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90 OFWs repatriated from Saudi
A total of 90 Filipinos — 87 overseas workers and three children — arrived from Saudi Arabia past noon on Saturday, disembarking from Philippine Airlines flight PR 655 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The repatriates were among the overseas Filipino workers who had sought the government’s help to return home following issues with their stay in the oil-rich nation. More OFWs will be repatriated from Saudi Arabia once issues with the processing of their papers are resolved, Department of Migrant Workers spokesperson Toby Nebrida said. “Others were not able to join due to delays in the administrative processing of their papers, but they will follow as soon as this is done and be home in the next few days,” Nebrida said. The DMW’s Migrant Office in Riyadh has provided $200 to each of the repatriates, who also stand to receive additional financial assistance and medical checkups, referral services, and psychosocial evaluations. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, or OWWA, will provide hotel accommodations and transportation to the repatriates who will go back to their provinces. The post 90 OFWs repatriated from Saudi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
OFW undecided to return to Israel when war is over
An Overseas Filipino Worker said on Friday during the arrival of the second batch of repatriated OFWs in Israel that he is still uncertain of his return to Israel if the war subsides. Elmer Puno, a caregiver who has resided in Pampanga, said that his employer promised him that he could still work for them anytime he is ready but still undecided because of his traumatic experience during the attack by Hamas Militants in Israel. “To be honest, when I was about to fly yesterday, my employer called me and said when the situation comes back to normal, if I still want to come back, I can. But I said to myself that I cannot decide yet because of what I have encountered inside Israel,” Elmer said. Elmer’s contract has not yet ended as he still has two years and three months to finish but he decided to resign from his job as a caregiver as he worries for his safety and his family. He said he worked in Israel for two years and earned a good salary. “My salary is pretty good. In our currency, that is P70,000 a month, tax-free,” he said. Elmer stated that he did not hesitate to ask for repatriation to the Philippine government because of his family who is worried for his safety. “When I heard the siren, I ran to a bomb shelter, I was also talking to my wife who also heard the sirens and bombings. She was so scared. She is asking me to go home urgently. My children said that I should be home so when there was an opportunity for me to ask for repatriation, I didn’t think twice about asking the government to repatriate us,” he lamented. There are around 18 repatriated OFWs including a Filipino left in Abu Dhabi due to high blood pressure who arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 via Etihad Airlines EY 424. The Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Maria Anthonette C. Velasco, together with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Honey Quino, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Ada Colicon, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Deputy Director General Vidal Villanueva, received the second batch of repatriated OFWs. According to DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Velasco, the government agencies provided financial assistance to the OFWs. “The 18 OFWs received P105,000 direct financial assistance today. P50,000 from OWWA, P50,000 from DMW, and P5,000 from DSWD. TESDA gave vouchers to the OFWs for them to undergo for training in opening a business and pursuing an entrepreneurship program,” Velasco said. Velasco added that the OFWs will be receiving medical assistance. Psychological first aid is one of the agency’s priorities for OFWs who are still traumatized. The post OFW undecided to return to Israel when war is over appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Travel patterns led to arrest of mother-daughter drug smugglers
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco lauded on Friday the BI Anti-Terrorist Group (BI-ATG) for its role in the successful interdiction of two drug couriers on 27 September. In a report given to Tansingco, BI-ATG airport head Bienvenido Castillo III shared that the mother-and-daughter tandem, who were identified as Siti Aishah Binte Awang and Nur Alaviyah Binte Hanaffe, both Singaporeans, were intercepted after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via a Qatar Airlines flight QR928 from Doha. According to Castillo, the two suspects attempted to transit to Hong Kong via the Philippines but the BI officer at NAIA 3 intercepted them after detecting suspicious travel patterns. Castillo said that they also received information about the suspects from their international counterparts. They observed that the suspects would come in and out of the country in several instances and noted suspicious travels. He added that they also discovered another individual with the exact same patterns; hence, they immediately coordinated the matter with the members of the NAIA-Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-DITG). After alerting the task group, members from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) conducted an immediate entrapment operation with the assistance of airline representatives. A canine inspection showed that the duo’s luggage contained suspicious materials. Checks by the BOC confirmed that their bags contained six cookie tin cans and five cylindrical chip cans containing 564 pellets with a white powdered substance. The substance, identified as cocaine, totaled more or less 14,360 grams, with a current street value of PhP76,108,000. Tansingco hailed the arrest and commended the BI-ATG for the immediate and proactive actions that led to the interdiction. The BI chief said that the alertness of their immigration officers in analyzing the travel patterns of these criminals was instrumental in this arrest. Tansingco added that close coordination among government agencies in the airports is necessary to protect our borders from all kinds of criminal activity. Both suspects were arrested by the PDEA and remain under the agency’s custody for the filing of the appropriate charges against them. The post Travel patterns led to arrest of mother-daughter drug smugglers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Traffickers ask victims to feign sickness
