hniitsu

TPS petition to Obama far short of 100k signatures goal

News

Jan 062014

TPS petition to Obama far short of 100k signatures goal

LAS VEGAS—An online petition asking the US Department of Homeland Security to grant the Philippines Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is in danger of failing to garner enough signatures by Feb. 1, 2014, the deadline for the petition to be able to have the needed number of signatures. With just 25 days left, the petition posted on the “We the People” website has gathered only 20 signatures, well short of the 100,000 necessary for the White House to respond. The online petition was launched from San Francisco, and the initial signatures came from mostly California-based Filipino-Americans. The petition states: “We respectfully request Pres. Obama to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate the Philippines as a country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), pursuant to 8 U.S.C §1254a, as a way to meaningfully augment current humanitarian efforts of the United States to assist citizens of the Philippines affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan. “Under this section, a country may be designated for TPS if it has been impacted by a natural disaster that has “result[ed] in a substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions” such that the country is “unable, temporarily, to handle adequately the return” of its nationals currently in the United States. 8 U.S.C §1254a(b)(1)(B)(i) &(ii).” The “We the People” petition is in addition to direct appeals to the Obama administration for immediate immigration relief for Filipinos in the United States in the wake of the devastation caused by Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda. A TPS designation, among others, will provide a Read More …

Suspect arrested in SF Chinese consulate arson attack

News

Jan 062014

Suspect arrested in SF Chinese consulate arson attack

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 7:09 am | Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO—A Chinese national residing in Daly City has surrendered to authorities to face charges for starting a fire that damaged the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on New Year’s Day. Yan Feng, 39, allegedly told FBI agents in an interview after his arrest that he had been hearing voices in Chinese, according to court documents. An FBI spokesman said that there was no indication the fire was motivated by terrorism, politics or civil rights concerns. Details of the interview were contained in an affidavit submitted by FBI agent Michael Eldridge with a criminal complaint filed by US prosecutors in federal court in San Francisco on Monday. Feng was charged in the complaint with two counts of maliciously damaging property by means of fire and willfully damaging property belonging to or occupied by a foreign government. Feng surrendered to authorities on Friday. The fire at the consulate, located at 1450 Laguna St., occurred around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The building was damaged but no one was injured. Eldridge said in the affidavit that Feng called Daly City police on Friday and “identified himself as the individual who ‘made the fire’ in front of” what Feng called the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco. Daly City police went to Feng’s address and arrested him, the agent said. The two charges filed against Feng each carry a possible sentence of up to five years in prison if he is convicted. The consulate issued a Read More …

PH embassy in Riyadh issued a record 72,028 passports in 2013

News

Jan 022014

PH embassy in Riyadh issued a record 72,028 passports in 2013

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 11:58 am | Friday, January 3rd, 2014 DFA Passports Processed in Riyadh MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has processed a record 72,028 passport applications for 2013, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Friday. “In 2013, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh processed 1,522 new passports for newly born infants; 64,298 renewals, and 6,208 replacement passports for lost passports,” DFA said. “Around 6,000 replacement passports of the 6,208 were issued during the correction period, particularly in May and June. These numbers do not include the passport applications processed by the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah,” it said. The 2013 number of processed passports was at its highest over the past years. In 2007, 31,990 applications were received. According to records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Saudi Arabia has the second largest population of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with 1,267,660 as of 2012. The United States has the largest OFW population with 3,494,281 Filipinos The deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia has been on the rise over the past several years with 330,040 new hires and rehires in 2012. The most hires were domestic helpers with 11,582 and in the nursing profession with 8,513. In 2011, 204,088 OFWs were deployed to Saudi Arabia, 173,670 were deployed in 2010, 164,758 were deployed in 2009, and 153,675 were deployed in 2008. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free Read More …

