aziz arrived from the office. He suddenly embraced me and touched my breasts. I pushed him and told him that I would report to his wife. He just gave me a devil’s grin. When Madam Dina came down, I told her about what her husband did to me. But Madam Dina slapped me and blamed me for what had happened. And she shaved my head.

On the same day of September 14, 2006, Dr. Abdul Aziz asked for the key in my room. He ordered me not to lock my room from then on. I became so scared that I started to use the table in my room to block the door. I also kept a knife in my room.

On the third week of September, I again called OWWA. I told them about the harassment but I was given the same advice – to run away! I again requested that I be fetched or rescued but I was given the same answer – that OWWA does not rescue workers.

At around midnight on November 2, 2006, Madam Dina gave birth. He was brought to the hospital by Dr. Abdul Aziz. At about past 4:00 in the morning of November 3, 2006, I heard Dr. Abdul Aziz’s car arrive. I was then taking a shower. I got out of the bathroom. I just finished putting on my uniform when Dr. Abdul Aziz banged the door in my room. I was so shocked. Then Dr. Abdul Aziz immediately twisted my hands, laid me on the bed and tied my two hands on the bed using some cloth. He forcibly tore my clothes then raped me.

I pleaded and begged him not to do it. It hurt. After he raped me, he untied me. Then I saw that I was bleeding. I was so weak and almost went blank. I thought of the knife but I could not think or move. After what he did, I even saw him pray the Muslim prayer. Then I heard his car leave. I checked if he left any door unlocked. All doors/gates were locked. I was still bleeding.

At about 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, I saw the window in my comfort room. I jumped out of that window. Luckily, Lorna (a fellow domestic worker) was then working in our neighbor’s garden. She told me to look for chairs I can step on. As I was jumping to our neighbor’s garden, Lorna saw that I was bleeding. Lorna let me out of her employer’s yard through their gate. But there were guards and so Lorna hid me behind a tree. We had to wait until the next prayer time at 11:00 in the morning. When she saw the guards entered their prayer house, Lorna advised me to run.

I hailed the taxi. I saw that it had passengers but I later learned that the taxi driver, a Filipino, saw me bleeding and so he stopped the taxi. From the taxi, the driver placed call to the Philippine Embassy.

When we arrived at the embassy, there was a party which I later learned was a party for Connie Sison and TJ Manotoc for their Kwentong Disyerto. There were media people at the embassy. The driver called Mr. Sam to inform him that we were already outside the embassy. Mr. Sam got out and even saw the blood on my body. He did not invite us in. He just told the driver to proceed and take me to OWWA. The driver even repeated that I was bleeding but Mr. Sam insisted that I be taken to OWWA.

When we got to OWWA, there was an ongoing ballroom dancing. We were asked who we were looking for. The taxi driver was making a call to Mr. Sam in order to ask who we would look for but he was not yet responding. We waited for two hours.

After two hours (or about 9:00 at night of November 3, 2006), one Sir Levi arrived at the OWWA from the embassy. He led me to a quarter that they call “shelter” inside the OWWA. I saw many (about 30) Filipino women inside the quarter .

On the night of November 3, Connie Sison’s group also proceeded to OWWA from the embassy. Sir Levi told the leader to hide those who needed to be hid including myself because I did not look good and I was hysterical. Out of the 30 plus women, only 15 were presented to Connie Sison’s group. I later learned that they were introduced as Filipinos studying computer inside the OWWA. I stayed in OWWA the whole day of November 4, 2006. We were fed “lugaw” (water mixed with rice). No one counseled me. I was not checked up or brought to the hospital.

On the night of November 4, 2006, Ma’am Ferida without first talking to me or asking me, called my employer. At about 8:00 in the morning the following day, my employer came. He was first attended to by Sir Levi. He was asked if I was his employee. They were later joined by Ma’am Ferida. They then invited me to sit down with them inside Ma’am Ferida and Sir Levi’s office. The door of the office was left open. Ma’am Flerida talked to me and told me “wag ka na magreklamo anyway may asawa ka naman na, wala naman nawala sayo” )Don’t make a complaint [because] you already have a husband, you have nothing to lose.)

I was angry at the sight of my employer-rapist. But I could not do anything because Ma’am Ferida and Sir Levi facilitated the negotiation. I was asked not to file charges against my employer. In return, my employer would give me my five months salary, a plane ticket to the Philippines as well as return my personal belongings that I left at their house when I escaped. I was made to write and sign a waiver which I worded as follows: “I will not file charges against my employer, the rape case, although it happened.”

In the morning of November 6, Sir Levi called me and gave me a plane ticket. I asked him about my personal belongings and the agreed five months salary that my employer would return. He said my employer only gave the ticket. I insisted, at the very least, on my things, but he said “Mamili ka. Uuwi ka or made-deport ka? Basta’s kailangan ko ng sagot mo hanggang 3:00 dahil alis tayo ng 3:30.” (Buy (new) things. Will you go home or will you have to be deported? Either way, I need an answer by 3:00 otherwise we’re leaving at 3:30.) I cried and demanded for my things but he said ”Wala akong magagawa.” (There’s nothing I can do.) I had no choice but to agree.

Sir Levi and I left OWWA for the airport at 3:30 in the afternoon. But before leaving, I got my mobile phone that was earlier confiscated by Ma’am Ferida. I was penniless. I was not even given any money for snacks or any emergency.

At about 6:00 p.m., I boarded the plane for the Philippines. I arrived in the Philippines in November 7, 2006 where I was brought o the hospital by my family. Not one from OWWA of the Department of Foreign Affairs assisted me in the Philippines.

When I arrived at the airport in Manila only my husband was there to receive me. My relatives took me to the hospital where I live in Batangas.* There was local press at the hospital that picked up what had happened to me.

I had to go to therapy for almost a year because I was in shock.

I’ve been waiting for the response of the government but until now there’s been absolutely no help.

It’s still not over.”

kiretoce

February 6th, 2010, 02:20 AM

The best of both worlds (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=546055&publicationSubCategoryId=503)

It shocks me when a Scottish person I meet tells me they do not know where the Philippines is.

I do not live in the remotest part of Scotland. I am based in Edinburgh, its enchanting capital. This vibrant, historical city is where the very first skyscrapers graced the skies. The place is a fascinating blend of “old meets new” with its ancient and modern feel within the clusters of closes (narrow alleyways) and tenements (apartments). A grand castle and dormant volcano
lie at the heart of the entire bustle, and yes, this is where J.K. Rowling is famed to have created the world of Harry Potter.

It is truly more beautiful than any city I have visited in Europe.

When I hear that some poor soul has not heard of Pinas, the country that I love, the land I was raised in, I always think they are missing out. There is a wealth of scenery and more that our beautiful country owns, sure. Yet it is the tiny details that our own tropical paradise revels in, also making it stand out in my view.

I am a second-generation immigrant, born in the UK and raised in Manila. I go through life in a state of “uprootedness,” which is a general neither-here-nor-there feeling. Now that I am back in the country of my birth, I join the millions of kababayans who are nostalgic for home from time to time. I am constantly lovesick for my other country.

In the six years that I have stayed in the UK, once more, I have learned that I cannot brag about the pristine beaches enough, or the scent of ripe mangoes in the heat, the different types of orchids that bloom, the warmth and extreme kindness of the Filipinos.

I hear envious sighs when I speak of how we can freely step out of the house with flip-flops and sunglasses on, as the tropical climate mostly allows. The Scots would love for the sun and 29 degrees (Celsius) temperature to take up permanent residence in Scotland.

Weather is a big deal in this country. It is not an exaggeration when I say there are times when you experience all four seasons in a day. You get the complete package: Snow, rain, bright sunshine, and cloudy skies all in just one day. And I smile to myself when I remember some old Pinoy schoolmates asking me if snow is always a star attraction in the UK. The answer is not after the first few days when you have to venture out and cars in front of you start moving diagonally on the icy roads that resemble glass.

I find it ironic how the white Brits I know wish to avoid the “pasty look” by covering themselves head to toe in tanning sprays or lotions, even going to lengths of owning a sun bed at home. They raise their eyebrows in disbelief when I tell them of the whitening lotions for sale in a Filipino supermarket. It is quite absurd how they do everything and anything for their roasted skin to remain on the golden standards barometer. Note the love/hate attitude towards “fair skin” from a Pinoy and Western standpoint.

With these illustrations, I have learned that wherever you are in the world, either as a result of your choices or circumstances, there will always be people owning the notion that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. They would always tend to believe that “people are luckier abroad” or that “life is easier in a different country”.

Pride is elusive for some people. However, the lucky ones are those who have tremendous pride in their culture. It saves from nostalgia and homesickness. This Filipino dignity takes center stage when we show off Pinas to the world.

The Scots are comparable to the Pinoys in so many ways, I am happy to report, being universally well-loved, and very easy to feel at home in their company. Their sense of humor reminds me so much of the Pinoy’s.

Their culture is displayed in full glory when they don their tartans and kilts. They are an outstanding country, with a long list of inventions under their belt: the ultrasound, refrigerator, penicillin, insulin, cures for tuberculosis and typhoid fever, golf. Despite these achievements and more, they remain humble and down-to-earth.

In a way, the saying “ignorance is bliss” supports the people I encounter who have no inkling of the tropical paradise on the other side of the world. The less they know, the happier they are. I, on the other hand, am blissful knowing that the tangible experiences of eating lechon, listening to the musical Tagalog spoken around me, coursing down the street in a jeepney covered in streamers are an authentic feeling of being home.

red_jasper

February 7th, 2010, 07:26 AM

Fewer Filipino nurses sought work in US in ‘09
INQUIRER.net (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100207-251773/Fewer-Filipino-nurses-sought-work-in-US-in-09) First Posted 13:38:00 02/07/2010

MANILA, Philippines—As the United States still had to allow the massive influx of foreign nurses to its shores due to a severe lack of nurses, the number of Filipinos that sought to enter America’s nursing profession plunged by 26 percent in 2009, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said in a statement Sunday.

A total of 15,382 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from January to December 2009, a decrease of 5,364 compared to the 20,746 that took the examinations in the same 12-month period in 2008, according to former senator and TUCP secretary general Ernesto Herrera.

The NCLEX refers to the US National Council (of State Boards of Nursing) Licensure Examinations.

Compared to the record number of 21,299 Filipino nurses that took the NCLEX for the first time (that is, excluding repeaters) in 2007, Herrera said the 2009 figures were also down 28 percent or by 5,916.

TUCP’s disclosure came shortly after the Philippines' Professional Regulation Commission bared the results of the November 2009 eligibility examinations for nurses. Only 37,527 or less than 40 percent of the 94,462 nursing graduates that took the licensure test passed—the poorest performance since 2000.

To build up the competitiveness of Filipino nurses in foreign labor markets, Herrera pushed for:

* The immediate shutdown of 152 nursing schools previously classified as "substandard" by the Commission on Higher Education;

* The annual rating of the remaining 308 nursing colleges (net of the 152 to be closed down), based on the performance of their graduates in the local licensure examinations over the last five years, and the yearly publication of the rating of every college so that buyers of nursing education may be guided accordingly;

* The provision of free intensive second foreign language training, via the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, to nursing graduates seeking employment in non-English speaking countries such as Japan and the Middle East; and

* The strengthening of the capabilities of all state-owned hospitals, whether run by the Department of Health or by local governments, to provide superior clinical training to junior and senior nursing students.

On account of the overwhelming number of Filipino nursing students, Herrera lamented that many of them are not getting adequate clinical training or "related learning experience" in hospitals.

"Hospitals can no longer accommodate all our nursing students in emergency rooms, operating rooms, intensive care units, and delivery rooms. There are just too many of them waiting in line to observe procedures," Herrera said.

kiretoce

February 7th, 2010, 06:59 PM

Singapore limits entry of foreign workers (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/viewpoints/viewpoints/view/20100207-251755/Singapore-limits-entry-of-foreign-workers)

A prime destinations of Filipino workers, Singapore is implementing a comprehensive reduction of its reliance on, and accommodation of, foreign labor force.

This is part of the recommendations of the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) created by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on May 2009 amidst the growing restiveness among Singaporeans in the face of dwindling job opportunities, depressing wages, and the decline in the standard of living in the city-state.

The ESC was created within Singapore’s Parliament, with active representation from both the private and public sectors, including the manufacturing and services sectors; foreign and local enterprises (large, medium and small); as well as the academe. The Committee draws diverse views and suggestions from companies; business chambers and associations; universities and think-tanks; and members of the public.

The committee made the recommendation based on the following observations:

* Singapore ’s liberal policy on the influx of foreigners, who now make up 36 percent of the city-state’s population and total workforce, has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans, increased the cost of living, decreased labor productivity, and led to an overall decline in the standards of living.

* While foreign workers are only employed in sectors shunned by Singaporeans in the past, they are now competing with Singaporeans directly for jobs which they will be keen to take up.

* Many of these foreigners come to work in Singapore on easily-availed “S-passes” for semi-skilled workers with corresponding low pay, thus contributing to the depressed wages for ordinary jobs.

Based on the ESC report, Singapore could not—and should not—anymore increase the number of foreign workers as liberally as it has done over the last decade. The ESC report strengthens Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promise to “give Singaporeans good jobs and improve their productivity.”

Effects on OFWs

There are thousands of Filipinos in Singapore consisting of domestic helpers, professionals such as information technology (IT) workers, nurses, bank clerks, sales assistants in department stores, and business owners.

Based on recommendations forwarded by sectors participating in the ESC, some measures to be adopted could include: imposing heavier levies (taxes and other fees) as well as stricter requirements on foreign workers, and putting a ceiling or quota on the number of foreign workers to be hired on certain job sectors.

It is now up to Philippine officials to undertake measures that would minimize the negative effects of this new challenge on our migrant workers.

kiretoce

February 7th, 2010, 07:02 PM

The price of working abroad; Abandoned wives and orphaned children (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/viewpoints/viewpoints/view/20100207-251763/The-price-of-working-abroad)

I believe there is another kind of calamity that has been causing more havoc upon the lives of millions of Filipinos both here and abroad than the natural calamities that visit the Philippines regularly. It has been going on for four decades starting in the early '70s when our countrymen started to leave their land, their homes, and loved ones for greener pastures overseas.

It has made millions of children virtually orphans as they are left by one or both of their parents for jobs abroad; and spouses virtually widows or widowers. This different kind of calamity has a name: The Filipino diaspora. It has put to naught the biblical fiat that no one should put asunder the marriage of man and woman inasmuch as overseas employment has been relentlessly causing the erosion and break-up of thousands of marriages and families.

Absence, it is said, makes one's heart grow fonder. But more often, insofar as innumerable OFWs are concerned, absence makes their heart grow fonder for fellow OFWs. The same is true of hundreds of spouses left in the home front who, out of sheer loneliness for their absent spouses, become vulnerable to temptations.

Hence marriages, treated by our Civil Code as an “inviolable institution” and by the Catholic Church and other religions as a “sacrament,” have been crumbling continually for decades now and there's no sign of its letting up.

OFW Family Club

The OFW Family Club which I and my family organized eight years ago as a support group for OFWs and families, has a subgroup known as the Kinalasan, acronym for the Kababaihang Iniwan Na ng mga Lalaking Sumama sa ibang Nililiyag. It was founded by my wife Minerva. It has in its roster OFW wives and children who have virtually become widows and orphans after they have been abandoned by their husbands and fathers.

The club has a group of volunteer lawyers headed by Roger Evasco and Jose Maronilla who assist the members for free in filing claims for support with the courts. We have been busy in the club writing to ambassadors and labor attachés to locate OFW husbands and fathers overseas to remind them of their statutory obligations to provide financial support to their families.

The Kinalasan is now headed by Jovielyn, an abandoned wife with two children whose husband is a hotel worker in Macau. With the help of the club, she now receives a monthly allowance from her estranged husband who lives with another OFW in Macau. Jovielyn is actively assisted by her fellow “abandonados” in playing the role of “cheerers” or “morale supporters” to fellow Kinalasan members, such as Noraida.

Broken marriage

Noraida has her own sad story to tell. Sometime in 2003, her husband Karim went to Jeddah to work as an aircon technician. Later, Noraida also found work in Doha as a housemaid. Her Qatari employer raped and impregnated her and sent her home while her pregnancy was not yet obvious. Later, she gave birth to a black-skinned boy with Arab features. Her husband understood her helpless situation and forgave her. Noraida gave birth to two more kids of their own.

But eventually Karim found another woman in Jeddah for whom he built a home in Antipolo, Rizal. The club threatened Karim with a lawsuit constraining him to settle with Noraida with a monthly support that is so meager, Noraida laments, she had to seek regular help from her sister.

Government clueless

The devastation wrought by the diaspora is aggravated by a government that is clueless about what it is supposed to do to come to the rescue of the OFWs and the loved ones they leave behind. It is a government that is as clueless as it was about what to do when “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” relieved themselves of unwanted floodwaters upon our land.

The question now is, can we rely on this government to come to the rescue of the OFWs in the face of the unceasing devastations that they are being subjected to?

We do not talk merely of their painful separation from their loved ones; of marriages being broken; of employment contracts being brazenly violated by employers. We have to talk, more urgently, of countless of rapes being committed on a daily basis upon our hapless women, especially those who work as domestic helpers in millions of households of complete strangers.

Many of them are back in the Philippines like Jovielyn and Noraida, doing their best to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Many have gone mad, many have gone six feet below the ground with the untold stories of their harrowing experiences. In the files of the club are countless of sad stories about OFWs. They are open to everyone who may be interested to research or to lend a helping hand.

OFW profile

Of the eight million OFWs, there are one million professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects, nurses, seafarers, and others; two million skilled like master mechanics, electricians, carpenters; three million semi-skilled like hotel workers, restaurant waiters, and others; two million domestic helpers, caregivers, and others.

The two million domestic helpers are females. They are the ones who, by the very environment of their jobs, are highly vulnerable to all sorts of abuses, from non-payment or underpayment of salaries, to physical and verbal abuse, acts of lasciviousness, and worse, rapes. The abusers, criminals as they are, do not discriminate whether the victims of their bestial instincts are virgins or not; married or unmarried; teeners or in their 40s; Christians or Muslims or neither.

I was labor attaché to the United Arab Emirates from 1983 to 1989. At the time, the total population of Filipino domestic helpers in the UAE was only 15,000 out of a total population of only 80,000. The total worldwide at the time was only five million. At any given day during my watch, the number of runaway housemaids that I sheltered in my family's three-bedroom apartment averaged 10.

Millions of maids

After solving the problems of some of them, others would take their place. At present, the population of Filipino domestic helpers in the UAE has sextupled to 100,000 out of a total population of 300,000. The total number of domestic helpers worldwide in 1989 was only half a million as compared to today's total of two million.

Last June, former President Joseph Estrada asked me to accompany him, former Senator Loi Estrada and their son, Senator Jinggoy Estrada to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kuwait. I was with the three when they visited and donated plane tickets to runaway housemaids at the OWWA centers there. There were 120 runaway housemaids in Abu Dhabi, 130 in Dubai, and 160 in Kuwait. The number of runaway maids has obviously grown by leaps and bounds.

Out of the 10 domestic helpers who sought shelter in my apartment when I was labor attaché, an average of three complained of rape, and two of attempted rape or acts of lasciviousness. The rest complained of breach of contract, physical abuse. Most rape victims would ask not to file a complaint with the police for fear that the Filipino community would get wind of it and their husbands, parents, or neighbors back home would come to know of their ordeal. They would prefer to keep their suffering to themselves.

Sex perverts

It is difficult to extrapolate from the number of those who were victims of rape during my time as labor attaché to arrive at the current number now of Filipinos all over the world who have become victims of rape.

But considering that there are now two million domestic helpers out there in the world toiling inside the confines of employers' households as compared to only half a million in 1989, it is reasonable to conclude that hundreds are being raped or sexually harassed every day, but still choose to just keep their agony to themselves until they die. Not a few employers consider their housemaids as chattels or as members of their harem.

This government, wittingly or unwittingly, has been playing the role of providers of the insatiable sexual appetites of rapists and perverts all over the world.

The law is clear. Section 27 of Republic Act No. 8042, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, says: “The protection of the Filipino migrant workers and the promotion of their welfare, in particular, and the protection of the dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms of the Filipino citizens abroad, in general, shall be the highest priority concerns of the secretary of foreign affairs and the Philippine foreign service posts.” The other two concerns of the Department of Foreign Affairs are: economic diplomacy and furtherance of national security.

Romulo's role

Notwithstanding the clear mandate of our DFA, we have a foreign secretary in the person of Alberto Romulo who is apparently clueless about his role as the vicar of Philippine foreign policy. It is of public knowledge that it is Vice President Noli de Castro who is playing out Romulo's role insofar as the OFWs are concerned.

Who makes the pronouncements every time an OFW is about to be executed? Who gives out instructions for the rescue of kidnapped Filipino seafarers in Somalia and other crises involving OFWs? It has always been Noli de Castro. But the man's background and experience have never been honed toward the conduct of foreign policy and service. Unlike Romulo, the man has not gone through the burning furnace of the Commission on Appointments to determine whether or not he has the competence to venture into the realm of our country's “highest priority concerns” in foreign affairs.

We fervently wish this government shed itself off its affliction and issue forthwith several directives in line with Section 27 of Republic Act 8042: One, to issue an executive order requiring ambassadors to exercise the extraordinary diligence of a good father of a family in overseeing the welfare and protection of OFWs in their host countries. Their job performance should be measured on how true and dedicated they and their subordinates are in discharging their roles as surrogate fathers and substitute families of the OFWs; two, the government must likewise put more teeth to the citizens' arrest law by requiring the police to swiftly come to the assistance of victims of illegal recruitment who decide to arrest on the spot their illegal recruiters; three, the government should authorize ambassadors and consuls to withhold approval or cancel the passports of irresponsible OFW husbands and fathers until they resume their support to their dependents;

Four, using its profound power and influence upon every sector in society, the government should prod big businesses, especially those who have tremendously benefited from OFW remittances like Henry Sy's SM, Lucio Tan's airlines, the Ayalas and the Villars, Gotianum's real estate conglomerates, Manny Pangilinan's and the Indonesians' PLDT, Globe's, and the Lhuillier's remittance companies and other banks owned by Tans, Sys, Yuchengcos, to contribute to a private fund that will underwrite the education of children who have been orphaned by the death of their fathers or mothers overseas;

SSS coverage

Five, the government must acknowledge in more concrete terms the major OFW contributions to the economy by placing them under the coverage of the Social Security System to enable them to avail of a loan, and most especially, its retirement benefits. The government must play the role of being their “surrogate” employer by paying the counterpart amount that employers in the Philippines are normally required to pay; Six, government must regulate the rates of remittance fees; seven, government must augment the present budget of embassies, consulates, and overseas labor offices. What they have there now, to use a metaphor, are tricycles, when what they need are buses to ferry out of danger thousands of distressed OFWs; eight, local governments must establish special desks for the spouses and children of absent OFWs who have lost a pillar, permanently or temporarily, due to overseas employment.

RonnieR

February 9th, 2010, 05:36 AM

Demand for Filipino embalmers growing
By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated February 09, 2010 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - There’s another overseas job opportunity that Filipinos can take advantage of aside from care-giving. And this is to embrace the growing demand for embalmers especially in United States, Canada and Australia.

The Pacific Center for Advanced Studies (PCAs) reported a growing demand for Filipino embalmers around the world, as fewer foreigners are showing interest in the profession.

Aside from United States, Canada and Australia, demand is also seen in Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, said PCAs president Sarah Dychangco in a press conference.

“A lot of embalmers abroad are nearing age retirement and so the demand is so huge. Now you see caregivers wanting to become embalmers because of the hefty salary,” said Dychangco.

PCAS is the first formal embalming and mortuary training school in the Asia Pacific located in Nivel Hills, Lahug, this city.

The school is managed by the Dychangco Group of Companies which operates Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes Inc. (CFHI), the largest funeral home chain in the country.

In the Philippines, an embalmer’s entry level salary ranges from P9,000 - P12,000 per month and may even go up to P15,000 per month for those highly-trained and experienced.

Embalmers also get higher pay in big mortuaries or funeral parlors. In the U.S. and Canada, the annual average salary for an embalmer is US$41,526 or US$3,460 per month, Dychangco said.

“Career advancement for embalmers is when they get to be supervisors working
with disaster teams after gaining considerable working experience,” she said.

In order to become a licensed embalmer, Dychangco said that one must be at least a high school graduate, have undergone a year of studying and training and have received certification in basic Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Sanitation and Hygiene, Ethics and Jurisprudence.

A licensure exam is given by the Department of Health (DOH) before one can practice the embalming profession.

But before you can work as an embalmer in the US, Canada or Australia, one needs to get a license in that country, “which would be easy if you have acquired your license here.”

PCAS, which has been in the industry for 12 years now, have produced over 200 graduates capable of working as embalmers.

Dychangco Group Chairman Renato Dychangco Jr. admitted there’s a need for the mortuary industry to “change its image,” especially in the Philippines if it wants to lure people to become professional embalmers.

“There is a great demand in the funeral profession, the problem is on how the community sees us,” he said.

Since the funeral industry is one of the most commonly misconstrued businesses
in the Philippines, there is a need to change public perception by taking concrete steps to highlight the art and science of funeral services.

Yesterday, some 300 local and foreign funeral services operators and suppliers converged at the newly constructed Crystal Palace located near the PCAS school for the annual Philippine Funeral Convention to discuss the challenges and new developments and trends especially in embalming procedures.

kiretoce

February 9th, 2010, 09:04 AM

^^ I don't know why, but for some reason that article cracked me up! :hilarious

Guess the new "in" profession would be morticians, enbalmers, and the like; and in turn a whole new "educational industry" would be in place in the Philippines. ;)

RonnieR

February 9th, 2010, 10:10 AM

kiretoce

February 9th, 2010, 10:13 AM

^^ Yup, you're basically still entrusting the body of a person to be worked on. Therefore it should be regulated and have certain licensing certifications for the industry.

RonnieR

February 10th, 2010, 08:29 AM

Malaysian G20 group set to employ 36,000 OFWs
By NONOY E. LACSON, ALI G. MACABALANG
February 10, 2010, 3:23pm

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government and the G20, a group of prominent recruitment agencies in Malaysia, have sealed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) prescribing the G20 to employ at least 36,000 household skilled workers (HSWs) from the component areas of the autonomous region within the period of six years, ARMM acting Gov. Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong announced Wednesday.

