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 …

INSIDE THE WORLD’S BUSIEST MATERNITY WARD

 News
Nov 032013
 
INSIDE THE WORLD’S BUSIEST MATERNITY WARD

Rosalyn, already a mother of six children, is waiting to give birth. But she will not enjoy the privacy of her own delivery room. Instead, Rosalyn will be one of the 300 new mothers crammed into the wards at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila, which sees, on average, 60 new babies come into the world every single day. READ FULL STORY (See Related Story)

Landmark pact offers 40M people hope

 News
Nov 022013
 
Landmark pact offers 40M people hope

At least 40 million people depend on the sea in areas bounded by three countries—the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia—that have entered into an agreement to protect and jointly manage the rich marine resources that these areas hold. ORLANDO MALIWANAG DAVAO CITY—On the map, the Sulu and Celebes Seas look like semi-enclosed twin basins separated only by a chain of islands called the Sulu archipelago. Experts from the Sulu-Celebes Sea Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SCS-SFMP), however, noted that the marine life in these two water basins is not separate: The Pacific Ocean flows into Sulu Sea in Northern Mindanao and between the Sangihe-Talaud archipelago in North Sulawesi. “Surface waters from one basin overflow to the other every two weeks,” SCS-SFMP said. Bounded by the Philippines’ southwest coast, Malaysia’s Sabah island on north Borneo and Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, the Sulu and Celebes seas form the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME), a large marine ecosystem now considered one of the world’s 200 most critical, which over 40 million people depend on for food and livelihood. Food security On Wednesday, Oct. 30, a three-country commitment to protect and manage this common marine area was signed with the hope of ensuring food security for over 40 million people, said Romeo Trono, regional project manager of the SCS-SFMP of the United Nations Office for Special Services. The landmark agreement, which environment and fisheries officials from the three countries signed, called for the implementation of a strategic action plan to deal with the impact of declining resources Read More …

Trial of 27 Filipinos in Sabah standoff to start January

 News
Nov 022013
 
Trial of 27 Filipinos in Sabah standoff to start January

By Julliane Love de JesusINQUIRER.net 5:31 pm | Saturday, November 2nd, 2013 In this March 14, 2013 photo released by Malaysia’s Ministry of Defense, Malaysian soldiers discuss strategies at Sungai Nyamuk where a stand-off with Filipino gunmen took place, near Tanduo village in Lahad Datu, Borneo’s Sabah state, Malaysia. File photo MANILA, Philippines—The Malaysian high court will start hearing in January the case of  27 Filipino armed followers of the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III involved in a bloody clash with Malaysian forces in Sabah in February. In a Malaysian news agency report on Friday, the high court of Malaysia allotted 17 days starting January 6 until February next year to hear the case of the Filipinos and three Malaysian nationals for allegedly being involved with terrorist groups against Malaysia’s head of state Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Justice Stephen Chung set the trial on the following dates: January 6 to10, 15 to17, 27 to 30 and February 10 to14 in 2014. But starting next month, the prosecution and defense will have to file before the court the agreed facts and issues of the case. The report said the hearing, which will be in open court, will be held at the Sabah Prisons Department in Malaysia. The court could have attended to the case last September 17 in a supposed 11-day trial but the counsel sought more time to go through “voluminous documents and recordings as well as satellite imaging in relation to the case.” Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said Read More …

Senator Jinggoy Estrada departs for the US

 News
Nov 022013
 
Senator Jinggoy Estrada departs for the US

Senator Jinggoy Estrada promised the Philippines that, like Gen. Dougls MacArthur shortly after his harrowing escape from Corregidor, “he will return.” This was before the Senator left for the United States on Saturday morning amid the political controversies dogging him, including the P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scandal. Sen. Estrada insisted he would return to the Philippines before the Senate session resumes on November 17 according to a report on GMA’s “Balitanghali” program on Saturday noon. The Senator added that he isn’t avoiding the imminent Senate probe where Janet Lim Napoles, alleged pork barrel scam queen, will be attending and scheduled to be questioned for her involvement in the said scam. Earlier, the Justice Department requested that the Department of Foreign Affairs cancel Estrada’s passport due to the plunder and malversation raps he was facing. But since this was only a complaint and not a charge the “hold departure” order was not implemented. Among some of those also recommended for passport cancellation were Senators Bong Revilla and Juan Ponce Enrile. The Ombudsman filed plunder and malversation of public funds raps on September 16 against Estrada, Revilla, and Enrile, among others. Sen. Estrada left to accompany his wife who sought treatment in the US after discovering a lump on her breast. – KDM, GMA News 

