OFW, sole breadwinner of family, killed in Macau accident

 News
Feb 172014
 
OFW, sole breadwinner of family, killed in Macau accident

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:55 pm | Monday, February 17th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – A Filipina overseas worker in Macau and sole breadwinner of her family in the Philippines was killed in a car accident after participating in the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) worldwide walk event last Saturday. Imelda Ignacio-Austria, 48, was hit by a car as she was crossing a street on the morning of February 15, her husband Villamor Austria, 45, said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net Monday. Fellow INC members in Macau were the ones who informed him of the tragic accident. Villamor said that he and their 14-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl rely on the remittances of Imelda as he has yet to get a job after his previous work in construction. A report by the Macau Daily Times published Monday said that the driver was “in his twenties,” and had passed the breathalyzer test, which measures blood alcohol levels. “She was crossing the road between the Macau Tower and Sai Van Lake Square with two other Filipino women at around 10 am on Saturday, before being hit by a private car,” it said. The report also said that police believe she may have been jaywalking. It did not state whether the driver has been detained. Elvin Jerome Austria Laceda, a nephew of Imelda, said that they are worried the driver will not be held accountable if it was found her aunt was jaywalking. “We are worried that they might have local laws there that would Read More …

Non-machine readable passports to be phased out by late 2015 – DFA

 Entertainment
Jan 052014
 
Non-machine readable passports to be phased out by late 2015 – DFA

Philippine Passport Biometric Data Page from Wikimedia Commons. The Department of Foreign Affairs said on-machine readable passports to be phased out by late by 2015. MANILA  (Mabuhay) – The use of all non-machine readable passports will not be extended beyond 31 October 2015 and must be completely phased out by 24 November 2015, the Department of Foreign Affairs said recently. Citing its own regulations and the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), DFA said all Filipino nationals holding machine readable-ready passports (MRRP, green passports) and machine readable passports (MRP, maroon passports) will no longer be allowed to apply for an extension of the validity of these passports after 31 October 2014. All Filipinos are told to apply for a new e-Passport as soon as possible before the expiry of their current MRRP (green) or MRP (maroon) passports. Those who fail to do so will likely encounter difficulty at immigration checks when traveling through any ports of entry around the world after October 2015, DFA said. Passport holders are also reminded that there are strict rules for applying for an extension of the validity of expiring or expired passports. Passports that are valid for less than six months or those that have already expired may be extended once only in the following instances: death in the family requiring the OFW and members of his/her dependent family to urgently travel to the Philippines; medical emergencies requiring the OFW and members of his/her dependent family to urgently travel to the Read More …

Remittances seen to surge this year

 Economy
Nov 232013
 
Remittances seen to surge this year

MANILA, Philippines – The country is expected to see a sustained robust inflow of remittances amid an improving global economy and as Filipinos abroad are expected to send more money to their families following recent calamities. The research arm of the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. said in a weekly report that remittances growth is expected to hit six percent this year, faster than the five-percent assumption of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. “Research forecasts annual remittances growth this year to be at six percent amid prospects of more positive growth in some major OFW (overseas Filipino workers) host countries,” the bank said. Money sent home by Filipinos living and working abroad summed up to $16.480 billion in the nine months January to September, up 5.8 percent from the $15.571 billion recorded in the same period last year. Metrobank noted that aside from rosy prospects in countries with a big number of Filipino workers, the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and the Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the Visayas region are expected to boost remittances. “The recent calamities that struck the Visayas region is seen to further prop remittance inflows as we close the year, in addition to the expected surge in time for the holiday season,” Metrobank noted. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Last year, remittances amounted to $21.391 billion, 6.3 percent higher than the $20.117 billion seen in 2011. The continued growth in remittances this year is foreseen to further boost the country’s economic output as money Read More …

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 …

US Fed stance on tapering beneficial to Phl economy, says Metrobank unit

 Economy
Sep 282013
 
US Fed stance on tapering beneficial to Phl economy, says Metrobank unit

MANILA, Philippines – The US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep its asset-purchasing program in place will provide a lift to economic prospects in the Philippines in the short term. However, the research arm of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) said volatility still remains as markets await the timing of the Fed’s tapering. “The decision to hold off tapering for now will boost economic prospects in the short term, particularly in the housing and auto industries that are very sensitive to interest rate movements,” Metrobank said in its research report. The Fed on Sept. 18 surprised markets around the world when it said it is sticking to its massive bond-buying program. The move gave a boost to markets, including those in emerging economies, as investors scrambled for high-yielding assets. But Metrobank stressed volatility will still be experienced by markets as the tapering will still be implemented sooner or later. “Tapering is still highly likely to start sooner than later so market volatility will still be the order of the day. Expect the peso-dollar exchange to continue to swing around despite the strong OFW remittances that should peak this coming fourth quarter,” Metrobank said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Emerging markets have experienced sell-offs since May, when the US Fed hinted at tapering stimulus. “[A] major concern is the significant rise in interest rates, largely a market reaction to the Fed’s announcement of the tapering in May. The US 10-year Treasury bond yield increased by nearly 120 Read More …