Adiong said a team from the ARMM’s Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE-ARMM) led by Regional Secretary Myra Mangkabung-Alih signed the MoU together with the G20 headed by Chairman Dato Sri Maharaja Di Raja Zulkepley Dahalan in Kula Lumpur on February 3.

Under the MoU, the G20 will recruit 500 household skilled workers from the ARMM every month with free placement fees, flight fares, and board and lodging in Malaysia.

This is an arrangement crafted especially for the economically-gripped communities in the five provinces and two cities of the ARMM, Alih said.

ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo said Alih would brief Adiong on the details of the MoU before she meets DoLE Secretary Marianito D. Roque this week in Manila as a prelude to the fixing of a “win-win” wage rate under the MoU.

The prevailing monthly wage rate for overseas household workers is $400 but the G20 would want a minimal adjustment for it to accommodate overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in magnitude, Alih said.

Alih said a follow-up meeting with the G20 officials within this month or on March will fix the agreed monthly rate for the recruits from the ARMM.

The fixed rate will be observed religiously by employers identified by the G20, contrary to other prevailing arrangements where OFWs have not actually been receiving fully what they signed for under the contracts, Alih explained.

In her recent meeting with G20 officials, Alih said that participating Malaysian recruitment agencies have also assured to help in the employment in Kula Lumpur of jobless graduates of technical and skill trainings under the ARMM’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA-ARMM).
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/242777/malaysian-g20-group-set-employ-36000-ofws

amigo32

February 10th, 2010, 02:26 PM

anong household workers?
maids?

kiretoce

February 11th, 2010, 05:19 AM

Seoul’s Little Manila Faces Closure (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/02/117_60641.html)

Jongno District Office in Seoul has told the Filipino community to stop holding a market in Hyehwa-dong, citing complaints from passers-by and residents.

The marketplace, dubbed "Little Manila," first emerged in 1997, and takes place every Sunday for Filipinos after attending a mass at the Hyehwa Catholic Church. About 1,200 to 2,000 Filipinos gather at the marketplace, which some consider as a fine example of Korea's racial harmony. There are about 46,000 Filipinos in Korea, forming the fifth largest ethnic group, following Chinese, Americans, Vietnamese and Japanese.

Father Alvin Parantar, chaplain of the Hyehwa-dong Filipino Catholic Community, who acts as a representative for the ethnic community, confirmed the district office's request, adding that it was like the district kicking them out for its own convenience without providing an alternative site for their gathering.

"The reasons they gave up us was one, they received complaints from neighbors and pedestrians in the area; two, there were concerns about cleanliness and order; three, they want to redevelop the sidewalk and include a waterfall wall in the area; and four, they want to transfer the market to a new multicultural market," the priest told The Korea Times over the phone.

"It's a Philippine way of life. We go to church, then go to the market to buy provisions and meet friends. It's an expression of Philippine culture. The national government has a policy about supporting multiculturalism in Korea, but there seems to be a contradiction with the district office's plans. The church and the market should go together and not be separated," he said.

Outside the church, there are usually 16 vendors selling Philippine products and cooked food. Many Filipinos living not just in Seoul, but also from the provinces, flock to the market to buy products from their home country

Parantar noted the problems raised by the district office can be addressed by the vendors at the market.

"The problems that they raised can be resolved by talking to the vendors. They are willing to cooperate. If they are concerned about the cleanliness and orderliness in the area, they can address the problems. If they want to redevelop the area again, they can integrate the Philippine market according to their plans," Parantar said.

The district office said they have received civil petitions from the neighborhood and they have to take some measures against the Philippine market.

"There were many complaints from the pedestrians and residents. There also is a possibility of accidents as Filipinos flock out of the church after mass into car lanes," said Lee Jong-ju of the district's construction management division.

"Some vendors occupy more than eight meters on the street and it causes an inconvenience to pedestrians."

The district also connected the move to the eviction of other street vendors in Jongno, who were "moved" to "specialized areas" away from the street.

"All street stalls have vanished from Jongno and some people think the same rule should be applied to the Philippine market," he said.

"We talked about the situation with the representatives of the Philippine community three times and gave them some alternatives," Lee said.

The district suggested moving to the grounds of Dongsung High School, but the school refused to participate. Another idea was shifting it to an area in front of the Catholic University of Korea campus, however, it has failed to respond to the suggestion.

"For the best, we want them to move into the multicultural street which is going to open in Nakwon-dong in March. However, they rebuffed the idea since it is isolated from their church and community," Lee said.

He added that the district will try not to use physical force. "The best way would be to transfer them to a designated area, but otherwise we are going to crack down on the market from March," he said.

RonnieR

February 11th, 2010, 05:59 AM

anong household workers?
maids?

yes, katulong. Pinaganda lang ang pangalan.

Juan Pilgrim

February 11th, 2010, 02:19 PM

national guard

February 11th, 2010, 09:58 PM

Saudi employers press Filipino migrant workers to accept Islam
January 29, 2010

Filipino migrant workers employed in Saudi Arabia come under heavy pressure from their employers to convert to Islam, the AsiaNews service reports. There are an estimated 200,000 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, where many are required to profess Islam in order to retain their jobs.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

* Christian Filipino migrants forced to convert to Islam (AsiaNews)
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5303&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatholicWorldNewsFeatureStories+(Catholic+World+News+(on+CatholicCulture.org))

^^^since 1993 pa ako dito sa Saudi at hanggang ngayon ay wala pa naman ganyang nangyari sa akin at mukhang malabong mangyari yan.

I agree.
AFAIK, Walang nangyayaring ganyan dito.

There are an estimated 200,000 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, where many are required to profess Islam in order to retain their jobs.

200,000 LANG?!: ALMOST 1 MILLION na yata ang OFWs dito sa Saudi! (correct me if i'm wrong ).

amigo32

February 12th, 2010, 01:43 AM

yes, katulong. Pinaganda lang ang pangalan.

:ohno:

RonnieR

February 12th, 2010, 10:10 AM

No Valentine's Day for Saudi-based OFWs

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/12/2010 3:56 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are urged not to wear or bring anything that may be associated with Valentine's Day, as the event is considered banned in many Arab countries in the Middle East.

“We are urging fellow OFWs, especially lovers just to celebrate their Valentine's Day with utmost care especially those in Saudi Arabia,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

Monterona said the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (religious police) are especially active at this time of the year to stop Saudis from celebrating Valentines Day.

“In order not to become victims of the circumstances, we are urging our fellow OFWs to be careful and vigilant not to implicate themselves in anything that has something to do with the Valentine’s Day celebration,” Monterona said.

‘No V-Day greetings, virtual flying kisses’

According to Monterona, it is not advisable to wear or bring anything red like toys, flowers, and heart-shaped items especially in the days leading up to the February 14 celebration.

“We are anticipating an active patrolling starting tomorrow by the Saudi morals police who search for forbidden items most especially in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital,” Monterona added.

He suggested OFWs to just send short text messages or calls to loved ones back home.

“Or better go to the internet café and chat with your wife and kids, but be careful not to even give virtual flying kisses as it is associated to Valentine or don’t ever greet ‘Happy Valentine’s day’ with other nationalities around you,” he added.

Have a heart, sign Jakatia petition

He likewise suggested Pinoy internet users to visit Migrante’s online petition and sign up to “SAVE OFW Jakatia Pawa” from execution.

“We are determined in doing everything possible just to save our fellow OFW Jakatia Pawa from execution. Everyone is encouraged to send the link of the ‘Save Jakatia Pawa” online petition to fellow OFWs, friends, and migrant advocates,” Monterona said.

The signatures will be collated and sent together with the group’s appeal to the Emir of Kuwait.

“On Valentine’s Day, let us not miss to greet our loved ones back home, let us also urge them to support by signing our on-line petition to save OFW Jakatia Pawa from execution. Our unconditional support is most needed to save her from execution,” Monterona said.
as of 02/12/2010 3:56 PM

RonnieR

February 12th, 2010, 10:11 AM

I agree.
AFAIK, Walang nangyayaring ganyan dito.

There are an estimated 200,000 Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, where many are required to profess Islam in order to retain their jobs.

200,000 LANG?!: ALMOST 1 MILLION na yata ang OFWs dito sa Saudi! (correct me if i'm wrong ).

you know naman our journalists....:lol:

tigidig14

February 13th, 2010, 08:39 AM

anong household workers?
maids?

yes, katulong. Pinaganda lang ang pangalan.

buti nde tinawag na household washers, d ba!:lol:

red_jasper

February 13th, 2010, 06:25 PM

New Canada law benefits OFWs (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/243322/new-canada-law-benefits-ofws)
By SHIANEE MAMANGLU
February 13, 2010, 4:12pm

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) welcomed Saturday the approval of a new law in the Ontario Legislature providing protection to foreign workers, including Filipinos.

The labor department said the “Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in caregivers and Others), 2009’’ will greatly benefit Filipino workers, who are mostly caregivers in Canada’s east-central province.

“This is really a good development, especially so that one of the salient features here is the prohibition against charging fees,’’ said Director Salome Mendoza, head of the DoLE Canada desk.

“Mare-regulate na dito yung mga recruiters or employers who are collecting huge recruitment fees from the workers. Ang daming overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) ang nadale sa recruitment fees na yan,’’ she said.

Apart from the prohibition on fees, the new law also prohibits reprisal (by employer or recruiter) against live-in caregivers for exercising their rights, and retaining their possessions or properties, including passports.

“No person who employs a foreign national as a live-in caregiver or in prescribed employment, and no person acting on the employer’s behalf, shall intimidate or penalize or attempt or threaten to intimidate or penalize the foreign national,’’ the law states.

“No person acting as a recruiter in connection with the employment of a foreign national as a live-in caregiver or in other prescribed employment, and no person acting on the recruiter’s behalf, shall intimidate or penalize or attempt or threaten to intimidate or penalize the foreign national,” the law says.

The Employment Act stipulates that stiff penalties will be imposed upon workers abuses, including a fine of 50,000 Canadian dollars and prison terms.

Unlike the provinces of Saskatschewan, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, all in the Western part of Canada, which are set to renew existing employment agreements with the Philippines, Ontario is yet to come up with an agreement for job opportunities for Filipinos.

But Mendoza said the new law already signifies Ontario’s political will to safeguard the welfare of foreign workers who comprise majority of its labor supply.

According to the DoLE official, 70 percent of workers in Ontario are caregivers.

Moreover, Mendoza also lauded amendments to Canada's Immigration and Refugees Protection Act for temporary foreign workers.

“We are ranking number one in terms of temporary workers in Canada (as of 2008). Thus, the amended Protection Act is a welcome development,’’ she said.

Mendoza said that temporary workers such as the semi-skilled workers like the food counter attendants and hotel and restaurant workers are currently not included in the program for permanency.

The amended version of the Immigration Act will provide and ensure, among others, fair treatment of temporary workers, she said.

OtAkAw

February 14th, 2010, 03:00 AM

^^And here in Angeles, Koreans are treated like VIP's with special treatment to boot!

red_jasper

February 14th, 2010, 07:34 AM

:ohno:It is good that, on the whole, media keeps harping on issues of national significance. For instance, just recently I heard over the car radio that desperate Filipino women are targeted by international drug traffickers as mules in moving drugs across borders.

Of course, we all know news reports about Filipinas being hired as drug mules or couriers have already lost their novelty. We are even aware that drug syndicates have found new ways of smuggling drugs – like the modus operandi of making willing human “mules” ingest plastic capsules containing illegal narcotics or stuffing and sewing drugs inside the “abdominal cavity” even at the risk of dying once the plastic container holding toxic substances is ruptured.

What is rather alarming about the latest news is the sharply rising number of Filipina travelers lured into drug smuggling. In China alone, it is reported that a total of 195 Filipinos are either in jail or still under investigation for anti-drug charges.

Out of this number, 66 are facing death penalty, 30 others serving life imprisonment, 44 sentenced to a fixed term of 50-year imprisonment while the rest have pending court cases.

To illustrate the exponential increase in the number of Filipinos involved in drug-related cases, here are a few comparative figures: For 2007 and 2008, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported that 22 were sentenced to death, 12 were meted out life sentences, while 11 received prison sentences of 15-16 years.

And these figures have been culled from drug-related offenses committed by Filipinos in China, Hong Kong and Macau. Now contrast this with 66 Filipinos today facing death penalty in China alone and, clearly, what we have is a human tragedy borne out of desperation involving mostly helpless Filipinas.
Could our presidential wannabes share their thoughts on this issue?

Full story here (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/243458/ofws-in-clutches-drug-smugglers)

the glimpser

February 15th, 2010, 01:21 PM

Filipinos send home a record $17.3B last year
02/15/2010 | 04:59 PM

Millions of Filipinos working abroad sent home a record $17.3 billion last year, boosting local consumption and the economy amid the global slump, the central bank said on Monday.

Remittances grew by 5.6 percent from $16.4 billion in the prior year and accounted for 10.8 percent of the country's economic output.

The central bank traced steady remittance flows to the sustained demand for Filipino engineers, medical practitioners and teachers.

It also said countries with which the Philippines has bilateral deals continued to open up employment opportunities abroad for Filipinos. The expansion of remittance service here and abroad also fueled growth.

The end-2009 remittance growth exceeded the central bank's 4-percent target. Remittances from sea-based and land-based workers rose by 12.1 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. For December alone, remittances grew by 11.4 percent to their highest level of $1.6 billion.

Major remittance sources for the full year were the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy and Germany, the central bank said.

The government said 41.6 percent or 221,548 of the approved job orders of more than half-a-million were processed during the year, adding to the stock of those who sent money home.

The openings were mainly service, production, professional and technical jobs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Hong Kong.

The remaining 58.4 percent are still to be filled up. The central bank said not all host countries had been severely affected by the crisis. Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia — the major destination for Filipinos —absorbed a number of deployed workers, including those that had been displaced elsewhere.

tonyboy

February 15th, 2010, 02:33 PM

Filipinos send home a record $17.3B last year
02/15/2010 | 04:59 PM

Millions of Filipinos :bow:working abroad sent home a record $17.3 billion last year, boosting local consumption and the economy amid the global slump, the central bank said on Monday.

Remittances grew by 5.6 percent from $16.4 billion in the prior year and accounted for 10.8 percent of the country's economic output.

The central bank traced steady remittance flows to the sustained demand for Filipino engineers, medical practitioners and teachers.

It also said countries with which the Philippines has bilateral deals continued to open up employment opportunities abroad for Filipinos. The expansion of remittance service here and abroad also fueled growth.

The end-2009 remittance growth exceeded the central bank's 4-percent target. Remittances from sea-based and land-based workers rose by 12.1 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. For December alone, remittances grew by 11.4 percent to their highest level of $1.6 billion.

Major remittance sources for the full year were the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy and Germany, the central bank said.:okay:

The government said 41.6 percent or 221,548 of the approved job orders of more than half-a-million were processed during the year, adding to the stock of those who sent money home.

The openings were mainly service, production, professional and technical jobs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Hong Kong.

The remaining 58.4 percent are still to be filled up. The central bank said not all host countries had been severely affected by the crisis. Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia — the major destination for Filipinos —absorbed a number of deployed workers, including those that had been displaced elsewhere.

^^..:wave:...glimp sir....:cheers1:...

.

RonnieR

February 16th, 2010, 04:44 AM

^^ related to the above.

Resilience

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:00

REMITTANCES of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) grew faster than forecast in 2009—a testament to the huge debt we owe our compatriots who risk more than life and limb to send home decent money to keep their families above poverty.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday said money sent home by Filipinos overseas grew by 5.6 percent last year, or faster than its forecast of a 4-percent increment.

The actual inflows buck previous forecasts by other parties—from multilateral lenders to economists—that remittances would post flat growth, if not contract in 2009.

Coming amid the worst global slump in decades, the modest expansion in remittances reiterates the crucial role OFW money plays during financial crises.

At the height of the 1998 Asian financial debacle, remittances helped limit the damage of the regional turmoil not only on the Philippine economy, but also on Filipino households.

While Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in 1998, remittances kept consumer spending above the water.

Indeed, OFW money surged higher during the Asian financial crisis, compensating for the weakness in other pillars of the Philippine economy.

Fast-forward to the global financial crisis that began in 2008.

OFW money again proved our economic heroes’ mettle.

Even as the global financial crisis eroded consumer confidence and dampened investments in many OFW-receiving countries, any retrenchment in those areas was more than offset by new hires in other destinations.

The BSP said that the geographical diversification of Filipino workers overseas contributed to the resilience of remittance flows since not all host-countries were severely affected by the global financial crisis.

Many had staked their remittance forecasts on the huge share of the US as source of OFW money.

Since the US had slipped into a recession, they argued, OFW would find themselves jobless and packing their bags to return home.

But fears of a mass of returning OFW proved unfounded, as fresh deployment outpaced returns.

According to the BSP, the major sources of remittances were the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Germany.

Six of those countries slipped into recession, while one suffered from a fiscal shock stemming from the financial difficulties of a huge state-owned company.

Despite those difficulties, OFW money kept flowing back to the Philippines.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said four out of every 10 job orders in 2009 were filled that same year.

These jobs comprised service, production and professional, technical and related job categories in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Hong Kong.

Nearly six out of every 10 job orders have yet to be filled up.

Personal consumer expenditures
Money sent home by Filipinos overseas helped prop up personal consumer expenditures (PCE) last year.

While PCE growth slowed to the single digits, it didn’t contract. Being the main driver of economic expansion, consumer spending weighs heavily on the country’s prospects.

Philippine GDP held up well, unlike those of our Asian neighbors, who suffered if not a contraction, then a recession.

As we slowly recover from the global slump, the challenge now for countries like the Philippines is how to lock in their gains, especially the strengths specific to them.

The OFW phenomenon clearly is one of the country’s strengths. It remains for the country’s next president to ensure this strength is not squandered.

Needless to say, candidates have to reckon with this issue.

Reintegration

The government must take the goal of helping returning and returned OFWs get reintegrated as employed and income-producing citizens.

It is now doing that work unsatisfactorily.

In the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) listing of the benefits and services it gives OFWs, under the subheading “Family Welfare and Assistance Program” the No. 1 service and benefit is supposed to be “1. REPATRIATION PROGRAM—provision of services to facilitate immediate repatriation of distressed OFWs, medically-ill OFWs.”

OWWA’s No. 2 service and benefit (under Family Welfare and Assistance) is “2. REINTEGRATION PROGRAM.”

We quote what OWWA says verbatim:

“The Reintegration covers two (2) major components—economic and psycho-social components. The psycho-social components includes community organizing program or organizing of OFW family circles and services like social counseling, family counseling, stress debriefing, and training on capacity building, value formation, etc. The economic component on the other hand, includes social preparation programs for livelihood projects or community-based income generating projects, skills training and credit facilitation and lending. At present, the economic component has two (2) loan programs: the OWWA-NLSF Livelihood Development Programs for OFWs (LDPO) and the OFW Groceria Project.”

“This program is a joint undertaking of OWWA and National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF). to address the economic component of the OFW Reintegration Program. It is meant to further improve access to entrepreneurial development opportunities and credit facilities to OFWs, their families, and organizations.”

The realty is that OFWs find it difficult to avail themselves of this help.

Senatorial candidate Susan “Toots” Ople is absolutely correct. She wishes vast improvements in the way OFWs are treated and she wants solid work and funding for their reintegration.

If she becomes a senator, she would do everything to give “Overseas Filipino workers more representations in the Governing Board of OWWA rather than the present two seats allotted to them out of 12 trustee positions.”

She will also work to have “a special office on the reintegration of OFWs created to promote technology and knowledge transfers with the help of OFW professionals while providing safety nets to repatriated OFWs.”

Ms. Ople does see that OWWA is doing something now for OFW reintegration. But it is not enough. The Reintegration Program we quoted above from OWWA’s website is not even properly manned.
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/11582-resilience

xxxriainxxx

February 17th, 2010, 04:39 AM

Ronskie

February 17th, 2010, 05:03 AM

One question lang, I saw on TV that you need to spend at least 18,000 pesos for your permits and clearances (POEA/OWWA, etc) in order to become an OFW. Is this true? Can someone put a rundown of costs for Filipinos who is planning to work abroad? Thanks.

Btw, what if, one decides not to go with POEA/OWWA maski legit naman pagtatrabahuhan abroad? Is this okay?

ang mahal naman..bka kasama na ata dyan 10,000 pesos na lagay. :lol::lol:

I think it's your choice whether to register in OWWA or not coz in my case, I did not register in OWWA though I'm working for months already. I only paid almost 4,000 pesos lng to register in OWWA and after few months nawalang bisa din kasi naging permanent resident nako.

Benefits lng is exempted ka sa 2K na travel tax na di mo alam kung san napupunta everytime na umaalis ka ng Pinas and in case magkagyera or magkasakuna gaya sa haiti may record sila sau, pwede ka sagipin. :lol:

xxxriainxxx

February 17th, 2010, 05:12 AM

ang mahal naman..bka kasama na ata dyan 10,000 pesos na lagay. :lol::lol:

I think it's your choice whether to register in OWWA or not coz in my case, I did not register in OWWA though I'm working for months already. I only paid almost 4,000 pesos lng to register in OWWA and after few months nawalang bisa din kasi naging permanent resident nako.

Benefits lng is exempted ka sa 2K na travel tax na di mo alam kung san napupunta everytime na umaalis ka ng Pinas and in case magkagyera or magkasakuna gaya sa haiti may record sila sau, pwede ka sagipin. :lol:

Ahhehehe. Thanks for the heads up! Pero correct ko lang po, yung travel tax po is P1620. Also diba dapat ka naman talaga sagipin maski hindi ka registered sa kanila as long as Filipino citizen ka naman?

Ronskie

February 17th, 2010, 06:38 AM

Ahhehehe. Thanks for the heads up! Pero correct ko lang po, yung travel tax po is P1620. Also diba dapat ka naman talaga sagipin maski hindi ka registered sa kanila as long as Filipino citizen ka naman?

yup. it's P1600 something plus 750 terminal fee parang katumbas na ng isang ticket yun papuntang hongkong or singapore.

Thats the purpose of registering in OWWA. For them to know or have a record that you are residing or working in that country. Else pano ka nila sasagipin kung di nila alam na naandun ka unless pumunta ka mismo ng embahada at the time of crisis den pakilala ka pinoy ka.

xxxriainxxx

February 17th, 2010, 06:43 AM

yup. it's P1600 something plus 750 terminal fee parang katumbas na ng isang ticket yun papuntang hongkong or singapore.

Thats the purpose of registering in OWWA. For them to know or have a record that you are residing or working in that country. Else pano ka nila sasagipin kung di nila alam na naandun ka unless pumunta ka mismo ng embahada at the time of crisis den pakilala ka pinoy ka.

Yeah, either that or you can register at the Philippine Embassy/consulate of that country right?

I really hated the travel tax. It is soo evil.

RonnieR

February 18th, 2010, 12:55 PM

Filipina wins $30,000 in Qatar Airways draw
Web posted at: 2/18/2010 6:25:49
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
Mely Caunca, a Filipino resident in London, receives $30,000 cheque from Qatar Airways officials.

DOHA: Qatar Airways has presented the winner of its latest inflight duty free raffle draw with a cheque for $30,000. Filipino national Mely Caunca, who lives in Fulham, south west London, was the lucky winner of the Mega Prize after entering a raffle onboard a Qatar Airways flight to Manila.

Upon collecting her prize at the Business Travel and Meetings Show in London, at which Qatar Airways was a key exhibitor, Caunca declared she would put the money to a good cause.

“I am so delighted to have won this prize and I would like to use the money to help families who suffered when the typhoon hit my home country of the Philippines last year,” said Caunca, who runs a cleaning and maintenance company in London. “Many of my own relatives and friends were killed by this tragedy, so I would like to help my local community back home. My family and I had been building a chapel in my home town, but had to put it on hold because we had run out of money so I am thrilled that we can now use this money to finish the project.”

Passengers were given the chance to enter the Qatar Airways’ inflight duty free raffle upon purchase of two or more perfumes. The winner was randomly chosen at a celebration draw at Doha International Airport last month.

In the current issue of Qatar Airways’ Inflight Duty Free magazine, passengers will receive a $40 shopping voucher if they spend more than $200 in a single transaction onboard.

sandwindstars

February 18th, 2010, 08:12 PM

^^ related to the above.

Resilience

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:00

REMITTANCES of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) grew faster than forecast in 2009—a testament to the huge debt we owe our compatriots who risk more than life and limb to send home decent money to keep their families above poverty.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday said money sent home by Filipinos overseas grew by 5.6 percent last year, or faster than its forecast of a 4-percent increment.

The actual inflows buck previous forecasts by other parties—from multilateral lenders to economists—that remittances would post flat growth, if not contract in 2009.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indeed, OFW money surged higher during the Asian financial crisis, compensating for the weakness in other pillars of the Philippine economy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

OFW money again proved our economic heroes’ mettle.

------------------------------------------------------------
Many had staked their remittance forecasts on the huge share of the US as source of OFW money.

Since the US had slipped into a recession, they argued, OFW would find themselves jobless and packing their bags to return home.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the BSP, the major sources of remittances were the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Germany.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Personal consumer expenditures
Money sent home by Filipinos overseas helped prop up personal consumer expenditures (PCE) last year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
The OFW phenomenon clearly is one of the country’s strengths. It remains for the country’s next president to ensure this strength is not squandered.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Reintegration

The government must take the goal of helping returning and returned OFWs get reintegrated as employed and income-producing citizens.
and Assistance Program” the No. 1 service and benefit is supposed to be “1. REPATRIATION PROGRAM—provision of services to facilitate immediate repatriation of distressed OFWs, medically-ill OFWs.”
------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/opinion/11582-resilience

Unfortunately, this seems to be just another POEA press release to toot their horn. BSP calls these remittances as Overseas Filipinos only, not Overseas Filipino Workers meaning Filipino citizens working overseas as in OFW'S, or Filipino immigrants classified as in Balikbayans. The biggest chunk of these overseas remittances come from US and Canada, where most balikbayans come from. They represent as of 2009, US approx 45% of all remittances and 10% Canada. Believe me we don't have that many OFW's here other than the caregivers, and healthcare workers. Most are immigrants who have taken on Canadian or US citizenship. In the US alone, there are about 4.2 m Filipinos (immigrants & US citizens) accdg to US State Dept before Hilary Clinton's visit to the country.

