Somali pirates release 24 Pinoys aboard MV Renuar
Somali pirates released 24 Filipino seafarers a board MV Renuar on 23 April, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) press statement said today.
MV Renuar, a Panama-flagged and Liberian-owned bulk cargo vessel, was
abducted on 11 December 2010 in the Indian Ocean, approximately 1050
nautical miles east of the Somali coast and a distance of 550 nautical
miles from the coast of India.
The vessel was en route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates from
Port Louis in Mauritius when it was taken over.
Captain Gaudencio Collado, Armed Forces of the Philippines Liaison
Officer to the Combined Maritime Forces, and the vessel’s local
manning agency reported to the DFA that the 24 Filipino seafarers are
all in good condition.
The vessel is now sailing to Fujairah, and arrangements for the
repatriation of the 24 Filipino seafarers to Manila are being made.
To date, there are still 79 Filipino seafarers on board nine vessels that the
Somali pirates hold in captivity.
The Philippine government has undertaken measures to minimize the
exposure of Filipino seafarers to piracy attacks, including making
arrangements with ship principals and manning agencies for vessels to
travel along a safety corridor and to adopt best management practices
as a deterrence to piracy attacks.
The Philippine government has likewise taken up the issue of maritime
safety and security in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean before
the United Nations and other international organizations. The
Philippines is a member of the intergovernmental Contact Group on
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), according to the DFA press statement.
Last year, CMF-AFPLO Captain Collado was also deployed with the
Combined Maritime Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, to assist in the latter’s
efforts to prevent piracy attacks.
54 distressed OFWs arrive from Jeddah
Some 54 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were among those who camped beside the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last night.
The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) that the repatriated group consisted of 54 Filipinos who were part of many distressed migrant workers from the Khandara overpass area that the Saudi immigration police took into custody on 2-3 February 2011.
Many of the repatriated OFWs suffered maltreatment from their previous employers or had experiences of contractual substitution and non-payment of salaries, according to the DFA press release.
The Consulate, together with the Filipino community, provided food and basic necessities to the OFWs while they were in Jeddah waiting for their exit visas, the DFA noted.
Representatives from the DFA-OUMWA and from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration extended assistance to the repatriates at the airport, the press release claimed.
The Consulate made representations with the Saudi authorities for the issuance of the repatriates’ exit visas, the DFA further said.
OFWS in Japan road accident discharged
The Philippine Consulate General in Osaka reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that 12 slightly injured Filipinos who figured in a road accident in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture were discharged from the hospital.
Nine other seriously injured Filipinos remain confined in six different hospitals.
The victims were involved in a road accident when their minibus collided with a truck at an intersection at about 7:45 a.m., Sunday. Six other passengers perished in the accident.
The 26 Filipinos, including one naturalized Japanese citizen, were on the way to work at the Sharp Kameyama facility. The minibus driver, a Japanese citizen, was also among the injured.
Kameyama police authorities arrested the truck driver, 45-year old Takao Moriwaki. The truck driver was required to stop at the crossroad.
In an earlier statement, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration released the names of the fatalities as Mabini Bangi Paler III, 30 year old; Analou Paler Dogami, 30; Randy Bayron Cornel, 30; Alma Dula Adarlo, 33; Remedios Bertoldo Cargullo, 24; and Ceferino Salengua Pedro Jr., 28.
According to the President of the Sharp Kamemaya, Ms. Adarlo was a Japanese citizen. The rest are classified as nikei-jin (of Japanese descent) or holders of long-term Japanese resident visas.
Two among those injured are trainees.
Together with their employer Sharp Kameyama, the Consulate General is working on the documentation requirements for the disposition of the victims’ remains, as well as extending assistance to those that are in the hospital, among others, the DFA press release said.
6 OFWs die in Afghanistan plane crash
The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad confirmed that six Filipinos perished in a cargo plane crash in Afghanistan on the morning of October 13 (Kabul time).
The PAE Justice Support, through its Safety and Security Manager Ramji Ghimire, confirmed the report, according to Philippine Embassy official Simeon Abarquez.
PAE Justice Support is an organization operating in Afghanistan which provides logistical support and security services at the United States-operated Bagram Air Base.
The Filipino fatalities include pilot Henry Bulos, co-pilot Rene Badilla, crewmembers Nilo Medina and Ibelo Valbuena. There were also two unidentified Filipinos, a certain Mr. Castillo (mechanic) and a certain Mr. Padora (avionics).
Along with the six Filipinos were an Indian and a Kenyan national. Both also perished in the crash.
The eight were passengers of a cargo plane that Trans Afrique of Ghana. A US firm contracted said cargo plane.The plane was enroute from Bagram Air Base to Kabul Airport when it crashed in the vicinity of Kabul.
A joint Afghan-international security force is conducting a search and retrieval mission, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) press statement.
The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs has directed the Philippine Embassy to provide assistance and to coordinate with their principals for the repatriation of the remains and entitlement to benefits of the respective OFW families.
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.
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.
