Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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Mid-April 2014
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Philippine News
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Philippine carriers can now add flights to more US
routes following the US Federal
Aviation Agency's clearance that the Philippines has complied with
international safety standards set by
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The FAA downgraded the country's rating to Category
2 in January 2008 due to the absence
of laws or regulations to oversee air carriers in accordance with
minimum international standards.
A Category 2 rating meant the Philippine civil aviation
authority was "... deficient in one
or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record
keeping or inspection
procedures," an FAA statement said.
According to the FAA website, civil aviation authorities
of countries that fly to the US
are categorized based on how well they meet ICAO's standards.
A Category 1 rating means that the CAA has complied
with ICAO standards. Air carriers from
a Category 1-rated country "may initiate or continue service to the
United States in a normal
manner and take part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with
US carriers."
A Category 2 rating means that the CAA did not meet
those standards. Under Category 2,
the country "cannot initiate new service and are restricted to
current levels of any existing service to
the United States while corrective actions are underway."
In a press statement, the FAA said: "With the
International Aviation Safety Assessment
(IASA) Category 1 rating, the Republic of the Philippines' air
carriers can add flights and service to
the United States and carry the code of US carriers."
The Philippines' return to Category 1 status is based on
a March 2014 FAA review of the
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the statement
said.
Capt. John Andrews, CAAP deputy director general,
said CAAP first worked on getting the
air safety accreditation from the ICAO and the European Union
before making any headway to
obtain the FAA Category 1 upgrade.
In July 2013, the Philippine Airlines managed to lift the
European Union's ban while
Cebu Pacific got it last April 10.
Soon after the announcement of the aviation safety
upgrade, Presidential
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. issued a statement,
saying the upgrade "demonstrates the capability
of CAAP to implement institutional reforms to ensure that the
country's aviation industry is
globally competitive and conforms with international safety
standards."
The Philippine Airlines also quickly responded with an
announcement that it will add
more flights to the US with its six newly-acquired Boeing 777-
300ER aircraft, which the flag carrier
bought for $1.2 billion, for its long-haul flights to the US.
"This latest development allows us to deploy our
modern and fuel-efficient Boeing
777-300ER fleet to the US, and enables us to explore new
destination opportunities in one of the
Philippines' largest passenger markets," said PAL President and
COO Ramon Ang in a separate statement.
Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei
lauded CAAP for keeping its promise
to improve the country's aviation industry. "The health of the
regulator, and the leading carriers all
bode well for the Philippines. We do need strong regulators and
carriers to progress," he said.
Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph
"Jun" Abaya said the FAA Category
1 upgrade was a significant development in the Philippine aviation
industry.
"This upgrade cements a landmark era in the Philippine
aviation sector... The country has
made great strides in enhancing its aviation industry to one that is at
par with the best in the world," he
said in a statement. "[This] will allow airline carriers to open more
direct flights to and from the
US, which will boost the country's tourism industry, help airline
companies expand their operations,
and improve trade and business relations between the two
countries," he added.
For his part, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose
Cuisia Jr. noted the FAA status has been
a "major economic diplomacy thrust" of the Philippines in the US.
"With the Category 1 rating, we hope to see the
expansion of flight routes in the US by
Philippine air carriers. This means opening up more routes for
business and tourism travel between
the Philippines and the US as well as creating more opportunities
for Philippine and American
business," he said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said: "This
is good news for the Philippines and
for the Filipino people. Our flag carriers can now push through
with their plans to expand their
operations and serve our people in various parts of the United
States."
SC: RH law `not unconstitutional'
In what many sectors considered as a win-win solution
to the divisive issue of birth control,
the Supreme Court upheld on April 8 the constitutionality of the
Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health Act of 2012 but nullified some of its
provisions that the Catholic church and many
allied groups opposed.
Republic Act No. 10354 took effect on March 18,
2013 but the Supreme Court stopped
its implementation four months later when it issued a status quo
ante order after Pro-Life
Philippines Foundation Inc. and Catholic Church groups
questioned the law, saying it violated the
constitutional provisions guaranteeing the right to life.
A total of 14 petitions were filed in the high court and
a series of oral arguments was held
to determine the constitutionality of the controversial birth control
law that supporters said
would transform the lives of millions of poor Filipinos, in a
stunning defeat for the powerful
Catholic Church. The law requires government health centers to
hand out free condoms and birth control
pills, as well as mandating that sex education be taught in schools.
It also requires that public health
workers receive family planning training, while post abortion
medical care is also legalized. Rep.
Edcel Lagman of Albay, principal author of the RH law, described
the Supreme Court's verdict as a
"monumental decision (that) upholds the separation of church and
state and affirms the supremacy of
government in secular concerns like health and socio-economic
development."
