Three Filipinos were killed and three others were wounded when militants linked to the al-Qaeda attacked a housing compound in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia on 29 May. Dozens of other foreigners were held hostage. It was not clear however if the casualties came after the Saudi troops stormed the compound to end the hostage crisis or if they were killed earlier. Also, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jose Brillantes placed the number of wounded at four. Embassy officials were instructed by President Gloria Arroyo to check the hospitals and determine the number of Filipinos wounded. Two of the fatalities, Jolly Guiray and Jerry Dizon were employed with the Resources Science of Saudi Arabia Ltd. (RSL), while the third, Mariano Cabasab worked as cook at the Podo Japanese Restaurant located inside the Oasis compound. On the other hand, the Embassy official are also looking at a separate hostage crisis in Al Khobar involving 50 foreigners . An estimated 900,000 OFWs are in Saudi Arabia, 130,000 of them working in the eastern provinces and over 20,000 Filipinos are living inside the oil compounds in the area surrounding Al-Khobar. About 60,000 work in other Middle East countries.
Camilo Dinaco, a Filipino hotel receptionist at Oasis Tower Hotel ordered guests to hide in their rooms when terrorists started gathering the foreigners as hostages. According to Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim Guinomia, Dinaco collected the room keys and hid in his room. He was also the one who told the Saudi police officer the location of the trapped Filipinos and other guests. Dinaco was one of those injured.
There is an increasing demand for Filipino nurses in developed countries according to POEA regional director, Delfina Camarillo. In a roundtable discussion on the nursing profession in Davao City, Camarillo reported that from 1995 to 2000, about 33,964 nurses were deployed. Filipino nurses are preferred because of their proficiency of the English language, warm nature, patience, diligence and strict professionalism in giving service. In New Zealand, many Filipinos are holding supervisory positions.
Instructors in medical schools prefer to work as nurses abroad despite the lure of increase in salaries back home. Professionals would rather change courses since nurses in the US got better pay. Nurses overseas get as much as $30 an hour on the average, while vocational nurses are paid on the average about $21. Engr. Arturo Lacuesta of the Philippine Paramedical and Technical School of Davao Inc. said that this situation will continue to happen and there will come a time when schools would run short of instructors unless there is a significant increase of salaries. Dr. Romulo Busuego of the Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum noted that they could not fill up vacancies as nurses would rather troop to the US Embassy for visas in order to work abroad.
The Department of Labor (DOLE) in Bicol region announced that governments of the Philippines and South Korea signed an agreement that would assure jobs for Filipino laborers in South Korea. There are about 18,000 workers needed in Korean factories such as machine operation in garments and electronics industries; experienced workers in hotel, restaurants and luxury vessel. The applicants should be between 18 and 40 years old with no crime record and not restricted from departure. The Korean employers would choose the applicants who are required to pass the medical examination and undergo Basic Korean language training.
To strengthen the relationship between the IT industries in the Philippines and Japan, the two governments have agreed to adopt and use information technology. The Department of Trade and Industry said that Japan would train more information technology workers from the Philippines. Under the IT Personnel Training Program, Filipino IT professionals will undergo training under the Japanese experts at the University of the Philippines for the Japanese Information Technology Standards Examination of the Philippines (JITSE-Phil). The training is sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Externa Trade Organization (JETRO).
Commissioners of the Global Commission on International Migration (CGIM) created by the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan took a closer look at the process and programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) of the Philippines. The six commissioners were briefed by a three-man Philippine panel representing the agencies under DOLE that takes charge of overseas and local employment. The POEA covers some three million of the estimated seven million Filipino migrants around the world. The commissioners were present at the end of GCIM’s first regional hearing on international migration in collaboration with the Philippine government which held May 17 –18. About 162 delegates from21 countries attended the hearing.
Sen. Manuel Villar, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said that Kuwait’s plan to impose new laws protecting foreign domestic helpers from abuse showed that it is committed to take care of the welfare of foreign workers in their country. The regulations would touch on minimum wage, weekly rest day, limited working hours and overtime pay. Sen. Villar expressed hope that authorities in Kuwait would try speed up the resolution of cases involving Filipina domestic helpers that are still pending in courts.
