RP declares Aug. 25 Day of National Mourning
President Benigno Aquino III inspects the bus that was hijacked by a former policeman and held hostage its Hong Kong tourist passengers.
In solidarity with the people of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which lost eight lives from the hostage-taking incident in Manila yesterday, the Philippine Government declared August 25 as day of national mourning.
President Benigno Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 23 yesterday instructing all public institutions in the country, as well as Philippine Embassies and Consulates General overseas, to lower the Philippine Flag at half-mast on August 25.
The Philippine Government considers the deaths of eight Hong Kong nationals a great loss to the peoples of Hong Kong and the Philippines.
“These deaths are a great loss to the peoples of Hong Kong and the Philippines, and call for the most solemn commemoration and respect at a time of grief for our two peoples,” the proclamation said.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs lowered its Philippine Flag at half-mast in memory of the lives lost in the incident.
The Gypsy Soul by Casiano Mayor
The essays in this book are mostly about the political and social malaise in the Philippines, the author’s home country, and the plight of the migrant Filipinos who are forced to look for greener pastures in foreign lands due to the tight economic situation in the home front.
The author, who works as an editor with the Saudi Gazette, also included in this book some personal experiences – both secular and spiritual – in his search for meaning in life that he hopes “will find echoes in the hearts of other people.”
The author throws in universal themes in most of his essays that even readers from other races and cultures could easily empathize with his writings.
Many of the 33 essays in this book, largely written in literary prose, are haunting, starting with his first essay, ”Remembering Ginablan,” a recollection of his adolescence in a small farming village in Romblon where he grew up.
Remembering, he says, was “like walking into a time machine where I found myself retracing faded footprints of a lost past,” The essay recalls a rustic life In a small village where the girls smoke cigarettes “with the lighted tip in their mouth,” the “changing hues of crimson sunsets” that he loved to watch each time he went fishing with a cousin and “a dusty road that cuts across rice fields crawling up to the foot of the hills.”
A left-of-center activist during his college days, the author did not hide his deep-seated disdain for the Filipino politicians whom he blames for the tight economic situation in his country that forced millions of Filipinos to look for greener pastures in foreign lands.
He bewails that the “thievery” of politicians in the home front and their endless wrangling to stay in power have given majority of the Filipinos a sense of hopelessness to drive thousands of them to leave the country every day.
“It is sad that our economy is in bad shape but I think it’s not the primary reason that gives us a sense of hopelessness. It is our politicians’ endless and senseless bickering because we know that they are not clawing each other for our sake … but to score political points for the next balloting,” he writes in his essay, “The Tragedy that Befalls Us.”
“The tragedy that befalls our country is that our politicians, who are supposed to lead us in solving our problems, have become our biggest problem.”
He also takes a dig at the government for its empty platitude for the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as modern-day heroes because their remittances have been propping up the ailing Philippine economy.
“I’m an OFW but I’m not a hero. I did not come here out of my sense of patriotism, but as a husband and a father who wants to see a new dawn for my family, no matter if that dawn unfolds in another country,” he riles in his essay “Strangers in Our Own Country.”
“I have come to terms with reality. Like millions of other Filipinos who sought greener pastures in foreign lands, I have hitched the family wagon to a caravan of Filipino migrant workers who have become strangers in our own country.”
Bits and pieces in the book open small windows to his past when he “strayed to atheism” after enrolling in anthropology that taught Darwin’s theory of evolution, but later returned to the Faith – after he felt a lingering “sense of emptiness” deep within him.
His spiritual journey gave him the material to write the main essay, “The Gypsy Soul,” which he first wrote for the defunct newspaper Today in Manila where he used to work as subeditor before going to Saudi Arabia.
“In my wanderings since I left Romblon, I have come to believe that man has a soul longing for home … Our soul keeps on driving us in search for meaning in our lives, no matter if we live on a craggy hill in some remote villages or in the jungles of sky crappers in mega cities, probably to remind us that this world is not our home,” he writes.
