Hero dog 'Kabang' back in the Philippines after treatment, surgery in U.S.

 News
Jun 072013
 
Hero dog 'Kabang' back in the Philippines after treatment, surgery in U.S.

Kabang, a mongrel dog, was given a hero’s welcome Saturday morning upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila following surgery in the United States to reconstruct her face.  Kabang arrived aboard a Philippine Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at 3:25 a.m., radio dzBB’s Roland Bola reported. She was mobbed by photographers shortly after disembarking from the PAL flight PR-105, and is to undergo a checkup. Kabang was released from the University of California’s Davis Veterinary Hospital on Monday after eight months of treatment in which her face was partially rebuilt and she was cured of cancer and heartworm. In 2011 Kabang, then aged two and pregnant, became a hero in the Philippines after running in front of a motorcycle in what her owner said was a deliberate act to save her daughter and niece who were crossing a busy road. Thousands of dollars were raised for her treatment through an online campaign. “I think I will cry when I see her. She’s like a member of our family,” said owner Rudy Bunggal, a laborer who lives in a shanty in a poor southern Philippine town, told AFP by phone on Tuesday. In the accident Kabang’s snout and part of her jaw were torn off when the motorcycle flipped over, also damaging an eyelid. The dog became a hero in the Philippines and an internet sensation after local media reported how she had saved the girls by deliberately leaping in front Read More …

China's top butcher tries to sell US on takeover

 Economy
Jun 062013
 
China's top butcher tries to sell US on takeover

Wan Long, 72, chairman of Shuanghui International, prepares himself before an interview in his office in Luohe, in central China’s Henan province. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan) LUOHE, China  — At an age when most Chinese executives are long retired, the country’s top hog butcher is taking on a daunting new job persuading Americans to allow him to complete China’s biggest takeover of a U.S. company. Shuanghui International’s $4.7 billion bid for Smithfield Foods Ltd. has the endorsement of the American company’s board. But facing anxiety over food safety scandals in China and complaints about Chinese cyber spying, 72-year-old chairman Wan Long has launched a charm offensive to reassure Americans they have nothing to fear and possibly much to gain from the tie-up. “We want to be vigilant that Smithfield’s brand doesn’t change, its team doesn’t change, its production sites don’t change, it doesn’t cut jobs,” said Wan in an interview at Shuanghui’s 15-story headquarters in this eastern Chinese city. As for reassuring American consumers about quality, Smithfield “already has a very good food safety control system,” Wan said. “With our support, they will do better in quality and safety controls.” Wan’s strategy of talking to reporters and inviting them to visit Shuanghui’s packing plants is an unusual approach in China, where companies are secretive and corporate bosses rarely speak in public. As Chinese companies expand abroad, those habits have hurt some when the United States, Australia and other countries balked at acquisitions by unfamiliar buyers in oil, mining and technology Read More …

‘Kabang’ set for hero’s return after surgery in US

 News
Jun 042013
 
‘Kabang’ set for hero’s return after surgery in US

Agence France-Presse 9:02 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 Kabang, a two-year-old injured mixed breed, chews on a toy after being released from the from the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, in Davis, Calif., Monday, June 3, 2013. Kabang lost her snout and upper jaw saving two girls’ lives and is heading back to the Philippines after treatment at a California hospital. AP MANILA, Philippines — A mongrel dog is set for a hero’s welcome when she returns to the Philippines following surgery in the United States to reconstruct her face after apparently saving two girls from being hit by a motorcycle. Kabang was released from the University of California’s Davis Veterinary Hospital on Monday after eight months of treatment in which her face was partially rebuilt and she was cured of cancer and heartworm. In 2011 Kabang, then aged two and pregnant, became a hero in the Philippines after running in front of a motorcycle in what her owner said was a deliberate act to save her daughter and niece who were crossing a busy road. Thousands of dollars were raised for her treatment through an online campaign. “I think I will cry when I see her. She’s like a member of our family,” said owner Rudy Bunggal, a laborer who lives in a shanty in a poor southern Philippine town, told AFP by phone on Tuesday. In the accident Kabang’s snout and part of her jaw were torn off when Read More …

Statement of H.E. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., Philippine Ambassador to the United States, on Fatal Shooting of Filipina-American in Costco Store in Virginia

 Entertainment
May 302013
 

The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Mylene De Leon Scott, a member of the Filipino-American Community, who was shot dead by police officers responding to a reported disturbance inside the Costco Wholesale Store in Sterling, Virginia, on Wednesday, 29 May 2013. The Embassy stands ready […]

