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Makers of ‘Forgotten Soldiers’ get Congressional recognition

 News
Nov 062013
 
Makers of ‘Forgotten Soldiers’ get Congressional recognition

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:35 am | Thursday, November 7th, 2013 Stephen Sifuentes, representing US Sen. Dean Heller, and Lt. Cmdr. Ceasar Elpidio of the Filipino American Veterans and Families organization, present producer/director Donald Plata the Certificate of Congressional Recognition. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO LAS VEGAS—Representatives of US Sen. Dean Heller and US Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada presented filmmakers Donald Plata, Lou Diamond Phillips and Chris Schaefer certificates of Congressional Recognition for creating and producing the documentary movie “Forgotten Soldiers.” The legislators also recognized the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society for its support of the film, and the Nevada chapter of the Filipino-American Veterans and Families organization presented the filmmakers the Freedom Award at the Leatherneck Club in Las Vegas. “Forgotten Soldiers” tells the story of the Philippine Scouts, a little-known US Army organization composed of Filipino soldiers and American officers.  The Scouts were the backbone of General Douglas MacArthur’s US Army Forces in the Far East at the beginning of World War II. Fighting alongside US National Guard units and the Philippine Army, they held out for more than four months on Bataan and Corregidor while every other Allied stronghold in the Pacific fell to the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. The soldiers were promised food, ammunition and reinforcements…but months went by and the reinforcements never came.  Eventually the men were surrounded by the Japanese, starved out and subjected to one of the worst atrocities in military history–the Bataan Death March. The Freedom Award plaque and the congressional certificates were presented at Read More …

OFWs allege abuse in Saudi immigration crackdown

 News
Nov 032013
 
OFWs allege abuse in Saudi immigration crackdown

Filipina domestic helper Amor Roxas (C), 46, weeps upon arriving at the Philippines’ main international airport on Nov 4, 2013 as she recounts her ordeal after being expelled from Saudi Arabia, where an amnesty for illegal workers expired at the weekend. She is among 30 Filipinos who were deported from Riyadh a day after the amnesty ended, while thousands more without proper working permits remained trapped there, officials say. AFP MANILA, Philippines – Thirty Filipino workers expelled from Saudi Arabia returned home Monday and alleged they were abused amid a crackdown on illegal migrants there. They were among an estimated 6,700 Filipino workers stranded in parts of the oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom where an amnesty for undocumented foreigners ended over the weekend. “They treated us like animals,” said domestic helper Amor Roxas, 46, who burst in tears while narrating her ordeal. She claimed Saudi police rounded them up and placed them in a crowded cell for four days before they were paraded from the immigration center to the airport. “Our feet were chained,” added Yvonne Montefeo, 32, in between sobs. Saudi Arabian embassy officials in Manila did not want to comment on the allegation of abuse. Migrante International, a support group for Filipino overseas workers, said 1,700 other workers remained stranded in Jeddah waiting for their documents to be processed so they can return home while about 5,000 more were scattered in Riyadh, Al Khobar and Dammam and also needing consular assistance. It warned that the Filipinos “are in danger Read More …

Binay: Saudi nixes bid to extend amnesty deadline for illegal migrants

 News
Nov 032013
 
Binay: Saudi nixes bid to extend amnesty deadline for illegal migrants

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 12:21 pm | Monday, November 4th, 2013 Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) declined to extend its amnesty for “illegal” migrants. “Humingi tayo ng extension pero hindi naman pumayag ang Saudi government (We asked for an extension but the Saudi government did not allow it),” Binay told Radyo Inquirer 990AM in an interview. This means the Saudi government will continue with its crackdown on undocumented migrants as the amnesty lapsed on Sunday, allowing authorities to round up, jail and deport illegal aliens including undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). But Binay said Filipinos should not be alarmed since OFWs who are already undergoing the repatriation process won’t be arrested. “Yung mga inaayos na ang kanilang mga papeles ay hindi naman huhulihin iyon. Ang huhulihin ay yung mga nagtatrabaho pa na hindi pa rin nag-apply (Those whose papers are bring process won’t be arrested. Those who will be arrested are (illegal migrants) those still working and have not applied (for repatriation),” he said. The Vice President also assured the public that a P2-billion fund has been set aside for the re-integration program of OFWs returning to the country. In another radio interview, Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said around 1,500 OFWs were at the Philippine Embassy in Saudi and were waiting for their immigration clearances and exit visa. He said they will most likely be asked to Read More …

