Fil-Am press club in LA elects new officers Synersys Consulting Inc. wins award at Odoo Awards Ceremony Small US town rallies for fired gay police chief Woman dead; companion, 3 children missing Chair of US House foreign affairs body blasts China’s ‘unilateral’ claims Fortune 500 company mulling expansion in PH Supermoon rising Saturday
OFWs from Libya INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Only 515 of the more than 13,120 overseas Filipino workers in Libya, or nearly 4 percent, have availed themselves of the government’s voluntary repatriation program, prompting the Department of Labor and Employment and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, to appeal again to the OFWs in the strife-torn North African country to return home. The Philippine nationals’ loved ones here “will be most happy to see them back,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had earlier said. Baldoz urged the OFWs to get in touch with the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Tripoli to “use the services of Owwa’s 24/7 operations center” and sign up for the free repatriation. Aid to repatriates The embassy and the Polo’s address is Km. 7, Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas district. Their telephone numbers are (00218) 918-244208 and (00218) 911-061166. Baldoz directed Owwa Administrator Rebecca Calzado and Violeta Muñoz, director of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs, to “see to it that the repatriates’ plans after coming home are identified so the DOLE can focus on the assistance to be given them.” A number of repatriates have reportedly expressed a preference for availing of the agency’s livelihood assistance program, while others had sought help with overseas job referrals. The latest group of Filipino workers from Libya, composed of 27 OFWs, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on July 9 on Etihad Airways from the Middle East. At the Naia, they were met Read More …
Malacañang on Sunday welcomed a US Senate Resolution promoting the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the resolution affirms the strategic partnership between the Philippines and the US. “This Resolution affirms the long-standing strategic partnership between the Philippines and the United States that is highlighted by the recent signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement,” a Palace statement quoted Coloma as saying. In a radio briefing, he also said the resolution supports stepped-up efforts among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-countries to flesh out a Code of Conduct that will govern maritime entitlements in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea. Such a code of conduct will also govern the Philippines’ recourse to the United Nations’ arbitral tribunal. Coloma said the Philippines reiterates its commitment to “pursue diplomatic, political and legal options, as well as our solidarity with our ASEAN neighbors and other allies toward the peaceful resolution of disputes and the promotion of long-term stability in the Asia-Pacific region.” US Senate Resolution 412 is a “resolution reaffirming the strong support of the United States Government for freedom of navigation and other internationally lawful uses of sea and airspace in the Asia-Pacific region, and for the peaceful diplomatic resolution of outstanding territorial and maritime claims and disputes.” Sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez, it was introduced April 7 and was agreed to in the Senate with amendments last July 10. The measure states that the US Senate: Condemns coercive Read More …
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said he will not withdraw his support for the impeachment suit against President Benigno Aquino III that another militant lawmaker plans to file soon even after a newspaper report identified him as one of the recipients of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program. In an interview with GMA News Online Thursday, Colmenares also said he will also continue to call for the abolition of pork barrel and oppose the inclusion of any kind of lump sum funds in the 2015 national budget. “If the intention of Malacañang is to intimidate me [with the report], they’re wrong. I’m still against pork barrel. Wala naman akong itinatago… I will still endorse the impeachment complaint against PNoy once it’s filed,” he said. Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon earlier said his group and other youth organizations will soon file an impeachment suit against Aquino over the implementation of DAP, parts of which the Supreme Court recently declared unconstitutional. A Philippine Daily Inquirer report published on June 9 named Colmenares as one of the House members who received P25 million from the DAP in two installments over a period of two years beginning 2012. According to the report, some of the projects the lawmaker implemented using his DAP allocation were farm-to-market roads in Pampanga worth P10 million, a multi-purpose hall in Aurora worth P1 million and two-classroom buildings in Iloilo worth P1.8 million. Colmenares also gave subsidies to select LGUs worth a total of P6.35 million and to public healthcare institutions Read More …