He followed it up in his essay, “Pilgrims to the Life Beyond.”
“There is an empty space in our being that we may never understand, much less manage, if we do not pause for a while to take a closer look at life until we realize that we are not pursuing life itself but its palavers, until we realize that we are not lost gypsies but homing pilgrims whose dreams ought to be lofty enough to rise beyond our graves.”
Though deeply a man of piety, he has a strong fascination with science which enabled him to write his easy “Love in the Age of Neuroscience” wherein he pokes fun at the findings of neuroscience that emotion is not a feeling oozing from the heart but neural firings in the brain. He banters, “In the age of neuroscience, can we still say, I love you from the bottom of my heart?”
In the second foreword to the book, the author professes to be a Christian who believes that “science is not an enemy of religion but a window to take a peek at the marvels of God’s infinite wisdom.”
RP Embassy confirms deaths of OFWs in Kuwait
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait confirmed onTuesday the deaths of two overseas Filipino workers in separate incidents.
Astria Samad Abdul, a Maguindanao native, was tortured to death by her employers, spouses Abdulaziz al Falekh and Rabagh Mustafa Sahata. Both are Kuwaitis of Egyptian descent.
The couple admitted to the Kuwait police of torturing the Filipina to death and leaving her body in the Kabd desert area. The police found her remains on July 17.
The remains will be subjected to further forensic examination and then repatriated to the Philippines.
Criminal charges have been filed against the couple.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has authorized the Embassy to secure the services of a private law firm to assist the local prosecutors in handling the case,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said.
Under the Revised Migrant Workers Act, the uses of the Legal Assistance Fund have been expanded to cover both the legal defense and prosecution of employers who maltreat their Filipino workers.
Meanwhile, Cotabato native Norhaisa Nasa Andaw was stabbed to death by her Egyptian husband, Atallah Mohammad, at a salon in Jabriya.
According to the Embassy, Andaw’s husband allegedly stabbed the Filipina wife due to jealousy. She suffered 31 stab wounds before her husband fled the scene, leaving behind the knife and his slippers.
The case is already with the prosecutors, as a warrant of arrest and hold departure order have been issued against the husband, the DFA confirmed.
The Embassy is closely following both cases, and are in constant contact with the DFA on the developments, according to the DFA press release.
It further said the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs are also in close contact with the families of the victims and promised to provide assistance.
New warning on drug mules
The Philippine Consulate Generals in Hong Kong and Macau have reiterated its warning to Filipinos to be extra wary of accepting offers from individuals or groups to carry illegal drugs in their luggage or in their person when going abroad.
Earlier, Hongkong and Macau airport authorities arrested Filipinos in three separate occasions there for alleged drug trafficking.
In Hong Kong, Consul General Claro Cristobal said authorities arrested two Filipinas on separate occasions for alleged drug trafficking.
The first arrest was made on June 2 when immigration authorities at Hong Kong International Airport refused entry of a Filipina.
As a customary procedure before deportation, her luggage was taken to the customs checking area for inspection. Authorities reportedly found 1,040 grams of heroin hidden inside the soles of three pairs of shoes in her suitcase. The estimated street value of the drugs was HK$930,000 (US$119, 500).
The Filipina is currently under custodial remand at Tail Lam Centre for women, and her case will be heard in Tsuen Wan Magistrate Court on September 2.
In a letter to the Consulate-General, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department informed them of the arrest of another Filipina on June 24. The said Filipina was charged with drug trafficking the next day and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to extract the drugs from her body cavity. The doctors managed to extract about 876 grams of heroin from her body, with an estimated street value of HK$780,000 (US$100,300).
She is currently confined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and will be brought for custodial remand at the Tai Lam Centre for Women.
“The Consulate-General will ensure that these Filipinas will have legal representation in all their court appearances and will continue to monitor the said cases,” Consul General Cristobal said.
