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DFA protests call to bar Filipino workers from Hong Kong

News

Oct 122013

DFA protests call to bar Filipino workers from Hong Kong

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:07 am | Sunday, October 13th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reacted sharply on Saturday to a proposal by a political party in Hong Kong to ban Filipino domestic workers from the Chinese territory until the Philippines issues an apology for the death of eight HK tourists during a bus hijack in Manila more than three years ago. The status of thousands of innocent Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong should not be leveraged with the city’s appeal for a categorical apology from the Philippines for the tragic result of the bus hijack incident at Rizal Park on Aug. 23, 2010, the DFA said in a statement. “Let us de-link the issue from the Filipino workers in Hong Kong whose dedication to their work and high skill set have contributed to the society and economy of Hong Kong,” said Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson. Hernandez cited the longstanding presence of Filipinos in the former British colony, adding that most Hong Kong residents shared a different view from lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, who led the ban call. Eman Villanueva, spokesperson for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, was quoted in the South China Morning Post as saying that Chan was “barking up the wrong tree.” “Chan is just exploiting the political situation to gain popularity. What does the visa issue have to do with the Manila hostage incident? This is racist and he Read More …

Going global by helping the poor

News

Oct 122013

YOUNG PHILANTHROPISTAlex Eduque, shown here with TV celeb and Habitat youth ambassador Matteo Guidicelli, is off to Amsterdam as a finalist—the first Filipina ever—in this year’s Global Awards for Fundraising. Inset: Her pet project, Habitat for Humanity, helps build homes and cleans the environment for marginalized Filipinos. Alexandra Madrigal Eduque, 23, is now on her way to Amsterdam as a finalist—the first Filipino woman ever—in this year’s Global Awards for Fundraising. An international awards program endorsed by national associations of fundraisers worldwide and organized by the Resource Alliance based in London, the ceremonies will be held on October 16 at the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands. Alexandra, or Alex, as friends call her, is up against two other finalists from Italy and Australia for the Outstanding Volunteer Award category. This award gives value to individual volunteers whose work creates significant impact on the fundraising success of an organization. For Alex, it is her exceptional work in the past eight years as a youth volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (HH) Philippines that drew international attention. Fresh-faced Alex just graduated from Columbia University’s Barnard College in New York, majoring in political science and urban studies. But for one so young, Alex is already an “old pro,” a seasoned hand in the art of fundraising. She describes herself as a social advocate and remembers submitting online, aside from her Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores and school transcripts from the International School Manila, upon application for Barnard, an essay about how her grandmother, Read More …

Navy begins developing Oyster Bay into mini Subic; mum on US pivot

News

Oct 052013

Navy begins developing Oyster Bay into mini Subic; mum on US pivot

Screengrab from http://mapsengine.google.com/ OYSTER BAY, Palawan, Philippines—At Naval Forces West headquarters here, the wooden planks that are the main platform of the Philippine Navy’s sole naval shipyard facing the West Philippine Sea are breaking apart and starting to surrender to the elements. The planks have cracks and gaps wide enough to send a full-sized man straight into the clear blue waters below. The crew of a naval supply ship, which was chanced upon by the Inquirer while visiting the facility on Friday, was loading up for a routine run to the Kalayaan Islands in the disputed Spratlys island chain and knew enough to be careful. Recently, the Philippine government dusted off old plans to develop Oyster Bay, a picturesque cove nestled in old growth mangrove forests and limestone cliffs in the western flank of Palawan’s central region. Defense officials are hopeful the decades-old plans to upgrade the naval facility into a major shipyard and naval facility will finally move. The Oyster Bay development plans come as tensions are increasing over China’s aggressive assertion of ownership over the entire South China Sea, including parts of what the country calls the West Philippine Sea. There has been an initial P500 million released to complete some major infrastructure components, including a 12-kilometer access road from the mainland. “We call this a capability upgrade,” said Commodore Joseph Rostum Peña, commander of Naval Forces West (Navforwest). Once completed, the facility would have an extended wharf to accommodate “at least four large naval vessels,” he said. Read More …

