PH embassy in Riyadh issued a record 72,028 passports in 2013

 News
Jan 022014
 

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11:58 am | Friday, January 3rd, 2014

DFA Passports Processed in Riyadh

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has processed a record 72,028 passport applications for 2013, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Friday.

“In 2013, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh processed 1,522 new passports for newly born infants; 64,298 renewals, and 6,208 replacement passports for lost passports,” DFA said.

“Around 6,000 replacement passports of the 6,208 were issued during the correction period, particularly in May and June. These numbers do not include the passport applications processed by the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah,” it said.

The 2013 number of processed passports was at its highest over the past years. In 2007, 31,990 applications were received.

According to records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Saudi Arabia has the second largest population of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with 1,267,660 as of 2012.

 

The United States has the largest OFW population with 3,494,281 Filipinos

The deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia has been on the rise over the past several years with 330,040 new hires and rehires in 2012. The most hires were domestic helpers with 11,582 and in the nursing profession with 8,513.

In 2011, 204,088 OFWs were deployed to Saudi Arabia, 173,670 were deployed in 2010, 164,758 were deployed in 2009, and  153,675 were deployed in 2008.

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Tags: DFA , Global Nation , passport processing , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia

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First in Asia: Philippine bananas to be sold in US

 News
Sep 142013
 
First in Asia: Philippine bananas to be sold in US

Photo from official account of Philippine Embassy in the United States. @philippinesusa. MANILA, Philippines – The first batch of fresh Philippine bananas has finally arrived in the United States, the Philippine Embassy in the US announced Sunday. A shipment of 7.047 metric tons of highland cavendish from Bukidnon arrived September 9 in California, making the Philippines the first Asian country to export bananas to the US. “With this shipment, we are hopeful that Philippine bananas would be able to find and satisfy a niche in the competitive US banana market,” said Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. The shipment came after eight years of negotiations with the US on quarantine and sanitation issues. “Philippine bananas are among the best in the world and there is opportunity to bring in the unique and special banana varieties like lakatan and latondan, which Filipinos in the US have long been craving for and which Americans can learn to love,” said Agriculture attaché Dr. Josyline Javelosa. Javelosa said the shipment, a first of an estimated 3,000 metric tons from Dole Philippines, was transferred to a ripening warehouse and will soon be available in the Los Angeles market. She said they are hoping that the new market will help the Philippine banana industry, especially Mindanao which is recovering from the onslaught of the recent typhoons. With the successful shipment, US joined other Philippine banana importers – Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Korea, China, Singapore, the Middle East, Canada, Russia and Indonesia. Bananas are among the country’s dollar earners. Read More …

Filipinos in Malaysia warned of new crackdown on illegals

 News
Sep 032013
 
Filipinos in Malaysia warned of new crackdown on illegals

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:24 pm | Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya. Photo from J Eduardo Malaya Facebook account MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has called on Filipinos to complete their immigrant documentation and carry their papers at all times after the Malaysian government initiated a new crackdown on illegals this month. In a statement, Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya reminded Filipinos to always bring their passports with valid visas and work permits with them as Malaysian authorities conduct immigration checks on foreign nationals. “We wish to remind our Filipino nationals to have proper documents, notably work permit or passport with valid visa, and carry it with them in case of immigration checks, in order to avoid inconvenience.  Also, Filipinos who wish to enter Malaysia for work should have approved work permits or similar papers as they start their jobs here,” Malaya said. On Sunday, Malaysian authorities started an operation to apprehend undocumented foreigners across Malaysia. The crackdown has so far led to the arrest of some 2,433 foreign nationals, but no Filipinos is known to be among them, the embassy said. Among those arrested were illegals from Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal. “We checked with the immigration detention facility in Putrajaya, and we were informed that Filipinos are not among those arrested and currently held in said facility,” Consul General Medardo Macaraig said in the statement. Philippine Embassy officials made the rounds of areas where Filipinos are known to hang Read More …

