A Venue To Ventilate The Complaints Of Filipinos Around The World Especially Those Who Are Members Of Filipinos Unite!!! Movement. This Is Your Blog. Feel Free To Air Your Grievances Against Those Who Have Trampled Your Rights And Dignity. I Shall Support You All The Way. God Bless Us All.
MANILA, Philippines - After three months of working without pay in Qatar, 26 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have finally returned home, a senator said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Senator Manuel Villar said that the group – originally consisting of 35 workers –went to Qatar last October to work for an interior decorating and furnishing outfit.
But just a few months into their jobs, the OFWs reportedly wrote to him complain
“Since we started work, our salaries have been always partially given, until such time when we were not getting any for almost three months. Our families in the Philippines have nothing more to eat."
Villar endorsed their case to the Department of Foreign Affairs, while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration facilitated their repatriation.
He said one of the OFWs, Orlando Barazon, arrived on May 21, Romel Panaligan and Eduardo Baro on May 25, and Arthur Hernandez, Nicky Aguilon and Danilo Javier on May 27, with 20 more others to follow.
Villar said the repatriated workers will go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on June 1 to file charges against their employer and agencies.
Nine of the 35 workers, on the other hand, have opted to stay in Qatar to look for new jobs.
The names of the 35 workers are as follows: 1. Orlando Barazon 2. Romel Panaligan 3. Eduardo Baro 4. Arthur Hernandez 5. Nicky Aguilon 6. Danilo Javier 7. Joselle Gacuya 8. Mar Ignacio 9. Felipe Dichoso 10. Erwin Dolor 11. Allan Delarea 12. Gregorio Masangkay 13. Michael Pedrezuela 14. Bernie Baclas 15. Arlan Falogme 16. Peter Sakballon 17. Danilo Javillonar 18. Joselito Dichoso 19. Emmanuel Bautista 20. Jonathan Javier 21. Arceo Galibio 22. Danilo Genova 23. Sulpicio Ubando 24. Almar Ramos 25. Berlin Sedurante 26. Adelio Ruanto Jr. 27. Marciano Dichoso 28. Richard Ravelo 29. Michael Aque 30. Alberto Reyes 31. Jimmy Rivera 32. Ramil Manito 33. Joemar dela Cruz 34. Rene Antonio 35. Reiner Sala. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV
5-year-old Taiwanese from RP has flu, too Updated May 24, 2009 12:00 AM
A security guard watches over his post wearing protective face mask as another man adjusts his mask inside a hospital compound in Manila yesterday. AP
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) said it is looking into a report that two Taiwanese visitors – a mother and her five-year-old daughter – caught the A(H1N1) influenza virus in the Philippines.
A 30-year-old Taiwanese woman who reportedly attended a yoga workshop in the Philippines from May 16 to 20 was earlier confirmed to have contracted A(H1N1) influenza in the country, the DOH said in a statement. Her daughter was later also found positive for the flu virus.
However, the two were not diagnosed until after they returned to Taiwan.
“The Philippine Department of Health has started investigating the matter. We are coordinating with the Taiwanese authorities and trying to contact the organizers to be able to trace all the attendants of the (yoga) event,” the statement said.
About 100 or more people from the United States, Canada and Australia reportedly attended the yoga workshop, the department said.
It was not clear how the woman and her daughter got infected, health department officials said.
They said the woman might have contracted the virus from the other foreign participants of the yoga session or the disease could already have been incubating when she left Taiwan together with her daughter but manifested symptoms only upon their return home.
Taiwan authorities were tracing people who had contact with the woman and her daughter.
Shih Wen-yi, spokesman for Taiwan’s Central Epidemics Command Center, said the mother did not have fever upon arriving at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport Wednesday, and she dined at a friend’s house that evening after resting at home.
According to Shih, who declined to identify where the patient lives, the woman developed a fever and other flu-like symptoms including coughing and weakness Thursday and was soon quarantined, as was her daughter that night after developing fever earlier in the day.
The center is investigating whether individuals who had contact with the woman are also suffering from the flu, Shih said.
The girl’s kindergarten class – affiliated with Guangfu Elementary School in Taipei’s Zhonghe City – has been ordered closed until May 29, Shih said.
The kindergarten’s 119 teachers, staff members and students have been asked to stay home and take anti-flu medicine for 10 days, Shih added.
In control
In Manila, the DOH said it was “on top of the situation and we are closely monitoring this new development.”
The department stressed that there was no need to panic. “We continually strengthen our systems for effective surveillance, management and response,” it said.