Among the provisions declared unconstitutional are:
- Section 7 which is about access to family planning, as
well as Section A and A of its
implementing rules and regulations. Section A requires private
health facilities and non-maternity
specialty hospitals and hospitals owned and operated by a religious
group to refer patients, not in an
emergency or life threatening case to another health facility which
is conveniently accessible. Section B
allows minor-parents or minors who have suffered a miscarriage
access to modern methods of family
planning without written consent from their parents or guardians;
- Section 23 Punishable Acts (a) (1) and corresponding
provision in the RH-IRR
particularly Section 24 insofar as it punishes any health care
provider who fails or refuses to disseminate
information regarding programs and services on reproductive health
regardless of his or her religious beliefs;
- Section 23 (a)(2)(i) and a provision in the IRR with
regard to allowing a married
individual, not in an emergency or life threatening case to undergo
reproductive health procedures without
the consent of the spouse;
- Section 23(a)(3) and the provision in the IRR which
punishes any health care provider
who fails and/or refuses to refer a patient not in an emergency or
life threatening case to another
health care service provider within the same facility or one which is
conveniently accessible regardless of
his or her religious beliefs;
- Section 23(b) and the provision in the IRR which
punishes any public officer who refuses
to support reproductive health programs or shall do any act that
hinders the full implementation of
a reproductive health program, regardless of his or her religious
beliefs;
- Section 17 on Pro bono services of indigent women
and corresponding provision in the
IRR regarding the rendering of pro bono reproductive health
service, as they affect the
conscientious objector in securing PhilHealth accreditation;
- Section 3.01(a) and (j) of the IRR insofar as it uses
the qualifier "primarily" for
contravening Section 4(a) of the RH Law specifically the definition
of abortifacient and violating Section 12
on right to life and protection of life from conception.
- Section 23 (a)(2)(ii) insofar as it penalizes a health
service provider who will require
parental consent from the minor in not emergency or serious
situation.
Lotto jackpot fixing?
Just as ordinary Filipinos pin their hopes on winning
the lotto jackpot for a better life,
reports about fixing the April 7 draw that netted a pot prize of
P249.8 million circulated in social
media networks. "Not true," the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office (PCSO) retorted four days after
the draw date to dismiss allegations of "ghost" or non-existent
winners in the Grand Lotto 6/55
game. The controversy started when a Facebook post dated April 9
on the Filipino's Patriotism page
displayed an image of alleged game results on what looked like an
official PCSO stationery, with
the agency's logo, showing no winners for the P249,841,572
jackpot. The results also listed only
two (and not 25 as reported) bettors who won the P169,410 prize
after getting five of the
six-number combination right. Netizens expressed outrage at the
apparent discrepancy by sharing, liking,
and commenting on the post. The PCSO said a 59-year-old female
office worker from Muntinlupa
City claimed her winnings of P249.8 million on April 10 at the
PCSO office at the PICC in Pasay City.
The agency challenged the public to check with the lotto outlet
from where the winning ticket
was bought: Triple Lucky Stars on Washington corner Pio del Pilar
Street, Makati City.
Pinoys deported from China
China deported 200 foreigners, including 48 Filipinos,
in 2013, according to a report from
the Philippine embassy in Beijing. It quoted another report as
saying that expelled Filipinos were
apprehended and detained for spurious visas or forged passports,
working without proper
employment visas and permits, assuming false identity and
overstaying in the country. Some were arrested
for illegally entering China to use it as transit point for travel to
other countries. The embassy
reminded all Filipinos in China to observe and comply with the
conditions and restrictions of their visas.
`Gold' in lemon grass
Lemon grass or "tanglad" is turning out to be a good
source of income as its oil becomes
popular as food flavor, and an ingredient in the production of soap,
deodorizer, insect repellent,
among others. To support this entrepreneurial initiative, the
Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) has released P600,000 to the Nakalang Padilla Farm
Workers Association (NAPFWA),
composed mostly of sugarcane plantation workers in Bago City,
Negros Occidental, to construct a micro
hydropower facilityto power their oil distillation plant.
Tax evaders
The list of companies, businessmen and professionals
facing tax evasion cases has grown
further after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed five new
tax-evasion cases. The filing of
criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) was
meant to serve as a warning to all
taxpayers to pay the correct amount of tax due. The deadline for
filing income tax returns (ITR) this year
is April 15. To date, the BIR has filed 235 tax-evasion cases under
the Aquino administration.
Obama is coming to town
US President Barrack Obama is visiting the Philippines
on April 28 and 29 to discuss a range
of bilateral issues including defense, trade, and the Philippines'
membership in the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, according to Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras.
The White House said Obama's
meeting with President Benigno S. Aquino III will "highlight the
economic ties and security
cooperation between the two countries, including through the
modernization of defense alliance, efforts to
expand economic ties and spark economic growth through the
Partnership for Growth, and through our
deep and enduring people-to-people ties." Obama had planned to
visit the Philippines and other
Asian countries in October 2013 but had to cancel due to the US
government shutdown caused by
the failure of the US Congress to pass the budget for the fiscal year.