HK, Singapore OFWs transmit votes successfully
11 May 2010 – The Department of Foreign Affairs-Overseas Absentee
Voting Secretariat (DFA-OAVS) said today that the election results
from the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong and the Philippine
Embassy in Singapore were successfully transmitted to the Commission
of Elections (COMELEC) server in Manila last night.
The automated mode of voting was implemented in the two areas.
The Consulate General in Hong Kong said that 39,383 out of 95,355 OFWs cast their ballots in 96 clustered precincts.
Unofficial results showed that Senator Noynoy Aquino of the Liberal
Party (LP) led the candidates for President with 19,606 votes,
followed by Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas with 8,327 votes and
Senator Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) with 5,622 votes.
Lakas-CMD bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (2,556) bet followed,
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino’s Joseph Estrada (1,980), Bagumbayan-VNP’s
Richard Gordon (945), Kilusang Bagong Lipunan’s (KBL) Vetellano Acosta
(58), independent candidate Jamby Madrigal (30), Ang Kapatiran’s John
Carlos delos Reyes (26) and independent Nicanor Perlas (20) were next.
For Vice President, Senator Mar Roxas (LP) got 19,837 votes, followed
by Senator Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition with
6,885 and Bangon Pilipinas’ Perfecto Yasay with 6, 353 votes.
Garnering fourth place is PDP-Laban’s Jejomar Binay (4,083), followed
by Bagumbayan-VNP’s Bayani Fernando (998), Lakas-CMD’s Eduardo Manzano
(639), KBL’s Jose Sonza (103) and Ang Kapatiran’s Dominador Chipeco
(20).
For senators, the top 12 are: Bong Revilla (22,020); Ralph Recto
(20,495); Franklin Drilon (19,982); Jinggoy Estrada (19,946); Miriam
Defensor-Santiago (19,739); Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (18,555); Juan Ponce
Enrile (16,479); Vicente Sotto III (14,262); Pilar Juliana Cayetano
(13,817); Serge Osmena III (11,690); Jose de Venecia III (11,263),
and; Teofisto Guingona III (10,853).
The next 12 are: Liza Maza (10,460); Manuel Lapid (10,217); Satur
Ocampo (9,949), Ma. Katherine Inocencio (9,834); Imelda Papin (9,471);
Rey Langit (9,444), Gilbert Cesar Remulla (9,088); Sonia Roco (8,828);
Francisco Tatad (8,424); Ramoncito Ocampo (7,533); Alexander Tinsay
(7,188) and; Susan Ople (7,056).
In Singapore, 9,588 out of 31,851 OFWs cast their ballots in 32 clustered precincts.
Unofficial results there said that Aquino led the presidential race
with 4,949 votes, followed by Villar (1,314) and Gordon (1,105).
At fourth place is Teodoro (1,024), followed by Villanueva (711),
Estrada (345), Madrigal (19), Perlas (19), Acosta (17) and Delos Reyes
(12).
For Vice President, Roxas led all candidates with 5,017 votes,
followed by Legarda (1,617) and Bagumbayan-VNP’s Bayani Fernando
(1,060).
Following them are: Binay (1,056), Yasay (386), Manzano (247), Sonza
(71) and Chipeco (15).
For senators, the top 12 are: Recto (5,651); Defensor-Santiago
(5,534); Drilon (5,472); Cayetano (4,394); Revilla (4,373); Osmena
(4,085); Marcos (3,906); Enrile (3,899); Guingona (3,825); Sotto
(3,711); Estrada (3,120); Roco (2,679), and; De Venecia (2,679).
The next 12 are: Rozzano Rufino Biazon (2,582); Tatad (2,555); Lapid
(2,431); Remulla (2,381); Alexander Lacson (2,368); Risa Hontiveros
Baraquel (2,277); Ramon Mitra (1,825); Ople (1,704); Gwendolyn
Pimentel (1,603); Emilo Mario Osmena (1,542), Ocampo (1,383) and
Nereus Acosta (1,375).
Other Embassies and Consulates General are manually canvassing their
votes after polling ended at 7:00 p.m. (Philippine time) yesterday.
A total of 134,000 registered overseas voters participated in the
overseas absentee voting (OAV) as of yesterday morning. This
surpasses the 2007 voter turnout of 81,732.
The DFA-OAVS, through its OAVS Monitoring and Action Center
(OAVS-MAC), is operating 24 hours a day to receive the results of
voting in all the Embassies and Consulates General around the world.
They are expected to receive all results on or before May 15.
DFA-OAVS Vice Chairperson Nestor Padalhin said that the results
transmitted at the OAVS-MAC are unofficial, as the official canvassing
is done at the COMELEC and the National Board of Canvassers at the
Philippine International Convention Center.
DFA-OAVS Chairperson and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis
also thanked the volunteers and other groups who took time out to help
the Embassies and Consulates General in the OAV exercise.
For the foreign service posts who adopted postal or personal voting, a
preliminary certificate of canvassing are being faxed to the DFA-OAVS
on the results of voting in their area of jurisdiction after the
counting of ballots.
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.