UN adopts PH resolution on women migrant workers

General

Jan 022014

UN adopts PH resolution on women migrant workers

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 3:59 pm | Thursday, January 2nd, 2014 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution giving protection to women migrant workers against abusive employers and exploitation. “We are pleased to report that last December 18, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted, by consensus, the Philippine sponsored Resolution no. 68/137 on violence against women migrant workers,” presidential communications operations office secretary Sonny Coloma said in a press conference Thursday. “The resolution calls on all countries to grant women migrant workers in domestic service access to gender-sensitive, transparent mechanisms for bringing complaints against employers including termination of their contract in case of labor and economic exploitation, sexual harassment and sexual abuse and violence,” he said. According to records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), 94,880 female domestic workers were deployed overseas in 2010. This was a significant increase compared to the 69,669 newly hired domestic workers abroad in 2009 and the 47,841 new hires in 2008. In 2007, there were 44,904 female domestic workers hired abroad, 89,819 in 2006, 81,725 in 2005, and 61,873 in 2004. The resolution adopted by the UN was sponsored by the Philippines because it saw the need to protect the thousands of Filipina migrant workers worldwide, Coloma said. “It urges all governments to consider permitting women migrant workers who are victims of violence to apply for residency permits independently of abusive employers or spouses, in accordance with national laws, and to eliminate abusive sponsorship Read More …

Med mission leaders to lead largest Independence Day fest outside PH

News

Dec 212013

Med mission leaders to lead largest Independence Day fest outside PH

While singing Christmas carols, Drs. Felicisima and Emilio Quines (center-right) are flanked by Philippine Independence Day Parade former (1997) Overall Chair Nelia Ferrette, chairman of the 2014 Grand Marshal Search Committee Olivia David and PIDCI Treasurer Violeta McGough. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ Rolan Gutierrez NEW YORK—Philippine Medical Association of America (PMAA) presidents and longterm medical mission volunteers Drs. Emilio and Felicisima Quines were named grand marshals of next year’s festive Philippine Independence Day parade. Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI), which works year-round for the biggest Philippine Independence Day parade outside of the Philippines—held first Sunday of June along Madison Avenue—announced that the Quineses stood out in the Filipino-American community during the month-long public nomination process. “I first thought that the search process could be pretty daunting, but it turned out to be pretty easy, especially when the nomination papers of Drs. Quines reached my desk,” said Olivia David, chairman of the 2014 Grand Marshal Search Committee. The Independence Day Parade is accompanied by an all-day street fair and cultural festival, attended by about 100,000 Filipinos from the New York Tri-State area, Pennsylvania and visitors from neighboring states and California, and Canada. PIDCI President Fe Martinez, former (1997) Overall Chair Nelia Ferrette, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario de Leon, Jr, who is also an honorary adviser, and current PIDCI board members, officially welcomed the new grand marshals to PIDCI during an intimate dinner reception held at the consul’s residence in the Upper East Side December 13. “I’ve known the Quineses Read More …

Filipino caregivers in SF recover unpaid wages

News

Dec 212013

Filipino caregivers in SF recover unpaid wages

FILE PHOTO SAN FRANCISCO—Workers from three San Francisco care homes celebrated their recent settlement agreements on Dec.18, International Migrants Day, after winning their months-long claims against their employers, totaling more than $800,000 in unpaid wages. Filipino caregivers from Sunset Gardens, Nacario’s Home of San Francisco and Veal’s Residential Care Homes joined other workers and their supporters to raise awareness about wage theft in the industry and the rights of all workers regardless of their immigration status. “Over the last few years, the Filipino Community Center has proudly supported Filipino caregivers and also hotel and restaurant workers in reclaiming over $1 million in unpaid wages,” stated Mario de Mira, FCC’s workers rights program coordinator. “We congratulate these Filipino caregivers in particular for their victory in asserting their rights in an industry that takes advantage of workers, especially immigrant workers.” Filing their claims with the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), the workers faced conditions similar to many other residential care home workers. Caring for the elderly and disabled, caregivers sometimes work nearly 24-hours per day, but they are rarely paid the legally mandated minimum wage, overtime, or double time for these extended work schedules. “The Sunset Gardens employees worked extremely long hours cooking, cleaning and caring for the residents,” added Donna Levitt, manager of the City’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. “They must be paid no less than minimum wage and overtime for their work.” Together with City Attorney Dennis Herrera, OLSE has now reached settlements and verbal agreements with seven Read More …

UN probes ‘Yolanda’ aid to Philippines

News

Dec 082013

Associated Press 9:07 am | Monday, December 9th, 2013 United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos. AP FILE PHOTO CANBERRA, Australia – The United Nations humanitarian chief said she is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon. Valerie Amos, who is in Australia for aid talks with the government, said on Monday that she is still hearing “worrying reports in the media … where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet.” Typhoon”Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through coastal areas of the Philippines on Nov. 8, leaving over 5,700 dead. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: aid , Haiyan , Philippines , Typhoon , UN , Valerie Amos , Yolanda Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