The "balikabayans" or OT's before the word was coined, had been remitting for decades, these were the US servicemen, the sugar cane workers in Hawaii, the fruit workers in CA (before the Mexicans), etc. I met one of them with a beach house in Ilocos Norte, like 40+ years ago, who came back after retiring from his job in the US. Many balikbayans are now looking at the Philippines as the alternative to their shrinking retirement savings. I've met a number of them who actually live there for half the year, bought their own property or condo (in cash.)

It's a joke for these POEA promoters that OFW's are the heroes of the country, as a matter of fact, they are the cheap "products" of the politicians because most of the OFW's are in countries where they make peanuts compared to the those who have immigrated to North America, Australia etc. These immigrants are in the mainstream of the economic communities there, and have been sustaining the property market, e.g. condo and property boom in the country. Many of these are baby boomers nearing retirement age, some are married to foreigners who wish to retire there. US citizens residing in the Philippines are about 100,000 already, many of these are receiving pensions transferred to the country.

It's a sad fact that most media people, politicians cannot interpret numbers and statistics. If you want to know more study the Overseas Filipino Remittances on the BSP page, and study the POEA stats on overseas deployment. And put them together. Don't get your hopes high up about POEA. I learned from those with relatives working in the mid east, some of them are earning as low as USD 500.00 per month. Is that you as Filipinos are going to be proud of, as cheap labour of the world? The biggest remittances in terms of employment groups are the merchant marine (approx P 2.5 b). Technically, they live on ships when working but not really based overseas. Professional OFW's account for like 10% of total deployments, these are the people who actually make decent earnings.

Balikbayans do not need repatriation and reintegration. Based on tourism stats from one of the threads, there's about 750,000 of us who have visited the Philippines last year. A number are taking on dual citizenship. I've been trying to question these media releases for putting a positive spin to something that should be throughly studied. By lumping balikbayans and OFW remittances together, it sure makes POEA and labour export policy look like THE saviour of the country. In reality it is like only 5% contribution to the economy, and the 5% from balikbayan.

RonnieR

February 19th, 2010, 10:47 AM

Juan Pilgrim

February 19th, 2010, 02:49 PM

I count myself as one of the OFW/OCW and like Senator Gordon I advocate
for the protection of our New Philippine Heroes ("Mga Bagong Bayani") now
when they are outside the Philippines working and when they retire in the
future. We need to have a PROVIDENT FUND for our OFW!
GORDON - Provident fund for OFWs

Senator Richard Gordon, Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New
Philippine Party standard-bearer, has proposed the creation of a provident
fund for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that would help them save and
invest their money for their social security.

During the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation Presidential Policy Forum, Gordon
discussed his earlier proposal of creating the Philippines' own provident fund
for OFWs, patterned after the Central Provident Fund (CPF) of Singapore.

"We always say they (OFWs) are our heroes, but what kind of a future are
we going to give back to them? Singapore has four and a half million people
and they have a central provident fund of $30 billion. We have nine million
Filipinos overseas that can participate in a provident fund," he said.

Gordon, who first brought up the issue of creating a provident fund to Labor
Department officials during a Senate hearing last year, noted that only a few
OFWs, those who are recruited by a foreign-based employer who have
availed of voluntary coverage, are covered by the Social Security System (SSS).

He said that the government must create a program that
would help Filipinos who are working abroad make good use of their money.

"The formula here is to work, save and invest to prosper. We can have our
people who are overseas contribute to a provident fund. We would make sure
that we have a large amount of savings that can be used to provide a future
for them, build homes, provide insurance, provide education, and provide a
retirement fund for them," Gordon explained.

He added that this kind of program would broaden the opportunities available
for OFWs. Likewise, it would give them a sense of security and confidence.
But Gordon stressed that the better thing to do is still to provide
opportunities here for the people so that they will not have to find their
future in foreign shores.

"If we improve our educational system, our people will have choice. Instead
of going abroad, they can have choice here. We have to find ways and
means of improving the countryside, so that we can all find our future in
Filipinas, our own native homeland," Gordon said.

:horse:

sandwindstars

February 20th, 2010, 11:17 AM

^^ The Filipino seamen remitted $3B to the country in 2009. It represents 17% of $17.3B - total money received from expats, OFWs and immigrants last year.

The contribution is indeed huge. It is just like we have investments of $17 Billion that is fueled directly to the developers, supermarkets, schools, restaurants, bars, malls, banks, etc.

Philippines ranks no. 4 in the World's Largest Receiver of Remittances

4. Philippines Received $18.6 billion

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2009/07/16/india-china-top-list-of-worlds-largest-receivers-of-remittances.html

Now you're talking. Philippine seamen have been around for decades, centuries. It is a traditional, established industry. (My late Uncle did it one time.) It was a partnership with Norwegian companies (like Fred Olsen in the 80's I believe) that boosted the competitiveness of our Filipino seamen. They are the most organized labour groups, with certification, maritime institute etc. The interesting thing is that, seamen don't have to move to another country. They basically sign up with shipping agencies in Manila and then fly to wherever they meet up with their ship. Their paychecks go straight into their bank.

The balikbayans have been coming as well. If you use BSP numbers and POEA numbers, their remittances come to 55% of the $17 b. What is the govt doing to capture these small time investors? How many house and lots or condo can one own or sari sari stores or trikes or jeeps for pasada they can invest in? For example, retail treasury bonds aren't available overseas, they're a good source of funds for the government for their infrastructure projects. Isn't it? Israel has the State of Israel bonds available in Toronto.

The POEA however is a sad case. They like to throw in number of "deployments." All they are basically doing is trying to bloat up their numbers, to collect their exit visa fees. They should focus on protecting the non-skilled or semi skilled workers earning like USD 500, in countries where labor laws are questionable.

tonyboy

February 21st, 2010, 11:18 AM

dessertfox

February 22nd, 2010, 07:09 AM

RonnieR

February 22nd, 2010, 11:53 AM

kiretoce

February 22nd, 2010, 07:17 PM

The new faces of Israel
Tel Aviv has become something of a melting pot, with immigrants from the Philippines, Romania and South America. (http://mobile.globalpost.com/dispatch/israel-and-palestine/100219/tel-aviv-israel-immigration)

On a Thursday night at Mommy's Place, AJ Masajo took his normal place in front of the karaoke screen. Clutching a microphone, the 34-year-old from the Philippines belted out “Sweet Child of Mine,” including an air guitar solo. Masajo, who studied music in Manila, comes to the restaurant each Thursday.

"It's like the Philippines in here,” said Masajo, dressed in dark jeans and a tight pink shirt. He has worked as a caretaker in Israel for the last four years. “In every home in Manila there's karaoke.”

Mommy's Place is owned by an Israeli-Philippino couple, Yossi and Lucy Hazut, who met 19 years ago. The two-story restaurant is right off Neve Sha'anan, a three-block pedestrian walkway lined with cobblestones and framed by crumbling Bauhaus buildings. The street is the service and cultural center to the city's 40,000 foreign workers and 5,000 African refugees, according to the city of Tel Aviv. On weekends they stream onto the pavement to take a rest from cleaning hospitals, walking the elderly and pounding away on construction sites.

Their increasingly vibrant neighborhood is growing into Israel’s first Chinatown. Yet despite investment from city hall, Neve Sha'anan is also a no-man's land of the homeless, prostitutes and drug addicts of Tel Aviv. Urban planners say that until national Israeli policy accepts the non-Jewish foreigners, their neighborhood will remain marginal.

According to Tel Aviv University Geographer Itzhak Schnell, Israel has had foreign workers since the 1980s. The phenomenon expanded in 1993, when then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin tightly restricted Palestinian day labor in Israel. Foreign workers from Ghana, Thailand, the Philippines and around the world were eager to replace them, and they built their own social outlets.

“The South Americans had salsa clubs and a soccer league, according to nationality,” Schnell said. “The Filipinos had beauty pageants. ... The Romanians went to brothels.”

In a survey he took of neighboring residents, Schnell found Jewish Tel Avivis of all classes open to the foreign workers, whom they saw as quiet and hard-working. Their only reservation was toward the Romanians because of prostitution.

“Part of the reason was that the foreign workers replaced the Palestinians,” Schnell said. “The Israelis thought [the foreign workers] saved us from terrorist attacks.”

Refugees and asylum seekers from Eritrea, Sudan and other African countries began arriving in 2006. Tel Aviv hosts a growing humanitarian infrastructure including a women’s shelter, a clinic and at least 10 African churches.

The openness of Tel Aviv extends to city hall. Ten years ago the city of Tel Aviv founded Mesila, the only municipal welfare organization for foreigners in Israel. Director Tamar Schwartz said the Sudanese did not start businesses right away.

“In the first year or two years, they were in survival mode,” she told GlobalPost. “Then after a year or two, they got jobs, they found apartments. Once their basic needs were met, they began thinking of other needs.”

habagatcentral1

February 23rd, 2010, 04:37 AM

Israel's immigrant children fight deportation
By Katya Adler | BBC News, Jerusalem (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8524723.stm)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47336000/jpg/_47336512_girls466.jpg
Noah Mae (second from left) dreams in Hebrew, but does not know the Philippine language Tagalog

Five little girls giggle and scream with delight as they chase each other round the playground, their pigtails flying as they run.

The girls' parents come from the Philippines, Thailand and Sudan but they sing, shout and chat together in Hebrew.

Like her friends, bright-eyed, eight-year-old Noah Mae was born in Israel. This is her home, she says.

I've come to meet her at a community centre run by the Israeli Scouts movement in southern Tel Aviv.

She proudly shows me her schoolbook, where she got top marks for her Hebrew writing and spelling.

Here parents might come from the Philippines but she feels truly Israeli. Hebrew is the language she dreams in, she tells me.

Pressure groups

But Israel's government now wants Noah Mae to leave. Here it's illegal for migrant workers to have children.

Hundreds of families face expulsion from Israel this summer. More than 1,000 children, including Noah Mae, expect to be deported at the end of their school year.

Noah May's mother, Emily Cabradilla, together with a number of Israeli pressure groups, is trying to fight the government's plan to include the children in a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

She said it broke her heart when she heard the news. "Noah Mae has never been to the Philippines. How can I tell her she's going home? She hardly speaks a word of Tagalog.

"She says she won't leave Israel. 'Mama,' she said to me, 'I am Israeli. I was born here and I will stay here.'"

But laws in Israel make it extremely hard for people to stay, to become citizens, if they are not Jewish.

Right from its birth, Israel called itself the Jewish State. This is a country built for and built by immigrants from all over the world but with a key common factor - a Jewish heritage.

According to Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, controlling immigration is largely about preserving Israel's Jewish character.

His government intends to deport all illegal immigrants by 2013 and also to drastically reduce the number of legal foreign workers in Israel.

In the face of some public opposition to the government's policy, Israel's Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Eli Yishai, accused Israelis of being hypocritical and sanctimonious. "Don't they [the foreign workers] threaten the Zionist project of the State of Israel?" he asked.

Mr Yishai caused an outcry in the autumn when he accused migrant workers of bringing with them "a profusion of diseases: hepatitis, measles, tuberculosis, Aids and drug (addiction)".

And the plan to deport the children proved so controversial the government has delayed it from last summer until the end of the 2010 school year.

'Like a stranger'

A new immigration police force - the Oz Unit - now patrols Israel's streets as part of the government crackdown. We accompanied a team of policemen around the old central bus station in southern Tel Aviv.

The teeming, narrow pedestrian alleys here reveal a social world rarely seen in Israel. Here Chinese men sell cigarettes and children's clothes, Sudanese refugees hawk CDs and DVDs while Philippine and Thai women share a joke on a street corner.

Israel increased the number of work permits it issued to South East Asian workers in particular after the start of the second Palestinian uprising.

Israeli police check immigrant ID cards in Tel Aviv
Many Tel Aviv migrant workers look uncomfortable as the police approach

They've taken the place of Palestinian workers; Israel's government severely restricts their permits and presence in Israel for security reasons, it says.

Everyone here looks uncomfortable as the police approach.

Commander Igal Ben Ami says he doesn't enjoy deporting people who have made friends and have a life here but he says he has to follow orders.

"Look around this part of town," he says, listing to me dozens of nationalities who hang out here, especially at night.

"This is an Israeli street, a Jewish street, but I feel the stranger here."

Mr Netanyahu says Israel will always open its doors to refugees from war-stricken countries but will not let thousands of foreign workers "flood the country".

History of persecution

While his government speaks of the need to expel non-Jewish migrant workers and their children born here, it sponsors organisations that encourage Jewish people from all over the world to move to Israel.

Israel insists this has nothing at all to do with racism. Most here feel having a Jewish state is important considering the Jewish people's long history of persecution.

Mark Rosenberg works for Nefesh B'Nefesh, a group that encourages Jews to move to Israel.

He explains that Israel offers citizenship to anyone with a Jewish grandparent, because under the Nazis anyone with a Jewish grandparent was eligible to be murdered in the gas chambers.

"Especially in the shadow of the Holocaust, many Jews chose to come and live here - 85% of the country is Jewish. The idea is that this nation is a homeland where Jews can be free."

But the children of foreign workers in Israel say they know no other home. Israeli governments used to turn a blind eye but no longer.

'Punished'

Young Israeli campaigner Rotem Ilan heads the Children of Israel organisation.

She says children like Noah Mae are being punished for a crime they didn't commit.

The fact that they were born in Israel is Israel's responsibility, she insists.

It allowed the children's parents to come here.

Her organisation is one of a number of NGOs organising protests against the children's deportation.

"For 20 years Israeli governments have turned a blind eye to these children. They are now part of the fabric of this country. They go to school here. They celebrate the same holidays as us. If there is something we [Jews] have learned from our history is that you must not, you cannot deport children."

Israel's government did not respond to our requests for an interview.

Noah Mae and her friends hope politicians may yet change their minds and let them stay.

And how will she feel if they don't?

"Bad," she said sadly. "I love Israel."

^^ http://statics.plurk.com/35b16fc25623670e41c2be6bf8ac38c7.gif As time goes by, I'm beginning to ummm...I'll keep it for myself.

crappypants

February 23rd, 2010, 05:33 AM

hypocrites, they accept foreign workers but don't expect those foreign workers to start families. They're humans and need companionship ,of course they will form a family as a support system for being in a foreign land. given their history you would think jews would be more sympathetic to the diaspora of other peoples. that's why filipinos stop making babies, only to send them to other countries the world is getting smaller and hostile to migrants specially with the world economic crisis ongoing.

anone

February 23rd, 2010, 09:21 AM

OEC ONLINE - Balik Manggagawa

Hindi na ninyo kailangang pumunta sa POEA para lang kumuha ng OEC. Pwede na ninyo itong e-apply online at hindi na kayo maghihirap pang pumila. Idedeliver pa ito sa inyong sariling tahanan. Click lang po ninyo ang link sa ibaba at mag-apply online.

http://www.citizenservices.com.ph/poea/apply-now

RonnieR

February 23rd, 2010, 11:49 AM

Filipina raped by Four Arabs in Salmiya
Lankan busted for drugs

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 22: Police have arrested four Arabs for raping a Filipino woman inside an apartment in Salmiya, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to reports the suspects lured the woman with false promises, took her to an apartment and raped her successively and then dropped her on a main road and escaped.
The rapists were arrested after the woman gave police information about them.
All the four men were picked by the woman during a legal lineup.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/150027/reftab/69/t/Filipina-raped-by-Four-Arabs-in-Salmiya/Default.aspx

kiretoce

February 23rd, 2010, 03:45 PM

^^ From an Israeli nationalist's (Zionist) point of view, I can understand their reasons for wanting to keep Israel's Jewish identity intact, it stems from them being a persecuted people all throughout history. That's the very reason why the state of Israel was founded, a Jewish homeland that's a safe haven for all Jews from around the world. Now unless Filipinos living and working there would denounce their Christian faith and convert to Judaism and assimilate and integrate themselves into Jewish culture and living, they will be always viewed as "gentile" on their land.

Juan Pilgrim

February 23rd, 2010, 06:58 PM

Share ko lang mga Kabayan.

Meron na pong "PERA" similar marahil to sa provident fund. Batas na po ito at for implementation ngayong taon.

Inaalam ko po sa mga bangko pero wala pa po silang directives marahil.

See the primer;

http://jlp-law.com/blog/primer-on-the-personal-equity-and-retirement-account-pera-act/

What is PERA?

PERA stands for “Personal Equity and Retirement Account ,” which refers to the voluntary retirement account established by and for the exclusive use and benefit of the Contributor for the purpose of being invested solely in PERA investment products in the Philippines. The Contributor shall retain the ownership, whether legal or beneficial, of funds placed therein, including all earnings of such funds. He makes all investment decisions pertaining to his PERA, with an option to appoint an Investment Manager.
A Contributor may create and maintain a maximum of five (5) PERA, at any one time, provided that the Contributor shall designate and maintain only one Administrator for all his PERA.

It is governed by Republic Act 9505 (full text ), also known as the “Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) Act of 2008 ”, which was approved on 22 August 2008.

This is a step in the right direction that all of us OFWs/ OCWs should look
into. We have to be prepared for our and our families' future.

:horse:

RonnieR

February 24th, 2010, 10:57 AM

Interesting article from Trinidad and Tobago. There is inaccuracy on population.

Filipino nurses and doctors
Courtenay Bartholomew

Wednesday, February 24th 2010

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_opinion?id=161599654

Four times have I been to the Philippines (on invitation). This is big country. In fact, the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel where I last stayed has one of the most modern and impressive infrastructurein the world, not to mention the nightly buffets of a wide array of tasty oriental dishes. But above all, the courtesy of its staff was unsurpassable. It is all part and parcel of the Eastern culture.

The Philippines is one of the newly industrialised emerging market economies of the world. Important sectors of the economy include agriculture and industry, particularly food processing, textile and garments, automobile parts and electronics. For example, its Baguio plant produces all the chips used in Nokia cell phones and 80 per cent of chips used in Ericsson cell phones in the world. However, the Philippines is still faced with the challenge of generating enough income internally for such a large population.

People are the Philippines’ biggest export - nine million of its 82 million people live outside the country, and it is said to be the leading exporter of nurses in the world. They migrate mainly to the United States, Britain, and Saudi Arabia. Filipinos have become a major source of health professionals largely because of their fluent English, skills and training, compassion and patience in caring. Indeed, I am told that these traits have been readily noticed here.

Nurses leaving the country to work abroad are predominantly female, young in their early 20s, and single. They come from middle income backgrounds, many with skills in intensive care (ICU), emergency room medicine, and operating theatre nursing. They frequently have rendered between one and ten years of service before they migrate. However, in the Philippines their salaries only range from US$200 to $800 a month and they can earn very much more abroad, especially in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that since 1994 over 100,000 nurses have left the Philippines to work abroad. Britain and the United States offer the best working conditions for Filipino nurses, including visas for spouses and children, and in some cases, subsidised housing.

It is also estimated that nurses are more likely to be remitters and they remit a higher portion of their income than other migrants in other fields. Many of them send about 36 per cent or more of their earnings home and these remittances more than adequately make up for the economic losses associated with the migration of health professionals. Indeed, remittances of overseas Filipinos are estimated to be at least US$ 1.5 billion per annum!

Now, both the domestic and foreign demand for nurses has generated a rapidly growing nursing education sector which is now made up of about 400 nursing colleges that also offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme and graduate approximately 20,000 nurses annually. The Philippines therefore produces more nurses than can be employed at home. Remember that the population is over 83 million! However, in spite of that, the Philippine Hospital Association has recently reported that as many as 200 hospitals have closed in the past two years due to shortages of nurses and doctors, and that 800 hospitals have ended services in one or two wards.

Meanwhile the nursing sector has made a series of proposals that it is said are being considered as part of the Philippine Nursing Development Plan and includes the institution of the National Health Service Act, which would compel graduates from state-funded nursing schools to serve locally for the number of years equivalent to their years of training.

Nurse doctors

But doctors are also migrating. The average salary of a government doctor in the Philippines is US$300 to $800 a month, and doctors are leaving for a variety of reasons: political instability, low pay, corruption, poor working conditions and the threat of malpractice. Because the standards in developed countries for foreign nurses are easier to meet than those for foreign doctors, almost unbelievably so, more than 4,000 Filipino doctors, who have retrained as nurses, have emigrated since 2000, according to a New York Times article in late 2005. To the best of my knowledge, this is unique to the Philippines. And so, doctors are becoming nurses (known as ’nurse medics’) in order to seek overseas employment. It is a culture which can accept that level of humility. Can you imagine Trinidadian doctors having to become nurses?

This is a new and growing phenomenon. For example, one study showed that in 2001, approximately 2,000 doctors became nurse medics, and in 2005, approximately 4,000 doctors were enrolled in nursing schools across the country. The majority of them had practised as doctors for more than two years and the United States is their top destination country.

And so, across the country more and more nursing schools are busy training doctors into nurses and, as it is said, doctors are now willing to take orders instead of giving them and to provide care instead of cures, all in order to live in the United States. Meanwhile, it is recorded in the press that President Gloria Arroyo has envisioned that by 2020 the Philippines would be a First World country. Now, where did I hear that before?

red_jasper

February 28th, 2010, 06:28 AM

Experience the art of Filipino palm weaving (http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100228/NEWS/100225086/-1/newsfront/Experience-the-art-of-Filipino-palm-weaving)
February 28, 2010

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Folklife Program for New Jersey will present “Palaspas: Traditional Filipino Palm Weaving Workshop” at East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Road, Piscataway. The workshop will be offered from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March. 27.

Palaspas, which means palm weaving in the Philippine language, is a centuries-old tradition practiced in preparation for Palm Sunday. Coconut palm fronds are woven into intricate designs, brought to church to be blessed, and then traditionally displayed in the home for protection.

Participants in this hands-on workshop will learn how to create this special folk craft under the instruction of master artists from Samahan Cultural Heritage, Eastern Seaboard, Inc. The palm fronds can be braided, twisted, notched and woven into various patterns and styles. The Palm Weaving Workshop will be presented in a bilingual format, with an interpreter speaking English and Tagalog, the official language of the Philippines.

Palaspas, is presented without charge, but registration is required, as space is limited. To register, contact the Commission, at 732-745-4489. Those with hearing impairments may call 732-745-3888 (TTY), or 711 via the New Jersey Relay Service.

national guard

February 28th, 2010, 01:52 PM

Filipino sailors’ remittances up 12% to $366M (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100228-255830/Filipino-sailors-remittances-up-12-to-366M)

INQUIRER.net First Posted 09:48:00 02/28/2010 Filed Under: Waterway & Maritime Transport, Remittances, Overseas Employment

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino sailors aboard foreign ocean-going vessels wired home a total of $3.4 billion in 2009, up $366 million or 12.06 percent from $3.034 billion in 2008, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said in a news release over the weekend.

TUCP secretary general and former senator Ernesto Herrera said Filipino sailors based in Europe remitted $1.156 billion last year, up $509.594 million or 78.82 percent from $646.406 million in 2008.

Herrera said the cash sent home by Filipino sailors based in Asia also increased $180.343 million or 55.07 percent year-on-year, to $507.801 million from $327.458 million.

The hefty increases outweighed the $325-million or 16 percent year-on-year drop in remittances from Filipino sailors based in America, from $2.031 billion to $1.706 billion, said Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.

TUCP's revelation came shortly after the Philippine government bared a plan to sell $500 million of dollar- and euro-denominated bonds to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to partly bridge the projected P293-billion budget deficit this year.

Last year's 12.06 percent growth in remittances from sea-based OFWs was three times faster than the 4.15-percent or $555-million year-on-year increase in the cash sent home by land-based OFWs.

Aggregate remittances coursed through banks by all land- and sea-based OFWs increased $921-million or 5.61 percent, from $16.427 billion to $17.348 billion in 2009 in 2008, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Of the $921-million increase, land-based OFWs contributed 60 percent, while those at sea covered the rest.

Sailors now contribute 20 cents out of every dollar sent home by all OFWs, according to Herrera, whose labor center includes the Philippine Seafarers' Union.

Herrera said remittances from Filipino sailors should continue to grow at a double-digit rate this year, especially once the American economy regains strength.

Last week, a group of 44 Filipino crewmembers ended their lockdown over unpaid wages aboard the bankrupt casino cruise ship Palm Beach Princess at Florida's Riviera Beach City.

One out of four workers aboard international cruise ships is a Filipino.

national guard

February 28th, 2010, 02:37 PM

Government eyes $500-million RTBs for OFWs (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=553490&publicationSubCategoryId=66)
By Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine Star) Updated February 28, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The government is eyeing to issue roughly $500 million in retail Treasury bonds (RTBs) for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in April, National Treasurer Roberto Tan said over the weekend.

“We’re now working on the approvals. What we’d like is to do it in April,” he said.

Tan also said the bonds may be dollar-denominated or euro-denominated. It may also be in denominations as small as $100 and may be available in tenors of three and five years. These bonds are intended to serve as investment facilities for Filipinos abroad and not just as a source of funding.

The Department of Finance (DOF) needs the approval of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the issue. It also needs clearance from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for a plan to provide tax incentives to buyers of the bonds.

The government, in particular, wants to make the bonds tax-exempt for the buyers but without leaving a huge dent on state coffers. Officials said the National Government may own up to the tax dues or subsidize part of the amount.

Philippine bonds issued offshore are tax exempt so the same treatment may apply considering that the RTBs would cater to Filipinos abroad.

To make room for the OFW bonds, the government will likely issue less Treasury bills and bonds this year.

The government has programmed to borrow P110.5 billion in the first quarter of the year, 20 percent higher than the programmed debt sales in the same period last year.

According to the program, it would sell P51 billion worth of T-bills and P59.5 billion worth of T-bonds during the first three months of the year.

The government has already completed its $2.5-billion programmed commercial borrowing requirements for 2010 following the successful sale of $1.1 billion worth of Samurai or yen-denominated bonds in the Japanese financial market on Tuesday.

Fiscal authorities earlier revised the commercial borrowing program to $2.5 billion from foreign commercial creditors from a previous program of $2 billion to plug a record deficit of P293 billion for this year. It maintained its 2010 plan to borrow $1.8 billion from multilateral lenders.

Despite completing the foreign borrowing requirements, the government still wants to sell RTBs to Filipinos abroad to provide them additional investment options and to take advantage of the high liquidity in the market.

national guard

February 28th, 2010, 03:54 PM

Groundwork for OFWs computer and financial literacy kicks off (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/245500/groundwork-ofws-computer-and-financial-literacy-kicks)
By EDISON ONG
February 28, 2010, 1:28pm

Did you know that among Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), there are so-called 45-day millionaires?

From what I understand, these are those guys who earn really big money and truly once their US dollar, for example, paychecks are converted to Philippine peso, the bills amount to millions.