OFW found dead in suitcase in Egypt

 News
Aug 212013
 
OFW found dead in suitcase in Egypt

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 8:13 pm | Wednesday, August 21st, 2013 In this Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013 photo a convoy of Egyptian police vehicles patrols the southern city of Assiut, Egypt. (AP Photo/Roger Anis, El Shorouk Newspaper) EGYPT OUT MANILA, Philippines – An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) was found dead in a suitcase in Cairo, Egypt, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. “A female OFW was reported on Aug 17 to have been killed in Cairo. Her body was found concealed in a large suitcase which was left around the dump site in Nasr City,” Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a text message Wednesday. The identity of the body could not be immediately determined due to its advanced stage of decomposition. It was also not yet clear whether the OFW was collateral damage in the ongoing civil unrest in the country. “In cooperation with the [Philippine] embassy [in Egypt], the police authorities are ascertaining the positive identity, cause, and circumstances of her death prior to notifying the victim’s next of kin,” Hernandez said. Previously, the DFA has raised crisis alert level 4 in Egypt due to the civil unrest between supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and government security forces. Violent clashes ensued when authorities dispersed a sit-in protest of Morsi’s supporters who were demanding his reinstatement. Hundreds were reported killed with thousands more injured from the clashes. A month-long state of emergency has been declared by the government. Related Stories: First batch of OFWs repatriated from Read More …

VP Binay seeks reautopsy on OFW who allegedly committed suicide in Taiwan

 Entertainment
Jul 312013
 

MANILA, July 30 (Mabuhay) — Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to reexamine the remains of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who allegedly committed suicide in Taiwan. Binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, said the parents of the 29-year-old OFW had requested a reautopsy as they doubt […]

OFWs earn add’l P12.5M from SSS Flexi-fund savings

 Economy
Jun 152013
 
OFWs earn add’l P12.5M from SSS Flexi-fund savings

MANILA, Philippines – More than 32,000 qualified overseas Filipino workers with active accounts at the Social Security System’s (SSS) provident fund earned P12.54 million in additional income last year, or three times the amount of earnings on their Flexi-fund savings in 2012. SSS senior vice-president and international operations division head Judy Frances See said nine out of every 10 SSS Flexi-fund members qualified for the first-ever release of the annual incentive benefit (AIB) which is based on OFW-members’ personal Flexi-fund equity as of end of the applicable year. “Flexi-fund members with no full early withdrawal claims or benefits filed in 2012 qualified for the AIB. They do not need to file an application for availment because the SSS automatically posts the AIB amount to their flexi-fund accounts.The more Flexi-fund savings a member has, the higher the AIB amount will be,” See said. For 2012, the member with the biggest Flexi-fund equity received an AIB amount of P106,498. According to See, the total AIB is taken from the Flexi-fund’s actual investment income at the end of the year minus the total guaranteed earnings already credited to the accounts of flexi-fund members. The SSS approved higher interest rates as basis for flexi-fund guaranteed earnings effective July 2012. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The prevailing low-interest environment encouraged SSS to revise the program’s policies last year to help OFW-members earn higher from their flexi-fund savings. Previously, the computation of guaranteed earnings was solely based on the 91-day T-bill rate, Read More …

Turning hanapbuhay into hanep-buhay

 Economy
Apr 102013
 
Turning hanapbuhay into hanep-buhay

For eight years now, Go Negosyo has been helping Filipinos succeed from poverty through entrepreneurship. We are happy because we are seeing significant progress throughout the years, but our journey of transforming the nation was not easy. Changing the Filipino’s mindset about negosyo an keeping an enterprising attitude has been a constant challenge, but along the way we have met people and institutions who also believe in the advocacy and are willing to help us out. What started as a simple meeting with Cynthia Villar more than four years ago led to a discovery that Go Negosyo and her Villar Foundation have a common purpose: to help uplift the lives of Filipinos. We thought that it is best for our organizations to work together on projects that would directly inspire and empower our countrymen. It resulted in a number of collaborations which eventually led to the OFW and Family Summit, a one-day activity that teaches OFWs and their family members to invest their hard-earned money in a business of their own. I can still remember our amazement at the turnout of the participants, as more than 7,000 people showed up and filled the World Trade Center during our first summit in 2011. Of course, this was a signal for both Cynthia and I to continue what we are doing, and right now we are working on mounting the third summit in November. Now that Cynthia is running in the coming elections, her main platform is to continue encouraging the nation to embrace Read More …

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