Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saudi labor ministry: 'Saudization' policy a failure
Saudi Arabia’s “Saudization" policy, which seeks to prioritize the hiring of Saudi nationals over expatriates, has so far been a failure, according to the country’s ministry of labor.
In an article on Dubai-based news site Emirates 24/7, Saudi Arabia’s labor ministry said 50 percent of private companies were still not complying with the plan, despite the Saudi government’s warnings that they could be denied new work visas.
Private sector companies in Saudi Arabia currently employ over six million migrant workers, according to the Saudi Arabia labor ministry. Meanwhile, over one million Saudis remain jobless.
In July this year, the oil-rich Saudi Arabia was home to over eight million expatriates, of which 1.2 million were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Also in the same month, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) downplayed concerns that the Saudization policy would have an immediate impact on OFWs, saying that the policy would be implemented in a “gradual and calibrated" manner.
'Nitaqat' system
The Saudization initiative or the 'Nitaqat' system was launched on June 11, 2011, after previous efforts of the Saudi Arabian government to force private companies to hire more locals failed.
The Emirates 24/7 article noted that analysts have described the Nitaqat as the “most radical measure" done by Saudi Arabia’s government to make private companies hire locals, as unemployment in Saudi Arabia continues to increase.
According Saudi labor minister Adel Faqih, the country's official unemployment rate was pegged at 10.5 percent at the end of 2010. Also, he said that about 90 percent of Saudi Arabia's private sector was populated by foreigners.
The system puts Saudi Arabia’s private companies into four categories: excellent and green for complying companies and yellow and red for non-complying companies.
Companies are required to employ a certain number of Saudi locals based on company size and the occupation of the company’s workers.
Red-coded companies had until September 11 to comply with Saudization requirements while yellow-coded ones have until December 11 to comply.
Should the yellow-coded companies fail to comply with the government’s requirements, they will not be allowed to renew the work visas of foreign workers beyond six years. Red zoned companies who do not meet the government’s requirements, meanwhile, will be unable to renew the work visas of foreign workers. — Bea Cupin /LBG, GMA News
http://bit.ly/u20i0f
Friday, December 02, 2011
Outstanding overseas Filipino workers get Bagong Bayani awards
By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:11 am | Friday, December 2nd, 2011
An educator, who helped bring to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries the professional board examinations for mechanical engineers, received the highest award for an overseas Filipino worker at ceremonies Thursday in Malacañang.
President Benigno Aquino III led the awarding rites for the country’s outstanding overseas Filipino workers. Among the awardees were seafarers who kept their vessels afloat during Japan’s 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami of March 11, and caregivers who showed “heroism and loyalty” in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The Bagong Bayani Foundation Inc. conferred the “Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bayani” on Eduardo Parra Malagapo for “his outstanding achievement in the field of education and his tireless involvement in various socio-civic activities and humanitarian services for fellow Filipinos abroad.”
“(Malagapo) was instrumental in bringing to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries the professional board examinations for mechanical engineers, which has considerably contributed to the professional growth of our mechanical engineers in that part of the world,” said BBFI vice president Rene Cristobal, the master of ceremonies.
Cited as outstanding employees were the Filipino crew members of MT Diamond Champ and MT Nichichiko for “risking their lives keeping their ships afloat during the destructive earthquake and tsunami that” hit Sendai City in northeast Japan.
“Faced with imminent danger, their heroism and competence as seafarers saved precious lives and properties and averted potential environmental disaster that would result from oil spills,” Cristobal said.
Also cited were the Filipino seafarers on MV South Islander for their rescue of 27 crew members of Daichi Shoei Maru No. 1, a fishing boat, which caught fire in the Pacific Ocean in April.
Caregivers
Among those awarded the Bagong Bayani Award for community and social service were caregivers Mercedes Joie Aquino, Sandra Otacan, Gemma Juanay and Juliet Copatan.