Sen. Manuel Villar is urging officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs to look into the case of Joyce Alon-alon who arrived from Saudi Arabia in a catatonic state after only two weeks of working in Riyadh. Alon-alon left last 16 May for a job in a hospital in Riyadh but was reportedly asked to go to Jeddah for two days. The Senator also urges the officials to investigate allegations that the employer, Albeitan Management Service did not help her. Meanwhile, he is asking the Foreign Affairs department to look into the possibility of sending a diplomatic protest against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the abuse of Glendalyn Amazona allegedly by a Saudi princess. He is also demanding that the employer and recruiter should pay for her medical expenses particularly the P80,000 eye operation to treat the hemorrhage on her left eye . The Senator is also calling for a review of the performance of all Filipino ambassadors and consuls.
Efforts are being made to improve overseas remittance services to the Philippines. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and the United States on strengthening remittances channels would result to among others, a faster and cost- efficient remittance service. It is a recognized fact that most remittances of OFWs are in US dollar and most OFWs use the US banking system and remittance agencies abroad to send OFW earnings back home. Figures from the Banko Central shows that over 50 per cent of the $189 billion remittances by the OFWs in 2002 came from the United States.
A US privacy protection law has been proposed in the US Senate to protect private information such as financial and medical records that are being processed elsewhere through the corporate outsourcing deals. This move came after a case involving a Pakistani medical transcriber who threatened to reveal medical records information because she had not been paid for her work. About 80 per cent of jobs outsourced overseas go to India where about 200,0000 tax returns from the US were prepared last year. Other countries that benefit from this growing trend are China, the Philippines, Brazil and Eastern Europe. A research study by the Forrester Research estimates that by 2005, about 830,000 American jobs would have been exported, mostly call centers that handle US companies customer service operations.
Two convicted foreigners who were recently pardoned by the President, were ordered deported by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation after serving time in jail for committing estafa and robbery in the country. Austrian Karl Reichil Stierboeck was convicted by a Batangas court of five counts of syndicated and large-scale recruitment and five counts of estafa in 1993. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison which was affirmed by the Supreme Court but he was latter pardoned by the President. He was deported back to Vienna after paying his victims some P651,000 (US$11,666) for the estafa crimes he committed. The other foreigner, Singaporean Cheong San Hong, was sentenced to life imprisonment for robbing a cargo from Caltex Philippines in 1991. He was pardoned last February but still remains in jail for failing to pay the P40 million (US$ 717,000) plus interest to the company, as ordered by the court.
Expulsion order was issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) last 14 May against Martin Kurt Otto Rathlein, 66 years old, who was charged by his estranged wife for being an undesirable alien and a sexual pervert who takes photos of girls in the nude. In an order issued by a four-man BI board on May 14, Rathlein was also fined P50,000 and banned him from returning to the country.
Sixto Manila ,44 years old, a migrant from Labo Camarines Sur was found hanging from the ceiling of their bedroom with a plastic nylon rope by his live-in lover Josie Atrias on 26 May. After suffering from a stroke , Manila had a difficult time finding work and had been reportedly quiet and moody before he committed suicide.
Two overseas Filipino workers, a male and a female, both residents of Baguio are suspected of having HIV but other details concerning their identities or the countries where they worked were not disclosed. The head of the BHD epidemiology and surveillance unit, Dr. Cecilia Brillantes said that blood samples of the two patients have already been sent to a Manila hospital for tests. Brillantes said that authorities are incapable of changing the sexual behavior of OFWs especially when they are abroad despite the government’s continuing dissemination program on the risks of acquiring HIV/AIDS . In April 2003, there were 16 Filipinos in the 19 to 55 age bracket who were HIV positive and since 1984, there are 1,866 Filipinos with HIV/AIDS. The Philippine National AIDS Council reveals that over 30 per cent of the total number of HIV/AIDS cases are made up of OFWs .