Pag-IBIG fund announces dividend earnings

 News
Oct 302013
 
Pag-IBIG fund announces dividend earnings

SAN FRANCISCO—Dividend earnings in 2012 of the Pag-IBIG Home Development Mutual Fund reached 4.17 percent, crediting a total amount of P9.28 billion tax-free to the accounts of Pag-IBIG members, the fund announced. Meanwhile, members under the Modified Pag-IBIG 2, a voluntary savings program for members who wish to save more than the minimum savings, earned a dividend of 4.67 percent. Mandatory fund coverage was expanded in January 2010 to include overseas Filipino workers (OFW) through Republic Act 9679, or Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009 (HDMF Law of 2009). Currently, 24 percent, or 3.144 million, of the 12.864 million Pag-IBIG members are OFWs. The Pag-IBIG Membership Program for Filipinos Abroad aims to provide Filipinos who are working and living abroad the opportunity to save and avail themselves of Pag-IBIG’s housing loan program. Pag-IBIG’s loan programs have also been developed to be more accessible and affordable to members. The loans available to members are as follows: •Multi-Purpose Loan Program (MPL)—may be used to provide immediate assistance to finance needs such as minor home improvement or repair, health and wellness, livelihood and educational expenses. •Calamity Loan Program—may be used to provide relief to members affected by recent calamities. Its interest rate per annum has been reduced to 5.95 percent. •Housing Loan—maximum loan amount is P6 million with an interest rate of 7.98 percent per annum. •Affordable Housing Loan—offered to members who are minimum wage earners.  Interest rate for this loan ranges from 4.5 percent to 6.5 percent per annum. OFWs, Filipino Read More …

Panatag Shoal won’t be another Mischief Reef, PH defense chief vows

 News
Oct 252013
 
Panatag Shoal won’t be another Mischief Reef, PH defense chief vows

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 4:41 pm | Friday, October 25th, 2013 Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin MANILA, Philippines—Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Friday assured that Panatag Shoal (Scarborough) off Zambales will not be another Mischief Reef. The statement came after the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippines will no longer protest the presence of concrete blocks in Panatag, saying that there were no “determination of facts.” The Philippines accused China in late August of putting concrete blocks in the disputed territory. “I don’t think [it would be another Mischief Reef], because we have regular air and sea patrols,” Gazmin told reporters. Gazmin said the blocks have algae, an indication that they were already old. “Well now, we have seen that they are old. But how did it get there? In other words, these were newly discovered but it doesn’t mean they were newly put,” he said. “This is new to us because we have just seen it recently. At that time it was low tide. Maybe during previous missions it was on high tide so we did not see it,” he said. He could not say, however, how old the concrete blocks were. In 1995, structures built by China were sighted in the Mischief Reef, an area near Ayungin also within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, where the Chinese put up a military garrison. These were reportedly built initially to provide shelter for fishermen, but were later transformed into a military garrison. Gazmin emphasized that the arbitration case still continued. Read More …

Fil-Am version of ‘TED Talks’ spotlights inspiring personal journeys

 News
Oct 222013
 
Fil-Am version of ‘TED Talks’ spotlights inspiring personal journeys

Filmmaker-Filipinophile Megan Pinsonneault. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO LOS ANGELES—NextDayBetter, the TED Talks-type platform for Filipino-Americans, opened recently amid high expectations from a contingent of Fil-Am cognoscenti at the trendy Busby’s East—and delivered. While the pre-talks promotion did not trumpet “transcending, inspiring ideas worth spreading” in the order of globally popular TED Talks conference, the expectations were more than met by the inspiring messages from the speakers coming in from inspiring lives in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles talk rollout featured Los Angeles Senior Assistant City Attorney Ed Angeles; youthful AJ Rafael, an up-and-coming songwriter-singer and YouTube sensation; and Meg Pinsonneault, a Portuguese-born American and former Peace Corps volunteer who is now a Filipinophile film producer. All three commanded the attention of an audience of close to a hundred who were treated to remarkable stories of achievement. The Los Angeles talks followed three NextDayBetter NY events held early this year, which Ryan Letada, the organization’s Bronx-native Filipino-American prime mover cum Chief Builder says, will be regular events in the cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Manila, Cebu and Davao by March next year. Ed Angeles’ story began as a young immigrant aboard the last plane out of Manila just as martial law was declared in the Philippines in 1972. He grew up in the San Francisco area to become a lawyer and, in a visit back to Manila on the heels of a successful law career in public service as LA senior assistant city attorney, fittingly Read More …

Chinese national nabbed in Manila drug bust operation

 News
Oct 082013
 
Chinese national nabbed in Manila drug bust operation

By Jamie ElonaINQUIRER.net 12:43 pm | Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—A 25-year-old Chinese national believed to be a member of a drug syndicate was arrested and millions worth of suspected shabu were confiscated following a drug sting in Manila, a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency official said Wednesday. In a belated report, PDEA chief, Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr., identified the arrested suspect as Shaofen Cai, a.k.a Chua Sho Feng/ Ding Cai. Cacdac said the suspect made a drug deal with a PDEA under cover agent last Monday and they met at Plaza L. Ruiz, in Binondo, Manila around 9 p.m. Operatives of PDEA Regional Office National Capital Region who were staked out around Plaza Ruiz immediately collared the Chinese national after he accepted the marked money for payment for several grams of a plastic bag of shabu. The confiscated shabu weighed roughly 1,000 grams with an estimated market value of P2 million, Cacdac said. Also confiscated from Cai were two LTO licenses with different names, one mobile phone, and one gold Toyota Innova with plate number ZTS 968. Confiscated pieces of evidence were submitted to the PDEA Laboratory Service in Quezon City for forensic examination, while the suspect is now under the custody of PDEA RO-NCR detention facility. The suspect will be charged with violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Cacdac said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Read More …