The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport reported the interception of a female victim of human trafficking on 17 August. The victim, whose name was withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, attempted to board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Thailand at NAIA Terminal 1. However, she was intercepted by members of the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section. I-PROBES said that during secondary inspection, the officers noted numerous inconsistent statements, and the victim later admitted that she was actually recruited to work as a household service worker in Lebanon. She confessed that her recruiter instructed her to feign sickness so she could use a wheelchair. The victim also said that she was instructed to delete all their conversations on her mobile phone with her recruiter. The said victim added that her recruiter promised her that if her Lebanon visa was not approved, she would be shuttled to Hong Kong to look for a possible job. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco reaffirmed his earlier warning against unlawful recruiters and human traffickers. Tansingco said that these traffickers will go to great lengths to convince prospective workers to leave illegally because they earn a lot from their recruitment. The BI chief added that once the workers encounter distress, their recruiter will disappear. The victim was immediately referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance and further investigation against her recruiter. The post Traffickers ask victims to feign sickness appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Talon’ Trafficking Victims Rescued in Cebu
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) intercepted five suspected victims of human trafficking on 8 July. According to the BI-CIA, the said victims, who were attempting to board their flight via Philippine Airlines bound for Thailand under the pretense of being tourists, were later revealed to be bound for the United Arab Emirates. Because of the contradictions in their claims, the immigration officer began to wonder about the travelers' motivations. They stated they were going on vacation, and one of the travelers' buddies and a sibling were supposedly paying for it. The victims, however, acknowledged their true location after further inquiry during a subsequent examination. Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that this is a common scheme of human trafficking, wherein victims are made to go to a third country before flying out to the final port of destination. Tansingco stressed the significance of immigration officials' diligence and awareness in spotting potential instances of human trafficking and stopping such unlawful actions. The victims were immediately turned over to the MCIA Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance in filing charges against their recruiter. The Bureau of Immigration urges the public to report any suspicious activities or individuals related to human trafficking to the authorities. The BI chief also said that this is a recurring scheme that uses visa-free countries as a jump-off point to other destinations, and they urge all aspiring overseas workers not to accept such offers and report attempts at illegal recruitment to local authorities. The post Talon’ Trafficking Victims Rescued in Cebu appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sharing success
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo was in India in June to discuss with his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar the expanding scope of ties between the two countries. Here’s how the Philippines and India are working together to further strengthen their bilateral partnership. Defense Both democracies expressed keen interest to continue to enhance defense ties through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defense agencies, opening of the resident Defense Attaché office in Manila, consideration of India’s offer for concessional Line of Credit to meet the Philippines’ defense requirements, acquisition of naval assets, and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response. Maritime Emphasizing the utility of maritime -domain awareness, India and the Philippines called for the early operationalization of the Standard Operating Procedure for the White Shipping Agreement between the Indian Navy and the Philippines Coast Guard, looking forward to the signing of the memorandum of understanding on enhanced maritime cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard. Law enforcement The ministers encouraged early negotiations for a bilateral mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Criminal Matters and a treaty on transfer of sentenced persons. It was agreed that the first round of talks would be held in the Philippines in August 2023. Recognizing terrorism and transnational crimes as common security threats, they directed that the 2nd Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism meet in the Philippines in 2023 and discuss forging a memorandum of understanding on this end. Trade and investment There’s a satisfaction at the growing pace of bilateral trade, which had, for the first time, crossed the level of $3 billion in 2022 to 2023, and agreed to commence negotiations on a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement. Manalo highlighted the growing engagement between businesses on both sides, including nearly 30 business-to-business meetings held over the past three years in different sectors. Development The ministers positively noted the ratification of the Agreement on Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of Quick Impact Projects in the Philippines. Manalo underlined India’s commitment to share its digital innovations for the benefit of local communities in the Philippines across sectors such as disaster resilience, health, water, environment protection and education. Health and pharmaceuticals Both sides agreed on an early meeting of the bilateral JWG on Health to devise concrete initiatives to expand cooperation. They welcomed the signing of a memorandum of agreement for cooperation in Ayurveda in April 2022. Tourism and civil aviation The ministers expressed satisfaction at the ratification of the Air Services Agreement signed in September 2021. They noted that this would enable the airlines of both countries to explore direct flight connectivity. Manalo welcomed the announcement of the Philippine government to introduce e-visa for Indian nationals and noted that India had already extended e-visa facility to the Philippines. Agriculture India conveyed Philippine interest in expanding collaboration on fisheries and marine culture and called for the convening of the Joint Working Group on Agriculture to discuss additional areas of agricultural cooperation. Financial technology The Philippines and India welcomed the signing of an MoU in June 2023 for the constitution of a Joint Working Group on Fintech, which would provide the institutional framework for cooperation on digitalization of payments, direct benefit transfer using National ID, and financial inclusion. Science and technology The ministers expressed satisfaction at the commencement of institutional exchanges between their respective science and technology departments, with the convening of the first Joint Science and Technology Committee meeting in July 2021. India is one of the Philippines’ priority foreign partners in science and technology. They noted that a new program of cooperation on science and tech (2023 to 2026) has been finalized. Space Both democracies welcomed the initiation of bilateral engagement on space through training and exchanges, leading to the first round of bilateral dialogue, held virtually, between the Philippine Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organization/Department of Space earlier this month. They encouraged continued deliberations on the proposed MoU on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The post Sharing success appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