“Despite the danger and risk of exposure to nuclear radiation during the earthquake and tsunami calamity that rocked Fukushima in March this year, (they) elected to remain in their jobs and continued to provide care and companionship to their Japanese elderly patients,” Cristobal said.
Captain Autonomo Amano of Hoegh Fleet Services was awarded the Gregorio Oca Achievement Award, which is given to seafarers “who best symbolize any of the achievement of contribution of the late Captain Oca to the maritime industry.”
“Captain Amano stands out as the most deserving among the seafarer-awardees. He is one of his company’s outstanding seafarers, getting all accolades from all levels during his entire years of service in the company,” Cristobal said.
Amano has been with his employer for 26 years.
Other outstanding employee-awardees were Marcos Antonio Torres, who carried the Olympic torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympics; Analiza Perez-Amurao, a one-time teacher of the year in Thailand’s Mahidol University International College; Jesefina Omalsa, the first Filipino nurse to be accredited as a national surveyor by Saudi Arabia; Rosalito Nebre, for his outstanding performance as manager of the Summit Park View Hotel in Burma (Myanmar); and Elmer Ortega, a multiawarded advertising creative director in Jordan.
Also honored with the award for community and social service were Dr. Celerino Umandap for his charitable works for Filipino communities in Kuwait, and Marilyn Kasimieh for her assistance to distressed Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates and for her support for her provincemates in Iloilo.
Similarly honored were Frank Jamadre for his leadership in helping fellow Filipino workers abroad and indigents in the Philippines, and Irma Tobias for her role in protecting the rights of Filipino workers in Italy and in promoting cultural understanding between Filipinos and Italians.
http://bit.ly/tJr2RZ
Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:11 am | Friday, December 2nd, 2011
An educator, who helped bring to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries the professional board examinations for mechanical engineers, received the highest award for an overseas Filipino worker at ceremonies Thursday in Malacañang.
President Benigno Aquino III led the awarding rites for the country’s outstanding overseas Filipino workers. Among the awardees were seafarers who kept their vessels afloat during Japan’s 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami of March 11, and caregivers who showed “heroism and loyalty” in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The Bagong Bayani Foundation Inc. conferred the “Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bayani” on Eduardo Parra Malagapo for “his outstanding achievement in the field of education and his tireless involvement in various socio-civic activities and humanitarian services for fellow Filipinos abroad.”
“(Malagapo) was instrumental in bringing to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries the professional board examinations for mechanical engineers, which has considerably contributed to the professional growth of our mechanical engineers in that part of the world,” said BBFI vice president Rene Cristobal, the master of ceremonies.
Cited as outstanding employees were the Filipino crew members of MT Diamond Champ and MT Nichichiko for “risking their lives keeping their ships afloat during the destructive earthquake and tsunami that” hit Sendai City in northeast Japan.
“Faced with imminent danger, their heroism and competence as seafarers saved precious lives and properties and averted potential environmental disaster that would result from oil spills,” Cristobal said.
Also cited were the Filipino seafarers on MV South Islander for their rescue of 27 crew members of Daichi Shoei Maru No. 1, a fishing boat, which caught fire in the Pacific Ocean in April.
Caregivers
Among those awarded the Bagong Bayani Award for community and social service were caregivers Mercedes Joie Aquino, Sandra Otacan, Gemma Juanay and Juliet Copatan.
“Despite the danger and risk of exposure to nuclear radiation during the earthquake and tsunami calamity that rocked Fukushima in March this year, (they) elected to remain in their jobs and continued to provide care and companionship to their Japanese elderly patients,” Cristobal said.
Captain Autonomo Amano of Hoegh Fleet Services was awarded the Gregorio Oca Achievement Award, which is given to seafarers “who best symbolize any of the achievement of contribution of the late Captain Oca to the maritime industry.”
“Captain Amano stands out as the most deserving among the seafarer-awardees. He is one of his company’s outstanding seafarers, getting all accolades from all levels during his entire years of service in the company,” Cristobal said.
