Maniolas

• Filipino Canadian youths less likely to be college-degree holders than their parents or peers in other ethnic groups  • Percentage of Filipinos in management occupations is far lower than comparison groups  TORONTO, Canada – While there is considerable upward mobility among children of immigrants in Canada some groups, including Filipino youth, are less likely to be among them, a study reported. The study, “Understanding Intergenerational Social Mobility: Filipino Youth in Canada,” was published in February this year by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), an independent, bilingual Canadian non-profit organization. York University Geography Professor and Center for Asian Research Director Philip Kelly wrote: “Canadian research on intergenerational social mobility has shown that there is considerable upward mobility among children of immigrants. However, there are some groups that are exceptions to this overall pattern. Filipino youth present a double anomaly: they are less likely to hold a degree than either their parents or their peers in other racialized groups.” Gathering data from 1980 to 2009, Kelly compared the literacy rate among the three major countries that are the sources of immigrants to Canada, namely, China, India and the Philippines. “The percentage of Filipinos educated to the bachelor’s degree level or above is much higher than that of any of the comparison groups. If rates of participation and unemployment are taken as indicators of labor market success, then Filipinos are doing very well, but there is evidence that their high levels of human capital are not being recognized in the (Canadian) Read More …

Pope Francis waves as he boards a plane on his way to South Korea, at Rome’s Fiumicino international airport, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. AP SEOUL–Pope Francis arrives in Seoul on Thursday looking to fuel a new era of Catholic growth in Asia–a mission fraught with complex political challenges but huge potential rewards. His five-day visit to South Korea is recognition for one of Asia’s fastest-growing, most devoted and most influential Roman Catholic communities, and will feature a special “reconciliation” Mass with a message for isolated North Korea. But the real goal is longer-term and much wider-ranging. The pope will bring a message about the “future of Asia” and will use his trip to “speak to all the countries on the continent,” the Vatican’s No. 2, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in a television interview. Early in his pontificate, Francis made it clear that Asia, which his predecessor Benedict never visited, would be a priority. The last papal visit to Asia was by John Paul II to India in 1999, a glaring 15-year gap for a region where the Church is making some spectacular gains but where Catholics still only account for 3.2 percent of the population. The pope’s flight to South Korea takes him over China–potentially the greatest prize of all but also the hardest to claim. Beijing maintains a state-controlled Catholic Church, which rejects the Vatican’s authority. China ‘very great’ challenge  China “is a great cultural challenge, very great,” Francis said in a recent interview with the Italian Read More …

Filipino children watch as activists hold a rally in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs in suburban Pasay, Philippines as they call on the government to ensure the safe and immediate evacuation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from war-torn Libya on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. The Foreign Affairs Department and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said about 13,000 Filipino workers are currently in Libya and less than a thousand has so far been repatriated. AP MANILA, Philippines—Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are backing out from being repatriated in the strife-torn Libya despite the expected arrival of a chartered ship that will ferry them to Malta, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. “Many of them changed their mind. In Misrata, there were 610 who signed up as of August 10, now there are only 365,” DFA spokesman Charles Jose said in a briefing. “In Benghazi, there were 490 who signed up last August 9, but now there are only 477,” he said. The chartered ship has a capacity of 1,500 and was rented by the Philippine Government at a cost of $1.8 million. It sailed from Malta last August 12 and will dock at the ports of Benghazi on August 13 for five hours to load Filipinos there. It will then travel to the port of Misrata to dock and load OFWs for five hours on August 14 after which it will go back to Malta where Philippine Airlines chartered planes will fly them to Manila. Asked why the Filipinos Read More …

Another anti-‘pork’ rally set on August 25. At a press conference in Quezon City on Tuesday, August 12, convenors of the Abolish Pork Movement urge other groups to join the anti-pork barrel rally set at the Luneta Park on August 25. GMA News Over a week before the scheduled nationwide protest actions on August 25, Malacañang on Wednesday countered calls from anti-pork barrel groups to remove all forms of discretionary funds from the national budget. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Secretary Edwin Lacierda said that it is impossible to remove all contigent funds in the budget, due to “practical purposes.” “It’s nice to hear all these people, the left would say, ‘Wala. Hindi pwede. Tanggalin na ‘yung contingent fund. Dapat specific.’ But they themselves know it can never happen that way,” Lacierda told reporters. He cited as example calamity funds, which he said the government could not disaggregate because natural disasters cannot be predicted. “You cannot define with exactitude the amount that you’re going to identify to a particular storm or particular natural calamity. These things are force majeure,” he said. Anti-pork barrel groups are scheduled to hold protests along Roxas Boulevard on August 25 against various forms of discretionary funds in the budget and the supposed institutionalization of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program. The protesters will also launch a people’s initiative to abolish the pork barrel system during the August 25 event.  In August last year, public sentiment against the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which has Read More …

Complainants in the Maguindanao massacre case should expose alleged bribery attempts from the Ampatuan clan so that the government can come to their aid, Malacañang said Wednesday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Secretary Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino administration is ready to assist relatives of Maguindanao massacre victims in filing bribery cases. “It depends on the person who claimed that she was offered a bribe to come out and present the testimony and we will look into it,” Lacierda told reporters. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to act on it e, kasi kailangan mo talaga ng personal knowledge ‘nung taong nilagyan or in-offer na bigyan ng lagay,” he added. The Palace official made these statements after Myrna Reblando, widow of slain Manila Bulletin reporter Alejandro Reblando, revealed that she was supposedly offered a P3-million bribe by members of the Ampatuan family in exchange for her silence. Members of the Ampatuan clan are facing multiple counts of murder before a Quezon City court for allegedly masterminding the massacre in November 2009, which  claimed the lives of 58 people, most of them members of the media. Mrs. Reblando also claimed receiving threats after she rejected the bribe, forcing her to stay in Hong Kong while the Maguindanao massacre case is being heard. Lacierda, for his part, said that mechanisms are in place to protect complainants in the Maguindanao massacre case, including the Witness Protection Program. “If there are any attempts to bribe, then the best course of action is really we’d Read More …