“The Taiwanese health authorities are tracing the contacts of the patient during the flight. Again, we emphasize that the DOH is on top of the situation and we are closely monitoring this new development,” DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said.
“The National Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan is in place and we continually strengthen our systems for effective surveillance,” he added.
He also explained why only 17 co-passengers of the 10-year old Filipina girl who tested positive for A(H1N1) have been put under observation.
“It’s our contact tracing. This infection is a droplet infection and that’s how the influenza is transmitted,” Villaverde said over Vice President Noli de Castro’s “Para sa Iyo Bayan” weekly radio program on dzMM.
“There’s direct secretion of the patient – colds, cough, sneeze. This is not airborne so only the close contact priority should be traced because it’s a droplet infection,” he added.
Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of DOH’s National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that while the department does not ban big gatherings, it urges organizers and participants to observe precautionary measures against the A(H1N1) flu virus.
“If they can postpone the gathering, better. But if not, the DOH has issued guidelines that they can follow,” she added.
The DOH recommends that gatherings be held in open-air venues without overcrowding and that the venues must be equipped with hand washing facilities.
The DOH has also advised those with fever, cough and cold, among others, to avoid attending public gatherings.
Palace appeals
At Malacañang, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde appealed to the public to heed and respect the DOH’s approach to the A(H1N1) threat.
Reacting to calls from various groups, including Roman Catholic bishops, for the government to provide more information about the first confirmed case of the A(H1N1) virus in the country, Remonde said the Palace would leave it up to the DOH.
“We leave this matter to the Department of Health. They are in the best position, they have the training, expertise and proven capability to address threats like these,” Remonde said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.
The DOH has declined to provide detailed information about the first A(H1N1) case in the country, except for the age and gender of the afflicted person.
Health officials explained that the identity and whereabouts of the 10-year-old girl were being kept upon the request of the girl’s family.
No symptoms
Meanwhile, the DOH said 15 of the girl’s 17 co-passengers in the plane that carried them to Manila from the US showed no symptoms of A(H1N1).
But DOH’s Villaverde said the 15 passengers and their housemates have been asked to undergo self-quarantine for 10 days and take Oseltamivir antibiotic to fight off possible infection.
“Our regional epidemiology units are coordinating with the local government units to contact the two other passengers who are spread in wider areas of Luzon,” he added. He did not identify the two.
The girl is said to be recovering and only has slight sore throat. She will still be made to undergo laboratory examination to determine if her viral load has reduced.
“It looks likes she had acquired the mild type of influenza,” Villaverde said.
Remonde said President Arroyo has ordered the DOH, Bureau of Quarantine and other concerned agencies to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
These include the purchase of more screening equipment for passengers arriving from other countries.
Remonde said the DOH has been given full access to the funds of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and that the President is prepared to augment the funds for fighting the disease “as soon as the Department of Health will ask for it.”
Airport info campaign
The Manila International Airport Authority and the Bureau of Quarantine began yesterday a series of seminars for NAIA personnel to educate them and increase their awareness of the new strain of influenza virus.
“This is very important especially now that statistics of suspected and confirmed cases worldwide is escalating,” Alfonso Cusi, MIAA general manager, said.
“As we continue to monitor the arrival and departure of passengers through our thermal scanners, we also care about our workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and their safety is paramount to us,” Cusi said.
The orientation includes basic information about the A(H1N1) virus, its background and how it is transmitted.
“In extreme situations like this, it is best to tap the airport employees themselves to help the MIAA and the Department of Health in their daily efforts to prevent the entry of the virus into the Philippines. Partnering with them translates into saving their lives as well as that of their loved ones,” Cusi said.
“On our first day, around 800 employees assigned at NAIA Terminal 1 participated in the awareness program. We hope to be able to reach out to almost 5,000 employees working in the NAIA complex within the next two to three weeks,” he added.
“These efforts are all aimed to unite everyone at the premier gateway so we can overcome this new challenge that affects everybody,” Cusi said. – Sheila Crisostomo, Pia Lee-Brago, Rudy Santos, Marvin Sy
Let me clarify about my first post about Sweden respecting the Philippine’s ban of deployment of Filipinos as aupairs which is the reason the title of my post is Filipinos is Filipino au pairs is not welcome In Sweden. It is not to discredit any au pair matching agencies that provide Filipino aupairs to families in Sweden but I just based the information on the announcement posted at their site at http://www.migrationsverket.se/english.jsp?english/eat/eataupair.html
I also based on the Philippines newspaper report last about au pairs which you can read here and I knew personally 2 Filipinas who worked as au pairs here in Denmark who we’re denied when they applied as au pairs after their term in Denmark. But they told me that their application was denied because Sweden uphold the au pair ban in the Philippines so I presumed that they don’t welcome Filipinos as au pairs. One of these two Filipinas went home to the Philippines because she did not apply to other country like for example in Norway but the other girl is in Sweden not as an aupair but as a student.