Too drastic, Egyptian envoy says of Filipinos’ evacuation

 News
Aug 292013
 
Too drastic, Egyptian envoy says of Filipinos’ evacuation

By Tarra Quismundo, Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:46 am | Friday, August 30th, 2013 Chaotic protests continue in Egypt. AP file photo MANILA, Philippines—While saying an evacuation order was too drastic for the situation, Egypt has expressed its deference to the Philippines’ decision to initiate mandatory repatriation amid continuing violence across the Arab country. In an interview, Egyptian Ambassador to Manila Mahmoud Mostafa Ahmed assured the Philippines that his country would protect Filipinos caught in the violence, emphasizing that the interim government was exerting all efforts to contain what he described to be pockets of violence in his homeland. “We respect what the Philippines issued. Despite that, we think that most Filipinos will not be willing to come back,” Ahmed told reporters at a briefing at the Egyptian Embassy in Makati City yesterday.   Emergency visits “The Secretary (Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario) has made two visits in 12 days to Cairo, and he raised the fourth degree [of emergency alert] based on his assessment. Despite that, my point of view is it (the situation) doesn’t deserve it,” he said. Other than the Philippines, only Thailand has ordered a mandatory evacuation of its citizens following clashes between supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and security forces, which has led to the hundreds of deaths and destruction of churches, courts, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure across Egypt. On Aug. 19, Del Rosario placed Filipinos in Egypt under Crisis Alert Level 4, the highest emergency alert for Filipinos overseas, Read More …

OFWs in Egypt urged anew to cooperate in ongoing evacuation

 News
Aug 242013
 
OFWs in Egypt urged anew to cooperate in ongoing evacuation

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 1:48 pm | Saturday, August 24th, 2013 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary Albert del Rosario AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has renewed government’s call for Filipinos in Egypt to cooperate in the ongoing mandatory evacuation, citing the worsening instability in the Arab country. The Philippine Embassy in Cairo also advised Philippine citizens across Egypt to immediately contact the post to sign up for repatriation and stay indoors while awaiting evacuation as the strife-torn country remains under a state of emergency. “Our two visits in Cairo within the last 12 days to assess the security situation have convinced us that the marked deterioration in peace and order, exacerbated by complex political challenges has called for the raising of our alert level to mandatory repatriation,” said Del Rosario, who arrived this week from his second visit to Cairo. He ordered the declaration of Crisis Alert Level 4 for some 6,000 Filipinos in Egypt on Monday after seeing for himself that the situation was no longer safe. Government also has a standing order barring the deployment of new workers to Egypt and the return of Egypt-based Filipinos currently on vacation out of the country. “This is the highest level possible, and we therefore strongly urge our countrymen in Egypt to register with the Philippine Embassy in Cairo for early repatriation,” said Del Rosario. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said only trickles have signed up for repatriation as Filipinos in Egypt Read More …

138 Filipinos remain in camps in S. Arabia

 News
Jun 142013
 
138 Filipinos remain in camps in S. Arabia

By Dona Z. PazzibuganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:34 am | Saturday, June 15th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—From about a thousand two months ago, less than 150 Filipinos remain camped outside the Philippine Embassy and a Philippine consular office in Saudi Arabia, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez reported that a total of 414 individuals have so far been repatriated from Saudi Arabia before the July 3 deadline for undocumented workers to either return to their home countries or correct their status. Among those repatriated were mothers and their children. Since June 10, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh reported having repatriated 77 Filipinos, including 16 mothers and 20 children. Fourteen more individuals will arrive in Manila on June 15 at 3:20 p.m. from Riyadh on board Etihad Airways flight EY 424. Hernandez said only four people remain camped outside the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and 134 people outside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. The rest of the undocumented workers and their families are staying in temporary shelters. “From a high of 77, the number of campers in our embassy in Riyadh is down to four. In Jeddah, from about a thousand several weeks ago, there are now only 134 individuals at the camp site near our consulate,” Hernandez said. “There are also 161 mothers and children seeking shelter at the consulate,” he added. With the deadline approaching, Philippine diplomatic officials have asked Saudi immigration authorities to streamline their procedures to Read More …