Amano has been with his employer for 26 years.
Other outstanding employee-awardees were Marcos Antonio Torres, who carried the Olympic torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympics; Analiza Perez-Amurao, a one-time teacher of the year in Thailand’s Mahidol University International College; Jesefina Omalsa, the first Filipino nurse to be accredited as a national surveyor by Saudi Arabia; Rosalito Nebre, for his outstanding performance as manager of the Summit Park View Hotel in Burma (Myanmar); and Elmer Ortega, a multiawarded advertising creative director in Jordan.
Also honored with the award for community and social service were Dr. Celerino Umandap for his charitable works for Filipino communities in Kuwait, and Marilyn Kasimieh for her assistance to distressed Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates and for her support for her provincemates in Iloilo.
Similarly honored were Frank Jamadre for his leadership in helping fellow Filipino workers abroad and indigents in the Philippines, and Irma Tobias for her role in protecting the rights of Filipino workers in Italy and in promoting cultural understanding between Filipinos and Italians.
http://bit.ly/tJr2RZ
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Don’t be too eager to offload OFWs, recruiters urge immigration men
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
7:10 am | Saturday, November 26th, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—Immigration agents at the country’s international airports should not just offload Filipino workers holding overseas employment certificates (OECs) on the mere suspicion that these are fake, leaders of recruitment groups said on Friday.
The recruiters said this Friday at a forum hosted by the government’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, which has been tasked by Vice President Jejomar Binay to create a technical working group review the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) authority to offload overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) suspected of being undocumented or victims of human trafficking.
The OEC, issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), serves as proof that its holder is a documented OFW whose employment abroad has been certified compliant with the agency’s deployment regulations.
However, airport immigration officers have been unjustly overzealous in offloading departing OFWs on mere suspicion that the OECs are fake, according to the recruiters who included recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani, Victor Fernandez of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Alfredo Palmiery of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, and Lita Hizon of the Coalition of Legitimate Agencies Deploying Domestics.
They said the proposed offloading guidelines of the Bureau of Immigration contained “redundant and incoherent layers” of requirements which give immigration agents wide discretion to interrogate departing OFWs.
These requirements are unnecessary since the departing OFW has already passed through the Labor Assistance Center (LAC) which verifies and approves the travel documents of the OFW whose OEC has already been processed at the POEA, they said.
Workers’ rights
Geslani said immigration agents were not only violating OFWs right to travel but also their right to seek gainful employment when they miss their flights and could not report to duty on time because they were offloaded.
“The OEC should be respected by the BI since the POEA is the sole authority on workers leaving for jobs abroad, not the BI. The immigration agents should not deny OFWs the opportunity to work abroad based on mere suspicion. They should not require documented workers to present other proofs of employment aside from the OEC,” Geslani said.
The recruiters pointed out that before an OEC is issued, the OFW has to provide various documents such as their authenticated employment contract, employment or work permit card, passport, two-way ticket or itinerary issued by the travel agency, proof of membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and latest receipt of Pag-Ibig Fund membership contributions.
“The frequent off-loading of some OFWs due to the indiscriminate decisions of the agents—because they were suspicious of the OFW’s travel documents or they had profiled OFW as an illegal—have resulted in the loss of job opportunities for OFWs,” Geslani said.
The delays in the departure translates to “huge expenses” for the recruitment agencies since they have to repurchase new tickets for the workers, and some delays have caused some employers to cancel the job orders, he said.
The recruiters recommended that the draft guidelines proposed by the BI should be divided into two sections—one for tourists and the other for fully documented workers carrying genuine and valid OECs.
The POEA reestablished the LAC at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early this year to serve as a clearing house where documents of departing OFWs are checked and verified.