It was written in a hurry and was in fact happy that finally one country in Europe respects the Philippines au pair ban. But someone commented or corrected me obviously from an agency so I have to verify the matter to the authorities concerned right away.
I wrote the Swedish Migration Board for clarification and they replied to me last 24 April 2009 that
“Au-pair permit and citizens of the Philippines is a special case. Sweden can not give an Au-pair permit to a citizen of the Philippines if they apply from the Philippines. This is because they will not be allowed to leave the country with an au-pair permit. However, there are no general rule stating that we are not allowed to give a citizen of the Philippines an Au-pair permit. Hence if a citizen of the Philippines has a permit to stay in another country and from that country applies for an Au-pair permit this might be approved (if the persons fulfill the requirements).”
So Filipinos living outside the Philippines you still can apply as au pair in Sweden but you have to know your right so as not to repeat what has happened in Denmark and currently in Norway (based on the current news).
As part of au pair awareness I will post the requirements for applications as well the reiterate the rights of au pairs.
Manny Pacquiao, a national hero in the Philippines and the current pound for pound champion of the world, knocked out the flamboyant Ricky Hatton in the second round of their scheduled 12 round title bout. Pacquiao decked the bull rushing Hatton twice in the very first round before finishing him off in the second round with a power punch left hook. It was by far the most spectacular victory by the new golden boy of boxing who humbles himself before the Lord in his every fight. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum even cited Manny as on the way to becoming the greatest fighter who ever lived. Pacquiao's stunning victory silenced the normally rackuous British fight fans who came in droves at the fight arena to witness their own national hero. Even the repressive Floyd Mayweather Sr., Hatton's trainer, was humiliated by the quickness of Pacquiao's victory. It clearly vindicated Freddie Roach and further cemented his hold as the best boxing trainer in the world. Two more spectacular victories against current title holders will officially cement Pacquiao's claim to being the greatest fighter of all time.
Tags: Manny Pacquiao, Pacman, Ricky Hatton, The Hitman, Freddie Roach, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Bob Arum, Best Pound For Pound Fighter In The World, Boxing, MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, USA, Philippines, UK, Gen. Santos City, Victory, Knock Out, Sensational Victory, God's Glory
MANILA, Philippines – A team from the Manila Police District on Wednesday afternoon served the arrest warrant against NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. at the De la Salle Greenhills in San Juan City.
SPO3 Pablo Flores of the MPD Warrant and Subpoena Section said Lozada would be taken to the MPD headquarters. “We’ll just prepare the documentation," Flores said in an interview on dzBB radio.
Lozada gave himself up to the arresting officers after lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno arrived and made sure that the arresting process was followed correctly.
“Kahit isang abogado ay makarating to make sure that everything is correct. Sasama naman ako nang matiwasay [I only need a lawyer to make sure that everything is correct. I would accept the arrest warrant without qualms]," Lozada in a separate interview on dzBB radio earlier.
Lozada’s arrest stemmed from the perjury charges filed against him by former presidential chief of staff and losing senatorial candidate Mike Defensor in connection with the allegedly anomalous $329 million national broadband deal the government entered into with China’s ZTE Corp. President Arroyo subsequently suspended the deal at the height of the controversy in 2007.
Lozada earlier claimed that Defensor forced him to lie about his supposed kidnapping by government officials when he returned to the Philippines from Hong Kong in February 2008.
Sourced From GMA News
In the Philippines, those who tell the truth about government's anomalies are those who are jailed. Big time corrupt officials sanctioned by the highest leadership of the land go scott free laughing all the way to enjoy their widespread plunder of the national coffers. Let all freedom loving Filipinos howl their protest against the inhuman arrest of whistle blower Jun Lozada. The man who should have told the truth but instead decided to hide behind the skirt of the Presidential power has been rewarded with a juicier government post with a large pot of largesse to be used in the government's effort to ram down cha cha on the Filipino people's throat. Let us all pray that the good Lord intervene and punish all these corrupt officials and free Jun Lozada from jail.SOBRA NA! TAMA NA!