SANTACRUZAN IN THE YEAR OF FAITH

 Entertainment
May 302013
 

Los Angeles, California- On May 4th, 2013, the Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated its 9th Archdiocesan SANTACRUZAN at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop and only Filipino-American Bishop in United States, presided the Eucharistic celebration together with the clergy. Santacruzan […]

Travel firms aren’t job recruiters, says POEA

 News
May 302013
 
Travel firms aren’t job recruiters, says POEA

Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:39 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Thursday warned Filipinos wishing to work abroad about immigration consultants and travel agencies that offered overseas jobs. POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said that offering overseas employment in the guise of visa assistance without a license or authority from the POEA constituted illegal recruitment under the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act. “Immigration consultants are required to obtain a license from the POEA before they may engage in recruitment and placement activities, regardless of the visa under which deployment shall be made eventually,” said Cacdac in a statement. He said jobseekers need not engage immigration consultants who charge thousands of dollars for supposed working visas to countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Unnecessary expenses “By having an agent, they would be paying for information and counsel that are free and readily available in those countries’ respective websites,” Cacdac said. “Also, the documents required by the immigration offices of those countries could only be produced by the applicant and not by the consultant,” he said. Cacdac said that those wanting to work or migrate to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia could visit the following websites: www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/; www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/; www.cic.gc.ca/english/index-can.asp; and www.immi.gov.au/skilled/. He said travel agencies also were not allowed to engage in the recruitment and placement of Filipino workers. He noted that some travel agencies included in their tour packages “the opportunity to hunt for jobs” in Read More …

Cuisia Leads Economic Diplomacy Blitz in North Carolina, Virginia

 Entertainment
May 282013
 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Philippines continues to take advantage of its new status as an emerging tiger with by intensifying its economic diplomacy blitz in the United States to promote greater trade and investment. The focus of the latest economic diplomacy efforts were the states of North Carolina and Virginia, which were visited by Ambassador Jose L. […]

Q1 foreign tourist arrivals up

 News
May 052013
 
Q1 foreign tourist arrivals up

By Jocelyn R. Uy Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:10 am | Monday, May 6th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—There were 1.27 million foreign tourists who visited the country during the first quarter of the year, setting the pace for the government to reach the 5.5 million mark for 2013, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). The first-quarter visitor arrivals marked a 10.76-percent growth from the 1.15 million visitors recorded during the same period last year. “This marks the second time that foreign tourist arrivals breached the one-million mark in the first quarter,” the DOT said on Sunday. Records showed that Korea remained the leading visitor market, capturing 25.83 percent of the total inbound traffic, followed by the United States, with 186,064, or 14.63 percent, of the overall visitor volume. At least 114,269 visitors from Japan have been recorded from January to March, accounting for 8.99 percent of the total market share, while arrivals from China have reached 98,242. Rounding up the top five visitor markets for the first quarter is Taiwan, with 53,867 tourists. The country also enjoyed significant number of visitors from the following countries: Australia, 53,679; Singapore, 41,524; Canada, 38,486; Hong Kong, 36,005; United Kingdom, 32,475; Malaysia, 27,212; and Germany, 22,491. “Month after month, we bear witness to a steady upward performance and new record highs. This only means that the efforts of the department and its partners are bearing fruit,” said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. “To achieve our 2013 target of 5.5 million and 2016 target of 10 Read More …

US green card limbo: for one Filipino, a long wait

 News
Apr 302013
 
US green card limbo: for one Filipino, a long wait

2:32 pm | Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 This recent undated photograph obtained courtesy of Elizabeth Arnulfo shows Arnulfo Babiera (R), who applied for a US green card a decade ago, in the hopes of reuniting with his sister, Elizabeth Arnulfo (L), a naturalized citizen. But at the current rate, his wait could extend until 2027.a naturalized citizen. But at the current rate, his wait could extend until 2027. Foreigners seeking to immigrate to the United States under the family reunification program may however see changes on the horizon, with a new reform seeking to resolve the four million cases in limbo, like that of Babiera. AFP PHOTO WASHINGTON—Arnulfo Babiera applied for a US green card a decade ago, in the hopes of reuniting with his sister, a naturalized citizen. But at the current rate, his wait could extend until 2027. Foreigners seeking to immigrate to the United States under a family reunification program may however see changes on the horizon, with a new reform seeking to resolve the four million cases in limbo, like that of Babiera. “That is my dream, going to the United States of America — to earn more, to support my family here. My income would be greater than it is here,” Babiera told AFP by telephone from his home in Davao, in the southern Philippines. Babiera, a 58-year-old employee of a recruitment agency, earned the right to come to the United States when his sister Elizabeth filed a green card application on his behalf in Read More …

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