No Obama? No problem

News

Oct 052013

President Barack Obama. AP FILE PHOTO Malacañang on Saturday played down the absence of US President Barack Obama from two key regional meetings—the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Bali, Indonesia on Monday and Tuesday and the East Asia Summit in Brunei on Wednesday and Thursday—to be attended by the region’s leaders, including President Benigno Aquino III. “I don’t think the Philippine objectives, which are a peaceful and rules-based resolution to [its territorial dispute with China], are going to be affected greatly by the absence of President Obama at one or two meetings,” Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang told journalists here. “Certainly, his presence here is welcome but this is a long game and if President Obama is not present in one or two meetings, then that’s not going to have an impact on our position,” Carandang said. Obama scrapped his attendance in the two meetings and visits to the Philippines and Malaysia this week because of the partial shutdown of the US government, forced by deadlock between the Democrats and the Republicans in Congress on the budget. US Secretary of State John Kerry is attending the two summits and visiting Manila and Kuala Lumpur in Obama’s place. Good for China But without Obama, the largest presence in the room at the two meetings will be that of China’s leader, Xi Jinping, who is already in the region visiting Malaysia and Indonesia to boost Beijing’s reputation after straining its relations with the Philippines and Vietnam over territorial disputes in the West Read More …

Waiting for Aquino in Brunei

News

Oct 052013

FILIPINO BRUNEIAN HOSTSStanding from left: Bukidnon Congressman Jose F. Zubiri III, Mary Jane C. Ortega, La Union Congressman Victor F. Ortega, Haji Abdul Aziz Abdul Latif, Hajah Siti Noraziah (Andy Latif), Maria Tomasa “Mayie” Ochoa (spouse of Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Nestor Z. Ochoa, not in photo), Melanie del Mar and daughter, former Cebu Congresswoman Rachel Marguerite del Mar, and journalist Antonio Q. Alabastro. Photo by Raul P. Padernal Longtime Filipino-Bruneians are looking forward to seeing President Benigno Aquino for the fifth time when he comes to attend the East Asia Summit this week. It will be his fourth visit to Brunei in three years as head of state. “The president came for a state visit in June 2010; to attend a royal wedding in September 2012; to participate in an Asean summit meeting last April; and now another summit meeting,” said Maria Tomasa “Mayie” Ochoa, spouse of Philippine Ambassador to Brunei, Nestor Z. Ochoa. MUCH of the Istana Nurul Iman Palace was built by Filipinos. But longtime Filipino residents here count five visits because they remember the first time he accompanied his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, on her own state visit to this small but prosperous neighboring sultanate on Aug. 29-31, 1988. Personal and business relations long preceded the strong state ties the Philippines and Brunei now enjoy. One longtime Filipino resident is Andy Latif or 61-year-old Andrea Borja from Malabon, also known as Hajah Siti Noraziah. She came to Brunei 38 years ago and married a Read More …

Info sought on Fil-Ams in alleged gunrunning

News

Sep 142013

Info sought on Fil-Ams in alleged gunrunning

Two of three Maralit brothers pose with their high-powered firearms in these photos, copies of which were forwarded to the Inquirer from the US Attorney’s Office that have them and other pictures as evidence. Rex and Wilfredo Maralit who work for the New York Police Department and Customs Border Protection respectively were arrested separately in the US and charged with smuggling weapons to the Philippines. A third brother, Ariel, is in Manila and at large. PHOTOS FROM US ATTORNEY’S OFFICE MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has asked the United States government for documents on the importation of high-powered firearms into the Philippines allegedly by three Filipino-American brothers to determine if they had accomplices in the country. Fernandino Tuason, BOC Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service director, said he had asked the US Department of Homeland Security for copies of the shipping documents used by the Maralit brothers in their alleged international gun smuggling activities. “(The Americans will) be giving us shipping documents so we can get more information about their modus operandi,” Tuason said in an interview. “Up to now we have not seen any documents; it is just hearsay or news reports so we contacted our counterpart in the US. We will use these documents to backtrack and find out who their contacts are in the Philippines,” he said. Tuason said the BOC could go after the recipients of the firearms if it were proven that they did not pay import duties or failed to secure the necessary gun Read More …

Time to think Asean

News

Sep 142013

JUNE TAGUIWALO (second from right, back row), with classmates from Chulalongkorn University. Contributed photo PHITSANULOK, Thailand–June Taguiwalo was born in a military camp in 1984. At that time, her mother, student activist (now university professor) Judy Taguiwalo, was incarcerated at Camp Crame for resisting the Marcos dictatorship. Now 29, June is in Thailand, taking her place among a young generation of students who are taking up new challenges in an increasingly globalized world. Artist Ryan Francis Reyes, 30, is another Filipino student in Thailand, which hosts scholars who are intent on extending their gaze from national to regional horizons–starting with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Taguiwalo is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University, the top university in Thailand under the Asean scholarship funded by the government of Thailand. A Geography graduate of the University of the Philippines, she is the only Filipino in the program at the moment. Prior to her Thai studies, she spent two years in Chiang Mai, as a nongovernment organization (NGO) worker. “I’ve always been interested in Thailand. I think this was the first Asian country I ever visited. We seem so alike but so different at the same time. My interest grew more when I worked in Chiang Mai two years ago,” she explains. Taguiwalo spent her growing up years in Canada while her mother was taking up a master’s degree. She also spent some time in the United States. RYAN REYES (third from right) with cultural Read More …