Why 45-days?

I have not found the answer to this yet, but if we go by the stories of some folks “throwing parties for two weeks”, plus the additional days of shopping, and gift giving, and what have you, one month and a half month could be it.

Another explanation could be that after 45-days, the OFW has to return overseas and resume earning dollars again.

Had it not been due to their basic computer literacy training, many of them might still be trapped in this 45-day millionaire syndrome.

Alas, there is a way out.

Against this backdrop, graduates of the “Tulay”, the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Program Community Technology Skills Program for Overseas Filipino Workers, have began to organize themselves into either alumni groups or cooperatives with business and livelihood projects for members.

An example is the OWWA Microsoft Tulay Alumni Organization of graduates from the Cordilleras and Baguio. Headed by Ediltrudis Irma Person of Tulay Batch 1, her members engage in livelihood activities such a detergent products, Internet café operations, transient homes management, restaurants and meat processing.

In the process of being formalized is the Tulay OFW Cooperative based in Butuan City and spearheaded by former OFW Elisa Capon-Moran. A start up venture being contemplated is smoked fish production.

“OFWs who are trained with basic IT skills have the advantage to explore other business opportunities. With their new found skills, the window of possibilities is endless,” said Susan Ople, president, Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute.

This month, the BOPC received from Microsoft Philippines more than $200,000 in cash and software grants for the expansion of the “Tulay” for OFWs program.

In the Philippines, “Tulay” was launched by Microsoft in 2004 in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment, specifically its attached agency Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. Its objective is to provide technology tools and skills training to OFWs and their families.

In 2008, Microsoft started working with the Ople Center, a private non-profit organization that has partnered with OWWA, to put up more learning centers.

“Over the years, “Tulay” has been successful in boosting opportunities for Filipino migrant workers and their beneficiaries. We are happy with the development of “Tulay”. Through the expansion of new training centers, more and more OFWs and their families can take advantage of these opportunities,” said Carmelita Dimzon, Administrator, OWWA, in a press release.

In her progress report and new directions announcement, Ople underscored, “Once empowered…now that they are computer literate, their horizon suddenly expands.”

Thus the challenge of bringing them up to the next level from computer literacy to financial literacy. Combining computer literacy with financial literacy, as she put it.

“We are looking also into possible tie-ups with local government units to pilot test a more OFW-friendly business environment,” she said. “We would like to increase the number of OFWs and their dependents who are able to obtain new sources of income, better jobs, and or put up small businesses after graduating from the Tulay program.”

She underscored, “Given options and when pointed to the right direction, a “Tulay” graduate is empowered enough to consider pursuing other computer courses or opening a small business.”

Since 2004, over 20,000 people have been trained under the “Tulay” program. With the expansion of the program and opening of new centers, “Tulay” is expecting 258,000 individuals to benefit from the program in the next three years.

RonnieR

March 1st, 2010, 05:13 AM

Juan Pilgrim

March 1st, 2010, 11:37 PM

^^...and our Filipino seamen and women are really the BEST in the world!

Last year (2009), 322,843 Filipino seamen manned the world’s cargo vessels, from bulk carriers to oil tankers, an increase of 23.4 per cent over the previous year...

The Philippines, ...supplies almost a third of the world’s merchant seamen.
SOURCE (http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100122/FOREIGN/701219880/0/NATIONAL)

:horse:

national guard

March 2nd, 2010, 03:02 PM

Good news, bad news from Oman (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100302-256233/Good-news-bad-news-from-Oman)
By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net First Posted 12:33:00 03/02/2010 Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Asia Australia - North Asia

MANILA, Philippines—The Sultanate of Oman has given illegal or overstaying expatriate workers until March 31 this year to leave the country, the Department of Labor and Employment said Tuesday.

The deadline was contained in a note verbale issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman to the Philippine embassy and embassies of other manpower-sending countries there. The ministry asked that citizens of these countries to enlighten and educate their citizens about the amnesty.

Citing the report of Labor Attache Romeo Young, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the Philippine embassy was also tasked to enumerate and register the names of those who are leaving. The Omani ministry asked those availing of the amnesty to submit the needed documents to facilitate their hassle-free repatriation.

Young met with the Filipino community in Oman, and immediately 16 overstaying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) came forward to ask to be registered under the amnesty program.

More are expected to avail of the amnesty as the deadline comes near, he added.

After meeting with the Filipino community in Oman, Young said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Polo-Owwa) in Oman set up a one-stop-shop center for the registration and processing of OFWs who would avail of the amnesty.

On new opportunities in Oman, Young said that the Ministry of Manpower there has just lifted the temporary ban on issuing work visas to foreign workers in 10 categories.

Salem Bin Nasir Al Hadhrami, director general of employment at the Ministry of Manpower, was quoted by the Oman Tribune as saying that the ministry has again allowed companies to apply work visas for shoe repairers, real estate valuators, bicycle mechanics, electricians, upholstery workers, car mechanics, plumbers and painters, screen printing technicians, health club trainers, and restaurants and coffee shop workers.

But the ban on foreign workers for eight other professions, including laundry and barbershop workers, will continue until the end of 2010.

Young said that although the ministry seeks to reduce recruitment of foreign labor, it continues to study the country’s market needs.

He said that Omani employers have shown great interest in hiring more Filipino workers because of their good work habits, pleasing personality, and sunny disposition in life. He said employers value these traits most in the service-oriented establishments like hotels, parlors, restaurants, shopping centers, and coffee shops.

national guard

March 2nd, 2010, 03:07 PM

VIEWPOINT
‘Tago ng Tago’ in Saudi (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/viewpoints/viewpoints/view/20100302-256238/Tago-ng-Tago-in-Saudi)
By Jun Burgos
INQUIRER.net First Posted 13:22:00 03/02/2010 Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Migration, Crime and Law and Justice

MANILA, Philippines—The phenomenon of “tago ng tago” (TNT or always hiding), a term referring to those who are always on the run from immigration authorities because of their irregular status in a foreign land, is not confined to Filipinos in the United States.

Rey (real name withheld pending resolution of his case) went to Saudi Arabia on November 2006 to work as a family driver. After just a few months on his job and for some unknown reason, he ran away from his employer and became a TNT.

Late last year, Rey was found dead. The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery to this day. At the time he was found, Rey bore a different identity. He was Minio. Rey's savings were also missing (or stolen?) and never retrieved by Rey's brother, who was legitimately working in the kingdom. Results of the autopsy concluded that the dead body was indeed that of Rey’s. Rey's passport was found by his wife inside the jacket, which was contained in the balikbayan box he had sent from the kingdom.

Philippine diplomats, led by Ambassador Tony Villamor and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, are helping the likes of Rey. But there are time- and resource-consuming procedures to follow. In Rey's case, his family borrowed 8,600 Saudi riyals (about P104,000), the amount needed to repatriate his remains back to the Philippines.

What pushes Filipinos to become TNTs in Saudi?

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as OFW support groups and OFWs themselves, many TNT Filipinos in Saudi run away from abusive employers. Others leave to escape their employment contract, enticed by some compatriots for work that provides better compensation.

A large bulk of the TNTs are those whose work contracts have expired, but they stay in the kingdom to look for replacement jobs, refusing to return to the Philippines for fear of joblessness, unable to meet the financial needs of their family. Still others just use their job deployment as a way to enter Saudi and jump to higher-paying jobs, using different names and personal details.

There are also those who go to Saudi as part of some delegation (such as during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca) and some other “backdoor procedures,” but would not leave when they get there.

Philippine authorities help those who were forced to be TNTs to escape the inhumane treatment by employers, but are more reluctant to help those who fall under the other categories.

An OFW already bears a lot of sacrifice, risks, and hardship, but a TNT much, much more, especially in the Middle East.

national guard

March 2nd, 2010, 03:24 PM

BSP says OFW bond float to hurt exporters
(http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20100301-256099/BSP-says-OFW-bond-float-to-hurt-exporters)
Additional forex borrowings to strengthen peso
By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:06:00 03/01/2010

Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance, Banking, Trade (general), International (Foreign)Trade, Loan Markets

MANILA, Philippines--The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has warned that the plan of the Bureau of the Treasury to issue bonds specifically for overseas Filipino workers could lead to a further appreciation of the peso and, in the process, hurt exporters.

Diwa Guinigundo, deputy governor at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, said the government had already breached its foreign commercial borrowing program for 2010.

The government was to borrow only $2.5 billion worth of commercial loans from foreign creditors this year, but it has sold $1.5 billion in global bonds in January and $1.1 billion worth of Samurai bonds in February.

The Treasury is again planning to sell bonds specifically meant for OFWs in April.

While the additional borrowing was not inflationary, Guinigundo said the OFW bonds were expected to put additional upward pressure on the peso.

“The drawback of an additional foreign borrowing is its contribution to the appreciation of the peso,” he said, noting that some sectors of the economy were being adversely affected by the rise of the local currency.

The central bank executive said there would be some benefits if the government would instead borrow more from the local market by tapping peso-denominated credit.

“The peso is appreciating. One way to moderate the appreciation of the peso is to change the financing mix [of the government] to favor additional domestic borrowings,” Guinigundo said.

Under the government’s original borrowing program for 2010, it should observe a borrowing mix of 72:28 in favor of domestic borrowings. This means 72 centavos of every peso to be borrowed by the government should come from local sources.

However, this borrowing mix will no longer be observed should the government push through with the sale of the foreign currency-denominated OFW bonds. The government is planning to sell $500 million in dollar-denominated and $100 million in euro-denominated OFW bonds.

A successful sale of $600 million in OFW bonds will change the borrowing mix to 65:35 in favor of peso-denominated financing.

The government has tapped Land Bank of the Philippines, First Metro Investment Corp., BPI Capital, and PNB Capital Investment Corp. as issue managers for the OFW bond issue.

wino

March 2nd, 2010, 04:02 PM

This is a step in the right direction that all of us OFWs/ OCWs should look
into. We have to be prepared for our and our families' future.

:horse:
meron na kaming ganyan.. and most Pinoys in developed countries have that too.. in some sort...
i would rather put my money in Canadian RRSP... tax deductable pa. :D
we call it RRSPs here (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)

Juan Pilgrim

March 2nd, 2010, 07:02 PM

Are you an OFW?

Will this Canadian RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) serve our OFW retiring in the Philippines in the future?

:horse:

national guard

March 3rd, 2010, 11:07 PM

Demand grows for RP seafarers (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/246058/demand-grows-rp-seafarers)
By MALOU M. MOZO
March 3, 2010, 6:32pm

CEBU CITY – A local industry player is optimistic that as the world's shipping industry slowly regain momentum following the global financial crisis that badly hit major business sectors, more international shipping companies will continue hiring Cebuano maritime professionals.

“Filipinos sailors and mariners remain a leading choice for many international shipping industries and because the Philippines generate quality graduates every year, we expect demand to continue to grow,” said University of Cebu Chancellor Candice Gotianuy, whose family runs one of the leading maritime schools in Cebu.

Banking on such optimism, Gotianuy said UC continues to maintain partnerships with several organizations of foreign shipping companies offering scholarships and training pograms for its students.

“There is a shortage of competent maritime officers,” Gotianuy noted in an interview.

Earlier, Captain Cedric Dsouza, training consultant of the International Maritime Employers Committee (IMEC), an organization based in London representing 125 shipping companies worldwide, warned that the maritime industry is projecting a shortage of 200,000 trained and competent marine officers in the next two years.

IMEC offers a training program called Cadet Training Enhancement Program (CTEP) which is offered for the first time in UC with funding from the International Maritime Training Trust (IMTT), a non-profit organization established primarily to develop and train seafarers.

“Visayas has the best training facilities. IMEC chose UC in the region because it already has the infrastructure and facilities,” Dsouza said.

In a separate interview, Odd Magne Skei, director for the Norwegian Training Center (NTC), the operational arm of the Norwegian Maritime Foundation of the Philippines Inc. said high priority is given by NTC to Filipino seafarers on board Norwegian-owned, controlled, managed, or operated vessels.

“Filipinos are known in the industry to be highly skilled professionals and for their loyalty, which is why they deserve the good pay they get for their services. The world's shipping business needs Filipino seafarers,” Skei said.

A report from the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines over the weekend revealed that remittances from Filipino sailors aboard foreign ocean-going vessels wired home a total of $3.4 billion in 2009, up 12.06 percent from $3.034 billion in 2008.

In a press statement, TUCP secretary-general and former senator Ernesto Herrera said Filipino sailors based in Europe remitted $1.156 billion last year, an increase of $509.594 million or 78.82 percent from $646.406 million in 2008.

Herrera said the cash sent home by Filipino sailors based in Asia have also grown to $180.343 million or 55.07 percent year-on-year to $507.801 million, from $327.458 million.

The hefty increases outweighed the 16 percent year-on-year drop in remittances from Filipino sailors based in America to $1.706 million, said Herrera, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.

Sailors now contribute 20 cents out of every US dollar sent home by all OFWs, according to Herrera.

Igsuonnimo

March 6th, 2010, 01:33 PM

OFWs claim ‘victory’ on 2nd day of OWWA camp-out (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20100305/tph-ofws-claim-victory-on-2nd-day-of-oww-ac8c905.html)
GMANews.TV - Friday, March 5

Repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their supporters claimed “victory" on the second day of their camp-out in front of the office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), after the agency relented to the group’s immediate demands Thursday night.

“Tagumpay ang camp-out (The camp-out was a success)," Garry Martinez, chair of migrants’ rights group Migrante International, said in an interview with GMANews.TV.

According to Martinez, OWWA has agreed to give a total of 63 repatriated workers immediate financial assistance amounting to P10,000 each, after the OFWs vowed not to leave the camp-out until their demands are met.

Martinez further disclosed that the agency will also shoulder the costs of the OFWs’ return trip to their provinces, as well as a medical check-up for each after they complained of illnesses they allegedly contracted while working as caregivers in Saudi Arabia.

The OFWs stopped working last year after complaining of unfair labor practices by their employer Annasban Group. Early this year, a total of 43 workers were repatriated by the Philippine government.

The workers, however, have camped in front of the OWWA office since Wednesday asking for reimbursement of their repatriation costs and compensation for unpaid wages and benefits. (See: Repatriated OFWs from ME fighting new battle in Manila)

The workers, however, will remain outside the OWWA office until they receive the cash assistance on Friday. The agency meanwhile vowed not to dismantle the camp-out until then.

Martinez added that the workers’ fight continues, as cases have already been filed also on Wednesday before the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) against their recruitment agencies.

In their complaint, the OFWs asked that their recruitment agencies be blacklisted from deploying Filipino workers abroad for their alleged illegal labor practices.

The recruitment agencies cited by the workers are United Placeman Philippines Inc., Global Jobsearch Services Inc., Saveway International Manpower Inc., and Placewell International Services Inc.

In separate interviews, the four agencies have all denied the accusations, saying they paid for the OFWs’ repatriation costs contrary to the workers’ claims.

Representatives from United Placeman, Global Jobsearch, and Placewell International, however, refused to be identified and declined to give further details, saying they were not authorized to speak on the issue.

Sheila Vargas, liaison officer of Saveway International, meanwhile maintained the agency paid for the repatriation of the 10 workers it deployed to Annasban.

She added they also gave the workers P11,000 each as financial assistance upon arrival in the Philippines and even sent them food allowance in Saudi Arabia when they decided to stop work.

“Napaka-unfair. Hindi namin tinatalikuran ang aming obligasyon, pero sinasagad na nila kami. Hindi naman namin sila pinabayaan," Vargas said.

(What they are doing to us is very unfair. We are not running away from our obligation, but they are pushing us to the wall. We never abandoned them.)

The OFWs, through Migrante, denied the agencies’ claims, and said they will present their evidence to bolster their case against the agencies in the hearings set by POEA this March.—JV, GMANews.TV

red_jasper

March 7th, 2010, 05:46 AM

No OFW deployment to Guam in 2010—recruiter (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100307-257130/No-OFW-deployment-to-Guam-in-2010recruiter)

INQUIRER.net First Posted 12:30:00 03/07/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The anticipated deployment of about 20,000 Filipino construction workers to Guam is unlikely this year, a recruitment consultant said Sunday.

Emmanuel Geslani said Japan’s review of the plan to relocate the United States military base from Okinawa to Guam will delay the planned OFW deployment to next year at the earliest.

“Until US President Barrack Obama and Japan’s Prime Minister agree on the Futenma issue all bets are off on Guam at the moment,” he said in a news release.

In the 2006 realignment pact, Washington and Tokyo agreed to move the Futenma Marina Corps Air Station from downtown Futenma in Okinawa to an airfield to be built at Camp Schwab, a more rural part of the island. Once that airfield is built, Futenma would be closed and 8,600 of the 17,000 US Marines stationed on Okinawa would be moved to Guam by 2014, with Japan shouldering more than $6 billion of the estimated $10 billion expense for building accommodations for the US troops.

Geslani said this US-Japan agreement has been the basis of the meetings between the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Guam legislators and businessmen over the past three years for the hiring of OFWs.

Recruitment agencies have been pooling manpower for the anticipated variety of construction activities that the Guam move of 35,000 Marines and their dependents would entail. New headquarters, new runways, barracks, hospitals, and housing for dependents were in the drawing board.

However, in late 2009, newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stopped the plan, called for a review of the 2006 pact, and assembled a committee to look at all possible alternative locations for Futenma’s operations.

In reaction, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any changes to the 2006 agreement were unacceptable. Even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a January speech in Hawaii, “We look to our Japanese allies and friends to follow through on their commitments, including on Futenma.”

“Our OFWs are raring to work in Guam because of the higher wages and benefits that US and Japanese contractors provide. However, they may have to wait until next year after this yawning rift between Tokyo and Washington is patched up,” Geslani said.

juniordiscovery

March 7th, 2010, 06:00 AM

[B]OFW families spending less on food, more on health — ADB study[/B

More families of overseas Filipino workers are spending less on food and more on health, a study by the Asian Development Bank revealed.

Using econometric estimations, Filipino Alvin Ang, Indian Shikha Jha, and Indonesian Guntur Sugiyarto noted that the percentage share of expenditures of migrant households to food went down slightly, from 44.9 percent in 2000 to 43.3 percent in 2006.

But expenditures to health are increasing (from 2.3 percent in 2000 to three percent) while allocations for durables are steady (2.2 percent in 2000, 2.2 in 2006).

Remittances “do not have a significant influence on other items of expenditure, particularly investment spending on education, health care, and durable goods," said the authors of “Remittances and Household Behavior in the Philippines."

Whether it’s a crisis year or not, Ang told the OFW Journalism Consortium that the share of spending for food by households in the Philippines receiving remittances is lower even with rising remittances.

Some 18.05 percent of all Filipino households received cash from abroad in the year 2000, ADB estimations show. This figure rose to 20.72 percent in 2003 and 23.3 percent in 2006.

“[This is] because these families are getting increased incomes, and also spend on other items," said Ang who also teaches economics at the University of Santo Tomas.

Hence, Ang and his colleagues concluded in the paper, there’s no evidence consumption is being fueled solely by remittances.

This view douses the oft-quoted analysts’ view that prompted property developers, telecommunication companies, insurance firms, and shopping malls to chase the money of overseas Filipinos.

Not even billions of dollars coming from over-eight million Filipinos overseas can provide clear proof remittances have been stirring domestic demand in sectors such as education, health care, and durable goods.

“[Our] analysis…does not support evidence of remittances contributing toward re-balancing growth by creating domestic demand, except for food."

Spend

The ADB paper is among the first papers to precisely show how OFWs and their households spend their remittances, even as previous studies have observed that overseas Filipinos spend their remittances on “conspicuous consumption" or “unproductive expenses".

The authors analyzed data from the 2000, 2003, and 2006 Family Income and Expenditures Survey (FIES) of the National Statistics Office, and looked at the income and expenditures of both migrant and non-migrant households.

The data used were prior to the global economic crisis of 2008 since government has yet to process the FIES of 2009.

Ang, however, said it does not matter whether there is a crisis or not. “The same remittance economy is affected."

If the 2009 FIES data would be available at the least by 2011, Ang himself said he would be interested to determine if the “shock event" called the global economic crisis “would have stopped or diminished the expenditures of migrant households on certain items".

Still, the authors said their conclusion on remittances and domestic demand wasn’t definitive.

What we looked at, or attempted to look at, is what we call “reverse causality", Ang said explaining that remittances affect domestic demand, and vice versa.

The ADB paper looked at how remittances impacted on poverty and household expenditure, and the reverse, he added.

The paper noted that overseas Filipino households’ spending for education are fairly stable (4.5 percent in 2000 to 4.4 in 2006), as well as for housing operations (2.0 percent in 2000 to 2.1 percent in 2006).

Not surprisingly, spending for transportation and communication (including mobile phone expenses to reach loved ones abroad) increased from 6.2 percent in 2000 to 7.2 percent in 2006.

But comparing these expenditures to those of non-migrant households, the percentage shares of expenditures of migrant households to food are lesser than non-migrant households.

Plus, the percentage shares of expenditures of migrant households to health, education, durables, transport and communication and housing operations are higher than the percentage share expenditures of non-migrant households in these allocations.

Savings

The paper noted that if a migrant or non-migrant household with five members has P75,000 per annum (roughly $1,667 at US1=P45) or P15,000 per person per year, that household is out of poverty.

All migrant households are “automatically" part of that group, Ang said.

In the 2000 FIES, migrant households with an average annual income of P32,242 form the lowest quintile group. The highest –fifth income quintile group– would have an P374,621 annually. Six years later, the average annual income for the first quintile group is P41,543 and the fifth income group is P455,481.

Notably, Ang said, the number migrant households belonging to the lowest income group is increasing, from 4.3 percent of all migrant households in 2000 to 7.08 percent in 2006.

As shown in the three FIES years, the first quintile group of migrant household got most of their incomes from entrepreneurial income, while the fifth quintile group had most of their incomes from remittances abroad, placed under “non-agricultural wages" in the FIES.

This is even if among the income sources of all quintile groups of migrant households are “cash received from abroad". For the fifth quintile income group, cash received from abroad increased to 14.74 percent in 2006, from 11.63 percent in 2000.

Remittances from abroad can fall under two items in the FIES: “non-agricultural wages" and “cash from abroad".

Officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas cite in previous media pronouncements its quarterly consumer expectations survey to show that OFW households are increasingly saving, and that their program for financial literacy to OFWs is working.

However, FIES data crunched by the ADB reveal that the first, second, third fourth and fifth quintile income groups’ allocations of household incomes to savings are all decreasing by percentage share.

Probability estimates made by the authors also showed that households savings are “very important" in lifting migrant and non-migrant Filipino households out of poverty.

“If only the OFW saves more, the more that the probability for them and their households will improve their lot increases," Ang said.

Remittance inflows to the Philippines in 2009 reached $17.348 billion. ADB, in 2005, released a landmark study on OFW remittances that included remittance dynamics, remittance usage, and OFWs’ behavior in using remittance channels. - OFW Journalism Consortium/GMANews.TV

kiretoce

March 7th, 2010, 09:40 PM

Saving Korea's "Little Manila" (http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2917483)

Hyehwa-dong is a famous place not only to Filipinos but also to other foreigners and Koreans who have gone to the Philippines.

This place is known for its festive atmosphere, created by the presence of a church and market where 1,200 to 2,000 Filipinos gather every Sunday for about six hours after the Holy Mass at Hyehwa-dong Catholic Church. As Filipinos in Korea say, “Only in Hyehwa-dong!”

The Filipino Market, also called “Little Manila,” started at Hyehwa-dong Rotary in 1997. It's a place where Filipinos in Korea can buy their native foods, like pansit (stir-fried noodles), balut (duck egg), kakanin (rice cakes), itlog na maalat (salted eggs), dry goods and other personal products.

It is also a place where they meet their friends on Sundays and share things about their weeks, as well as relieve their stress and homesickness.

It has become symbolic of a home, a community, a family and of Filipino culture. It is “home away from home” for a lot of Filipinos in Korea.

In one of his interviews, the Philippine Ambassador to Korea Luis Cruz said, “It’s a place where Filipinos gather to meet other Filipinos. It’s like social networking. It’s also about Philippine culture. If people go to the Philippines, they’ll see that outside the churches, there are markets and a lively fiesta atmosphere.”

The news about the relocation of the marketplace by the Jongno District Office caused anxiety among Filipinos living in Korea.

This popular place, which has become a center of the Filipinos’ religious, social, economic and cultural activities on Sundays, is now in danger of disintegration.

The district officers are pushing through with this plan, saying that they have received complaints regarding the Filipino market.

They want to maintain order and cleanliness on the sidewalk where the Filipino market is located, they want to improve the traffic in Hyehwa-dong Rotary, they want to enhance the small artificial stream they built along the sidewalk and add to infrastructure development, and they want to transfer the Filipino market to Nakwon-dong in Jongno, where a multicultural street market is being constructed.

The Philippine Embassy, Vendors’ Association, church-based groups and other concerned people and organizations met to propose “win-win” alternative solutions.

Meanwhile, the Hyehwa-dong Filipino Catholic Community headed by Father Alvin Parantar, launched a signature campaign to save “Little Manila.” Around 1,500 signatures were gathered from people not only in Seoul but also in other areas of Korea through Filipino communities and organizations.

The petition letter appealed to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to retain and improve the market. It states, “We are not in favor of the relocation of the Filipino Market. We therefore appeal to your good office that the present Filipino Market in Hyehwa-dong be retained with policies regarding order, cleanliness, pedestrians and traffic, and that the development plan of the area should integrate the promotion of multiculturalism.”

Representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, the Vendors’ Association and the community met with Jongno District officials to discuss market rules and policies that would bring order and safety to the whole area while welcoming people from many cultures.

The campaign to save the Filipino Market is being led by Ambassador Cruz, who sent a letter of appeal to the leaders of Seoul and Jongno, together with the signed petition, vendor’s proposal and a sample of the Philippine-designed carts prepared by the Department of Tourism in Seoul.

As I write this, the Filipino community is waiting for the Seoul mayor’s official statement on the matter.

The Korean government’s policy of building multicultural villages, accepting foreign students in the universities, creating multicultural schools and welcoming foreigners is extremely commendable.

However, the plan to separate “Little Manila” from Hyehwa-dong Church is definitely not a step in the right direction. The Filipino market, after all, is the Philippines’ contribution to the promotion of multiculturalism in Korea.