Geslani said an OFW who has been cleared by the LAC should not anymore be questioned on his destination, documents, travel money, or sponsors aside from checking the appropriate visa for the country of destination.
http://bit.ly/uUoGR5
Philippine Daily Inquirer
7:10 am | Saturday, November 26th, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—Immigration agents at the country’s international airports should not just offload Filipino workers holding overseas employment certificates (OECs) on the mere suspicion that these are fake, leaders of recruitment groups said on Friday.
The recruiters said this Friday at a forum hosted by the government’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, which has been tasked by Vice President Jejomar Binay to create a technical working group review the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) authority to offload overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) suspected of being undocumented or victims of human trafficking.
The OEC, issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), serves as proof that its holder is a documented OFW whose employment abroad has been certified compliant with the agency’s deployment regulations.
However, airport immigration officers have been unjustly overzealous in offloading departing OFWs on mere suspicion that the OECs are fake, according to the recruiters who included recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani, Victor Fernandez of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Alfredo Palmiery of the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, and Lita Hizon of the Coalition of Legitimate Agencies Deploying Domestics.
They said the proposed offloading guidelines of the Bureau of Immigration contained “redundant and incoherent layers” of requirements which give immigration agents wide discretion to interrogate departing OFWs.
These requirements are unnecessary since the departing OFW has already passed through the Labor Assistance Center (LAC) which verifies and approves the travel documents of the OFW whose OEC has already been processed at the POEA, they said.
Workers’ rights
Geslani said immigration agents were not only violating OFWs right to travel but also their right to seek gainful employment when they miss their flights and could not report to duty on time because they were offloaded.
“The OEC should be respected by the BI since the POEA is the sole authority on workers leaving for jobs abroad, not the BI. The immigration agents should not deny OFWs the opportunity to work abroad based on mere suspicion. They should not require documented workers to present other proofs of employment aside from the OEC,” Geslani said.
The recruiters pointed out that before an OEC is issued, the OFW has to provide various documents such as their authenticated employment contract, employment or work permit card, passport, two-way ticket or itinerary issued by the travel agency, proof of membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and latest receipt of Pag-Ibig Fund membership contributions.
“The frequent off-loading of some OFWs due to the indiscriminate decisions of the agents—because they were suspicious of the OFW’s travel documents or they had profiled OFW as an illegal—have resulted in the loss of job opportunities for OFWs,” Geslani said.
The delays in the departure translates to “huge expenses” for the recruitment agencies since they have to repurchase new tickets for the workers, and some delays have caused some employers to cancel the job orders, he said.
The recruiters recommended that the draft guidelines proposed by the BI should be divided into two sections—one for tourists and the other for fully documented workers carrying genuine and valid OECs.
The POEA reestablished the LAC at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early this year to serve as a clearing house where documents of departing OFWs are checked and verified.
Geslani said an OFW who has been cleared by the LAC should not anymore be questioned on his destination, documents, travel money, or sponsors aside from checking the appropriate visa for the country of destination.
http://bit.ly/uUoGR5
OFWs come home for high paying jobs
Agence France-Presse
7:14 am | Friday, November 25th, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—While many continue to seek greener pastures abroad, some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are going against the tide to take up job offers at home.
One such OFW is Malaysia-based computer whiz Arlene Teodoro who packed his bags and flew home to the Philippines this year.
Forced to leave his family and friends in 2008 in search of a decent job overseas, the 35-year-old bachelor is back for good because his skills are suddenly in big demand amid a business process outsourcing boom.
“Nothing compares to being back in the Philippines,” said Teodoro, who was part of a 30-strong computer science class at a Manila university in the early 1990s, most of whose members also went overseas to find work.
“When I was working abroad, I’d use up all my vacation leaves to attend family events and reconnect with my family,” he said.
Teodoro now earns about P130,000 a month as a business intelligence analyst for a US data mining firm, which uses powerful software to predict such key measures as future sales and trends for clients.