Meanwhile, the Consulate General in Macau reported that a Filipina was arrested at the Macau International Airport on June 26 for allegedly smuggling almost one kilogram of drugs hidden in three pairs of sports shoes in her luggage. The arrest was published as a headline of the Macau Post Daily.
“We have made arrangements with the Macau authorities to visit her and we will extend necessary legal assistance to her,” he said.
Consul General to Macau Renato Villapando said that they are concerned with the increasing number of Filipinos serving sentences in Macau for drug trafficking. The number of jailed Filipinos now stands to 17.
Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos has continuously issued warnings to Filipino travelers against becoming drug couriers.
“We warn our countrymen not to accept packages which they suspect are drugs. If they are caught carrying illegal drugs, they will face very dire consequences,” he said.
Drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs in China is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death. In Muslim countries, drug trafficking is punishable by death, according to Shariah law.
WTO reviews JPEPA
21 June 2010—The World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) is considering the Japan – Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), according to its chair Ambassador Alfredo Suescum of Panama in Geneva last June 15.
The WTO General Council established the CRTA to examine individual regional trade agreement (RTAs). The Transparency Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements adopted on 14 December 2006 governs the process.
DTI Senior Undersecretary Thomas Aquino heads the Philippine delegation and is the lead negotiator for the JPEPA. Officials from the National Economic Development Authority, Board of Investments, Bureau of International Trade Relations, Department of Agriculture, Tariff Commission, Department of Justice, and Bureau of Customs, as well as officers of the Philippine Mission to the WTO composed the Philippine Delegation.
Deputy Permanent Representative Kuni Sato of the Japanese Mission to the WTO heads the Japanese delegation. He said: “The conclusion of the EPA with a country like the Philippines, which is one of the core countries of ASEAN, would create a positive and demonstrative impact on other economies, particularly those in East Asia, and help further develop and enhance the comprehensive economic partnership within the region as a whole.”
Senior Undersecretary Aquino said that “Japan and the Philippines have a positive and forward-looking economic partnership, and that Japan is the Philippines’ largest trading partner within East Asia Region and has sustained its position as the Philippines second largest global trading partner.”
Aquino further stated that “the JPEPA underwent fine scrutiny from Members, which contributed to the better understanding of the Agreement’s objectives and specific provisions by WTO Members.” Japan and the Philippines both prepared the joint written replies as well as responded to questions from the floor.
The JPEPA was signed in Finland on 09 September 2006 and entered into force on 11 December 2008.
Aside from the JPEPA, the CRTA likewise considered the free trade agreement between Australia and Chile.
Few jobs for Pinoys in Macau
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has warned overseas Filipino workers against going to Macau to look for employment with only tourist visas as the Macau government has passed a law that prioritizes the hiring of local workers over foreign workers.
Citing a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Macau, Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said it is no longer easy for foreign workers to come and find employment in Macau, unlike in the past when they could apply and easily fill vacancies as walk-in applicants in this part of China.
Roque said Filipino workers should be wary against unscrupulous individuals or agencies who may entice or bring them to Macau as tourists with promises of stumbling upon jobs in this Chinese territory as they may instead find themselves in dire straits in view of the new Macau restrictions against foreign workers.
He said the workers should always verify first with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) the legality of jobs in Macau that may be offered them. In 2009, POEA deployed 6,729 OFWs to Macau, most of whom were employed in the tourism sector.
The Macau government passed the Law for the Employment of Non-residential Workers, also known as the Law on Imported Labor, to safeguard the employment of local workers and restrict the hiring of migrant workers in Macau. The new law took effect on April 26, 2010.
The POLO – Macau report said the draft administrative regulations complementing the new law have already been submitted to the Macau government’s Executive Council .
In view of the new law, the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) presented 10 demands to the Macau Department of Transportation and Public Works to protect local workers and prevent the illegal employment of foreign workers. The union asked the Macau government to, among others, prevent the hiring of foreign workers in occupations such as drivers and floor supervisors in casinos, and in the industrial and construction sectors as well.