RonnieR

March 11th, 2010, 10:32 AM

Kuwaiti youth, Filipina girlfriend caught ‘nude’ in SUV

KUWAIT CITY, Acting on information, police rushed to an open ground in Salmiya and arrested a Kuwaiti youth in his 20s and his Filipino girlfriend. They were caught red-handed having sex inside a four-wheel drive, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
At the time of the arrest the couple was nude.
In a similar story, police have arrested a Sri Lankan couple for committing immoral acts inside a car in Surra, reports Al-Dar daily.
A police source said a member from the ruling family happened to be jogging in the area and he saw a car shaking although he could not see anyone inside the vehicle.
He informed the police and securitymen rushed to the spot and caught the couple in the act.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/146753/reftab/96/Default.aspx

Filipino maid and Iranian man held in ‘action’

KUWAIT CITY, March 10: Police have arrested a Filipino maid and an Iranian man for adultery, reports Alam Alyawm daily.
According to reports the couple was caught by the sponsor of the maid. He allegedly returned home unannounced and found the man in a compromising position with the maid inside her room.
He closed the door from the outside and called police.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/150751/reftab/96/Default.aspx

Bricken Ridge

March 11th, 2010, 11:04 AM

Filipino maid and Iranian man held in ‘action’

KUWAIT CITY, March 10: Police have arrested a Filipino maid and an Iranian man for adultery, reports Alam Alyawm daily.
According to reports the couple was caught by the sponsor of the maid. He allegedly returned home unannounced and found the man in a compromising position with the maid inside her room.
He closed the door from the outside and called police.
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/150751/reftab/96/Default.aspx

Jeez, so who doesn't need sex? What a shame someone has to call a cop because a couple is enjoying coitus?

amigo32

March 11th, 2010, 11:26 AM

Jeez, so who doesn't need sex? What a shame someone has to call a cop because a couple is enjoying coitus?

:lol:

dapat kasi hindi sa car:D kakainggit kasi yun eh:D

RonnieR

March 11th, 2010, 11:27 AM

Igsuonnimo

March 11th, 2010, 12:15 PM

Jeez, so who doesn't need sex? What a shame someone has to call a cop because a couple is enjoying coitus?

:lol:

dapat kasi hindi sa car:D kakainggit kasi yun eh:D

:lol: That's the difference between Pinoys and Kuwaitis. If it happens here, the Pinoy won't call the cops but sisilip ala "peeping tom". hehehe

I remember that news few years ago, a Caucasian couple had sex in public in Malate, Manila. Guess what, Pinoys watched and surrounded the couple until the police arrived due to the commotion. Nobody reported that act to the police. hahahaha. Ang saya

May na-witness ako nyan dyan sa Cubao area last year(pa ha!) nung nagwo-work pa ako sa Eastwood City nung isang beses na pauwi ako ng madaling araw at sakay ng jeep(byaheng Ever-Cubao).
May dalawang taong grasa na "nag-aanuhan"(related sa topic sa itaas) dun malapit sa paliko ng P.Tuazon at Ali Mall.
Ihinto pa ng driver ng jeep ang sinasakyan namin dun mismo sa tapat ng kalsada o bangketang 'ginaganapan' at ang mga kasakay ko pa naman sa jeep ay mga galing ng call center. Laking gulat ng mga kasa-pasahero ko at may napapa ...EEEYYY anu be yen!! ..."diyus ko!" ... 'tsk tsk tsk grabe'(at napapailing)
Kulang na nga lang ay camera at talagang mala-syuting o scandal ang dating.

Tawa kami ng tawa ng katabi kong pasahero ng binaggit ko na 'bakit? kayo lang ba ang may karapatan ng pro creation?'

Kung hindi ito taong grasa, ano kaya ang reaksyon nila?

Epekto malamang ito ng homelessness :lol:

Totoo talaga nakakatakot ang homelessness.
Wala ng pinipili, pati sa kalye "nag-aanuhan" :lol:

Igsuonnimo

March 13th, 2010, 02:50 PM

sandwindstars

March 13th, 2010, 04:21 PM

Puwesto sa parliament target ng Fil-Canadian (http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/mar1310/abroad02.htm)
(Aries Cano)

Tinatarget ng isang Filipino-Canadian na tumatakbo sa ilalim ng Conservative Party ang isang puwesto sa parliament.

Hinirang ng ruling Conservative Party si Irene Yatco para labanan ang opposition New Democratic Party sa Vancouver East Riding.

Ang downtown eastside na mas kilalang pinakamahirap na lugar sa Vancouver at China town ay bahagi ng Vancouver East Riding. Ang riding ay hawak ng oposisyon at hindi natatalo ng mahigit isang dekada na.

Gayunpaman, naniniwala si Canadian Immigration Commissioner Jason Kenney na maaagaw ni Yatco ang lugar sa kampo ng oposisyon.

Naniniwala naman si Yatco na mabigat ang trabahong naghihintay sa kanya subalit kumpiyansa itong makakayanan dahil sa suportang makukuha mula sa ethnic communities partikular sa mga Pinoy.

He he he...dream on. The incumbent has been very active in local politics for a couple of decades, it is also the bastion of socialist/democrats. Being "ethnic" isn't going to win her votes, it's one's record in the area that counts. And she's running under Conservatives, as a brown token. When will some Filipinos realize the colour of one's skin may not matter as much as what one does.

national guard

March 14th, 2010, 09:25 PM

RP dependence on OFW earnings leads to jobless growth -- recruiter (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100314-258703/RP-dependence-on-OFW-earnings-leads-to-jobless-growth----recruiter)
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:27:00
03/14/2010
Filed Under: Overseas Employment

MANILA, Philippines --Awash with dollars from US$18 billion (more than P821 billion) a year in remittances from overseas Filipino workers a year, the Philippine economy could be now afflicted with the “Dutch disease,” an economic malady that sees the decline of local industries, fuels an overvalued peso, makes exports costly and imports cheap, and results in jobless growth, according to recruiters.

Lito Soriano, executive director of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, issued the warning in a recent forum on the strong peso and what must be done on the peso-dollar exchange rate concerns of overseas Filipino workers.

“Ironically for the OFWs who are the ones sending the dollar windfall to their families each month, they and their families are the first victims of the economic malady that was first experienced by the Netherlands,” Soriano said in a statement.

Soriano was referring to the term coined by The Economist in 1977 to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands following the discovery of a large natural gas field in 1959. This culminated in the world's biggest public-private oil industry partnership in 1963.

The Dutch disease is a concept that purportedly explains the apparent relationship between the increase in exploitation of natural resources and a decline in the manufacturing sector. The theory is that an increase in revenues from natural resources will “de-industrialize” a nation’s economy by raising the exchange rate, which makes the manufacturing sector less competitive and public services entangled with business interests.

The concept has since been applied to other types of economic models. In the case of the Philippines, the increase in revenues comes from the OFWs’ remittances.

Soriano, chair of the LBS Recruitment Solutions, said the bloated dollar supply, not earned with private and government investments, would ten to lure decision makers to squander public funds and go into foreign borrowing sprees, confident the country has enough reserves to pay for the foreign loans.

The recruiter said that one of the “most obvious” symptoms of the Dutch disease has been the continued strengthening of the local peso even when the economy has been “barely” growing.

“When an OFW sends $1, 000 to his family today, it’s equivalent to only P45, 000 at P45 to the dollar exchange rate or P5, 000 less than what they got when the dollar was worth P50 in 1997,” he said.

As a “rule of thumb,” the recruiter added, an OFW would not get a raise while on contract for two to three years

The strong peso fueled by OFW money have further punished both the local industries selling to the domestic market and abroad because their costs were much higher than those from countries not suffering from the Dutch disease, Soriano added.

“The decimation of both the domestic industries and export industries has depleted the manpower pool for highly skilled and professional workers that are in the high-end of the deployment industry,” he explained.

Soriano added that the OFW deployment industry has suffered from a “shallow pool” of highly trained people that resulted in fewer takers and the increasing deployment of factory workers, maids and entertainers.

Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Soriano said that of the 7.8 million sent to different parts of the world from the year 2001 to 2008, average yearly deployment was 893, 475 people, but close to half of them (47 percent) were rehired land-based workers plus 24 percent returning seafarers.

Newly hired averaged only 29 percent or less than a third, he said.

In 2007, Soriano said POEA figures revealed that among the first-time OFWs, 121, 715 were factory workers, 107,135 were classified as service workers mostly domestics while only 43,225 were professional and technical workers. Another 20, 000 were sent out as sales workers and clerks.

“In 2007, 74 percent of deployed workers were domestics, service and factory workers. Of all the deployed, only 14 percent were new hires,” he pointed out.

Among nurses, Soriano said, only an average of 10, 000 have been getting nursing jobs abroad each year, a “far cry” from the alleged tens of thousands some public officials claim. Most nurses end up without jobs here.

He said the “most alarming trend” has been the increasing rate of female workers getting jobs overseas. In the past seven years, he said, 64 percent were female against 36 male and most of them were sent as domestic helpers, entertainers and factory hands.

Soriano said the cure for the Dutch disease would be multi-faceted.

“Taipans should invest in permanent jobs like manufacturing and light industries. There should be a more competitive exchange rate as the peso is overvalued by 20 percent resulting in a lower exchange rate for OFWs,” he said.

Soriano said that government should also admit the existence of the economic phenomenon, adding, “The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is projecting more remittances from OFWs, but how about earnings from other sectors such as the export industry?”

national guard

March 14th, 2010, 09:29 PM

Door narrows for foreign workers in Singapore (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100314-258592/Door-narrows-for-foreign-workers-in-Singapore)
By Martin Abbugao
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 11:46:00 03/14/2010
Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Migration, Economy and Business and Finance, Society, Asia Australia - South Asia

SINGAPORE—Construction workers from Bangladesh, hotel staff from the Philippines, waitresses from China, shipyard welders from Myanmar, technology professionals from India—Singapore has them all.

For years the rich but worker-starved city-state, built by mainly Chinese immigrants, had rolled out the welcome mat for foreigners, whose numbers rose drastically during the economic boom from 2004-2007.

But with one in three of the five million people living on the tiny island now a foreigner and citizens complaining about competition for jobs, housing, and medical care, the government is taking a fresh look at its open-door policy

With the grumbling getting louder and general elections expected to be called before they are due in 2012, the government has unveiled measures to reduce reliance on foreigners and assure citizens they remain the priority.

"There are social and physical limits to how many more we can absorb," Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told parliament in February.

He said the government will make it costlier for companies to hire foreigners by raising the levies they must pay for every non-Singaporean or non-resident they hire.

The government also earmarked 5.5 billion Singapore dollars (3.9 billion US) over the next five years to upgrade Singaporean workers' skills to boost their productivity, make them more competitive, and raise incomes.

It imposed measures to cool down rising home prices, also blamed on foreigners buying into the property market, and pledged it will further tighten the process of accepting permanent residents and new citizens.

Of Singapore's population of nearly five million last year, 533,200 were permanent residents and 1.25 million were foreigners on employment passes, along with their families, official statistics show.

"I think it is shaping up to be one of the hottest issues in Singapore today," political commentator Seah Chiang Nee told AFP.

Economist Song Seng Wun of CIMB-GK Research said that apart from helping local companies rise up the value chain, the new measures will also address potential election issues.

Singapore's last elections, held in 2006, saw the ruling People's Action Party returned to power for six years, continuing its uninterrupted rule over the island since 1959.

"The government has to be seen doing something in areas that are potential flashpoints," Song said.

Disenchantment over foreign workers gained momentum during a severe economic slump that began in the third quarter of 2008, when trade-reliant Singapore became the first Asian economy to slip into recession.

Drastic job and salary cuts were implemented, affecting many white-collar workers.

In coffee shops, Internet forums, letters to newspapers, and sessions with members of parliament, citizens became more vocal about the rapidly growing numbers of foreigners in their ranks.

The most common complaint is that Singaporeans are losing jobs to foreigners who are willing to accept much lower salaries.

"Foreigners are a damn pain in the butt. I seriously wonder if they are here to work or just snatch jobs from our locals," said one posting on the popular online forum sammyboy.com.

"The country is fast becoming an unfamiliar place to many Singaporeans. The sense of national pride is disappearing by the day," said a posting by Nur Muhammad on The Online Citizen.

Seah, who runs the political website www.littlespeck.com, said much of the resentment comes from Singaporeans who have to compete directly with foreign engineers, accountants, hotel managers, and IT professionals.

"Most Singaporeans do not feel angry against low-skilled foreign workers... It is more aimed at those who come in as white-collar workers and get the jobs that Singaporeans can do," he said.

Citizens have also complained about having to share space in crowded trains with a large number of foreigners, or compete with them for places in government schools and public housing.

Foreign laborers are accused of loitering, spitting in public, and leaving litter behind.

Another sore point for locals is dealing with waitresses and sales people who can hardly understand English.

Some employers have argued they do not hire Singaporeans for certain jobs because locals are choosy and often lack the natural social and communication skills in service professions like manning hotel front desks.

In some ways, Singapore is a victim of its own success.

A campaign in the 1970s for families to have only two children was so effective that the country is now well below the 60,000 babies needed per year just to naturally replace the resident population.

Efforts to reverse the trend have failed as increasingly affluent couples marry at a later age and opt for just one child or none at all.

Officials, economists, and business executives admit that with Singaporeans procreating less, the country will need foreign workers in the long term, while making sure citizens' interests are addressed.

Singapore's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, who advises the cabinet of his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said in January that "we've grown in the last five years by just importing labor."

"Now, the people feel uncomfortable, there are too many foreigners," Lee said.

"The answer is simple: We check the flow of foreigners, raise your productivity, do the job better, so that instead of two workers, eventually you'll do it with one worker, like the Japanese do."

hakz2007

March 15th, 2010, 01:23 PM

OFW remittances grow by 8.5% to US$ 1.4B in January
MANILA, March 15 (PNA)- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. expected the remittances from overseas Filipino workers to grow by no more than six percent in January but was pleasantly surprised it actually grew by 8.5 percent instead to US$ 1.4 billion.

According to Tetangco, OFW remittances at this time last year were rather weak and expected to grow by more or less four percent.

But even then, the remittances already exceeded expectations by actually growing at a faster rate of 5.6 percent.

As a result, the BSP tempered its optimism this year and forecast the remittance flows to expand by “six percent on average.”

“The remittances of overseas Filipino workers should grow by six percent this year because we continue to experience high demand for our workers. They are now also paid higher,” Tetangco said.

By a curious coincidence, the Manila office of the World Bank on Monday upgraded its forecast growth for the Philippines this year to 3.5 percent in terms of the gross domestic product, or GDP, from only 3.1 percent previously.

Recasting its growth forecast was in recognition of higher consumption activities this year fed for the most part by the surge in OFW remittances.

"Growth in private consumption is projected to hold up well in 2010. The rising precautionary savings that dampened spending in 2009 will likely diminish as consumer expectations gradually improve over the next 12 months,” Eric Le Borgne, senior economist at the World Bank, said in a statement.

About two-thirds of the economy is driven by consumption, the bulk of it by private consumption rather than public.

The World Bank said the robust 11.7 percent deployment of OFWs in November last year alone, admittedly slower than deployment growth averaging 17 percent in 2008.

These numbers, Le Borgne said, “reflect global staffing restructuring induced by the global recession as well as the strong ‘value-proposition’ of Filipino workers in the global labor market.”

This, in turn, should strengthen the flow of OFW remittances this year, Le Borgne quickly said.

He also said the seafaring industry continues to be sharply affected by the global recession and the collapse in global trade and cruise ship tourism.

“The pressure to drastically reduce costs has led some companies to accelerate their staff sourcing from countries such as the Philippines which has a large pool of comparatively cheap, English-speaking and well-qualified sea-farers.

“As a result, sea-fares’ deployment increased by about 20 percent in the year through November 2009 despite the decline in cargo shipping," the World Bank said in its latest Quarterly Update on the Philippines.

Tetangco said that sea- and land-based workers' remittances grew by 18.1 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively. (PNA)

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=3&sid=&nid=3&rid=264449

the glimpser

March 16th, 2010, 12:00 PM

Body of woman found in apartment unit along Bencoolen Street
Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, March 16

SINGAPORE : The body of a woman has been found in an apartment along Bencoolen Street.

She has been identified as Roselyn Pascua, a Filipino.

Police have issued an alert to taxi drivers to look out for five people they believe can help them in their investigations.

The victim’s body was carried out as curious onlookers and members of the media gathered.

At around 3 am on Monday, police were informed that a woman’s body was discovered inside a unit of Peony Mansion.

The woman had stab wounds on the left side of her chest.

"Upon our arrival, the deceased was spotted lying face—up with injuries near the main door of the unit. Police has classified the case as murder and investigations are currently ongoing," said Humphrey Sew, media relations officer at Singapore Police Force.

The 30—year—old victim apparently rented a unit on the 5th—floor and lived alone.

Similar units are being rented out at a daily minimum rate of around S$25.

MediaCorp asked some occupants of the building if they had witnessed anything.

"A man and a woman... they were speaking a foreign language... It seems to be normal, because we speak loudly too," said a Peony Mansion resident.

A man who works at a nearby coffeeshop said he saw the woman on several occasions.

"I last saw her yesterday evening at around 6pm," said Ching Fook Wah, a coffeeshop stall operator.

A notice on the property states that action will be taken against sex workers who used the premises as a brothel. — CNA /ls

hakz2007

March 16th, 2010, 12:54 PM

Jobless rate in RP down to 7.3% as of January
MANILA, March 16 (PNA) -- The number of jobless Filipino slightly dropped to 7.3 percent as of January this year from last year's 7.7 percent, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said.

Data from NSO showed that about 2.8 million Filipinos without jobs were recorded as of January from 2.9 million Filipinos jobless in the same period last year.

In October last year, the jobless Filipinos were 2.72 million.

Among the regions, only the Metro Manila posted a double digit unemployment rate of 10.8 percent.

More males or 64.6 percent of total unemployed were jobless than females at 35.4 percent.

By age group, for every 10 unemployed persons, five were in the age group 15 to 24 years while three were in the age group 25 to 34 years.

Across educational groups, most of the unemployed were high school graduates, 33.1 percent.

College undergraduates comprised about 19.3 percent of the unemployed, while the college graduates, 18.5 percent.

Out of the estimated 60.2 million population 15 years old and over in January 2010, around 38.8 million persons were reported to be in the labor force.

The country's labor force as of January of 64.5 percent was higher by 1.2 percentage points from last year's 63.3 percent.

The number of employed persons in January was estimated at 36 million, increasing by 5 percent over last year's estimate of 34.3 million persons.

This placed the current employment rate at 92.7 percent, which is not significantly different from the estimate reported last year at 92.3 percent.

Of the estimated 36 million employed persons in January, more than one-half or 52.4 percent worked in the services sector.

Workers in the agriculture sector accounted for 32.8 percent of the total employed, Only 14.8 percent of the total employed were in the industry sector, with the manufacturing sub-sector making up the largest percentage.

The NSO said that employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours are considered underemployed.

The number of underemployed persons in January was estimated at 7.1 million or an underemployment rate of 19.7 percent.

Around 4 million or 57 percent of the total underemployed persons were reported as visibly underemployed or working less than 40 hours during the reference week.

Those working for 40 hours or more accounted for 41.3 percent. Most of the underemployed were working in the agriculture sector, 46.7 percent and services sector, 39 percent. The underemployed in the industry sector accounted for 14.3 percent. (PNA)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&nid=1&rid=264639

NEDA says employed Filipinos reach 36M in January
MANILA, March 16 (PNA) - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Tuesday said employment rate grew five percent in January this year, resulting in the employment of 36 million Filipinos.

“The Philippine labor market posted a strong performance amidst the global economic crisis, the lingering impacts of the destructive tropical cyclones late last year, and the damage caused by the El Niño phenomenon in the second half of 2009,” NEDA acting Director-General Augusto B. Santos said in a memorandum to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The unemployment rate also slowed down to 7.3 percent in from 7.7 percent a year ago, as employment generation more than tripled to 1.73 million from 569,000 last year.

Employment generation also overtook the number of new labor entrants, which also doubled to 1.71 million.

The quality of employment improved, as the number of more remunerative wage and salary employment grew strongly by 12 percent. The remunerative wage and salaried class of workers comprised 55.8 percent of the bulk of the employed.

The employment in the services and industry sectors grew by 7.5 and 9.5 percent, respectively. The services sector posted an additional 1.31 million employment, while the industry sector generated 464,000 employment.

“Election-related activities possibly contributed to the positive employment generation of both sectors,” Santos said.

The agriculture, fishery and forestry sector’s employment, however, fell by 0.4 percent, as the 59,000 employment generation in the fishing subsector was inadequate to offset the 106,000 net employment loss in the agriculture, hunting and forestry subsector.

“The continuing positive performance of the fishery subsector can be attributed to the demand for cheap and healthy canned products like sardines, tuna and dilis, which also supported the Philippines’ positioning to capture the huge halal markets, oyster farming improvements, fish pen expansions, and availability of more productive inputs like fingerlings with better survival rates,” Santos said.

Meanwhile, the NEDA official said that “with the economy on the right track to economic rebound complemented by a good labor market situation, the Philippines must swiftly address challenges that derail its path towards becoming a globally competitive economy”.

Santos also said that to sustain the good start of the domestic labor market, fast-tracking of rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure must be pursued. “This would immediately mitigate the impacts of El Niño, and avert water and electricity distribution problems, as these are clear threats to decent and quality employment and livelihood,” he said.

He also noted that the fiscal deficit must be managed through effective revenue collection and spending, and ensuring budgets for training, education and promotion of entrepreneurship.

“We must also improve confidence in governance, especially in light of recent reports placing the Philippines in a precarious position in the area of anti-corruption effort perceptions. Such governance means a consistent policy stance, improved government procedures and minimized regulatory capture that impact adversely on the industries’ ability to produce quality jobs,” Santos said. (PNA)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=3&sid=&nid=3&rid=264680

xxxriainxxx

March 16th, 2010, 01:46 PM

laking gulat ng mga kasa-pasahero ko at may napapa ...EEEYYY anu be yen!! ..."diyus ko!" ... 'tsk tsk tsk grabe'(at napapailing)
Kulang na nga lang ay camera at talagang mala-syuting o scandal ang dating.

Tawa kami ng tawa ng katabi kong pasahero ng binaggit ko na 'bakit? kayo lang ba ang may karapatan ng pro creation?'

Kung hindi ito taong grasa, ano kaya ang reaksyon nila?

Wala sila sa Albay, yung mga evacuees nung nag-aalburuto ang Mayon, binigyan ng LGU ang mga mag-asawa ng mga passes para sa mga motel para hindi na sila bumalik sa mga bahay nila sa loob ng danger zone para "magpakain ng alagang baboy". :D

Btw, I got a question, is there TFC or GMA pinoy TV in Taiwan? I am planning of moving there midyear.

RonnieR

March 18th, 2010, 02:18 PM

Body of woman found in apartment unit along Bencoolen Street
Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, March 16

SINGAPORE : The body of a woman has been found in an apartment along Bencoolen Street.

She has been identified as Roselyn Pascua, a Filipino.

update:

Indian man arrested after murder of Philippine tourist in Singapore

Mar 18, 2010, 12:48 GMT
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1542004.php/Indian-man-arrested-after-murder-of-Philippine-tourist-in-Singapore

Singapore - Singapore police said Thursday they arrested a 34-year-old Indian man in connection with the murder of Philippine tourist Roselyn Reyes Pascua.

Pascua, 30, came to Singapore about three weeks ago to visit friends and relatives.

She was stabbed to death and found in her rented room on Monday.

The suspect, who was not identified, would be charged with murder and, if convicted, faced the death penalty, a police statement said.

Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1542004.php/Indian-man-arrested-after-murder-of-Philippine-tourist-in-Singapore#ixzz0iWuqnAHi

hakz2007

March 19th, 2010, 02:24 AM

Migrants need governmental protection vs. ethnic, xenophobic acts —- Manila Declaration of SNAMMM
MANILA, March 18 (PNA) —- Responsible governmental protection of migrants and safeguarding them from illegal acts and behavior such as ethnic and religious discrimination and xenophobia were called on Thursday at the close of the three-day Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting (SNAMMM) here of high-level ministers and delegations representing more than 120 member-States, organizations and guests of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

The migrants issue is contained in Part A, Section 14 of the Manila Declaration and Programme of Action on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development, adopted unanimously at the plenary.

Foreign Secretary H.E. Dr. Alberto G. Romulo, chair of the Philippine delegation, credited the New York-based Coordinating Board (CoB) of the NAM for the long hours of preparatory groundwork on the Draft.

The Declaration said that migration is a positive propeller in people-to-people contact and that this translates to increased understanding and tolerance and diversity in an increasingly globalizing world.

Romulo said the Philippines was a leading advocate of the migration section.

Section 14 says: “Mindful of the positive contributions of migration and increased people-to-people contacts in increasing understanding, and fostering tolerance and cooperation among cultures and religions, and reaffirming the responsibility of governments to safeguard and protect the rights of all migrants against illegal acts, in particular acts of incitement to ethnics, racial and religious discrimination, hostility or violence and crimes perpetrated with racist or xenophobic motivation by individual groups…”

In Section 23 of Part A, the Philippines was specifically cited as among the NAM countries “exploring opportunities for co-existence and cooperation among religions, cultures and civilizations.”

Romulo described the Declaration as “covering the full breathe and depth of human aspiration” and that, for the Philippines, some interfaith dialogue projects and activities listed in the Programme of Action have already become a reality and demonstrates the workability of the proposals.

The same was stressed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her keynote address at the plenary opening on Wednesday, who cited the role of the Philippine Bishop-Ulama Conference (BUC) in facilitating dialogues among Mindanao’s multi-ethnic population.

As to migrants being peacemakers, Romulo pointed out that, for example, Filipino migrant workers in the Middle East are acknowledged by their host countries as a boon to their economies.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis expressed belief that with this Declaration, “I think the incidence of alleged discrimination and maltreatment of Filipino migrants will lessen.” It still depends though on the local policy of a host country, Seguis added. “On the whole, however, the provision could “help strengthen our position of better terms for Filipino migrants.”

The Declaration reiterated the call for wider tolerance and cross-civilization dialogues, through the recognition of earlier other NAM documents such as the Tehran Declaration on Human Rights.

It reiterated that many specific interfaith initiatives mentioned in the Document can be implemented and will pave the way in resolving conflicts. (PNA)
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&nid=1&rid=265197

kiretoce

March 20th, 2010, 08:27 PM

"Little Manila" to Stay On (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/03/117_62599.html)

"Little Manila," the market for the Filipino community held every Sunday, is being allowed to stay at Hyehwa-dong, at least for now.