Fil-Ams blocking sale of Napoles US assets

 News
Oct 082013
 
Fil-Ams blocking sale of Napoles US assets

Jeane Napoles with President Benigno Aquino III. FILE PHOTO LOS ANGELES—Filipino American community leaders are vehemently blocking the sale of the luxury condominium unit owned by Jeane Napoles, daughter of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, at the high-rise Ritz Carlton on suspicion it was acquired with ill-gotten money. American realty websites listed the 1,500-square-foot condo unit with two bedrooms and two baths on Sept. 23, with an asking price of $1.475. “Balitang America,” which first reported the planned sale, said it was originally bought under the name of Jeane Napoles in July 2011 for $1.28 million.   Tainted money Lawyer Arnedo Valera of the Washington, DC-based Migrant Heritage Commission, said the sale must be stopped because it was likely acquired with the use of “tainted money,” noting that Jeane is a full-time student with no known source of income. In media interviews, Napoles admitted she bought the condo unit located at the heart of L.A. using “our hard-earned money.” She also admitted owning other US properties. The elder Napoles, who voluntarily surrendered after President Aquino announced a P10-million reward for her arrest, is currently detained by Philippine authorities after a complaint of serious illegal detention had been filed against her at the Office of the Ombudsman. San Francisco community leader Rodel Rodis told the FILAM STAR Tuesday that he would initiate legal moves, in coordination with fellow Fil-Am lawyers, to stop the sale because he said he was convinced the property “is the fruit of a very poisonous Read More …

Pardoned Lanuza flying home a free man

 News
Sep 172013
 
Pardoned Lanuza flying home a free man

Rodelio Celestino Lanuza. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—After 13 years of imprisonment in Saudi Arabia, pardoned Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza is now on his way home, Vice President Jejomar Binay  announced on  Wednesday. Binay, also presidential  adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) Concerns, said  Lanuza will arrive from Dammam Thursday, September 19. “I would like to announce that tomorrow afternoon, our compatriot who have long been jailed , who was sentenced to death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is arriving. He is Dondon Lanuza,” he said during an interview on the sidelines of the Regional Scouts Summit in Leyte. Lanuza was sentenced to death in 2001 for killing a Saudi national, who had allegedly tried to   rape him the year before. He was pardoned after paying the victim’s family 3 million Saudi Riyal or about P35 million in blood money. The Philippine government and supporters of Lanuza raised the equivalent of 700,000 Saudi Riyal while King Abdullah paid the remaining amount. Binay then reiterated his thanks to the government of Saudi Arabia, especially to King Abdullah, for shouldering 2.3 million Saudi Riyal of Lanuza’s blood money. “This is a rare instance where the king of Saudi Arabia contributed millions of pesos to save someone’s life,” said the  Vice President. “We would like to again extend our thanks to the king of Saudi Arabia, to private groups, and to our Embassy for their effort,”  he said. Binay also commended Ambassador Ezzedin Tago and the staff of the Philippine Embassy-Riyadh for their role Read More …

Resorts World Manila ‘Roadshow’ wows SF Bay Area Filipinos

 News
Sep 172013
 
Resorts World Manila ‘Roadshow’ wows SF Bay Area Filipinos

(from left to right) Bryson Andres, Alexandra Salmeron, and Jon Joven. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO—The Philippines’ Department of Tourism once again brought in world-class Filipino artists to attract Filipino-American travelers and tourists, this time partnering with Resorts World Manila (RWM), the “premier one-stop, nonstop lifestyle and tourism destination in Manila.” RWM’s “Thrill the World Roadshow,” has been traveling Stateside to prove just how true the tagline “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” really is. On hand to greet the attendees at the Roadshow held at Fort McKinley Restaurant here were VP for Marketing Martin Paz, Public Relations Manager Archie Nicasio and Deputy Consul General of San Francisco Jaime Ramon Ascalon. Since its opening in 2009, the resort-casino, located right across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, has become an attraction for its nonstop, multi-entertainment venues—theater, the 24/7 cinema, music halls and mall. The resort’s Roadshow featured Bryson Andres, an electro acoustic violinist and YouTube sensation (Andres, whose video has already earned over three million hits) and tenor heartthrob Jon Joven, a third of the power vocal trio “Primo.” With them wais the multiracial Ms. Resorts World Manila 2012, Alexandra Salmeron, who speaks Spanish, German, English and Tagalog. In Manila, Joven and Andres regularly perform in the live act ensemble “The Legends” and “Rock of ’80s” at the hip and happening Bar 360, while Alexandra Salmeron serves as the integrated lifestyle hub’s ambassador of goodwill, engaging in charity work and extending her support to the chosen beneficiaries of Resorts World Manila. Prior to Read More …

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