Meanwhile, the POLO-Macau has consulted the Macau Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) for the conduct of a symposium aimed at orienting the OFWs in Macau on the new Law on Imported Labor.
Macau, a former Portuguese colony, is one of the two special administrative regions in China. The other one is Hong Kong. Macau’s economy is based largely on tourism, gaming, and hospitality industry which contributes more than 50 percent of its GDP. Other chief economic activities in this administrative region are export-geared textile and garment manufacturing, banking and other financial services.
RP Embassy in Caracas warns against dubious job offers in Trinidad and Tobago
6 May 2010 – The Philippine Embassy in Venezuela warns the public of dubious companies offering supposed lucrative employment in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the Embassy, certain companies are asking Filipino workers intending to work in Trinidad and Tobago to acquire a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Skills Certification and pay a certain amount prior to the processing of the Filipino applicant’s employment in that company.
The Embassy was alarmed upon receiving an email from a fire engineer in a Saudi Arabian company, seeking assistance on the requirements of a CARICOM skills certification for employment.
Prior to seeking the Embassy’s assistance, the fire engineer was notified through email that he was accepted as Maintenance and Fire Safety Engineer in a certain energy company in Trinidad and Tobago. The job contract offered a high salary.
However, he has to apply for a CARICOM Skills Certificate and pay US$765.00, for notarial and legal service fees for his documents to be used in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Philippine Embassy in Venezuela clarified that CARICOM Skills Certificate is meant for the free movement of citizens of CARICOM member-countries, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat (UK), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, to work in the Caribbean states. It is not for Filipinos and other foreigners.
The companies’ profile, company’s registration, and prospective employment contract should be examined carefully. These documents should all be notarized and authenticated by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is also advisable to verify the existence of such companies with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency or the Embassy before further transacting with them, according to the Philippine Embassy press statement.
Somali pirates seize Panamanian-flagged vessel with 21 OFWs
22 April 2010 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi confirmed the hijacking of Panamanian-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier Voc Daisy Wednesday morning.
The vessel has 21 Filipino crew members on board.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs said in a press statement that Somali pirates seized Voc Daisy 190 miles southeast of Salalah.
The statement said DFA is coordinating with the vessel’s local manning agency to determine the condition of the Filipino seafarers.
OFWs warned against bogus franchisors
16 April 2010 – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to issue an advisory to all Philippine Embassies and Consulates General to warn overseas Filipinos against rampant franchising scams due to numerous complaints on fake franchisors victimizing overseas Filipino workers(OFWs).
The DTI identified the following companies and individual as bogus franchisors: Fran.con Franchise Marketing and Consultancy, Inc., Hamoraon Business Specialist Inc. and Michelle Ann Pacubas-Chan (single proprietor).
For verification of legitimate franchisors, the DTI advises overseas Filipinos to contact the DTI Direct Hotline 751-3330 or the Franchising Associations and other relevant government agencies.
Last March 23, the government agency held a dialogue with the Department of Labor and Employment, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, Franchising Associations, and a number of complainants to assist and resolve the concerns of OFWs who would like to venture into the franchising business.
Meanwhile, the DFA reminds the public to check the validity of their passports and renew them six months before expiry date to avoid the hassle of getting a replacement in light of increased passport applications especially during the summer season.
A passport is valid for five years, but airlines and countries require passports with validity of six months prior to the expiry date.
Currently, the DFA charges P950 for regular processing (20 working days) and P1,100 for expedited processing (10 working days). For those applying in the DFA’s regional consular offices (RCOs), another four days is added for transport of the passport booklet from Manila to the RCO.
The DFA also reminds passport applicants to avail of the appointment system to ensure quick and comfortable service. Walk-in applicants are discouraged.
The DFA further reiterates that securing an appointment online is free of charge. It is warning the public against unscrupulous individuals charging applicants P200 fee for securing for them online appointments.