Efren Peñaflorida’s ‘Kariton Klasrum’ goes to Indonesia

News

Sep 142013

Efren Peñaflorida’s ‘Kariton Klasrum’ goes to Indonesia

Somewhere in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, out-of-school kids are learning to read and write in the streets through pushcart classrooms– the same unique learning platform that CNN Hero of the Year awardee Efren Peñaflorida and his Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) use to educate the street children of Cavite. Gerobak Pintar or Smart Cart is a project of the Indonesian nonprofit organization Yayasan Wadah Titian Harapan or Wadah, which partnered with DTC to duplicate the project among the urban poor youths of Jakarta. Inspired by the “Kariton Klasrum”(mobile cart classroom) that made an impact on the lives of underprivileged kids in the Philippines, Wadah founder Anie Hashim Djojohadikusumo approached DTC to help implement the program in Indonesia. Gerobak Pintar was finally launched last July to educate its beneficiary kids and parents in four areas: Education, Health, Extra Food Supplement, and Life Skills. The program will be facilitated by Wadah volunteers, after which it will be turned over to the communities. “Wadah is very grateful for the help and support that DTC has provided to make this project a reality,” said Anie Hashim Djojohadikusumo. “Indonesia and the Philippines are very similar in the sense that we have the same problems in education and poverty. We hope the Gerobak Pintar here will transform the lives of Indonesian children the same way it changed the lives of many young people in the Philippines,” Djojohadikusumo said. Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to Read More …

Alleged kidnap victim in Dubai went to Bangkok

News

Sep 142013

Alleged kidnap victim in Dubai went to Bangkok

Last June, we wrote about the case of Jerlyn Montoya, an overseas worker who supposedly went missing a day after her arrival in Dubai in 2004. According to the victim’s family, she was apparently abducted after having one too many drinks at her welcome party by another Filipino. Her family claimed she managed to call them to inform them that she was abducted by this man but the call was cut short. In the succeeding months, the story the family pieced together was that Jerlyn had become the man’s sex slave and got pregnant as a result. When asked why it took them nine years to report the incident, the victim’s family said they simply just believed Jerlyn would suddenly come home one day. Bantay OCW immediately contacted Consul General Frank Cimafranca of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai, who then promised to look into the reported disappearance of Jerlyn. Upon reading about Jerlyn in the Inquirer, the victim’s agency, IPAMS, and its Employee Relations Manager Maria Isabel Domingo searched and confirmed that Montoya had been sent to Dubai, UAE last September 11, 2006 (as opposed to the family’s claim of 2004) to be employed at Maritime Mercantile International (MMI). According to the Emirates Leisure Rental (ELR), Montoya was not “missing” but reported for work at MMI from her starting date up to her resignation on April 12, 2007. Montoya was then reported to have flown to Bangkok on April 17, 2007. Bantay OCW called the Philippine embassy in Thailand. Vice Read More …

Young couple make it big with barbecue

General

Sep 142013

RICHARD and Michelle Santiago Every day, Richard and Michelle Santiago face the finish line in the morning and the business bottomline at night. As entrepreneurs, the couple behind Ineng’s Special BBQ has worked hard in the last 14 years to grow their business from a small market stall in Cubao to a restaurant chain and franchiser across the country today. As triathletes, Richard and Michelle would run, bike and swim in long distances and even join competitions held around the country. They swim, bike, run and extend this discipline in managing their business. “At the end of the day, it’s all about commitment,” says Richard. “It’s hard work but it’s worth it.” Richard knows whereof he speaks when he talks about commitment—and won’t run away from it. In the last 10 years, the Santiago’s motivation to do good business was not just to save money but to also pay a debt in millions that they didn’t even incur. Early in his career as a milkfish raiser in Pangasinan, he was conned by a man who had cost the couple their life savings. The couple met the man during their wedding who claimed to be a scion of a prominent family. The man asked Richard to guarantee a loan on his behalf but disappeared when the sum had to be settled. Devastated at first, the couple did not give up and decided to negotiate with the loan patron. “Ninong was kind enough to give us a chance to pay in installments Read More …

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