Palace spokesman Herminio Coloma Jr., stressed Sunday that President Benigno Aquino III is not panicking over the Supreme Court’s decision to declare parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional. This, even as Aquino prepares to address the nation in a televised broadcast to explain “pressing national issues.” “Wala pong panic. Mahinahong-mahinahon po ang ating Pangulo at patuloy pong ginagampanan ng mga miyembro ng Gabinete at ng pambansang pamahalaan ang tungkulin nito,” Coloma said in an interview over state-run DZRB. On Saturday, Malacañang announced that Aquino will give a televised address at 6 p.m. on Monday. Coloma explained that it is a chance for Aquino to address his “bosses.” Aquino’s nationwide television address comes weeks before the president is set to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address. “Humihingi po ang Pangulo ng pagkakataon na makausap ang kanyang mga boss, ang mga mamamayang Pilipino, para magbigay linaw sa mga isyu na humaharap sa ating bansa, kabilang na po ‘yung Disbursement Acceleration Program na kailan lang ay pinagpasyahan ng Korte Suprema,” Coloma said. Tallying projects, funds Meanwhile, Coloma said different departments under the executive are working on their own reports on projects funded through DAP. The consolidated report will then be released to the public, Coloma said. “Ganito po ang isinasagawa sa kasalukuyan: Hinihingi sa iba’t ibang mga kagawaran at ahensya ‘yung updated status report hinggil sa kung paano ginastos ‘yung mga pondong ‘yan, ano, kung ano na ‘yung mga lubos na ginastos na, nakumpleto na, kung meron pang mga Read More …
Rehabilitation czar Secretary Panfilo Lacson is confident that Pope Francis’ early 2015 visit to Yolanda-ravaged areas of the country will go off without a hitch “Wala namang threat sa security,” Lacson said in an interview with dzBB’s Nimfa Ravelo on Sunday. Lacson added that other notable personalities have visited Yolanda-hit areas without encountering trouble. “Si United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, pumunta na doon. Marami nang pumunta doon na masasabi nating importanteng tao mula sa ibang bansa, at basta naman may darating, alert siyempre ang kapulisan para ang seguridad nila ay maayos,” Lacson said. Last week, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas officially announced that the Pope will visit areas devastated by the super typhoon, “God willing at the beginning of next year, 2015.” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the Vatican will release the exact date of the visit either by the end of this month or in early August, while the schedule and itinerary of the pontiff’s visit will be released by November. Lacson added that he hopes permanent housing for the survivors will be completed before Pope Francis’ visit. “I hope and pray na pag dating niya sa Enero, marami nang nagawang mga bahay,” he said. — Patricia Denise Chiu/BM, GMA News
Sen. Francis Escudero, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, offered embattled Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad some unsolicited advice Sunday, saying he should attend the Senate hearings on the controversial Disbursement Allocation Program. “Kawalan ni Budget Secretary Abad, kung di siya pumunta. Naniniwala naman akong Abad is ready to explain. For transparency’s sake, kailangan niyang sagutin kung saan napunta yung DAP, alin yung lumabag sa batas?” Escudero said in an interview with dzBB’s Nimfa Ravelo. The Senate committee on finance has summoned Abad to make a public accounting on how the Aquino administration spent billions of pesos in public funds released under the DAP, parts of which have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Escudero has asked Abad to appear at a public hearing on July 21, after Abad said his department needed time to collate documents needed to explain the DAP. “Nagtanong kami at humingi ng impormasyon. Tinanong namin kung kumpleto yung datos, at kelangan pa daw nila ng oras, kaya nga sa July 21 ang setting,” Escudero explained. Meanwhile, Escudero said he is confident that President Benigno Aquino III will not try to block Abad’s appearance at the Senate. “Sa tingin ko papayagan siya ng Pangulo. Maski mayroong executive privilege di naman covered nito ‘yun,” he said. Stronger legislature Escudero also acknowledged that the Supreme Court decision to declare parts of the DAP unconstitutional benefits Congress. “Totoong napalakas ng Supreme Court yung kapangyarihan ng lehislatura, ngunit di ako naniniwalang natali ang kamay ng pangulo sa decision ng Read More …
