The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), upon the advice of the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, is asking travellers to Bangkok,Thailand to reconsider their need to travel, especially those who will undertake non-essential travel, due to the flooding situation in the city.
"The extent of the flooding situation in Bangkok is changing very rapidly. No one is certain what would happen between today and November 1, when the flooding is expected to peak due to the high tides and the large volume of water flowing from the northern provinces through the Chao Phraya river, which is now traversing Bangkok itself," the Embassy said.
It added that top officials of Thailand have asked residents to move their belongings to higher ground in preparation for possible flooding.
Transport services have been suspended in some parts of Bangkok. The bus and train stations have been jammed by crowds of people attempting to leave the city. Suvarnabhumi International Airport has also been jam-packed with people flying out of Thailand or to other provinces that are not flooded.
Filipinos who are already in Thailand are advised to keep a stock of foodstuff and water, keep lines of communication open, and to contact the Embassy immediately if they feel that they are in danger. The Embassy continues to provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the flooding in Bangkok
Showing posts with label overseas filipino worker news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overseas filipino worker news. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Exit clearance: An OFW’s nightmare
Here is an article from an OFW who shares his experience with one of the most tedious requirements of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
I am now a full-fledged OFW. I share a common bond with thousands of overseas Filipino workers who had no choice but to get an exit clearance from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and, in the process, experienced what would possibly be one of our worst encounters with government bureaucracy.
I was told it was necessary to get a clearance because I already had a work visa stamped on my passport. Without the clearance, I was going to be stopped and questioned by airport immigration.
I did not care that the clearance would exempt me from the travel tax and the airport terminal fee. All I wanted was to be spared unnecessary stress at Philippine immigration on my flight out.
I had no idea that the process of getting this slip of paper—just a receipt actually of payment of one’s POEA, Owwa (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) and PhilHealth fees—would be an agonizing experience.
Or that it would take me three days.
I arrived at the POEA main office just before 6:30 a.m. I came prepared. I had all the necessary documents with me, including photocopies and extra ID pictures. I anticipated a line, but since it was still early I thought I would be able to finish most of the process in just two hours—despite the slow bureaucratic process.
I approached a guard to inquire where I should fall in line. He gave me a number and told me to come back the next day. No, I said, there must be a mistake, I’m here to just get a referral form for my medical exam and a schedule for the pre-orientation departure seminar (PDOS).
“Yes,” he said patiently as he pointed to about 120 people sitting on plastic chairs at the first-floor lobby. “Those people there were here last week and got their numbers last week. You will have to wait for your turn tomorrow.”
I asked if I could just go ahead and have a medical exam to save time. He said no, the staff on the second floor will give you a slip which you’re supposed to give to an accredited clinic. Are you sure? I persisted.
Yes, he was. And I would find out later that that, indeed, was the process. But it was a step that some applicants wisely chose to ignore anyway.
Excitement in the air
The next day, I was back at the POEA, still early. When I showed the guard my number, he asked me to sit on one of the chairs. You will be called later, I was told. It was almost 8 a.m. when our group was finally told to go upstairs. All the counters were closed. Of course, it was not yet 8 a.m. after all.
At 10 minutes past 8, one counter finally opened. You could sense excitement in the air. After about five more minutes, one staff member made an announcement. We were supposed to place our documents in one folder—and we could use those she left on top of the counter.
After several more minutes, the other counters started opening. But I would find out that this did not mean people would start working. That would take several minutes more.
Read the entire article at Inquirer's Website
I am now a full-fledged OFW. I share a common bond with thousands of overseas Filipino workers who had no choice but to get an exit clearance from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and, in the process, experienced what would possibly be one of our worst encounters with government bureaucracy.
I was told it was necessary to get a clearance because I already had a work visa stamped on my passport. Without the clearance, I was going to be stopped and questioned by airport immigration.
I did not care that the clearance would exempt me from the travel tax and the airport terminal fee. All I wanted was to be spared unnecessary stress at Philippine immigration on my flight out.
I had no idea that the process of getting this slip of paper—just a receipt actually of payment of one’s POEA, Owwa (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) and PhilHealth fees—would be an agonizing experience.
Or that it would take me three days.
I arrived at the POEA main office just before 6:30 a.m. I came prepared. I had all the necessary documents with me, including photocopies and extra ID pictures. I anticipated a line, but since it was still early I thought I would be able to finish most of the process in just two hours—despite the slow bureaucratic process.