Jongno District Office in Seoul has informed the Philippine Embassy it will not push through with its original plan to relocate the market from its location outside the Hyehwa-dong Catholic Church to the new multicultural market in Nakwon-dong this month.

"They will not push through with the relocation plan this March, pending on the improvements (in the market), such as the new size and designs of the market stalls that were being discussed together with the vendors," Father Alvin Parantar, chaplain of the Hyehwa-dong Filipino Catholic Community and representative for the ethnic community, told The Korea Times.

The Jongno District Office confirmed the plan under the spirit of promoting co-existence with the Filipino community.

"It is best if they move to another place as the current market is open illegally," Lee Jong-ju of the district said.

"However, we will not force them to move out as they are trying to improve the market in a clean and orderly way. For instance, they stopped setting up stalls behind taxi stands."

Parantar said the community greatly appreciates Jongno District Office's consideration, even though there is no final decision on the matter. Jongno officials have warned that they will be closely monitoring developments at the Philippine market, before deciding on the fate of the market.

"When these visible developments of the market have been done, the Jongno office will discuss the issue with Seoul City office. However, they warned that if the vendors fail to follow the proposed changes, Jongno District office will raise the issue of relocation once again," Parantar said.

The Korea Times reported last Feb. 11 that the office planned to relocate the market by March, citing complaints about traffic congestion, garbage and disorderliness in the area from passers-by and residents.

However, the Filipino community objected to the plan and organized signature campaigns to save the market, which was described as an expression of Philippine way of life.

In response to the problems cited by Jongno District Office, the vendors submitted proposals to improve the market. Among others, they proposed reducing the size of the "selling" areas to ease the pedestrian traffic, and introducing actual stalls with Philippine cultural designs.

Parantar said the implementation of these proposals will be further discussed among the 16 vendors who sell Philippine products at the Sunday market.

"The ball is on our court now. This is not easy because there is internal conflict among the vendors, which is understandable because of competition. We still need to fully convince them to stick to the changes in the market's set up. We don't know where the budget will come from either," he said.

Nonetheless, Parantar is glad the Jongno officials have recognized the importance of the Philippine market not just to the Filipino community, but for Seoul.

"The Hyehwa-dong community and the Philippine embassy are firming up details for the implementation of the proposals. We hope to gather more cooperation and support from everyone who wanted to see 'Little Manila' thriving and improving into something that we can all be proud of," Parantar said.

The Philippine marketplace, called "Little Manila," first emerged in 1997 and takes place every Sunday for Filipinos who attend mass at the Hyehwa Catholic Church. About 1,200 to 2,000 Filipinos visit the marketplace, which some consider as a fine example of Korea's racial harmony. There are about 46,000 Filipinos in Korea, forming the fifth largest ethnic group, following Chinese, Americans, Vietnamese and Japanese.

red_jasper

March 21st, 2010, 05:22 AM

28 years of the FAB in Brunei (http://news.brunei.fm/2010/03/21/28-years-of-the-fab-in-brunei/)
Tony Alabastro Mar 21st, 2010

“Don’t just visit Temburong. Do something to the community and put your names there, like Alexander Yano, Temburong District Officer Awang Matusin bin Orang Kaya Sura Haji Tuba. He spoke to Filipino Association in Brunei officers and members and Philippine Embassy officials.

Philippine technical cooperation with Brunei in rice production can be expanded to Temburong, where Laila padi had been planted in three areas, and 1,000 hectares near the border will be developed, Awang Matusin told the Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Yano during the latter’s courtesy call last year.

Awang Matusin, the first Temburong-born to be named Temburong District officer, spoke to the Filipino community after the FAB sectoral election in the Bangar rest house. Labour Attache Elizabeth O Recio, Welfare Officer Zenaida O Ramos, Labour and OWWA staff at the Philippine Embassy, and FAB officers and members attended the avent. Elected were Temburong’s Elibeth Lamberte-Rombo, who has been teaching maths for 15 years at the Temburong Secondary School, engineer Justiniano G del Rosario Jr, who is taking care of Bangar’s infrastructures, and May Abrera, senior nurse at the PIHM Hospital, who has been in Brunei for 21 years.

Outgoing FAB head Dan Roxas, an accountant, said he considers seven as his lucky number: after serving the organisation for seven years as vice president and OIC, he was named its president as its 17th in 2007. Born March 7, 1957, Dan said, “If you add 3 + 7 = 10, and this year is 2010. Ten connotes wholeness of being and completeness. Meaning, I have balanced my equation,” he said during his farewell address.

“During my time, the FAB was according three prestigious awards: Philippine Presidential Award in 2001 for the most outstanding Filipino organisation overseas; the 2003 Bagong Bayani (New Hero) award for Engineer Jesse James A Agustin, who literally helped shape the face of the Brunei landscape since 1972 and the 2007 Bagong Bayani Award for Vito Deraya, lecturer, nurse and primary health café pioneer in Brunei, Roxas said in his farewell speech.

“The hallmark of a good leader is someone who does his best to ensure the organisation exists even if he is not around. Dan prepared the FAB for the transition. Two days before his flight (to Canada), he had an induction for the next set of FAB officers. That is outstanding leadership quality,” said Minister Ethel Vinzon-Balatbat of the Philippine Embassy.

“I hate to say goodbye. I want to say till we meet again,” said Irene Badilla of the Filipino Bowlers’ Club.

“I am paying tribute not to a former president but to a friend. Get ready with your tissue,” said Bheng R Punzalan.

“Good luck,” said Annabella Amalia I Sales, president of PICPA-Brunei, the 87th chapter of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, where Dan and his wife Nhoemie were former presidents.

The night’s emcee, Rose N Cortez, called the roll for the paying of tribute to Dan.

Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Alexander B Yano inducted into office the 2010-2012 FAB officers led by Edel Bartholomew, the association’s first woman president since 1982.

“We have an instrument through which we can organise ourselves that would give us a ’sense of place’ that allows us to feel a ’sense of comfort and belonging’. It is with our efforts – the contribution of our time and energy and a willingness to take ownership of our responsibilities – that we can drive the Filipino Association forward as an instrument of community and cultural endeavour for all Filipinos here in Brunei,” said Bartholomew, an educator, who has been in Brunei for many years.

The other officers inducted were Vice President Rudy P Adducul; Secretary Rowena Eugenio-Hautea; Treasurer Malou Ramos-Wong; Auditor May A Abrera; Directors Frank R Limboc (sports); Willy T Tabion (culture) Nessa M Acosta (Membership) Robert L Manauis (Information) and Hataman Noor Paraman (Welfare). District representatives inducted were Clifford D Baluarte, Emily L Labuca and Sergio C Lada Jr from Tutong , April Ciriaco, Saida Salvacion-Anonuevo, Eden C Taban and Henry N Galangue from Seria/Belait District, and the Temburong representatives.

The newly elected officers sang ‘Never Say Goodbye’ to Dan, who sang back Barry Manilow’s ‘Will You Remember Me’.

Bowling queen Needah Lim paid her tribute to Dan on the dance floor.

FAB, an organisation of documented Filipino overseas workers and their dependents working and staying in Brunei, was set up earlier than the establishment of the Philippine Embassy.

Policarpio Carsola formed the FAB in March 1982 at Jalan Ong Sum Ping off Jalan Berakas as an informal gathering of Filipino families to interact and provide cultural shows. FAB marched in the ceremonial parade marking the independence of Brunei Darussalam from British rule.

During His Majesty’s birthday celebration, FAB had a float showing the customs, culture and tradition of the Philippines. In 1985, FAB introduced the first bowling tournament for overseas Filipino workers who built and managed the Utama Bowling Centre a year earlier. The tournament continues to be held today by the Overseas Workers and Welfare office at the Philippine Embassy.

Henry Jover organised the first OFW basketball tournament in the Brunei-Muara District, Kuala Belait and Seria, and presented the first Ati-Atihan, with chants and drums, to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday.

Greg Gonzales (1991-1993) was at the helm when stage director Angie Magbanua brought the first Hatid Saya with Gabby Concepcion and brought cheer to the homesick Pinoys in Brunei.

Aldrich Garcia (1993-1995) hosted the PBL Games in Brunei; the UAAP champion University of Santo Tomas versus NCAA champion Mapua Institute of Technology. Hatid Saya artists Ivy Violan, Bert Nievera, Nanette Inventor entertained during a FAB dinner honouring long-serving Filipino pioneers and the first Little Miss Philippines and karaoke singing contest were introduced.

Jesse James Agustin (1995-1997) initiated a calamity fund drive for the Mount Pinatubo eruption victims; the opening of the first Social Security System Brunei office in 1997; extra 20 kilos baggage allowance with PAL; UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe and students exchange programme from Mindanao; Pinoy Fun Games and First Friendship Games in Asia for OFWs.

Dr Jess Ravalo/Raul Santos (1997-1999) inititated a blood donation drive in Kuala Belait 1998; Hatid Saya came with Rey Valera, Dulce, Asia’s Queen of Songs, balladeer Richard Reynoso and comedienne Marissa Sanchez. Filipino talents were showcased in a presentation of Mutiara Ketimuran (Pearl of the Orient).

Jose Santos (1999-2001) brought entertainment through sports. He organised the OFW basketball and volleyball tournament in the Brunei-Muara District; hosted Hatid Saya (singer Lourna Pal and comedian Arnel Santiago); and continued the Little Miss Philippines and karaoke singing contests.

Jesse James A Agustin (2001-2003) launched the FAB membership privilege identification card with insurance benefits and discount privileges from selected stores and supermarkets; the OFW basketball tournaments in Kuala Belait and Bandar-Muara.

He received the Philippine Presidential Award for the FAB in Malacanang in 2001 and the Bagong Bayani Award in 2003.

Engineer Joselito Belisario (2003-2005), who has been in Brunei for 37 years, brought the Pangako Sa Iyo stars here. He and Jun Nagas shared the FAB presidency in 1985-1987.

The 28-year-old FAB, the only Filipino organisation officially registered with the Register of Societies and duly recognised by the Brunei government, is the oldest Filipino organisation in the sultanate, and antedates the setting up of the Philippine Embassy.

From 80 members at its inception in 1982-83 to its peak of 8,2000 members in 1996-97, FAB encourages closer cooperation and understanding through social, sports and cultural activities among Filipinos and Bruneians.

RonnieR

March 21st, 2010, 05:45 AM

RP a model for migrant workers’ policy

By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 03/21/2010

THE PHILIPPINES’ “good practices” in migrant workers’ policy is a model that Bangladesh would want to copy, according to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

“We would like to share your experience in promoting the rights of your expatriate workers, especially women expatriates,” Moni said in an interview on the sidelines of the three-day Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development (SNAMMM), which ended Thursday.

She said the Philippines’ protection of, support services for and enhanced development benefits for its migrant workers have made it one of the acknowledged leaders in global migration and migrants’ protection.

She cited the “good practices” being adopted by government agencies, including regulatory frameworks for recruitment and minimum standards in employment contracts.

“We would like to share your experience and learn from your experience,” said Moni.

She noted the important role that nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and civic groups here have played in this sector.

Exchange of experiences

She said Bangladesh, located in the Indian subcontinent, has the most active and the largest number of NGOs—big and small, local and foreign—in the world. It also has many homegrown efforts in poverty alleviation and women empowerment and education, she added.

An exchange of experiences in migrant workers’ protection between the Philippines and Bangladesh, apart from trade and investment, would therefore be a plus factor in their bilateral relationship, she said.

Moni said Philippine-Bangladesh relations were “wonderful.”

“We have a very good relationship. But there is always room for improvement, especially in trade,” she said.

Trade between Bangladesh and the Philippines is almost negligible. In 2007, Philippine exports to the South Asian country amounted to $22.82 million. Imports were $5.2 million.

Moni, a 45-year-old mother of two, is a physician and member of parliament as well as the first woman foreign minister of her country.

Nothing extraordinary

But she doesn’t consider her achievement uncommon or extraordinary.

“I’m not a star because in my country there are many stars. You see, Bangladesh has achieved a great deal in women empowerment,” she said.

There are six women MPs in the Cabinet, including the prime minister and the heads of the foreign, home, agriculture and labor ministries, and women and children’s affairs. There are 45 reserved seats for women in the 300-seat parliament who are directly elected nationwide.

Moni, who represents Chandpur-3 district, has focused much of her work on women’s rights and entitlements, health and human rights.

“I still see patients in the villages in my constituencies. Sometimes whenever I get the chance, even if I don’t myself see patients, I organize medical missions in my constituencies in the villages, especially in the remote ones,” she said.

Deplores intolerance

A specialist in public health, Moni is a product of the Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh’s premier medical school, and the US-based Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and the University of London.

Moni said she was happy to take part in the SNAMMM in Manila, and was all praises for the leading role that the Philippines has played in promoting interfaith dialogue to foster world peace and end global conflicts.

She deplored the intolerance of certain religions, particularly of Islam in some countries.

“If we create boundaries and if we try to ban symbols of certain religions, then this is an expression of intolerance and that should not happen especially when we need to come closer,” she said.

Moni called for an end to stereotyping and profiling based on religion and culture, particularly when attributing acts of violence and terrorism, just because the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, happens to be a Muslim.

“Terrorists are terrorists. They don’t have any religion, any faith, any culture, any country even. They are terrorists,” she said.

She said there has been a lot of stereotyping and profiling of Muslims as terrrorists in the Western world.

“That’s not fair. Not only is it very unfair, it will give rise to a lot more intolerance in the world. It will create distances, not bring people together,” she said.

RonnieR

March 21st, 2010, 05:46 AM

Saudi Arabia has freed 200 jailed Filipinos

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:41:00 03/20/2010

Filed Under: Prison, Overseas Employment

MANILA, Philippines--Some 200 Filipinos imprisoned for petty offenses in Saudi Arabia have been pardoned and repatriated to the Philippines since December, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

“The Philippine embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine consulate general in Jeddah made vigorous representations on behalf of our Filipinos in jail and endorsed and followed up on their appeals for clemency with Saudi authorities,” said Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr.

The repatriates were beneficiaries of a royal clemency granted by Saudi King Abdullah for petty crime offenders on Dec. 11, 2009, to mark the return of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz from medical treatment overseas.

The royal pardon applied to both Saudi nationals and foreigners not considered to pose a threat to public order, and covered those who were jailed for petty crimes and violations and who had made restitution to their victims.

They included those whose charges were still being heard by the courts.

Conejos said half of the Filipinos pardoned were women.

Eleven pardoned Filipinos originally scheduled to return to Manila last Monday missed their midnight flight as their group, under escort by Saudi police authorities, arrived late at the airport, Conejos said.

The DFA said the responsibility for transporting individuals from jail to the airport belonged to Saudi authorities and not Philippine embassy officials as there was no transfer of custody even at the airport.

He said the embassy was rebooking them on the next available flight.

“The DFA remains focused on looking after the welfare of our OFWs and will continue to do so,” Conejos said. Cynthia D. Balana

RonnieR

March 22nd, 2010, 04:06 PM

Updated: Monday March 22, 2010 MYT 4:13:36 PM
6 Filipino workers die after inhaling carbon monoxide
By RUBEN SARIO
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/22/nation/20100322135259&sec=nation

KOTA KINABALU: Six Filipino workers died after inhaling carbon monoxide gas while cleaning a tank at the Kampung Lawa Gadong water treatment plant in the southwest Beaufort district, some 120kms from the city.

The six foreign workers who died in the incident on Sunday were identified only as 30-year-old Wahad: Mus, 25; Ajin, 20; Armujil, 18; Anuar, 17 and Baisal, 16.

Beaufort district police chief Deputy Supt Mustaffa Maarof Mustaffa said the incident occurred when two of the workers entered the filtering tank at about 2pm and switched on a pump to remove the remaining water inside.

When two workers, whom the police are trying to identify, failed to emerge by 6pm, four of their colleagues went to check on them and discovered them unconscious inside the tank.

The four workers then went one-by-one into the tank to rescue them but were overcome by the gas and passed out.

When the six did not come home, family members notified the police and Fire and Rescue Services Department at about 7.40pm.

Mustaffa said firemen had to extricate the bodies of the workers through the tank’s small entry point and the work was only completed at about midnight.

Colonel Burger

March 23rd, 2010, 05:29 PM

anyone here working in Qatar? waaaaah... OFW na din ako. :)

RonnieR

April 5th, 2010, 09:06 AM

Seafarers forever
By BERNARDO M. VILLEGAS
April 4, 2010, 10:45am

Forever may be too ambitious a word. But I can say that as long as there are Filipinos, there will be Filipino seafarers, especially officers, manning the international ships. Even if in the next twenty years, endowed with more enlightened and honest leaders, we can succeed in eradicating poverty in the Philippines, there will continue to be hundreds of thousand of Filipinos working aboard ships all over the world. There is no question that Filipinos are preferred over other nationalities by international shipping companies, whether they be Japanese, Norwegian, or American. Filipinos take to the sea as fish in water. It will not be poverty that will drive them to become maritime professionals but their innate talents and their competitiveness. Seafaring is a permanent professional choice for many Filipinos, especially those coming from regions like Iloilo, Cebu and island economies where there is a long-time tradition for males to choose working abroad ships as a profession. Furthermore, our maritime schools – already among the best in the world with the help of Japanese and Norwegian companies – will get even better. We shall be turning out more maritime personnel who can become officers. This prediction of mine is based on an extraordinary happening in 2009, a year when hundreds of international shipping vessels were mothballed in the international ports of Singapore, Hong Kong, and even Subic. Despite the precipitous drop in the volume of trade, the amazing thing is that remittances from Filipino sailors aboard foreign ocean-going vessels sent to their relatives a whopping $3.4 billion, an increase of 12.06 percent from $3.034 in 2008. This increase was more than twice that of the total OFW remittances in 2009 which was 5.1 percent. These figures were contained in a report of former Senator Ernesto F. Herrera, Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Something even more impressive is the 78.82 percent increase of the remittances from Filipino sailors based in Europe which totaled $1.156 billion compared to $509.594 million in 2008.

According to industry sources, this sterling performance was due to the retirement of aging European officers who were being replaced by equally competent young Filipino officers. This trend will intensify as Europe continues to suffer from rapid aging (the so-called demographic winter), especially in the Scandinavian countries which host the headquarters of the major international shipping lines. On the side of the Philippines, there is an increasing number of world-class training programs for officers like the one recently established by the Japanese enterprise NYK in tandem with the Transnational Diversified Group headed by Roberto Delgado. There is also the University of Cebu which has a partnership with the International Maritime Employers Committee (IMEC), an organization based in London representing 125 shipping companies worldwide. According to IMEC, there could be a shortage of 200,000 trained and competent marine officers in the next two years.

In an article in this paper, Malou Mozo recently reported that Odd Magne Skei, Director for the Norwegian Training Center (NTC), the operational arm of the Norwegian Maritime Foundation of the Philippines Inc. said that high priority is given to Filipino seafarers by NTC on board Norwegian-owned, controlled, managed, or operated vessels. Mr. Skei had high praises for Filipino maritime professionals: "Filipinos are known in the industry to be highly skilled professionals and for their loyalty, which is why they deserve the good pay they get for their services. The world's shipping business needs Filipino seafarers." These complimentary words explain why 25 percent of seafarers all over the world are Filipinos. International passenger and cargo ships would be paralyzed if Filipinos were to stop working as maritime professionals. As Secretary Herrera reported, Filipino sailors now contribute 20 cents out of every US dollar sent home by all OFWs. As poverty is reduced in the Philippines and less workers have to go abroad because of dire economic necessity, this percentage will increase even more.

Because this profession will be a permanent one in the Philippines, leaders of this industry will have to be very conscientious in searching for solutions to the social problems that result from an otherwise lucrative profession. I am referring to the necessary absence of many fathers from their respective families for several months in a given year. Especially for growing children, this absence can cause psychological problems. Employers of these seafarers must be proactive in helping to minimize the social and psychological costs of the absent father. The families must be provided with modern communications technology (e.g. Skype) so that there can be frequent (even daily) conversations between the parents and their children. The number of months of home leave must be lengthened as much as possible. The children (especially teenage boys) must be helped by psychologists or guidance counsellors to minimize the trauma of long separations. The period of having to work abroad a ship could be shortened by preparing the maritime professionals for alternative income-generating occupations back in the Philippines through entrepreneurial training or the acquisition of other professional skills such as management or information technology. I am glad to observe that a good number of Philippine manning companies are already implementing some if not all of these interventions to address the social problems faced by families of maritime professionals. For comments, my email address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.

red_jasper

April 5th, 2010, 08:50 PM

Kmart told to pay 73-y.o. Filipina for age harassment (http://www.asianjournal.com/fil-am-news/3-filamnews/5059-kmart-told-to-pay-73-yo-filipina-for-age-harassment-.html)
Monday, 05 April 2010 09:07 Jerome Aning/Inquirer.net

MANILA - The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has ordered a big retail chain to pay a 73-year-old Filipino woman $120,000 (over P5.4 million) in damages after she was harassed and forced out of her job as a pharmacist in Honolulu, Hawaii, four years ago.

The EEOC, in a statement posted on its website, said Kmart Corp. agreed to pay the unnamed woman to settle age harassment, constructive discharge and retaliation cases filed against it by the government agency.

The EEOC, a federal body that enforces the laws against workplace discrimination, sued Kmart in US District Court in Hawaii on behalf of the complainant, who was 70 years old at the time of the incident.

According to the EEOC suit, over the course of four years, the Kmart pharmacy manager on North Nimitz Highway in Honolulu had openly stated on several occasions that the complainant was “too old,” “should just retire” and was “greedy” for continuing to work at age 70.

The commission said the manager further humiliated the complainant by writing in a communication book open to the entire department: “The pharmacy is no longer your forte” and “You need to retire from pharmacy work now.”

The manager also purposely scheduled the complainant to work Sundays—knowing that she attended church—to push her to quit, the EEOC said.

The victim complained to a district manager, general manager and human resources manager about the harassment, to no avail.

Instead, the EEOC said, Kmart threatened legal action against the pharmacist using an unrelated matter as a pretext.

The complainant eventually quit to escape the mistreatment.

The EEOC, in the suit, said Kmart failed to take remedial action, which forced the pharmacist to resign.

RonnieR

April 6th, 2010, 07:54 AM

There are 19 Filipino seamen in the hijacked tanker.

S.Korean warship catches up with hijacked supertanker
April 6, 2010, 11:36am

SEOUL, April 6, 2010 (AFP) - A South Korean warship has caught up with a supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates but is keeping its distance from the vessel for the sake of the crew's safety, officials said Tuesday.

The destroyer has tracked down the 300,000-tonne South Korean tanker Samho Dream, which is heading for Somali waters, a foreign ministry official said.

"At around 1:20 am (16:20 GMT Monday), the destroyer... arrived in waters where the Samho Dream was sailing and she is now operating near the tanker," he told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"The hijacked vessel is now moving towards Somalia."

A defence ministry official was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying the warship was staying about 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the Samho Dream for fear of endangering its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos.

The tanker, carrying an undisclosed amount of crude oil, was seized Sunday on its way from Iraq to the US state of Louisiana.

The 4,500-ton South Korean destroyer, which was in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy operations with about 300 soldiers on board, was ordered to move towards it.

A spokesman for tanker owners Samho Shipping said there had been no word from either the crew or hijackers since Sunday, after the ship sent a distress call to the South Korean destroyer saying three pirates had boarded it.

The foreign ministry has said the Seoul government would not engage in any negotiations with the pirates and would leave it to the ship's owner.

Somali pirates, targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.

A South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew was hijacked by Somali pirates in April 2006. The ship and its crew were released after four months when a ransom was paid.

In 2007 Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew. The crew were released after six months in captivity.

Pirates also hijacked a South Korean cargo ship with 22 sailors in September 2008. The crew were released after the ship's owner paid a ransom.

RonnieR

April 7th, 2010, 05:51 AM

OFW inflows seen growing by 8-10%

By Lawrence Accaoili (The Philippine Star) Updated April 07, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - First Metro Investments Corp., a unit of the Metrobank Group of taipan George SK Ty, and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) expect remittances from overseas Filipino workers growing between eight percent and 10 percent in the second quarter of the year.

In a study entitled “Real Recovery Underway,” FMIC and UA&P said overseas Filipino workers’ remittances are likely to post a growth ranging from eight percent to 10 percent between April and June this year.

“We see that remittances will still have favorable growth for the coming month. OFW remittances are definitely on their way to stability. After the minimal growth in 2009, 10-month single digit growth, persistent pick up has been felt,” the study said.

It noted that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) already approved 19 percent of the job orders made during the first two months of the year that could open more job opportunities for Filipino migrant workers.

Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that OFW remittances surged by 8.5 percent to $1.372 billion in January from $1.265 billion in the same period last year.

BSP sees OFW remittances growing by six percent to a new record level of about $18.1 billion this year.

Last year, remittances went up by 5.4 percent to a new record level of $17.348 billion last year from $16.426 billion and exceeded the revised four percent growth forecast set by the central bank due to the steady growth of OFW remittances.

“The continued need of host countries for skilled laborers in the fields of healthcare, education and services was one of the reasons for this growth. However, labor recruiters are finding it difficult to fill in orders due to the lack of experience of Filipino applicants (mostly new graduates). Even though deployments are still rising, better remittances from infrastructure and services — better availability of services which cater to remitters — are also helping the steady inflow of these remittances,” FMIC and UA&P said.

The study also said outlook for the economy is looking better for the first half of the year.

It added that further pressures on domestic inflation are limited and would likely range from 4.2 percent to 4.8 percent in the second quarter despite the elevated crude oil prices and the impact of the El Niño weather conditions.

xxxriainxxx

April 8th, 2010, 02:27 AM

Any Filipino ESL Teachers currently teaching in Taiwan? Please PM me please. Thanks!

RonnieR

April 8th, 2010, 07:41 AM

Why It’s Good To Hire Virtual Assistants From The Philippines
Virtual assistants from the Philippines are among the most efficient and effective vas out there
Published on April 07, 2010
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=125565
by Lawrence Perry

(NewsPR.us and OfficialWire)

LONDON, ENGLAND

If you are new to hiring virtual assistants and have done a bit of research online then you would know how many virtual assistants there are and just how varied the services they offer and the rates they charge are.

If you are determined to hire a virtual assistant, you should definitely consider one from the Philippines. Filipinos are known worldwide for being hard working. There are countries that depend on Filipino workers to keep their economies going. These countries are rich countries that depend on Filipino workers to perform various white collar and blue collar jobs.