Applicants can check the passport requirements and secure an appointment at www.passport.com.ph or by calling hotline (02) 737-1000. They may also call the DFA helplines at telephone numbers (02) 831-8971, (02) 551-4437, (02) 551-4402, (02) 834-4855 and (02) 834-4424.
OFWs to vote tomorrow, Saturday
9 April 2010- Overseas Filipino workers may now exercise their right to vote as the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) starts tomorrow, Saturday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is urging all registered overseas voters to participate in the OAV for the 2010 elections at 93 Philippine Embassies and Consulates General around the world come April 10.
In a press briefing with Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Commissioner Armando Velasco, DFA-OAVS Vice-Chairperson Nestor Padalhin assured that the DFA-OAVS, in partnership with COMELEC Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting, will conduct an honest, orderly and peaceful election this year.
The OAV will start on April 10 at 8:00 AM (designated country time) and will end on May 10 at 6:00 PM (Philippine time). All votes should be received by the end of the voting period, including the ones sent through the mail. Daily voting schedules will be at least eight hours a day, and Embassies and Consulates General may adopt a flexible schedule to accommodate the most number of voters.
“Our Embassies and Consulates General are well-prepared to conduct the overseas absentee voting process. Our personnel have undergone a three-day training in Manila last February to prepare them for their duties in this election. There were also similar trainings in Los Angeles, Madrid, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Hong Kong and Singapore to further equip our personnel in the different Embassies and Consulates General of the knowledge and skills for this electoral exercise,” Undersecretary Seguis added.
The Resident Election Registration Board of the COMELEC certified 589,830 overseas voters for the May 2010 elections.
The overseas voters will have the opportunity to elect the next President, the Vice President, 12 senators and one party-list representative.
There are three modes of voting that will be employed in the OAV exercise for this particular election period: Automated Mode of Voting in Hong Kong and Singapore, Personal Voting, and Postal Voting.
The DFA reminded voters using the Personal and the Automated Modes of Voting to bring their passports or other personal identification documents to facilitate the verification of their identity.
Just like in voting precincts in the Philippines, the Automated Mode of voting will be implemented in Hong Kong and Singapore. Voters will have their names verified against the list of registered voters by the Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI).
Voter will be given a ballot, a secrecy folder, and a pen and will be directed to the voting area. The names of the candidates will be listed in alphabetical order on the ballot, where voters will shade and blacken the ovals beside the names of the candidates they will vote for. The voter will then place or feed the ballot into the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine which will read the votes on both sides of the ballot simultaneously.
The voter will return the secrecy folder and the pen to the SBEI, have his or her index finger marked with indelible ink, and then affix his or her thumb mark in the list of voters.
For the Personal Voting, voters will have their names verified against the list of registered voters by the SBEI. They will be given a ballot and a secrecy folder, and directed to the voting area where they will accomplish their ballot. After this, they will return the ballots to the SBEI, where they will affix their right thumb mark on the space provided in the ballot and the space provided in the OAV list.
The SBEI will detach this portion of the ballot and will deposit it in the compartment for spoiled ballots. They will then return the ballot to the voter who will drop it in the compartment for valid ballots.
For those registered for Postal Voting, voters will receive a mailing packet containing their ballot and the ballot envelope. They will accomplish the ballot, affix their right thumb mark at the lower portion, tear off that portion and put it inside the ballot envelope. They will then fold the accomplished ballot, seal it, and put it in the ballot envelope.
Before sending it back by mail to the Embassy or Consulate General which has jurisdiction over them, they have to affix their name and signature on the left-hand corner of the ballot envelope.
Filipino seafarers who are registered overseas absentee voters may personally vote at the Embassy or Consulate General where they are currently docked. If the area where they are docked is implementing the Postal Method, there should be an identified international seaport under its jurisdiction.
Counting of votes will be done at the Embassy or Consulate General where the votes were sent or cast. Counting will start immediately after the close of polling precincts. It will be done in public, continuous and uninterrupted until all the votes have been counted.