A group of 100 Filipino overseas workers in Iraq are set to leave the war-ravaged country. They are part of the 250 OFWs who have resigned from Prime Project International (PPI) and have asked to be repatriated after Raymond Natividad, a PPI employee died of a mortar attack in Camp Anaconda. There are 3,800 Filipino workers employed by Prime Projects who are deployed in the US bases in Iraq. Ambassador Roy Cimatu, head of the Iraq team, said that they have identified five repatriation points in Iraq where Filipino workers are deployed. Earlier some 94 Filipino employees of Prime Projects International in Camp Anaconda were moved to Dubai.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government will require employers to submit a company security plan and guarantee endorsed by the camp commander of the US base where Filipinos are deployed to ensure the safety of the Filipino workers. The guarantee should state that the living quarters of the workers are out of mortar range and safe from ambush., suicide bombing or abduction.
On the other hand, latest reports say that some of those Filipino workers ready for repatriation have changed their minds about leaving after they were assured that security measures would be strengthened in the Camp. Foreign Affairs spokesman Julia Heidemann said that of the 130 OFW already in Dubai, the number of Filipinos wanting repatriation have decreased to 74. Many decided to stay with the employer, PPI, some decided to just file an emergency vacation leave, while others accepted offers to be redeployed to the UAE and neighboring countries.
The remains of Rodrigo Penano Reyes, the 34-year-old first Filipino casualty in war-torn Iraq arrived in the country. Reyes who hails from Rizal province was killed when the truck that he was driving was attacked by Iraq rebels. The truck was carrying US soldiers on their way to a military camp. According to OWWA Administrator Virgilio Reyes, the family will get the P200,000 insurance benefit since Reyes was killed while on duty. Earlier, the family received P20,000 as burial benefit and P10,000 as financial assistance from Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas.
The 22 Filipino workers employed by the Prime Projects International in Camp Anaconda in Iraq finally arrived in the country on 18 May. Foreign Affairs undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis said that the company is processing the papers of the remaining 72 Filipinos. The OFWs said that the workers decided to come home due to the worsening situation in Iraq. There are reports saying that before the workers were repatriated they had to shell out US$500 from their salaries as processing fee.
Another 32 overseas Filipino workers arrived in the country, bringing to 57 the total number of workers repatriated from war-torn Iraq. Two of those Filipinos who arrived, Leopoldo Soliman and Raul Santos were in wheel chairs. They were injured during the attack and they vowed never to go back to Iraq after what they suffered.
The government is planning to allow the redeployment of Filipino workers in Iraq provided they would be assigned to areas where their security is guaranteed. They could work in the three biggest US camps namely, Camp Victory in Baghdad, Camp Anaconda in Balad and Camp Taji located between the two cities. However, the government will not allow deployment of drivers as their safety can not be ascertained. The Philippine government earlier suspended the deployment of workers to Iraq after a Filipino truck driver was killed in a mortar attack.. Ambassador Roy Cimatu , head of the “Iraq Team” said that there is high demand for Filipino workers in the American bases. He said that about 700 workers are requested to be sent there.
On the other hand, some quarters are not in favor of the plan to redeploy workers to Iraq. Senator Manny Villar said that the government should be firm in their decision to ban the deployment of workers in Iraq until the peace and order situation improves. He said that Iraq is no longer safe for Filipino workers and troops as even the military camps are targets of attack. Sen. Loren Legarda also expresses her opposition to lift the ban saying that the situation is not safe that the government should even consider pulling out the 51 Filipino peacekeepers there.
Meanwhile, the alliance of overseas Filipino workers, Migrante, and Akbayan (Citizens’ Action Party) are calling for the pullout of the Filipino peacekeepers in Iraq.
The Philippine government on 18 May joined the rest of the international community in condemning the killing of the Iraqi Governing Council leader by the suspected Iraqi rebels . Chief Abdul Zahra Othman Mohammad, a Shi’te council member also known as Izzadine Salim, and the US-appointed Iraqi interim government head, was killed in a car bomb along with six other persons while waiting at a checkpoint to enter the “Green Zone” compound in Baghdad last 17 May.