I approached a guard to inquire where I should fall in line. He gave me a number and told me to come back the next day. No, I said, there must be a mistake, I’m here to just get a referral form for my medical exam and a schedule for the pre-orientation departure seminar (PDOS).
“Yes,” he said patiently as he pointed to about 120 people sitting on plastic chairs at the first-floor lobby. “Those people there were here last week and got their numbers last week. You will have to wait for your turn tomorrow.”
I asked if I could just go ahead and have a medical exam to save time. He said no, the staff on the second floor will give you a slip which you’re supposed to give to an accredited clinic. Are you sure? I persisted.
Yes, he was. And I would find out later that that, indeed, was the process. But it was a step that some applicants wisely chose to ignore anyway.
Excitement in the air
The next day, I was back at the POEA, still early. When I showed the guard my number, he asked me to sit on one of the chairs. You will be called later, I was told. It was almost 8 a.m. when our group was finally told to go upstairs. All the counters were closed. Of course, it was not yet 8 a.m. after all.
At 10 minutes past 8, one counter finally opened. You could sense excitement in the air. After about five more minutes, one staff member made an announcement. We were supposed to place our documents in one folder—and we could use those she left on top of the counter.
After several more minutes, the other counters started opening. But I would find out that this did not mean people would start working. That would take several minutes more.
Read the entire article at Inquirer's Website
Monday, November 29, 2010
Five more OFWs duped by traffickers in Haiti
Diplomatic and overseas labor officials on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) bewailed failure of Philippine authorities to stem illegal deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for non-existent jobs in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Philippine Ambassador to Cuba MacArthur Corsino disclosed that five more workers have fallen victims to the human traffickers, bringing to 26 the number of stranded OFWs in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.
“Yes, five new victims of illegal recruitment tantamount to human trafficking arrived in Haiti the other day [Sunday],” Corsino said in an e-mail. The Philippine Embassy in Havana has jurisdiction over Filipinos in Haiti.
Dolor Bagadiong confirmed by Yahoo! Messenger that the five new victims are staying at a Port-au-Prince house being rented and maintained by the suspected traffickers.
Bagadiong, wife of Filipino community leader Frankie Bagadiong, said that many of the stranded workers were being helped by their group in finding jobs, which are increasingly hard to find in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Corsino warned that continuing incidents of trafficking “cannot be stopped unless action is taken both against the recruiters in Manila and the recruiters’ accomplice, the ‘receiving party’ in Port-au-Prince.”
He said that he has asked Philippine Honorary Consul Fitzgerald Brandt in the Haitian capital city to coordinate with law-enforcement authorities in the investigation and prosecution of the alleged traffickers and their accomplices, even if they are Filipino citizens.
“Per testimony of victims, one alleged Filipino accomplice has been a certain Leo Manning in Port-au-Prince. But there appears to be a new one whose name is not known as of now,” the envoy added.
On the basis of affidavits or testimony by some victims, Corsino said that the illegal recruiter has been identified as Maria Consolacion, a.k.a. Marla Wong or Marla Habas, a resident of Parañaque City (Metro Manila) and Laguna.
The ambassador added that immigration and other authorities in Manila should stop the departure of any Haiti-bound tourists or would-be OFWs, even if they are carrying contracts.
He said that those departing for the Caribbean country should be asked to produce evidence that they are old, long-term residents or long-term job holders, with working permits.
“Any Haiti-bound departure by a Filipino should have a roundtrip ticket,” the envoy added.
Corsino observed that some of the recent victims were recruited by one Tangog Recruitment Agency, which he said is “evidently an illegal recruiter.”
He said that this new illegal recruiter appears to be using the name of DEECO, a South Korean company, to craft fake contracts since DEECO has finished its project in Port-au-Prince and is sending home, not recruiting, workers.
Corsino added that this new recruiter is conniving with a certain “Ethel,” who works in a travel agency in Manila that issues one-way air tickets.
“The POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration] should stop those with DEECO contracts,” he said. ”Would-be OFWs bound for Haiti with only one-way air tickets should be stopped and investigated by POEA and [Bureau of] Immigration.”
No action in Manila
Corsino is aghast why the illegal recruiters are not being arrested and jailed in Manila.
“These recruiters are not only like leeches sucking the blood of their kababayans [countrymen], they are giving a bad name to the Philippines in the global fight against human trafficking,” he said.