156 Sudan OFWs repatriated soon
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday revealed that the government is now preparing for the repatriation of at least 156 overseas Filipino workers from war-torn Sudan. DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega in a public briefing said that out of 300 Filipinos who sought assistance from the Philippine post in Sudan, 156 have completed their documents. De Vega said those who have complete documents can be evacuated “at any given moment,” adding that there are now a total of 696 registered Filipinos in Sudan, of which 300 have signified their intent to be rescued. The problem, however, is that not all Filipinos in Sudan have their important documents with them such as valid passports. “The number continues to increase, whenever the embassy asks them to let us know their whereabouts the number increases too,” De Vega said. “There are now a total of 696 registered Filipinos in Sudan, out of that, 156 are ready to be rescued at any given moment. They have their passports, other documents and just waiting for the call from the government,” he added. The DFA official also stressed that OFWs are not allowed to leave Sudan if they do not have proper documentations. “You are not allowed to leave Sudan if you do not have papers… Others don’t have valid passports while there are those whose passports are possessed by their company or employers,” De Vega said. “Not everybody wants to go home, but all of them want to be evacuated,” he added. Meanwhile, De Vega also shared that at least three Filipinos were rescued by the Saudi Arabian government. He said these OFWs were employees of Saudi Airlines. “They were brought along with other employees to Port Sudan by the Saudi government. From there, they were fetched by a military vessel from Saudi Arabia that took them to Jeddah,” De Vega said. He also expressed his gratitude to the Saudi Arabian government for rescuing the said Filipinos. “We are thankful for Saudi Arabia,” De Vega said. “We are also appealing to them if they could also bring other Filipinos to Port Sudan.” “If they have future repatriation, maybe they can board other Filipinos in their military vessel as it looks like they are open to the idea,” he added. The post 156 Sudan OFWs repatriated soon appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Government to aid struggling airlines but only to complement bank loans
“We are prepared to participate in assistance to the airline industry. But let me point out that whatever assistance we have or we are going to provide will be part only of the entire process,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said......»»
Saso, Pagdanganan seek redemption at Ford Championship
Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan are determined to bounce back from their recent LPGA Tour performances as they mix it up with the world’s best in the Ford Championship......»»
Marcos: Philippines won’t be ‘cowed into silence, submission’ by China
“We seek no conflict with any nation, more so nations that purport and claim to be our friends but we will not be cowed into silence, submission, or subservience. Filipinos do not yield,” Marcos said. .....»»
Pregnant Kapampangans get assistance from gov t
Pregnant Kapampangans get assistance from gov t.....»»
DOF: GFIs can seek extended relief after Maharlika infusion
Government financial institutions Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines will likely seek an extension of its regulatory relief following contributions to the country’s sovereign wealth fund......»»
200 brgy workers, children affected by DavNor floods receive assistance
200 brgy workers, children affected by DavNor floods receive assistance.....»»
22 Mexico indigents get free medical assistance
22 Mexico indigents get free medical assistance.....»»
CAB: Expect no changes in airfares next month
Travelers planning to book a summer trip can expect airfares to remain the same in April, as the government made no changes in the fuel surcharge that airlines can pass on......»»
Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at supply boats
Manila [Philippines], March 23 (ANI): The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at one of its supply boats in South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that BRP Cabra managed to manoeuvre and reach Unaizah May 4 to provide assistance to the Philippine supply boat, which had sustained "significant damage."According to the Philippine military, the confrontati.....»»
Workers seek Church help on wage hike
The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) is seeking the intervention of the Catholic Church for immediate passage of the pending P150 legislated nationwide wage hike......»»
‘P7 billion senior high vouchers went to non-poor’
Aside from around 19,000 “ghosts” or undocumented students receiving government assistance, more than P7 billion was spent on non-poor beneficiaries of the senior high school voucher program (SHS-VP), according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian......»»
Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at supply boats
Manila [Philippines], March 23 (ANI): The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at one of its supply boats in South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that BRP Cabra managed to manoeuvre and reach Unaizah May 4 to provide assistance to the Philippine supply boat, which had sustained "significant damage."According to the Philippine military, the confrontati.....»»
Over 40 defective weighing scales seized in Carbon Market
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Office of the City Markets (OCM) of the Cebu City Government has confiscated over 40 defective weighing scales in Carbon Public Market as of March 21. Led by Market Administrator Robert Barquilla, the operation, dubbed “Operation Timbangan,” aims to ensure accurate measurements for customers. Barquilla, with assistance from Task Force.....»»