Big multinationals from aircraft manufacturers to retail chains are increasingly using these sophisticated tools, and the Philippines and India offer the most cost-efficient locales for such labor-intensive tasks, he said.
The Philippines has for decades suffered an exodus of people who have headed overseas to escape dire economic conditions, with one quarter of the population currently living on a dollar a day or less.
Nine million, or 10 percent of all Filipinos, now live overseas, performing low-skilled jobs such as maids and sailors, but also working as nurses, engineers and IT specialists.
Modern-day heroes
OFWs sent $18.17 billion back to the Philippines last year, equivalent to 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and their importance to the nation is such that they have earned the nickname: “mga bagong bayani,” or “modern-day heroes.”
The exodus, however, has also led to a massive brain drain and caused social disruption as families are torn apart, with one or both parents going overseas and leaving their children at home with relatives.
But now the rise of outsourcing is giving many Filipinos a chance to stay home.
The outsourcing workforce grew about 10 percent this year to 600,000, and is expected to expand to 900,000 employees by 2016, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.
More than 60 percent of the outsourcing jobs are in call centers with Filipinos fielding telephone inquiries from or selling products to customers across the globe.
P20,000 a month
Although these employees are the lowest-paid in the sector, an entry-level call center job still pays between P14,000-P20,000 a month.
This is roughly equivalent to what a Filipino maid would typically earn in a wealthier Asian country such as Singapore, or a seaman’s starting salary in the global merchant fleet.
The local outsourcing industry is also increasingly attracting work for higher-paying skills such as data warehousing, accounting and medical transcription, as well as creative work ranging from webpage design to animation and video games.
“Before, it was the call center boom in the Philippines, but now it’s more of really specialized skills,” Teodoro said.
The Philippines has risen to have the second biggest outsourcing sector in the world behind India partly because it has a huge English-language workforce.
Filipino workers are also particularly prized in the United States and other Western nations because of their familiarity with their culture, a legacy of the Philippines’ history as a former US colony.
A pleasant experience
“We have had expats telling us that working with Filipino teams is a very pleasantly unique experience, which they have not had elsewhere in the world,” said Gillian Joyce Virata, a senior executive director of the industry association.
The government has also sought to amplify the country’s natural advantages by offering significant tax breaks for outsourcing firms and easing labor laws, such as one that used to bar women from working past midnight.
The industry association said outsourcing would generate revenues of $11 billion this year, up from $8.9 billion in 2010, and continue to grow by at least 15 percent annually to hit $20 billion by 2016.
This would place the outsourcing industry’s revenues almost on a level with the money sent home by overseas workers.
‘A very big support’
“This industry has provided a very big support to the economic environment of the Philippines in the past decade,” Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo told an outsourcing forum recently.
Apart from the direct benefits of employing people, Domingo credited the industry with a wide range of other knock-on effects such as increased car sales and the explosion of 24-hour convenience stores.
Outsourcing has also begun to transform Metro Manila’s skyline, with skyscrapers rising to cater to big foreign banks and technology companies that have set up shop with workforces that run into the tens of thousands.
“The contribution of this industry cannot be overstated,” Domingo said.
http://bit.ly/tRMLZF
7:14 am | Friday, November 25th, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—While many continue to seek greener pastures abroad, some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are going against the tide to take up job offers at home.
One such OFW is Malaysia-based computer whiz Arlene Teodoro who packed his bags and flew home to the Philippines this year.
Forced to leave his family and friends in 2008 in search of a decent job overseas, the 35-year-old bachelor is back for good because his skills are suddenly in big demand amid a business process outsourcing boom.
“Nothing compares to being back in the Philippines,” said Teodoro, who was part of a 30-strong computer science class at a Manila university in the early 1990s, most of whose members also went overseas to find work.
“When I was working abroad, I’d use up all my vacation leaves to attend family events and reconnect with my family,” he said.
Teodoro now earns about P130,000 a month as a business intelligence analyst for a US data mining firm, which uses powerful software to predict such key measures as future sales and trends for clients.