In Los Angeles, Welfare Officer Adonis Duero of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said that the unchecked trafficking of Filipino workers is giving the country a bad reputation.
Duero, who has the responsibility to assist distressed OFWs not only in the United States but also in neighboring countries, added that it is not enough for the government to close illegal recruitment agencies because they continue to operate by using other recruitment firms.
“The traffickers should be arrested and made to account for their crimes against their hapless victims who end up working like slaves or being left to fend for themselves in foreign lands,” he said.
Bagadiong said that the five new victims, whose names were not immediately available, were staying at a house rented by a certain Ethel, a Filipina.
The supposed half-way house is allegedly being managed by Leo Maning, the father of the alleged mastermind.
source: TRAFFICKING.ORG.PH
“Yes, five new victims of illegal recruitment tantamount to human trafficking arrived in Haiti the other day [Sunday],” Corsino said in an e-mail. The Philippine Embassy in Havana has jurisdiction over Filipinos in Haiti.
Dolor Bagadiong confirmed by Yahoo! Messenger that the five new victims are staying at a Port-au-Prince house being rented and maintained by the suspected traffickers.
Bagadiong, wife of Filipino community leader Frankie Bagadiong, said that many of the stranded workers were being helped by their group in finding jobs, which are increasingly hard to find in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Corsino warned that continuing incidents of trafficking “cannot be stopped unless action is taken both against the recruiters in Manila and the recruiters’ accomplice, the ‘receiving party’ in Port-au-Prince.”
He said that he has asked Philippine Honorary Consul Fitzgerald Brandt in the Haitian capital city to coordinate with law-enforcement authorities in the investigation and prosecution of the alleged traffickers and their accomplices, even if they are Filipino citizens.
“Per testimony of victims, one alleged Filipino accomplice has been a certain Leo Manning in Port-au-Prince. But there appears to be a new one whose name is not known as of now,” the envoy added.
On the basis of affidavits or testimony by some victims, Corsino said that the illegal recruiter has been identified as Maria Consolacion, a.k.a. Marla Wong or Marla Habas, a resident of Parañaque City (Metro Manila) and Laguna.
The ambassador added that immigration and other authorities in Manila should stop the departure of any Haiti-bound tourists or would-be OFWs, even if they are carrying contracts.
He said that those departing for the Caribbean country should be asked to produce evidence that they are old, long-term residents or long-term job holders, with working permits.
“Any Haiti-bound departure by a Filipino should have a roundtrip ticket,” the envoy added.
Corsino observed that some of the recent victims were recruited by one Tangog Recruitment Agency, which he said is “evidently an illegal recruiter.”
He said that this new illegal recruiter appears to be using the name of DEECO, a South Korean company, to craft fake contracts since DEECO has finished its project in Port-au-Prince and is sending home, not recruiting, workers.
Corsino added that this new recruiter is conniving with a certain “Ethel,” who works in a travel agency in Manila that issues one-way air tickets.
“The POEA [Philippine Overseas Employment Administration] should stop those with DEECO contracts,” he said. ”Would-be OFWs bound for Haiti with only one-way air tickets should be stopped and investigated by POEA and [Bureau of] Immigration.”
No action in Manila
Corsino is aghast why the illegal recruiters are not being arrested and jailed in Manila.
“These recruiters are not only like leeches sucking the blood of their kababayans [countrymen], they are giving a bad name to the Philippines in the global fight against human trafficking,” he said.
In Los Angeles, Welfare Officer Adonis Duero of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said that the unchecked trafficking of Filipino workers is giving the country a bad reputation.
Duero, who has the responsibility to assist distressed OFWs not only in the United States but also in neighboring countries, added that it is not enough for the government to close illegal recruitment agencies because they continue to operate by using other recruitment firms.
“The traffickers should be arrested and made to account for their crimes against their hapless victims who end up working like slaves or being left to fend for themselves in foreign lands,” he said.
Bagadiong said that the five new victims, whose names were not immediately available, were staying at a house rented by a certain Ethel, a Filipina.
The supposed half-way house is allegedly being managed by Leo Maning, the father of the alleged mastermind.
source: TRAFFICKING.ORG.PH
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
2 Filipino Dies in Hajj Pilgrim
The preparations have been thorough and elaborate so that the Haj performance this year for all the pilgrims, including Filipino Muslims, could be as comfortable as could be," Tago told Arab News by phone from Makkah.
Tago said that after Thursday Filipino pilgrims will begin their return to the Philippines.