The main advantage of hiring a Filipino virtual assistant is the affordability of their services. Your dollar or Euro is very strong against the Philippine Peso. This is why a virtual assistant in the Philippines charges an average of only $10 per month unlike virtual assistants in other countries that charge between $16- $40 per hour. Virtual assistants from the Philippines only charge high fees for highly-specialized tasks. Your $100 can go a long way with virtual assistance, especially with a VA from the Philippines.

Aside from the cost, there are many other benefits to hiring virtual assistants from the Philippines. One of these benefits is the reliability of the data infrastructure. It is so easy to get virtual assistants that have high-speed internet. High speed internet in the Philippines only cost anywhere between P1,000- P2,500 a month or just over $20-$50 a month. It will be easy to communicate with your VA through VoIP, email or through other tools using the internet. With everything else being equal, it really makes sense to hire the virtual assistant that charges less. The difference in the cost can be significant especially if you are hiring the VA for many hours.

Virtual assistants from the Philippines are well-educated. Almost all virtual assistants from the Philippines offering services are college educated. They are also well-versed in English. English is the second language in the Philippines. It is taught in schools from the primary level.

You pay for expertise and experience. Many virtual assistants in the Philippines have good experience and skills that they learned in the corporate setting. When you hire them you are in fact paying for the experience and skills that they have, that they have gained before they applied for a job with you. This means you don’t have to spend for the VA’s training and orientation anymore.

Visit our virtual personal assistant sponsor: www.catchfriday.com

Follow us on Twitter: @catchfriday

xxxriainxxx

April 9th, 2010, 08:07 AM

Pinoys abroad start voting tomorrow (http://www.thepoc.net/breaking-news/elections-2010/5808-pinoys-abroad-start-voting-tomorrow.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=ping.fm)
Friday, 09 April 2010 01:00 PM Fidelis Angela Tan

Filipinos abroad will be the first to test the country’s first automated polls, with the period for overseas absentee voting (OAV) beginning tomorrow.

“We are already prepared and we have conducted the testing and sealing of the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines,” said Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Armando Velasco, chair of the Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (COAV), at a press conference yesterday.

“Our team is already preparing to go to Hong Kong and Singapore to see the first day of the elections,” he added.

Some 589,830 Filipinos living or working abroad will be participating in this year’s OAV, which will last for an entire month. Comelec has 93 posts voting posts for Filipinos living in almost 180 countries worldwide.

Those who wish to vote may either send in their ballots by post, or personally go to designated polling venues at Philippine embassies and consulates to either vote manually or with the new automated system.

According to Comelec, the automated system will be used in Hong and Singapore because of the large number of registered Filipino voters there, with 31,851 and 95,955 respectively.

“After voting hours on May 10, canvassing shall follow at designated Philippine embassies. The respective chairmen of the special Board of Canvassers are then directed to transmit immediately the results of the canvassing to the Philippines via fax or other electronic means followed by personal delivery to the Philippines,” said Velasco.

He added, “Through the actual elections we will see whether or not this (automated system) really works. I think we will learn more about the process.”

kiretoce

April 10th, 2010, 01:49 AM

Malta’s Filipino community to greet Pope (http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2010/04/07/t4.html)

Malta’s little-known Filipino community will be at the forefront of the faithful to greet Pope Benedict XVII during his two-day lightning visit to Malta, according to a report in the international press.

There are over a thousand Filipinos now working in Malta, with most of them making their mark as professionals, especially in the hotel and restaurant sector. A report about the Filipino diaspora in Malta was published yesterday by Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN’s New Europe Correspondent.

“Allan Orio was given a palatable offer by his former boss in the Middle East to move to Valletta, the capital of Malta and help build a hotel and restaurant business in the quaint Mediterranean city,” the ABS-CBN report said.

“Six years later, Orio is now the Food and Beverage Manager of Hotel Juliani,” the ABS-CBN reported added.

The Filpino report explained that although Valletta, Europe’s smallest capital city, had also felt the ripple effect of the global recession, “many highly skilled Filipino migrants kept their jobs because of the quality of work and service they offer,” without mentioning the fact that many of them receive wages that are less than those normally accepted by Maltese nationals.

“Filipino workers here are very welcome and loved by Maltese people in general. They are famous because they are hard worker and reliable as well,” Joseph Galea, a Maltese national, was quoted as saying.

Many Filipinos in Malta are working in the domestic sector as nannies and some are also working as nurses and caregivers.

“For now, they are relying on each other for support and guidance as they wait for the opening of a Philippine consulate which might take a while considering the number of OFWs in Malta,” the ABS-CBN report explained.

According to the ABS-CBN report, “the weather and the Catholic values” of the Maltese people endeared many Filipinos to this island nation “where 98 per cent of the population is Catholic”.

The Filipino Diaspora in Malta gets to know each other through the church. Fr. Stephen Mifsud of St. Barbara Church in Valletta told ABS-CBN how Filipinos congregated in the church “especially during church festivities”.

Those who felt the pangs of homesickness got words of encouragement from the Tagalog (the official language of the Philippines)- speaking priest.

“I support them and tell them it’s part of the process, and I tell it’s okay to feel that way because everyone who goes abroad for a long time misses his family,” Fr Mifsud was quoted as saying.

“They come to the community because there are Filipino songs as well and it is like in your own country, and it’s a place where you can mingle and feel you are a Filipino,” the Maltese priest concluded his comments.

red_jasper

April 11th, 2010, 08:51 AM

Philippine diaspora begins voting for next president (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/philippines/2010/04/11/252101/Philippine-diaspora.htm)

MANILA -- Thousands of overseas Philippine workers were expected at the polls in Hong Kong and Singapore Saturday to elect the country's next president, a month ahead of voters at home.

Nearly 590,000 workers out of the nine million-strong economic diaspora have registered to cast their ballots at embassies abroad, officials said.

Hong Kong and Singapore, which have a combined 128,000 voters, will serve partially as a test of the computerized system being used for the first time this year said Commission on Elections (Comelec) official Armando Velasco.

The machines are due to be used by some 50 million voters in the Philippines itself on May 10.

Filipino voters living in other countries can mail or cast their ballots at the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate between now and May 10.

anone

April 18th, 2010, 07:36 AM

OFW money transfers now exempt from stamp tax
OFWs get P1.3 billion remittance savings -- Ople
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100418-264964/OFW-money-transfers-now-exempt-from-stamp-tax
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:19:00 04/18/2010

MANILA, Philippines—As the amended Migrant Workers Act come into force, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can now count on some P1.3 billion in extra savings with the abolition of the documentary stamp tax (DST) on all their remittances under the new law.

This was revealed by former Labor Undersecretary and now Nacionalista Party senatorial candidate Susan "Toots" Ople in a news release over the weekend.

"The scrapping of the DST on remittances is timely, and should help the beneficiaries here of migrant Filipino workers recover some of the buying power lost due to the peso's recent surge against the dollar," Ople said.

The local currency closed Thursday at $1:P44.36, eight percent or P3.85 higher compared to $1:P48.21 a year ago.

The removal of the DST on all funds wired home by OFWs would help drive down money transfer charges, and put more cash in the pockets of those receiving remittances, Ople said.

She urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Department of Finance (DoF) to promptly issue the new law's implementing rules and regulations so that OFWs would immediately benefit from reduced remittance charges.

Local banks and non-bank money transfer agents such as The Western Union Co. and Moneygram International Inc. collect the DST before the funds sent home by OFWs are actually paid out to their beneficiaries here.

Based on the projected $19 billion worth of remittances from OFWs this year, the DoF said government would be giving up around P1.3 billion in revenues annually with the removal of the DST.

The new Migrant Workers Act, or Republic Act 10022, recently lapsed into law without President Macapagal-Arroyo's signature.

Section 22 of the new law provides that all funds sent home by OFWs shall be exempt from the DST. The OFWs’ beneficiary simply has to present a proof of entitlement from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Prior to the passage of RA 10022, all money transfers from abroad and payable in the Philippines, including those wired home by OFWs, were subject to the DST at a rate of P0.30 for every P200.

This means OFWs pay a DST of P33.27 for every $500 or P22,180 (at $1:P44.36) they send home. This is on top of foreign and local bank fees, plus the P0.50 to a dollar margin domestic banks are allowed when paying out remittances in pesos.

According to a previous study by the World Bank, OFWs spend up to $22 to send home $500, or as much as $14 to remit $200.

kiretoce

April 19th, 2010, 11:55 AM

SmRELmDmEqs

national guard

April 19th, 2010, 02:44 PM

POEA stops Saudi firm from recruiting Filipinos (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100419-265115/POEA-stops-Saudi-firm-from-recruiting-Filipinos)
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:32:00 04/19/2010
Filed Under: Overseas Employment

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has stopped a Saudi Arabian labor hiring firm from recruiting Filipinos after it failed to repatriate one of workers who had run away after complaining of contract violations.

In an order dated April 12, POEA administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili temporarily suspended the processing of all job orders for the Annasban Contracting Group and its mother agency Annasban Group until the repatriation of their former employee, Marissa Pajarillo-Andes.

Manalili said the POEA notified Annasban on March 29 to facilitate an exit visa and plane ticket for Andes within 10 days in accordance with the POEA rules and the implementing guidelines of Republic Act No. 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.

The 10-day period, however, lapsed without compliance by Annasban, according to the administrator.

Andes, 31, a native of General Natividad, Nueva Ecija, is currently staying at the Bahay Kalinga refuge center of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

She was deployed to Saudi Arabia in October 2009 and was sent to the eastern city of Taif to work as a caregiver.

Andes said she was promised a salary of 750 Saudi riyals (about P8,800) and another 127 riyals (about P1,500) for food allowance, but she only got 650 riyals with 160 riyals further deducted for her placement fee, and no food allowance.

The OFW ran away from her workplace in January. More than 100 other Annasban-hired OFWs who experienced similar situation as Andes stopped working in the following weeks; some even staged a hunger strike to get the attention of Saudi and Philippine labor officials after Annasban refused to let them go.

Many were later repatriated but according to the OFW group Migrante International, 24 more Filipinos in three Annasban barracks remain after they stopped working to protest alleged labor malpractices.

In a statement, Migrante chair Garry Martinez, said “victims” of Annasban learned of the good news while they were in POEA to attend the first hearing of the cases they filed with the group’s help against the company and its partner recruitment agencies.

At the same time, the families of the OFWs still being held by Annasban, also read the document while they were having a dialogue with POEA officials pleading for the immediate repatriation of 24 OFWs currently on work stoppage in protest of the business giant’s alleged gross labor malpractice, he said.

“We’re overjoyed with this good news. It’s an inspiration for us to continue our fight so that the sufferings of our fellow workers in Annasban be put to end and its conniving recruitment agencies punished. Our fight for justice continues,” said Helen Manlavia, one of the ex-employees of Annasban who was among the repatriated and one of the complainants in the case before the POEA.

“Now that this decision is out, we request and challenge the POEA and other agencies of the government to do all they can to repatriate my daughter and her colleagues.Their sufferings there are no joke. It is but right that those who caused my daughter and all OFWs these difficulties be punished,” added Carolina Ventura, mother of Shiela Marie, an Annasban worker who remains in the city of Abha.

Martinez noted that Annasban can resume its hiring of workers once it complies with the repatriation of Andes.

“We welcome this favorable decision. We are further challenging them (POEA) to do their job by quickly deciding for the permanent ban of Annasban. We are warning Administrator Manalili that if the POEA does not move for the total ban, she will face the wrath of the OFWs and forever be known as the official who throws Filipino workers to the dogs,” he said.

castermaild55

April 23rd, 2010, 09:14 AM

tvkOerBwBh4

NkPwnhMt9UQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/Japtrainees#p/u

kiretoce

April 24th, 2010, 05:04 AM

US overtakes Canada as Filipinos’ favorite country (http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7756&Itemid=88889051)

"Obama Effect" gives sharp rise to favorable views of America worldwide

Global views of the United States have improved markedly over the last year, while views of many countries have become more negative, according to the latest British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service poll across 28 countries.

For the first time since the BBC started tracking in 2005, views of US influence in the world are now viewed more positively in 20 of 28 countries, with an average of 46% now saying it has a mostly positive influence in the world, while 34% say it has a negative influence.

After Kenya, the Philippines has, at 82%, the most positive view of the US among the countries surveyed.

The US is also the country most favorably viewed by Filipinos, replacing Canada which is viewed favorably by 75%, down by 8 points from 83% in 2009.

Japan, at 77%, is the second most favorably viewed country by Filipinos. In fourth place is Germany with 59%.

As for China, toward which world attitudes remain divided on the whole, the BBC notes that Filipinos have made a sharp reversal in views of China.

While in 2009, a majority (52 %) took a negative view, this has dropped by 21 points. Now a majority, 55 %, has a positive view of China, up by 16 points.

Globally, Germany is the most favorably viewed nation with an average of 59% positive, followed by Japan (53%), the United Kingdom (52%), Canada (51%), and France (49%). The European Union is viewed favorably by 53%.

While the US is not among the most favorably viewed nations, the improvement in its ratings means it has now overtaken China in terms of positive perceptions, the BBC says.

Fifteen countries view China favorably on balance, with an average of 41% feeling it has a mostly positive influence in the world, and 38% feeling its influence is mostly negative.

After a year, it appears that the “Obama effect” is real. Its influence on people’s views worldwide, though, is to soften the negative aspects of the US image, while positive aspects are not yet coming into focus, the BBC notes.

national guard

April 26th, 2010, 12:10 PM

Remittance growth goal hiked to 8% (http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=9822)

REMITTANCES WILL LIKELY GROW FASTER than initially expected this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said, as it noted strong demand for Filipino workers abroad and the increasing deployment of professionals.

Central bank Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. told reporters last Friday that the BSP now expected money sent home by Filipinos living and working abroad to grow by 8%, up from an earlier forecast of 6%.

"The [reasons] are one, the continued demand for Filipino workers ... for low- to high-skilled workers," Mr. Tetangco said.

"Two, [there is an] increase in the deployment of professionals and highly-skilled workers who get higher salaries, who are able to remit more," he added.

"Three, [there is also an] improvement in the remittance process with the establishment of remittance centers and correspondence of local banks and foreign banks."

The Philippines should receive over $18 billion in remittances this year, Mr. Tetangco said.

The amount of money sent home by Filipinos working and living abroad has continued to mount, totaling $2.8 billion as of February, 7.8% higher than in the same two-month period a year ago, BSP data showed.

Remittances grew by 5.6% to $17.1 billion last year, faster than the central bank’s projection of a 4% increase.

The money sent home supports private consumption, which accounts for three-fourths of the Philippines’ gross domestic product.

Mr. Tetangco said the central bank also planned to hike its 2010 balance of payments (BoP) surplus projection.

The BoP is a record of a country’s financial transactions with other countries. A surplus means a country has more than enough foreign exchange to pay for imports and make loan repayments.

Mr. Tetangco, however, declined to disclose the new projection, saying the BSP wants the data to be double-checked first.

"We are just having the figure checked so it’s likely we will release this next week. It’s not yet final although the headline numbers are more or less firm already. It’s the details and the breakdown that need to be double-checked," he said.

Central bank data show the Philippines with a BoP surplus of $1.36 billion in the first quarter, lower than the $1.73 billion recorded in the same period last year.

The country ended 2009 with an external payments surplus of $5.295 billion, higher than the $89 million recorded in 2009 and the BSP’s projection of $4-5 billion.

The central bank attributed this to higher remittances from overseas Filipinos, better-than-expected income from its investments abroad, and capital inflows.

Mr. Tetangco also said the central bank expected a sizeable BoP surplus for 2011.

He added that the BSP would also raise its growth estimates for foreign direct investments (FDI) and the central bank’s foreign exchange holdings.

Last month, Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said the BSP expected gross international reserves to reach between $47 billion and $48 billion, and FDI to hit $1.8 billion, this year. -- Don Gil K. Carreon

anone

April 26th, 2010, 02:32 PM

OFW ka ba?...para sa IYO ito !!!
________________________________________

Hindi mayaman ang OFW - We have this notion na 'pag OFW o nasa abroad ay mayaman na. Hindi totoo yun. A regular OFW might earn from P20K-P30K per month depende sa lokasyon. Yung mga taga-Saudi or US siguro ay mas malaki ang sweldo, but to say that they're rich is a fallacy (amen!).
Malaki ang pangangailangan kaya karamihan ay nag-a-abroad. Maraming bunganga ang kailangang pakainin kaya umaalis ang mga pipol sa Philippines . Madalas, 3/4 o kalahati ng sweldo ay napupunta sa tuition ng anak at gastusin ng pamilya.

Mahirap maging OFW - Kailangan magtipid hangga't kaya. Oo, masarap ang pagkain sa abroad pero madalas na paksiw o adobo at itlog lang tinitira para makaipon. Pagdating ng kinsenas o katapusan, ang unang tinitingnan eh ang conversion ng peso sa yen, dollar, rial o euro. Mas okay na magtiis sa konti kaysa gutumin ang pamilya.

Kapag umuuwi, kailangan may baon kahit konti kasi maraming kamag-anak ang sumusundo sa airport o naghihintay sa probinsya. Alam mo naman 'pag Pinoy, yung tsismis na OFW ka eh surely attracts a lot of kin. Kapag hindi mo nabigyan ng pasalubong eh magtatampo na yun at sisiraan ka na.
Well, hindi naman lahat pero I'm sure sa mga OFW dito eh may mga pangyayaring ganun. Magtatrabaho ka sa bansang iba ang tingin sa mga Pinoy. Malamang marami ang naka-experience ng gulang o discrimination to their various workplaces. Sige lang, tiis lang, iniiyak na lang kasi kawawa naman pamilya 'pag umuwi.

Besides, wala ka naman talagang maasahang trabaho sa Philippines ngayon. Mahal ang bigas, ang gatas, ang sardinas, ang upa sa apartment. Tiis lang kahit maraming kupal sa trabaho, kahit may sakit at walang nag-aalaga, kahit hindi masarap ang tsibog, kahit pangit ang working conditions, kahit delikado, kahit mahirap. Kapag nakapadala ka na, okay na, tawag lang, "hello! kumusta na kayo?".

Hindi bato ang OFW - Tao rin ang OFW, hindi money o cash machine. Napapagod rin, nalulungkot (madalas), nagkakasakit, nag-iisip at nagugutom. Kailangan din ang suporta, kundi man physically, emotionally o spiritually man lang.

Tumatanda rin ang OFW - Sa mga nakausap at nakita ko, marami ang panot at kalbo na. Most of them have signs and symptoms of hypertension, coronary artery disease and arthritis. Yet, they continue to work thinking about the family they left behind.

Marami ang nasa abroad, 20-30 years na, pero wala pa ring ipon. Kahit anong pakahirap, sablay pa rin. Masakit pa kung olats rin ang sinusuportahang pamilya - ang anak adik o nabuntis; ang asawa may kinakasama na rin. Naalala ko tuloy ang sikat na kanta dati, "NAPAKASAKIT KUYA EDDIE!"

Bayani ang OFW - Totoo yun! Ngayon ko lang na na-realize na bayani ang OFW sa maraming bagay. Hindi bayani na tulad ni Nora Aunor o Flor Contemplacion. Bayani in the truest sense of the word. Hindi katulad ni Rizal o Bonifacio na kalayaan ang ipinaglaban. Mas higit pa dun, mas maraming giyera at gulo ang pinapasok ng OFW para lang mabuhay.

Mas maraming pulitika ang kailangang suungin para lang tumagal sa trabaho lalo na't kupal ang mga kasama sa trabaho. Mas mahaba ang pasensya kaysa sa mga ordinaryong kongresista o senador sa Philippines dahil sa takot na mawalan ng sweldo.

Matindi ang OFW - Matindi ang pinoy. Matindi pa sa daga, o cockroaches which survived the cataclysmic evolution.
Maraming sakripisyo pero walang makitang tangible solutions or consequences. Malas ng OFW, swerte ng pulitiko - Hindi umuupo ang OFW para magbigay ng autograph o interbyuhin ng media (unless nakidnap!). Madalas nasa sidelines lang ang OFW. Kapag umaalis, malungkot and on the verge of tears.
Kapag dumadating, swerte 'pag may sundo( madalas meron).
Kapag naubos na ang ipon, wala ng kamag-anak. Sana sikat ang OFW para may boses sa Kamara.

Ang swerte ng mga politiko nakaupo sila at ginagastusan ng pera ng Filipino. Hindi nga sila naiinitan o napapaso ng langis, o napagagalitan ng amo, o kumakain ng paksiw para makatipid, o nakatira sa compound with conditions less than favorable, o nakikisama sa ibang lahi para mabuhay. Ang swerte, sobrang swerte nila.

- Matatag ang OFW, mas matatag pa sa sundalo o kung ano pang grupo na alam nyo. Magaling sa reverse psychology, negotiations at counter-attacks.

Tatagal ba ang OFW?
Tatagal pa kasi hindi pa natin alam kailan magbabago ang Philippines , kailan nga kaya?
o may tsansa pa ba?

Masarap isipin na kasama mo ang pamilya mo araw-araw.
Nakikita mo mga anak mong lumalaki at naaalagaan ng maayos. Masarap kumain ng sitaw, ng bagoong, lechon, inihaw na isda, taba ng talangka. Masarap manood ng pelikulang Pinoy, luma man o bago. Iba pa rin ang pakiramdam kung kilala mo ang kapitbahay mo. Iba pa rin sa Philippines , iba pa rin kapag Pinoy ang kasama mo except ('pag kupal at utak-talangka) , iba pa rin 'pagnagkukwento ka at naiintindihan ng iba ang sinasabi mo. Iba pa rin ang tunog ng "mahal kita!", "day, ginahigugma tika." "Mingaw na ko nimo ba, kalagot!", " Inday, diin ka na subong haw? ganahan guid ko simo ba".

Iba pa rin talaga.
Sige lang, tiis lang, saan ba't darating din ang pag-asa.
Kung OFW ka at binabasa mo ito, mabuhay ka dahil ikaw ang tunay na BAYANI ng lahing PILIPINO!!!

laonglaan

April 27th, 2010, 10:31 PM

RonnieR

April 28th, 2010, 04:34 AM

Filipino workers in Mideast set for increase good :)

Labour Secretary Marianito Roque said yesterday that Philippine labour deployment to certain countries in the Middle East will continue to increase.
Roque made the statement in a press briefing after arriving from Qatar, where he met with all the Philippine labour attaches in the Middle East to assess the country’s performance in terms of employment and protection of its migrant workers, and devise a strategy to ensure continued workers’ protection.
“It will continue to increase,” Roque said, when asked about the workers’ deployment to the Middle East. He said that based on the report of the labour attaches, there is “continuous increase in the number of Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.”
“We looked at prospects and potential and it looks like it is still these same countries that will show the biggest jump as far as availability of employment is concerned. The others showing positive signs of an increase in percentage of workers are Oman and Bahrain,” Roque said.
The Philippines has over eight million overseas workers
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=358009&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25

Danny Chua

April 28th, 2010, 10:17 AM

@ anone

:cry:

jhunix

April 29th, 2010, 08:55 AM

anyone here working in Oman? i got a call for a ministry job in Oman...nagdadalawang isip pa ako kung tatanggapin ko...ok lang ba sitwasyon sa Oman? crime rate? food? people? cost of living? security?

check this forum: http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=43683358#post43683358

RonnieR

April 30th, 2010, 04:36 AM

Fewer Filipino Nurses Seeking Jobs in US
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ddc787febb71df31429ec51e1a75332a
Inquirer.net, Posted: Apr 29, 2010 Review it on NewsTrust

MANILA—The number of Filipino nurses seeking to work in the United States fell by 28 percent in the first quarter compared with a year ago, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.

Only 3,024 Filipino nurses took the necessary licensing exam for the first time from January to March, down 1,170 from 4,194 in the same quarter of 2009, according to TUCP secretary general and former senator Ernesto Herrera.

Herrera said many recession-hit American employers are still reluctant to hire additional skilled foreign workers, including nurses.

"Instead of recruiting new practitioners, many American hospitals are simply asking their existing nursing staff to work extra," Herrera said.

Due to the weak labor market in America, he said a growing number of Filipino nurses are seeking foreign employment opportunities elsewhere.

RonnieR

April 30th, 2010, 04:51 AM

OFWs: Beware of these agencies...

OFW group wants POEA to ban Saudi company
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 04/30/2010 12:05 AM | Updated as of 04/30/2010 12:05 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) was urged to immediately impose a permanent ban on the deployment of OFWs to a company in Saudi Arabia and the cancellation of the licenses of its partner recruitment agencies in the Philippines.

“We have already gone through all the processes and requirements for the POEA to once and for all act in favor of the Annasban workers and their families. All they need to do is decide and come up with a ruling and order to ban the company and the involved recruitment agencies, and push OWWA [Overseas Workers Welfare Administration] to release funds for the immediate repatriation of the OFWs,” said Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International.

Martinez is referring to Annasban Company and its partner agencies in the Philippines, the Placewell International, Saveway International, and Global Jobsearch.

The group said former employees of Annasban who were repatriated earlier this year are now on the third hearing of the administrative cases they filed before the POEA. The workers attended the hearings religiously while the recruitment agencies, on the other hand, did not send representatives or failed to submit answers as agreed upon in the hearings.

“The workers did their homework while agencies just fooled around. With this conduct, they are making a mockery of the procedure. There is no valid reason for such defaults. At hindi biro para sa mga OFW na gumastos at maglaan ng panahon sa mga ganitong hearing sa gitna ng hikahos na kalagayan. The POEA should seriously take this as an additional reason to immediately punish them,” said Martinez.

Cousins Risa and Rizelle Mabubay were both employed by Annasban as caregivers. They were repatriated last February after about 4 months of work stoppage.

“Four months kami tumigil sa trabaho. October 12, start ng work stoppage. Sineparate kami ng accommodation para hindi na daw kami maghikayat,” said Risa.

“Halos mabuang-buang kami doon,” said Rizelle.

During their work stoppage, a van fetched them from their accommodation and brought them to the office.

“Nung pauwi na kami dinala kami sa ibang accomodation. Ayaw naming payagan kasi wala kaming dalang mga damit, gamit. Sabi nila isa-isahin daw. Ayaw namin baka sa iba ka dalhin. Kaya talagang nagsama-sama kami na di kami bababa. Sabi nila ‘ayaw niyo bumaba diyan kayo’. Ni-lock nila iyong pintuan tinurn off nila ang aircon, ayaw nilang pabuksan ang bintana. Ang Saudi napakainit noon. May mga nakabantay. tapos nilagyan pa nila ng sigarilyo na nakasindi. Pinausukan kami sa loob,” recounted Risa.