China ships sail through disputed waters as tensions simmer

News

Dec 082013

China ships sail through disputed waters as tensions simmer

Agence France-Presse 2:29 pm | Sunday, December 8th, 2013 In this Sept. 2, 2012 file photo, the survey ship Koyo Maru, left, chartered by Tokyo city officials, sails around Minamikojima, foreground, Kitakojima, middle right, and Uotsuri, background, the tiny islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. AP FILE PHOTO TOKYO – Three Chinese ships entered disputed waters off Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea on Sunday, the Japanese coastguard said, the first such incident since Beijing announced an air defense zone in the area last month. The vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial waters at about 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) off one of the Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus, the Japan Coast Guard said. They left the area shortly after noon. It was the first time that Chinese coastguard ships had been spotted sailing through the waters since Beijing raised regional tensions with its declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone in November. Chinese vessels have sailed in and out of contiguous waters around the islands but stayed away from entering territorial waters since November 22, a Japanese coastguard official said. Japan’s conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed no compromise on sovereignty of the islands and stepped up defence spending, believing that China is trying to change the status quo through growing sea incursions. Chinese state-owned ships and aircraft have approached the Senkakus on and off to demonstrate Beijing’s territorial claims, especially after Japan nationalised some of Read More …

China hospital ship heads for typhoon-hit Philippines

News

Nov 212013

China hospital ship heads for typhoon-hit Philippines

Members of the medical crew stand at the inpatient room inside their Chinese Navy hospital ship Peace Ark before its departure from a navy base in Zhoushan, east of Shanghai, China, on a relief mission to the Philippines, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, which tore across several islands in the eastern Philippines on Nov. 8. AP ZHOUSHAN, China—A Chinese hospital ship set sail for the typhoon-ravaged Philippines Thursday, with foreign media given unprecedented access to a navy base as Beijing seeks to promote its aid effort nearly two weeks after the disaster. The Peace Ark, a 300-bed floating navy medical facility, sounded its horn as it set off from a People’s Liberation Army base on Zhoushan island, off the eastern province of Zhejiang. It is expected to take three or four days to reach the Philippines, which is embroiled in a territorial row with China. “With our efforts, we will make great contributions to the relationship between the Chinese people and the Philippine people,” Shen Hao, deputy chief of staff of the East China Sea Fleet and commander of the mission, told reporters allowed on board the vessel before it left. “We will do our utmost to make contributions to the Philippine side.” The deployment of the ship, which was featured on the front page of China’s state-run Global Times newspaper on Thursday, comes as the world’s second-largest economy seeks to counter international criticism of its relief effort. After an initial Read More …

World sends emergency relief to battered Philippines

News

Nov 102013

World sends emergency relief to battered Philippines

This photo released by the Malacanang Photo Bureau shows an aerial view of Tacloban city, Leyte province in central Philippines Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the region in the Philippines. Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record, slammed into several central Philippine islands on Friday, leaving a wide swath of destruction and hundreds of people dead. AP MANILA – The United States, Australia and the United Nations are mobilizing emergency aid to the Philippines as the scale of the devastation unleashed by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) emerges. The Pentagon is sending military personnel and equipment to assist with the relief effort following the typhoon, which may have killed more than 10,000 people in what is feared to be the country’s worst natural disaster. “The United States is already providing significant humanitarian assistance, and we stand ready to further assist the government’s relief and recovery efforts,” US President Barack Obama said in a statement. Some 90 Marines and sailors, and two KC-130J Hercules aircraft, left Japan for the Philippines on Saturday, with equipment including tilt-rotor aircraft which can operate without runways, Marines Colonel John Peck said. The Australian government pledged Aus$10 million dollars (US$9.38 million), with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop describing the unfolding tragedy as “absolutely devastating” and on a “massive scale.” The sum includes Aus$4 million towards a UN global appeal and Aus$3 million for Australian non-government organisations. The aid will include tarpaulins, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, water containers and health and hygiene Read More …

Older Entries Newer Entries