DFA cautions Filipinos in Saudi Arabia on coronavirus threat

 News
Jun 042013
 
DFA cautions Filipinos in Saudi Arabia on coronavirus threat

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:37 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday advised Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, particularly those camped out at tent shelters outside the Philippine embassy in Riyadh, to take precautionary health measures amid the spread of the coronavirus, a disease that has most affected the Arab country with 39 known cases of contraction and 25 reported deaths. No Filipino has so far been reported to have been stricken with the disease, but the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh issued an advisory for Philippine nationals to take preventive measures and protect themselves from the disease. “There are no reports of any Filipino in Saudi Arabia being infected with the new virus which, according to news reports, caused the death of several Saudis,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. “Our citizens in Saudi Arabia should follow the advice of the Saudi Health Ministry and other relevant authorities. The embassy has also issued an advisory detailing the symptoms of the disease and the preventive measures that our kababayans in Saudi Arabia can take,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday. Experts have said the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) stemmed from the same viral family as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, an outbreak which spread around the world in 2003, killing some 775 people, according to a Reuters report. The new virus is known to have spread to France, Read More …

Filipinos in Turkey urged to avoid large public gatherings

 News
Jun 042013
 
Filipinos in Turkey urged to avoid large public gatherings

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:37 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday cautioned Filipinos across Turkey to be careful of large public gatherings as nationwide unrest grew amid widespread demonstrations over the planned construction over a historic park in Istanbul. “Our Embassy in Ankara continues to monitor the situation in Turkey. While there are no specific threats to Filipinos, our Embassy nevertheless advises our kababayans to take extra precaution and stay away from areas where demonstrations are held,” DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing on Tuesday. There are some 5,000 Filipinos in Turkey, according to DFA estimates. Hernandez meanwhile said no Filipinos were among casualties in the flooding in the Czech Republic and fresh tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend. He said the Philippine Embassy in Prague has sent out an alert to some 500 Filipinos there about the situation and contact numbers for emergencies. Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Hernandez meanwhile said Filipinos were spared from harm when a tornado hit central Oklahoma on May 31, killing at least 18 people. Some 100,000 Filipinos are known to be residing in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in the midwest, which was also hit by a tornado earlier last month. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step Read More …

PH asks Bahamas to let 1,000 Filipino workers to keep jobs

 News
Apr 242013
 
PH asks Bahamas to let 1,000 Filipino workers to keep jobs

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:45 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has requested the Bahamas to allow Filipinos to retain their jobs as the independent British commonwealth starts implementing a new labor policy seeking to cut unemployment rates on the islands by replacing foreign workers with locals. The Embassy dispatched a consular team to the territory just off the US state of Florida earlier this month to make the appeal to the Bahamian government to let Filipino workers keep their jobs despite the pro-local labor initiative. “We presented Manila’s position on behalf of many of the more than 1,000 Filipinos in Bahamas, particularly housekeepers, cooks, hotel employees and medical workers who stand to lose their jobs as a result of the so-called Bahamianization of the local labor force,” said Consul General Ariel Penaranda in a statement. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia, Jr. sent Peñaranda and Labor Attaché Luzviminda Padilla to the Bahamian capital of Nassau this month to convey the request. Officials from the Bahamian side who met with the Filipino team included Bahamas’ foreign affairs and labor ministers and the chief of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, said the Embassy in a statement. During the meeting, Bahamian officials recognized the Filipino community’s contribution to the islands, the Embassy said. Filipinos in the Bahamas are mostly employed as domestic helpers, medical workers, cooks and hotel employees. The Philippine side meanwhile aired its concern about the new labor policy. The Embassy said the officials Read More …

PH Hemodialysis Center Recognized among World’s Best PPP Projects

 Entertainment
Apr 232013
 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—An initiative of the National Kidney and Transplant Center (NKTI) that made renal care accessible and affordable to ordinary Filipinos has been recognized as one of the best public-private partnerships (PPP) not only in Asia but also in the rest of the world, the Philippine Embassy announced today. In a statement, the Embassy congratulated […]

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