Carolina Ventura’s daughter Shiela Marie is still in Saudi Arabia. Mrs. Ventura said her daughter’s group also stopped working after the company violated their contract.

“Ang pinirmahan niya ditong kontrata 950 riyals. Ang nakukuha lang niya is 550 riyals tapos iyong working time niya 8 hours at may day off ng isang araw. Ngayon, wala nang day off tapos 16 to 18 hours pa silang nagta-trabaho,” Mrs. Ventura said.

Migrante said the company has yet to repatriate more than 30 of its Filipino workers who went on a work stoppage.

According to Migrante, the POEA Adjudication Office has given Annasban 10 days to act but until now has not given any response.

Earlier this month, Annasban was temporarily disallowed from hiring Filipino workers after it failed to repatriate Marissa Andes, an OFW who ran away from work allegedly due to, among others, non-payment of salaries.

Migrante said 8 women workers recently joined the work stoppage, bringing the total number of protestors to 32. The group also shared that the total number of Annasban workers who have sought their help has already reached to 285. They expect the figures to double this year “if the government will not put an end to sending Filipinos to the vicious business giant.”

“The plight and battle of the Annasban workers illustrate the sorry state of the OFWs and the very slow delivery of justice to them. In their own experience they have learned that the solution to their woes will not be achieved alone through the legal battles provided by government institutions. They have learned that the end to the problem of the migrant workers can only be achieved through changing the social order,” said Martinez. With a report from Maria Aleta Nieva-Nishimori, abs-cbnNEWS.com

RonnieR

May 3rd, 2010, 09:42 AM

30,000 jobs await Pinoy workers in Taiwan
By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) Updated May 03, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - At least 30,000 jobs still await Filipino workers in Taiwan, local recruiters reported yesterday.

Jackson Gan, Pilipino Manpower Association of Taiwan Inc. (PILMAT) president, said factories in Taiwan are still in dire need of Filipinos and other foreign workers.

“Companies in Taiwan continue to hire workers and we have thousands of job orders that are yet to be filled up until this time,” Gan said.

He said Taiwan has bounced back from last year’s financial crisis and is hiring more workers than in past years.

However, Gan said local recruiters are having difficulty recruiting skilled workers to fill up the vacancies because of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) secretary-general’s warning that the forging of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and China would adversely affect the employment of OFWs.

Gan stressed that NEDA’s fear is baseless since Taiwanese employers still prefer Filipinos compared to other workers from other countries.

He said Taiwan hires an average of 40,000 Filipino workers, including factory workers and caregivers annually.

“Although Taiwan companies hire Vietnamese and Indonesians, OFWs still have the advantage because they can speak the English language unlike other nationalities,” he said.

Gan emphasized that Taiwanese electronics manufacturing companies are not warm to the idea of hiring Chinese mainlanders.

“NEDA is sounding an alarm without basis that could jeopardize the country’s economic stability. Its warning that thousands of OFWs may lose jobs is far-fetched,” he stressed.

While the investment climate in China is now more liberal, Gan said there is little indication that the electronic manufacturing sector will transfer to China due to national security concerns.

He said the electronics sector is not among the 99 industries and business lines that Taiwan would like to liberalize.

the glimpser

May 6th, 2010, 03:08 PM

Thanks castermaild55 for sharing these videos of our countrymen working in your country.

tvkOerBwBh4

NkPwnhMt9UQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/Japtrainees#p/u

Now, sharing this article...(Plugging, :-)

What OFWs need to do
http://http://blogs.inquirer.net/moneysmarts/2009/11/13/what-ofws-need-to-do/
By Karen Galarpe on November 13, 2009 5:44 PM

WHILE ON a recent trip to Japan, I heard a story about an OFW driver who nearly wasted away his earnings. He worked in Japan for close to 30 years, and at one point was earning an equivalent of P400,000 a month with overtime pay. He had a wife and child back home in the Philippines and was able to send his child to school. However, he was always out drinking at bars in expensive Tokyo while having several relationships with other women. "Puro good time," they say.

Well the guy wasn't able to hold on to his job due to his drinking problem. His employer asked him to resign, and he was given an equivalent of P2 million as separation pay.

His Filipino friends could only shake their heads in disbelief at how he wasted away the opportunity to have a well-paying job, and how he was not able to save any money to make his life better. Last they heard, he was back home, bought himself a tricycle which he drives for a living, and is staying with his parents since he could not afford to buy a house of his own.

Filipinos who leave the country to work overseas do so to earn more money in order to help support their families back home. However, not every OFW gets to lay out a stable financial future.

The problem, says Raul D. Dimayuga, senior vice-president and head of the global remittance division of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, is â€œinitially a lack of awareness of what to do. For many of [OFWs], it is the first time that they are able to receive a larger amount of money than what they used to and if they are not properly advised, they would tend to use the funds for consumption.â€

This is why BPI has embarked on providing a financial literacy program to its clients, especially OFWs and their beneficiaries. It has conducted the BPInoy Learning Series caravans in Iloilo, Cavite, Dumaguete, Davao, and most recently, in Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro, among others. The series seeks to show that financial control is possible even away from home. By using interactive modules, participants are taught how to save, invest and make use of available technology to do banking transactions. BPI services and products designed specifically for the global Filipino are also introduced, such as the BPInoy Remittance, BPInoy Savings Account, BPInoy Save-up (build up savings account with free life insurance), BPInoy loan products, and Credit Card.

Dimayuga says these are the basics that an OFW must have to be on the road to financial stability:

1. An account for himself separate from that of his beneficiary. â€œThis way he is able to segregate his savings from his transactional account, i.e., funds needed by his beneficiary for day-to-day expenses.â€

2. A plan for himself in terms of how much to save and set aside as budget for the family expenses which he agrees on with his beneficiary. â€œThis way his plans are aligned with that of his family and the road to financial stability becomes a family affair. Ideally, he should be saving between 10 to 20 percent of his monthly income.â€

3. An investment plan.
â€œOverseas Filipinos contribute substantially to our countryâ€™s growing economy. As a bank, we want to provide financial education to empower our global Filipinos to fulfill their dreams that fueled their decision to go abroad,â€ adds Teresita B. Tan, head of overseas banking and channel services group of BPI.

the glimpser

May 6th, 2010, 03:32 PM

One more article...

ACCORDING TO A STUDY
OFWs younger, better educated than local workers
By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino temporary migrant workers tend to be younger and better educated than their domestic counterparts, a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

They also tend to be women, said the study of PIDS senior research fellow Dr. Aniceto Orbeta Jr. and research analyst Michael Ralph Abrigo entitled, Philippine International Labor Migration in the Past 30 Years: Trends and Prospects.

“Around seven of every ten temporary migrant workers are of ages between 24 to 44 years old and half of them have at least some tertiary education...with majority of temporary migrant workers being women,” the study said.

The last 30 years saw international labor migration shape Philippine society and economy, and many see it as an enduring feature of Philippine development.

The study said that the drivers and prospects both in the local economy and in the major destination countries will define the future of migration streams in the country.

The number of Filipinos leaving the country for work shot up from around 36,000 workers in 1975 up to more than 1.2 million in 2007, it noted.

“The Middle East is the primary destination of land-based temporary migrants followed by Asia, particularly the newly industrialized countries which turned to labor importation to sustain their economic growth,” the study said.

Over the past 30 years, professionals (architects, engineers, health professionals, composers, and performing artists) dominated international labor migration in 1975, but were replaced by production process workers, transport workers, and laborers in the 1980s; this coincided with the construction boom in the Middle East.

“Unlike temporary workers who are mostly professionals and service workers (maids and housekeepers), the larger proportion of permanent migrants are unemployed—housewives, students, and minors—dependents of professionals who emigrated because of more career advancement opportunities, over and above the differences in wages,” it said.

The situation with permanent migrants is principally defined by the United States, the primary destination of Filipino migrants.

“Permanent migrants are highly educated which may reflect US immigration policy “’o admit workers with skills needed by the economy.’ In terms of age, however, the 44 years old and above age category comprises the largest group, reflecting the preference of employers in hiring more experienced workers, in addition to the family reunification program in the US,” the study said.

Other destinations of Filipino permanent migrants are countries in Asia, Oceania, and Europe.

In the case of irregular migrants, a large proportion is likewise in North America but this “is already declining from 37 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2007. However, there is an increasing number of irregular migrants in East Asia, comprising around 30 percent of the total number of irregular migrants in 2007. Other regions with irregular migrants are Europe and the Middle East, representing 9 and 10 percent of all irregular migrants, respectively, in 2007,” the study said.

the glimpser

May 6th, 2010, 04:16 PM

Isa pa...:D

Fil-Canadian boy wins damage suit

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:54:00 04/26/2010

MANILA, Philippines—A human rights body in Canada has awarded 17,000 Canadian dollars (about P750,000) to a Filipino-Canadian boy who was scolded by his teacher for using a spoon to eat his lunch in the school cafeteria.

Canadian media reports reaching the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila said the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Luc Joachim Cagadoc, represented by his mother Maria Theresa Gallardo-Cagadoc, was a victim of “racial and ethnic discrimination.”

The DFA Sunday confirmed the reports on the decision favoring the Cagadocs and said it was waiting for an official report from the Philippine Embassy in Canada.

When the news of the incident first broke, the department instructed the embassy to help the Cagadocs pursue the case.

“We welcome the decision of the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal. It affirms the inclusive, multicultural values of Canadians, which we also share,” the department’s Assistant Secretary Eduardo Malaya said in text message.

Filipino way

The boy’s mother initially filed the complaint before the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission against the Ecole Lalande in the Montreal borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro in April 2006.

She said that her son, Luc Joachim, then 7 years old, told her that he was scolded by Martine Bertrand, a teacher supervising the student’s lunch, for also using a spoon—instead of a fork only—when eating.

When told by the boy that Filipinos eat that way—that is, with spoon and fork—Bertrand purportedly said it was “disgusting” and then asked him if people in the Philippines also wash their hands before eating.

Bertrand then ordered the boy to eat alone in a corner.

The Canadian way

Normand Bergeron, the school principal, backed the teacher when confronted by Cagadoc.

“You are in Canada, and here in Canada, you should eat the way Canadians eat. If your son keeps eating like a pig, then he will go to another table because that is how we do it here,” Cagadoc said she was told by Bergeron, according to her complaint.

Cagadoc said she found Bergeron’s statements “racially insensitive and discriminatory towards me and my family.”

The commission, however, dismissed the case in October 2008, saying the incident was isolated and not discriminatory.

Moving on

With the help of a nongovernment organization, the Center for Research Action on Race Relations, Cagadoc filed a new complaint, this time with the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, in March 2009.

“Hopefully it’s all over and we can move on,” Cagadoc was quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying. “Of course, we’re happy with the ruling, but we just hope the school board won’t appeal,”

The North America Bureau of ABS-CBN television network reported that because of the incident, Luc became antisocial. The boy also lost his appetite and performed poorly in school.

He now studies in another school, the Ecole Ste. Genevieve, also in Montreal.

Cagadoc initially asked for 24,000 Canadian dollars (about P1 million) in moral and punitive damages but added that she was content with the award because the tribunal made it “very clear” that the treatment of her son was discriminatory.

The school, Bergeron and Bertrand have 30 days to decide whether to challenge the ruling.

Canadian citizens now

Cagadoc, a native of Quezon City, is a Medical Technology graduate of the Centro Escolar University and owner of a daycare center in Quebec. Luc was born in Manila on Aug. 9, 1998 and came to Canada at the age of eight months.

Cagadoc, her husband Aldrin, and their children Luc and Hannah Camilla became Canadian citizens in 2002.

RonnieR

May 8th, 2010, 01:07 AM

Anak Pawis in Intermediate English

Jaime R. Vergara
By Jaime R. Vergara
Special to the Saipan Tribune
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=3&newsID=99261

Manang Fe Calixterio, erstwhile of NMC's adult education program, teaches Filipino contract workers English through the Philippine Consulate General. She got me to join her in a session previously. The last few weeks, I did a separate series of five three-hour weekly sessions to teach learners how to teach themselves. Dubbed “an encounter with a teacher towards an independent self-directed program,” we got the dozen participants to zero in on their patterns of vocabulary acquisition and reading awareness disciplines.

Graduates of the program will hold their closing ceremony tomorrow, and solemn rites and rituals will add to Filipinos' penchant for pomp and circumstance.

A major emphasis in our class was how each of the students told their self-story in words through the mental management of their life's timeline (memories of events, people and places), the organization of their living space (with emphasis on the awareness of the five senses), the definition of roles played, and the narrative articulation of their life's identity and vocation. Sorting out words (nouns, verbs and adjectives) used with the five senses against a delineation of objective data, reflective experience, interpretive analysis, and decisional import, was the big challenge foisted on the participants.

One of the methods shared for word familiarity was the use of existing music as a way of articulating one's life stance. Some Filipinos already assert fierce independence and defiant individualism in Paul Anka's My Way, the reverence of which has reached the height of idolatry when people get killed for bungling the favored tune and lyrics.

In older times, such cute and sentimental songs like Bahay Kubo and Ako'y Pobreng Alindahaw portrayed a long-suffering Pinoy, congruent to the religious virtues of the suffering Christ, which was even echoed in the telling of Jose Rizal's martyrdom, now enshrined by the Rizalistas. The songs we sing reflect our images of what we value, and that in turn determines our behavior, which again reinforces the values the images carry. No decent Filipino movie is made that does not involve, at least, a good cry.

Our choices of songs that we shared include The Chariot of Fire movie's theme to which we wrote new lyrics. The music itself was previously used as the entrance cadence to the 6th Grade transitioning class at SVES in their Farewell and Recognition ceremony. With minor alteration, we also lifted the Carpenter's Top of the World, and Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time. I used both the original lyrics and additional words of And I Love You So to demonstrate how one might appropriate a popular tune for one's purposes.

I was toying with Freddie Aguilar's Anak in our last session. As requested, here's the work in progress for tomorrow's Pinoy contract workers graduation. Mabuhay!

Don KingKong

May 11th, 2010, 06:28 AM

:)
FOREIGN NURSES
Language sets high hurdle for caregiver candidates

http://i39.tinypic.com/sdjs6c.jpg
Learning the ropes: Indonesian nurse candidates wash a patient's hair
in the intensive care unit at Saiseikai Yokohama City Eastern Hospital in February. KYODO PHOTO

By MIZUHO AOKI
Staff writer

Since the first batch of Indonesian nurses and caregivers arrived in 2008 under a new bilateral economic partnership agreement, 570 have come to Japan, as have 310 Filipinos under another EPA that took effect two years ago.

But just two Indonesians and one Filipino — out of 254 applicants — passed Japan's nursing qualification exam in February, becoming the first successful candidates to receive the right to work in this country indefinitely.

While 89.5 percent of all exam-takers passed this year, the corresponding number for Indonesians and Filipinos was only 1.2 percent.

In response to the results as well as burdens on their employers, the number of accepting hospitals and welfare facilities in fiscal 2010 dropped by one-third for Indonesians and by half for Filipinos.

As the second batch of Filipino candidates arrived in Japan on Sunday and Indonesia is now selecting the third batch, the government has started to take measures to increase the examination pass rate.

Following are basic questions and answers about foreign nurse and caregiver applicants entering Japan under the EPAs:

Why did Japan start accepting nurse and caregiver candidates from Indonesia and the Philippines?

The acceptance is part of bilateral EPAs, one with Indonesia that took effect on July 1, 2008, and another with the Philippines that started on Dec. 11 the same year.

Under the accords, Japan can benefit from the reduction or removal of tariffs on Japanese goods. In return, Japan agreed to accept nurses and caregivers from the two countries as candidates for certification to work here.

Although the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has denied that accepting foreign caregivers is part of efforts to resolve the manpower shortage in health care, about 60 percent of hospitals and about 50 percent of welfare facilities that have accepted Indonesian candidates said they offered them jobs hoping to improve staff levels, according to a survey conducted by the health ministry.

What is required to become a qualified nurse or caregiver in Japan under the EPAs?
Both Indonesians and Filipinos must be qualified nurses in their home countries. Plus, Indonesian nurses must have more than two years of experience. Filipino nurses should have three years of experience.

For caregivers, Indonesians must be graduates of nursing universities or schools that require at least three years of study. Filipinos must be graduates of four-year universities or nursing colleges.

All are required to take six months of Japanese-language training before working for care facilities.

Nurses must pass the annual exam within three years, while caregivers get four years. To be qualified to take the exam, caregiver applicants must have three years of on-the-job training in Japan, which means they have only one shot to pass the exam before they are asked to return to their countries.

What other options for qualifying are available?

Filipino candidates can undergo a caregiver-trainee program that doesn't require them to pass the national exam.

To qualify for the program, one must be a graduate of a four-year-university in the Philippines.

After completing the six-month Japanese-language course, they are required to graduate from Japanese caregiver schools, a process that takes two to four years.

Under this program, candidates automatically become qualified caregivers upon graduation.

How much are the nurses and caregivers paid?

Both EPAs guarantee the Indonesians and Filipinos will be paid salaries equivalent to their Japanese counterparts.

On average, this would amount to between ¥150,000 and ¥160,000 a month, according to Hiroya Yaguchi, a manager of Japan International Corp. of Welfare Services, an affiliate of and the only placement organization appointed by the health ministry.

Because pay levels differ among hospitals and welfare facilities, there is no set pay standard, Yaguchi said.

Some people are receiving around ¥200,000 per month, while the lowest salary among the accepting facilities is around ¥120,000, according to JICWELS.

However, because living costs vary by region, salaries can't be compared simply by their amount, Yaguchi noted.

Do the accepting institutions provide accommodations?

Some hospital and care facilities provide free dormitories for employees. There are also institutions that rent out living quarters, and in some cases employees receive housing subsidies, according to JICWELS.

Do candidates get any support to prepare for the national exam?

The accepting institutions are responsible for teaching the candidates Japanese and helping them to prepare for the national exam, but the extent of such support varies between facilities.

According to a health ministry survey in February, about 76 percent of employers said Japanese nurses are helping candidates to prepare for the national exam, and about 30 percent said they are hiring teachers from outside.

Why has the number of hospitals and welfare institutions accepting Indonesian and Filipino candidates sharply dropped for fiscal 2010?

Experts attribute the decline to the employers' financial and manpower burdens.

Employers pay an initial cost of about ¥600,000 per candidate.

The cost includes part of the six-month Japanese training fees and living expenses, as well as commission and placement fees to pay for JICWELS and its counterparts in Indonesia and the Philippines.

In addition, employers must pay ¥21,000 per person per year to JICWELS as a management fee.

Also, in many cases Japanese staff are helping candidates to study for the national exam. This has become a burden for facilities already suffering manpower shortages.

What are the candidates' main linguistic problems?

Experts say kanji and technical terms used in the national exam pose a high hurdle for Indonesians and Filipinos. The health ministry is considering using simpler terms in the nursing exam.

Is the government doing anything to improve the situation?

Starting in fiscal 2010, the government will pay a yearly ¥295,000 subsidy for each hospital that accepts one or more nurse candidates and ¥117,000 per candidate a year to cover training expenses, according to the labor ministry.

Facilities that accept caregivers will receive a ¥235,000 government subsidy per person each year.

Also, JICWELS is providing so-called e-learning at all the hospitals that have accepted nurse candidates. The Internet learning system provides exercise books and past national tests in Japanese, English and Indonesian.

In addition, JICWELS is distributing Japanese-language textbooks to hospitals with nurse candidates this fiscal year.

However, these support measures are currently available only to nursing candidates.

The Weekly FYI appears Tuesdays (Wednesday in some areas). Readers are encouraged to send ideas, questions and opinions to National News Desk

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100511i1.html

RonnieR

May 11th, 2010, 03:49 PM

11 May 2010
New Zealand visa agreement for Filipino healthcare and skilled workers

New Zealand will offer a number of New Zealand visas for Filipino nurses and engineers, as well as other skilled workers, as part of the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).

New Zealand Visa

New Zealand Immigration will allow up to 100 Philippine nurses to work in Registered Nurse jobs in the country at the one time. Nurses will be given a New Zealand Visa even while they are undergoing the required bridging courses and exam, and will be allowed to stay for a period of three years.

New Zealand will also allow up to 20 Philippine farm managers and 20 Philippine engineering professionals to enter the country at any one time for a period of three years.

New Zealand and the Philippines may also enter into negotiations for a reciprocal working holiday scheme open to up to 100 citizens of each country. A New Zealand Working Holiday Visa will allow young Filipinos the chance to live in New Zealand for up to a year and take up temporary work to support their travels.

The New Zealand Visa arrangement follows negotiations under the AANZFTA agreement, which will allow for greater trade and business cooperation between member countries.

The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their New Zealand Visa applications to the New Zealand Embassy.
http://www.visabureau.com/newzealand/news/11-05-2010/new-zealand-visa-agreement-for-filipino-healthcare-and-skilled-workers.aspx

xxxriainxxx

May 19th, 2010, 02:49 AM

In 2 days I will be an OFW na din! :)

Juan Pilgrim

May 19th, 2010, 11:56 PM

In 2 days I will be an OFW na din! :)

Welcome!!!:cheers2:
Magiging bayani ka na rin ng ating bansa.

:horse:

red_jasper

May 20th, 2010, 01:39 AM

Filipino Day on June 4 (http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=362728&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16)

http://www.gulf-times.com/mritems/images/2010/5/20/2_362725_1_252.jpg
The artists who will perform at the event

The first-ever Filipino Community Day in Qatar will be hosted by Sealine Beach Resort on June 4, celebrating the Philippines 112th Independence Day.

“The day is an opportunity for the Filipino community as well as expatriates to experience the oasis of tranquility amidst the poetical dune of the Arabian desert of Sealine Beach Resort,” a spokesperson said.

The Doha Pinoy Event Group (DPEG) has organised a number of events on the day, including traditional Filipino games and other activities for both adults and children.

“A musical concert will also be presented at 5pm. Local bands and artists such as Cream of the Crop (COC), Zyklone Band, Area Code 974, Chaos & Harmony and Zonic 101 will perform,” added the spokesperson.
The Beats and Bytes Dancers group will also stage a show.

Sealine general manager Abdul Shukoor said: “It will be a festive mood all throughout the day as the theme chosen will be the Philippine Festival or Fiesta Pinoy 2010.”

“The interface between the community groups consisting of the Alliance of Doha Jarheads (ADJ), Ako Taga Iloilo (ATI), Beats and Bytes Production and Proud Noypi also known as DPEG, Sealine Beach Resort and the Filipino community makes this a special celebration as the proceeds of the event will benefit the distressed Filipino workers in Qatar and a local charity,” he added.

“Sealine Beach Resort, where the sand meets the sea, where there is always fun and glee, it is the place to be on June 4,” commented a DPEG spokesperson.

amigo32

May 20th, 2010, 05:22 AM

aww, ako rin gustong maging bayani:D pero ayoko mag abroad:D

ayoko rin patay na bayani:D j/k

Rajah_Soliman

May 21st, 2010, 03:51 PM

Tagalog gains Berlin-born Pinoys’ ears
by Ruelle Alberto, OFW Journalism Consortium
Posted at 05/21/2010 11:52 AM | Updated as of 05/21/2010 11:52 AM

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/191522/tagalog-gains-berlin-born-pinoys-ears

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/05/21/10/tagalog-gains-berlin-born-pinoys%E2%80%99-ears

http://www.businessweekmindanao.com/2010/05/tagalog-gains-berlin-born-pinoys%E2%80%99-ears.html

BERLIN, Germany - Appreciation for the Tagalog language is gaining ground in Germany, as young Filipino-German children gets re-exposed to their "native tongue," courtesy of religion-related activities in Berlin.

Since late last year, the church-sponsored Filipino Community-Berlin, commonly called Bayernallee has been giving formal language appreciation classes to Germany-born children.

Every week for about 3 hours, children are taught the Filipino language which parents hope their children can use when they get to come back to the Philippines.

The lesson, far from taught in the usual classroom setting, takes the language lesson interactive that allows them to enjoy the class while learning the language.

"It is part of the integration for Filipinos to the German society and vice versa. We know that with this kind of setting, integration becomes a challenge, especially due to intercultural miscommunication. So given the activities we would like to enhance the chance para sa mas maayos na integration [for easier integration],” said Bayernallee community leader Rey Agana.

The program, officially called Projekt Bayernallee, was a brainchild of Agana who himself once experienced a period of adjustment for integration into the Germany community.

The lesson, in contrasts to teaching languages in a typical classroom, integrates the use of Tagalog in activities like baking or cooking.

“In our research, Filipino language cannot be taught [like] how other languages [are] taught. Kailangan practice-oriented. Pano (sila) ma-encourage mag-aral ng Tagalog [The lessons should be practice-oriented to encourage them to study Tagalog],” Agana said.

“We are thinking on ways for making it more appetizing for students,” he added.
Agana said the first step is to help the children see the relevance of learning Tagalog “when, in fact, ‘di naman nila kailangan dito sa [they don’t need it in] Germany.”

He said children may be able to use their facility of Tagalog when they go back to the Philippines.
“Learning the language may allow them to talk to their relatives and friends in the native tounge,” said Mary Gay Dolorfino, another Bayernallee community leader who helps in Projekt Bayernallee.

Classes are held every weekend and also accept non-Filipino descent individuals who want to learn Tagalog. Projekt Bayernallee is currently accepting participants for its second batch.

The project has begun a trainer’s course to continue the lessons.

Complementing Projekt Bayernallee is the periodic Youth for Christ camp where participants talk in Tagalog.

YFC leader Carlo Burmeister said that for the past 3 years participants in these camps were able to “polish” their Tagalog.

Camps were already held in Hamburg, Berlin, and Frankfurt.

Burmeister said the use of Tagalog resulted from the continuous use of the language in informal gatherings.

“Maririnig mo silang nag-uusap sa Tagalog pag naglalaro sila, o kapag kasama nila ang magulang nila [I heard them speak in Tagalog when they play or with their parents].”

A long-time resident of the Philippines before he went back to Germany, particularly in Tagalog-speaking Batangas, Burmeister said he was surprised how fluent many of the Filipino-German youth were in Tagalog.

Burmeister credits Bayernallee for providing a venue for the youth to speak in Tagalog. OFW Journalism Consortium