"Most of the pilgrims, if not all of them, will be attending a reception that the Consulate General in Jeddah will host for them before they leave for the Philippines," Tago said.
He added that everything went smoothly for the Filipino pilgrims except for the two who died just after arrival in the Kingdom to perform Haj. The two fatalities were identified as Zalika Usman Ali, who died in Madinah, and Talusan Badpil, who died in Makkah. The causes of death were not provided. Both fatalities were from the province of Maguindanao.
"There are approximately 4,100 Filipino pilgrims this year. President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III designated Dr. Hamid A. Barra as 'Amirul Haj' this year," said Abdurrahheym Macud, administrative officer of the Consulate General in Jeddah.
Aquino gave him the authority to travel to fulfill his duties in "coordination with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and to submit a post-Haj report.
Barra, who is also the co-chairman of the Ulema-Bishops Council of the Philippines, is also the dean of Islamic Studies at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City.
source: ArabNews.com
Tago said that after Thursday Filipino pilgrims will begin their return to the Philippines.
"Most of the pilgrims, if not all of them, will be attending a reception that the Consulate General in Jeddah will host for them before they leave for the Philippines," Tago said.
He added that everything went smoothly for the Filipino pilgrims except for the two who died just after arrival in the Kingdom to perform Haj. The two fatalities were identified as Zalika Usman Ali, who died in Madinah, and Talusan Badpil, who died in Makkah. The causes of death were not provided. Both fatalities were from the province of Maguindanao.
"There are approximately 4,100 Filipino pilgrims this year. President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III designated Dr. Hamid A. Barra as 'Amirul Haj' this year," said Abdurrahheym Macud, administrative officer of the Consulate General in Jeddah.
Aquino gave him the authority to travel to fulfill his duties in "coordination with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and to submit a post-Haj report.
Barra, who is also the co-chairman of the Ulema-Bishops Council of the Philippines, is also the dean of Islamic Studies at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City.
source: ArabNews.com
Thursday, June 18, 2009
OFW News: Filipino Based in Saipan Accused Of Stealing
An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) working as a Filipino auditor for a gas station outlet in Saipan has been blocked from allowing to leave the US territory for being suspected of theft from a company owned by the board chairman of the NMI Crime Stoppers program.
Virginia C. Hernandez was apprehended on June 10 at the Saipan international airport as she was about to fly to the Philippines, court records show.
The 47-year-old auditor has been charged of stealing $7,000 from Delta Management Corp. owned by Crime Stoppers’ president James Arenovski, which owns Shell gas stations in Saipan.
Crime Stoppers is a program operated by civilians from the business sector that encourages citizens to assist in fighting criminality by giving information about crimes committed in their community.
According to the reports by the Police, the company’s chief auditor discovered on May 29, 2009, that $7,000 was missing from the account of a client that Hernandez had handled.
On June 12, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) granted Hernandez’s motion to modify the $5,000 cash bail initially imposed by the court for her temporary liberty.
She is set to be released to a third party custodian upon posting 10 percent or $500 of the $5,000 cash bail, plus $4,500 in unsecured bond.
Wiseman ordered enforcers to make sure Hernandez does not leave the islands. The arraignment is set for June 22.
Saipan is the capital of the CNMI, where some 10,000 Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipino-Americans live and work. Saipan is only about three hours away from Manila via direct flight.
Virginia C. Hernandez was apprehended on June 10 at the Saipan international airport as she was about to fly to the Philippines, court records show.
The 47-year-old auditor has been charged of stealing $7,000 from Delta Management Corp. owned by Crime Stoppers’ president James Arenovski, which owns Shell gas stations in Saipan.
Crime Stoppers is a program operated by civilians from the business sector that encourages citizens to assist in fighting criminality by giving information about crimes committed in their community.
According to the reports by the Police, the company’s chief auditor discovered on May 29, 2009, that $7,000 was missing from the account of a client that Hernandez had handled.
On June 12, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) granted Hernandez’s motion to modify the $5,000 cash bail initially imposed by the court for her temporary liberty.
She is set to be released to a third party custodian upon posting 10 percent or $500 of the $5,000 cash bail, plus $4,500 in unsecured bond.
Wiseman ordered enforcers to make sure Hernandez does not leave the islands. The arraignment is set for June 22.
Saipan is the capital of the CNMI, where some 10,000 Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipino-Americans live and work. Saipan is only about three hours away from Manila via direct flight.
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