US urged to probe death of OFW who fell off oil rig

 News
Nov 022013
 
US urged to probe death of OFW who fell off oil rig

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:53 pm | Saturday, November 2nd, 2013 Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine Embassy in the United States has called on American authorities to investigate the death of a Filipino worker who fell off an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico a week ago, expressing concern over the safety of Philippine citizens employed in off-shore facilities in the US. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. made the appeal to the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) following the death of 38-year-old welder Peter Jorge Voces. “The Philippines expresses its deep concern over the safety of Filipinos working in offshore oil facilities in the US,” Cuisia said through the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C.’s Twitter account. “Although we hope Mr Voces’ death was not the result of platform safety issues, we expect the BSEE to thoroughly investigate the incident,” he said. Voces was killed Sunday night after an empty storage tank fell and pushed him overboard as he worked with a crew to dismantle a platform in an area called Vermillion Block 200 located some 88.5 kms south of Freshwater Bayou in Louisiana. It was not clear how the tank fell on Voces. US Coast Guard search and rescue crews found him on Tuesday morning pinned underwater just below the platform. Cuisia on Friday also phoned Voces’ widow in the Philippines and assured him of the Philippine government’s assistance Read More …

Malaysian national held for alleged link to MNLF attack on Zamboanga

 News
Nov 022013
 
Malaysian national held for alleged link to MNLF attack on Zamboanga

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 4:37 pm | Saturday, November 2nd, 2013 Philippine Army soldiers fire a 60mm mortar towards the position of MNLF loyal to Misuari where they camp out with their hostages in Barangay Sta. Barbara in Zamboanga City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/EDWIN BACASMAS MANILA, Philippines–A Malaysian national was arrested last month by Philippine authorities in Zamboanga City for suspected involvement  with the Moro National Liberation Front, Malaysia and Philippine authorities confirmed. “The arrest of the Malaysian man followed the action taken by the Philippine security forces against individuals suspected of being involved in the armed attacks launched by MNLF rebels in Zamboanga City on Sept 9,” the Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported, on Wednesday quoting Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) director-general, Datuk Mohammad Mantek. The Bernama report said Mantek refused to give further details as the matter is still under investigation by Philippines authorities. Mantek also declined to comment if the arrested 55-year-old man was involved with the three-week Zamboanga siege last September which killed at least 200 people. In the gunbattle that lasted for almost a month, MNLF forces attacked the city to build their independent “Bangsamoro Republik”. Malaysian Foreign Minister Wisma Putra said he was told by Philippine authorities that the man admitted he was a member of the MNLF, a separate report from Bernama said. Zamboanga Peninsula police information officer Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca confirmed to INQUIRER.net on Saturday that they arrested a Malaysian national last month during the house raid of MNLF founding chairman Nur Read More …

Palace: Preparations ongoing for last-quarter LEDAC meet

 News
Nov 022013
 
Palace: Preparations ongoing for last-quarter LEDAC meet

Preparations are ongoing for a prospective last-quarter meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Malacañang said Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said a technical working group is preparing to present to President Benigno Aquino II the final proposals of the Cabinet clusters. “The TWG is still working to present to the President the number, at least the final proposals from the different Cabinet clusters. From the last update, na-consolidate na po nila yung listahan at kailangan na lang pong iharap sa Pangulong Aquino for his approval and then the LEDAC will be scheduled,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. LEDAC’s functions include determining and recommending socio-economic development goals, and providing policy advice to the President. It is also mandated to integrate legislative agenda with the national development plan; and recommend to the President and Congress sources of revenues and measures to reduce unnecessary expenditures in government. The LEDAC page on the National Economic and Development Authority said Republic Act 7640 provides that the Council shall meet at least once every quarter but it may be convened by the President to special meetings as may be necessary. Also, it said only two LEDAC meetings were held during the Aquino administration – on Feb. 28 and Aug. 16, both in 2011. It said there was no LEDAC meeting in 2012, and none so far this year. — LBG, GMA News

Palace downplays Dec 6 'deadline' to get rid of 'pork'

 News
Nov 022013
 
Palace downplays Dec 6 'deadline' to get rid of 'pork'

Malacañang on Saturday downplayed a so-called Dec. 6 deadline for President Benigno Aquino to get rid of discretionary or “pork” funds, saying he and his administration will push the proper things at the “correct time.” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said the Palace will continue answering questions on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, which Palace critics had dubbed as another form of pork barrel funds. “The president and the administration will push for the correct things at the correct time,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. She was referring to the Dec. 6 deadline by the #ScrapPork Network for Aquino to “destroy the barrier” that blocks his supposed “straight path.” The Dec. 6 date comes 100 days after a massive anti-pork gathering at the Luneta in Manila last Aug. 26. Organizers hinted at gatherings by anti-pork advocates on that day. Valte said the Department of Justice already filed plunder cases against personalities linked to the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam involving the use of fake non-government organizations to siphon funds from lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations. She said the DOJ is set to file charges against another batch of personalities linked to the mess. “The instructions of the president would be to make sure (the cases) will stand scrutiny and (lead to) a conviction,” she added. Meanwhile, Valte said the government will continue “answering” questions on the controversial DAP, which some had branded as another form of pork barrel as it gives lawmakers leeway to identify what projects to Read More …

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