In time for Obama's visit,
Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said negotiations
would hopefully be completed for a new
defense agreement between the Philippines and the US, including
increasing US military presence in
the country. The draft agreement proposes allowing more US
troops, aircraft, and ships to pass
through the Philippines, as well as storing equipment in this
country that could help mobilize American
forces faster particularly in the case of natural disasters. It would
provide "critical and timely support
to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (and
the) achievement of the
country's minimum credible defense posture," said Batino, a
member of the Philippine negotiating
panel. However, he made clear that the deal would not allow the
US military to "establish a
permanent military presence or base" or bring nuclear weapons into
the country, in line with the
Philippine Constitution. The United States used to have a large air
base in Clark, Pampanga and a naval base
in Olongapo City until 1992, when it gave both up amid growing
anti-US sentiment and a rental
dispute. In recent years, however, the Philippines has been seeking
greater US support after China
began asserting its claim to disputed territory in the West Philippine
Sea. China claims almost all of
the strategically important body of water, even up to the coasts of
its neighbours. First Lady
Michelle Obama will not be joining the overnight trip to Manila,
said Philippine Ambassador to the US
Jose Cuisia Jr.
Tacloban needs P2B for housing
Five months after super typhoon Yolanda razed most of
Tacloban's residential houses and
business establishments, Mayor Alfred Romualdez has estimated
that the local government needs at
least P2 billion to buy land and relocate about 14,000 families
whose homes were swept away by
storm surges f as high as six meters triggered by the strongest-
recorded typhoon that hit the country
in recent history. Romualdez, who also lost his palatial home by
the beach, said the local
government was still at a loss over providing decent homes to most
of its residents. He said he had asked
for financial support from the national government to acquire a
100-hectare property and build
permanent homes for the displaced residents. He said it would cost
the city government at least
P160,000 to build a house that could withstand strong winds. The
displaced residents were still living
in cramped evacuation centers and tent communities where living
conditions were difficult,
especially for children and the elderly. So far, Romualdez said the
money that the local government received
was meant only for the repair of the city hall, civic centers and
public markets. According to him,
even those occupying the bunkhouses built by the Department of
Public Works and Highways were
asking for permanent relocation while some survivors refused to
stay in temporary shelters and opted
to return to their communities that had been declared danger zones.
Trade with China goes on
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has
assured that despite increasing tension in
the disputed waters, the Philippines will continue to work on
preserving its trade and investment ties
with China. Trade between the two countries have not been largely
affected while the territorial dispute
is going on, according to Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo. Trade
Assistant Secretary
Ceferino Rodolfo said the government does not expect the Chinese
government to impose sanctions
which may affect economic ties, citing that most goods traded by
both countries are part of the larger
global supply chain. But while the government is hopeful trade and
investment ties with China will
remain the same despite the dispute, Philippine Exporters
Confederation Inc. president Sergio Ortiz-Luis
Jr. said Philippin exports to that country may be affected. Ortiz said
the country's exports to
China could be growing much faster without the tension. Data from
the National Statistics Office
showed China was the second biggest destination of Philippine
exports in 2013 with its 12.19- percent
share valued at $6.583 billion, up from $6.169 billion in 2012. In
the same year, China was the top
source of Philippine imports accounting for a 13.01-percent share
amounting to $8.027 billion, also
higher than the $6.680 billion in 2012. In late March, the
Philippine government submitted its
4,000-page memorial or written argument to the United Nations
(UN) arbitral tribunal hearing a case
against China covering the latter's excessive claims in the West
Philippine Sea.
Recruiters in trafficking
The Bureau of Immigration has requested the
Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration (POEA) to suspend the license of 13 government-
accredited recruitment agencies suspected
of involvement in human trafficking activities. Immigration
Commissioner Siegfred Mison said
the "modus operandi" of these agencies was uncovered following
the recent interception of 47
prospective overseas Filipino workers who were found using
fraudulent documents. The prospective
OFWs intercepted by the bureau's travel control enforcement unit
(TCEU) at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport were bound for the United Arab Emirates and
were found to be headed for Lebanon
and Jordan to work as domestic helpers. Mison said the offloaded
OFWs had presented travel
documents, including overseas employment certificates (OECs)
indicating they are to work in the UAE as
assembler, barista, cashier, office clerk, salesperson, and restaurant
steward. The OFWs also
reportedly used fake pre-departure orientation seminar documents
that indicated they will work in Saudi
Arabia. The agencies recommended for suspension are: Trustworthy
International Manpower Corp.;
Experts Placement Agency, Inc.; Chosen Divine Mercy Manpower
Services Corp. ; Dobim
International Manpower Services; Zareiko Productions, Inc.;
Ridzkey Human Resources International
Services; Dolma International Placement Corp.; Inter-Globe
Manpower and Consultancy Services Inc.;
Caz International Inc.; Dream Fame International Manpower Corp.;
Tibiao Antique Manpower
Agency Your Overseas; Neostar International Manpower Services;
and, SMK International Agency
Inc. POEA recently suspended Nahed International Manpower
Services for trafficking and illegal
deployment of Filipinos to Jordan using UAE as transit point.
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