By Niña P. Calleja |Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:03 am | Sunday, July 13th, 2014 Israeli infantry soldiers get ready to walk to their armored personnel carriers to take up new positions on the Israel-Gaza border, Saturday, July 12, 2014. AP The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday announced it had suspended the deployment of newly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kenya where crisis alert level 2 had been declared due to the “deteriorating security situation.” “Under alert level 2 (restriction phase), Filipinos are advised to restrict their movements and avoid unnecessary travel [to] crowded places,” the DFA said in a statement. By raising the alert level, the DFA would allow only returning OFWs with current employment contracts to go to Kenya. Last month, violence erupted in Kenya after a group of Somali extremists attacked a town, assaulted police and set establishments on fire. News reports said that since the attack in mid-June, the death toll had reached 100. Meanwhile, due to the outbreak of violence as a result of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the DFA has likewise raised alert level 2 in the Gaza Strip. Philippine authorities advised the estimated 109 Filipinos in Gaza to restrict nonessential movements and prepare for possible evacuation. Alert level 1 (precautionary phase) was hoisted in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, and southern and central Israel. About 113 Filipinos reside in the West Bank, while 36,400 are in Israel. RELATED STORIES Israel widens air attack, Gaza death toll tops 125 Read More …
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The government can’t prevent Filipino Muslims from flying to Mecca despite the high incidence of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia, an official of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) here said. In fact, it appears that the rise in cases of the deadly disease has not deterred Filipino Muslims at all, said Yaser Apion, NCMF head for Western Mindanao. According to Apion, some 2,500 applications for the annual Muslim hajj were filed in the NCMF regional office by June 30, the deadline for the special travel permits. Apion said there had been no advisory from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj to stop pilgrims from traveling to Mecca, which was why the NCMF had no basis for stopping Filipino Muslims from leaving the country. “We can only discourage them, especially those who are 65 years old and over and those not physically fit. We do not only dissuade the elderly from going to Mecca due to the MERS-CoV threat but also because of the physical rigors of the hajj,” he said on Thursday. In this Tuesday May, 13, 2014 file photo, Muslim pilgrims wear surgical masks to prevent infection from respiratory virus known as the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. AP FILE PHOTO Apion said they made every elderly pilgrim understand that it was not obligatory for them to go on a hajj—one of the five pillars of Islam. Like other pilgrims, they were made Read More …
RODIL . ( PHOTO by Saajid Motala/Canadian Immigrant) Two Filipinos—social worker Alberto Rodil of Toronto, Ontario, and doctor Anna Wolak of Vancouver, British Columbia—were recently named among the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants for 2014, a prestigious contest organized by Canadian Immigrant magazine and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Now on its sixth year, the program serves “to uncover and celebrate the inspiring stories of Canadian immigrants who have made a significant contribution to Canada since their arrival,” the magazine explained. The contest drew over 630 nominations which were then reduced by a panel of judges to a shortlist of 75. The public was then asked to vote online to chose the year’s winners. Chevrolet was an associate sponsor. Rodil was awarded for his work in helping elderly immigrants as a settlement worker. Rodil, a former bank executive who holds a PhD in public administration from the Philippines, said he migrated “to give my children a better future.” But starting out in a new land in 2004 was difficult. He took on work as a sandwich maker, pizza maker, salad maker, dishwasher, cashier and cleaner. “I struggled a lot in Canada as an immigrant by doing low-level skilled work despite my strong educational preparation and more than 20 years of work experience in the Philippines but I became more focused, more assertive and more confident,” he is quoted as saying. Eventually, he went back to school, completing a social service worker diploma at George Brown College in 2009, Read More …