A two-man investigation team was sent to Lebanon by the Department of Foreign Affairs to probe on the three separate cases of deaths of Filipino domestics there. The team composed of Noel Fenandez, lawyer from the department’s legal affairs section and Bert Salvador , from the office of the undersecretary for migrant worker’s affairs, will coordinate with the police authorities and check on allegation that Philippine Embassy official were remiss in there duties and failed to help at least one of the three Filipinas. The three Filipino domestic helpers were: Louella Montenegro who died on Feb.24, Catherine Bautista who died on May 3, and a Filipina who died on May 16 but whose name can not be divulged in deference to the family’s wishes. In Bautista’s case, her family is blaming officials for her death as the Embassy officials failed to assist her when she went to the Embassy to complain that her employer is maltreating her and that she’s concerned about her safety. She reportedly plunged to her death while trying to escape from he employer’s apartment.
Meanwhile, there are demands to recall the Philippine embassy envoy to Lebanon , Ramoncito Marino, and other embassy officials. Migrante International said that these officials should be held responsible for the deaths of these Filipina workers and for negligence concerning the plight of the workers in Lebanon. There are 20,000 OFWs in Lebanon and Syria according to figures from the Philippine Overseas labor Office. It was learned from the Department of Foreign Affairs that Ambassador Ramoncito Marino had been asked to come home to explain his side amidst allegations that embassy officials failed to protect the rights of the overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon. Also, sources from the DFA revealed that the Philippine labor attache was recommended sacked and the staff of the Philippine labor Office in Beirut are being recalled..
Non-government organizations are asking the overseas Filipino workers to provide evidences that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) are collecting $25 each as membership fee. Ellene Sana., the OFW rights campaigner, said that they need proofs for the complain filed by the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW) asking the OWWA to stop imposing the fee and revising its policies. The $25 fee should be paid by the employers but it is instead collected from the workers..
According to the latest tally of the Commission on Elections, former interior secretary Alfredo Lim leads the winning senators in the Netherlands. There are 541 registered Filipino voters in the Netherlands The Comelec has tabulated 16,244 absentee votes for senators.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs and COMELEC demonstrated how the overseas absentee voting is done in view of alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections abroad. Bangon Plipinas, the political party of presidential candidate Eddie Villanueva earlier showed a videotape showing an election officer in an alleged act of cheating. Also, the Department of Foreign Affairs through Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Franklin Ebdalin said that they will investigate allegations that some embassy and consulate officials are involved in the massive cheating to favor the incumbent officials.
The Filipino diaspora is growing. For a country of over 84 million people, the Philippines is being drained of its talents, hard workers, and labor-loving citizens. There are seven million Filipinos who live abroad, and over 800,000 leave every year. What makes the Filipinos remarkable is the scope of work they could tackle, from doctoring, nursing and engineering to baby-sitting and entertaining. They toil hard overseas in order to send money home to support an extended family The need for economic progress is one reason why Filipinos dream of going abroad. In a country where doctors earn $400 a month, while a nurse in the US can earn $4,000 a month on top of a $7,000 signing bonus, it is no surprise why people like Elmer Jacinto who graduated Magna Cum Laude and topped the medical board exam would choose to take up nursing and work abroad. According to Jaime Galvez Tan ,vice chancellor for research at the University of the Philippines and executive director of the National Institute of Health Philippines, some 25,000 nurses left last year, thrice as many as graduated from nursing school. Aside from this 2,000 doctors left to become nurses, and 4,000 doctors are taking up nursing this year. By 2020, the US will have a shortage of some 800,000 nurses. While America and other countries are filling up their shortage of nurses, the Philippines are now finding it hard to fill up nursing vacancies, for as fast as we are training them, faster still is their exodus to America., London, Canada, making it hard to deliver quality care. The Philippines is a country with talented people but they have never been given enough opportunities. Filipinos are adoptable and experts in their caring skills, and they can perform 250 different jobs in other counties.
Police and soldiers rescued seven Koreans and 17 Filipinos when their pump boats capsized off Jasaan, Misamis Oriental. The group which was on vacation en route to Agutayan beach was aboard four small boats when strong waves overturned their motor boats.
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