I was blog hopping a while ago and I saw the recent post at Kevin's blog about this video that made me cry while I was watching it. This is a reality that I always tell my kids whenever they do not want to eat. This is also a very good reminder that we have to be contented and thankful for everything that we have. Even the things that we have is not exactly the ones that we want but still we are fortunate that at least we have something, other's DON'T have anything. Please watch the video guys! - Rose
As we partake our meals in our dining tables, let us pause for a moment to think and pray for those people who can only eat scrap food from the trash cans of fast food restaurants. They are the people who can barely eat a decent meal a day. Please see this video and have a really good cry. Then we will see how fortunate and blessed we really are. Happy viewing. God bless us all. - Mel
Chicken A la Carte - A True Story
Tags: Chicken a la Carte, Poverty, Hunger, Degradation, Suffering, Third World Countries, Want, Neglect, Apathy, Corruption, Insensitivity
ANALYSIS Analysis : Pushing Cha-cha may be playing with fire
By Amando Doronila Editorial Consultant Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: April 13, 2009
After a long hibernation during the Lenten break, Congress resumes session on Monday, confronted by a renewed push to change the 1987 Constitution of a nation that does not appear ready for it.
The nation’s mood is like that of a sleeping tiger that can be provoked by fresh actions tormenting it.
Before the holidays, the public had been harassed by efforts initiated by administration allies in the House of Representatives to fast-track attempts to change the Constitution through the method of convening a constituent assembly [Con-ass] composed of the Senate and the House.
At the start of the recess, the two chambers were stalemated on the Con-ass procedure in which the House and the Senate would vote jointly, a procedure rejected by most senators, who preferred the Senate voting separately.
In its most recent public opinion survey on the Cha-cha [Charter change] issue, conducted from Feb. 2 to 15 and released on March 25, Pulse Asia provided a measure of the public mood on a set of 11 issues related to it.
The first relates to the extent of public knowledge about the Constitution. The presumption here is that if public knowledge or awareness of the Charter is inadequate, it would be unwise to rush the changes within the next 13 months before the presidential election in May 2010.
The survey found that nearly six in 10 Filipinos (57 percent) reported having little knowledge about their Constitution.
The second question asked was whether respondents were in favor of changing the Constitution now. The survey found that a big plurality (42 percent) was against it. On the other hand, 33 percent supported the move, while 25 percent were undecided.
Economy is top reason
It is important to note that between November 2006 and February 2009, the overall percentage of those against Charter change remained constant. But there was a slight drop in the level of support for constitutional amendments (-6 percentage points), which was matched by an increase in the level of public indecision on the issue (+6 percentage points).
On Question 3, whether it was appropriate to amend the Constitution at this time, the survey found that two out of three Filipinos (64 percent) said it was not—a view shared by the majorities (60-70 percent) in all geographical areas and socioeconomic groupings.
On the other hand, 25 percent of Filipinos said they were not opposed, while 11 percent were undecided.
Significantly and relevant to developments in the current global economic recession, the survey found that economic improvement was the top reason cited by those favoring Charter change. Those opposed think the Constitution is good enough and would like to avoid any chaos that may arise from changing it.
I earnestly request my readers and friends to please pray for the divine healing of Mommy Seiko Fukami who was recently diagnosed with a stage 2 non-invasive cervical cancer. Mommy Seiko is one of the sweetest and friendliest blogger in the blog world and her illness caused a lot of concern among her countless friends. God is good and merciful and nothing is impossible with God. Your prayers will come back to you as showers of blessings. Thank you so much. God bless us all always.
Let Us All Pray For Japan
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter scale hit Japan yesterday unleashing a powerful tsunami that brought a wide swath of destruction in many parts of Japan. Total loss of lives and damages to properties and infrastructures are still being collated as of this moment. The damages have been so severe that most part of Tokyo and major parts of Japan are without electricity. Fire were burning simultaneously in many parts of Japan including an oil refinery. WE ENJOIN OUR READERS TO PLEASE PRAY FOR JAPAN AND THE SURVIVORS OF THIS TRAGEDY. ONLY GOD CAN HELP THEM RECOVER FROM THIS TRAGIC AND CATASTROPHIC EVENT. GOD BLESS US ALL.
I am Mel Alarilla, male, married, a Christian trying to be of service to God & His flocks. I aim to spend the remaining days of my life sharing the Gospel and its message to unbelievers who are still groping in the dark. I have no personal motives in doing this but the desire to please God and glorify His name in everything that I do. I have no pretensions in life. I am not extraordinary nor do I claim to be sublime. I am an ordinary mortal who suffers the same pitfalls common to man.
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