Big multinationals from aircraft manufacturers to retail chains are increasingly using these sophisticated tools, and the Philippines and India offer the most cost-efficient locales for such labor-intensive tasks, he said.
The main advantage of the two countries is their large English-speaking populations.
Data mining is just a small part of the outsourcing phenomenon in the
Philippines that has emerged from virtually nothing 10 years ago to
become one of the country’s most important economic planks and sources
of jobs.The Philippines has for decades suffered an exodus of people who have headed overseas to escape dire economic conditions, with one quarter of the population currently living on a dollar a day or less.
Nine million, or 10 percent of all Filipinos, now live overseas, performing low-skilled jobs such as maids and sailors, but also working as nurses, engineers and IT specialists.
Modern-day heroes
OFWs sent $18.17 billion back to the Philippines last year, equivalent to 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and their importance to the nation is such that they have earned the nickname: “mga bagong bayani,” or “modern-day heroes.”
The exodus, however, has also led to a massive brain drain and caused social disruption as families are torn apart, with one or both parents going overseas and leaving their children at home with relatives.
But now the rise of outsourcing is giving many Filipinos a chance to stay home.
The outsourcing workforce grew about 10 percent this year to 600,000, and is expected to expand to 900,000 employees by 2016, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.
More than 60 percent of the outsourcing jobs are in call centers with Filipinos fielding telephone inquiries from or selling products to customers across the globe.
P20,000 a month
Although these employees are the lowest-paid in the sector, an entry-level call center job still pays between P14,000-P20,000 a month.
This is roughly equivalent to what a Filipino maid would typically earn in a wealthier Asian country such as Singapore, or a seaman’s starting salary in the global merchant fleet.
The local outsourcing industry is also increasingly attracting work for higher-paying skills such as data warehousing, accounting and medical transcription, as well as creative work ranging from webpage design to animation and video games.
“Before, it was the call center boom in the Philippines, but now it’s more of really specialized skills,” Teodoro said.
The Philippines has risen to have the second biggest outsourcing sector in the world behind India partly because it has a huge English-language workforce.
Filipino workers are also particularly prized in the United States and other Western nations because of their familiarity with their culture, a legacy of the Philippines’ history as a former US colony.
A pleasant experience
“We have had expats telling us that working with Filipino teams is a very pleasantly unique experience, which they have not had elsewhere in the world,” said Gillian Joyce Virata, a senior executive director of the industry association.
The government has also sought to amplify the country’s natural advantages by offering significant tax breaks for outsourcing firms and easing labor laws, such as one that used to bar women from working past midnight.
The industry association said outsourcing would generate revenues of $11 billion this year, up from $8.9 billion in 2010, and continue to grow by at least 15 percent annually to hit $20 billion by 2016.
This would place the outsourcing industry’s revenues almost on a level with the money sent home by overseas workers.
‘A very big support’
“This industry has provided a very big support to the economic environment of the Philippines in the past decade,” Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo told an outsourcing forum recently.
Apart from the direct benefits of employing people, Domingo credited the industry with a wide range of other knock-on effects such as increased car sales and the explosion of 24-hour convenience stores.
Outsourcing has also begun to transform Metro Manila’s skyline, with skyscrapers rising to cater to big foreign banks and technology companies that have set up shop with workforces that run into the tens of thousands.
“The contribution of this industry cannot be overstated,” Domingo said.
http://bit.ly/tRMLZF
Thursday, November 24, 2011
OWWA reps fail to remit P21 M in overseas collections—COA
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:55 pm | Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—Officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration assigned abroad have failed to remit over P21 million in overseas collections to the Manila account of the OWWA, putting these funds at risk of misappropriation, according to the Commission on Audit.
The COA, in its 2010 OWWA report, said dollar and euro collections from various foreign posts which are equivalent to P21.587 million, had been unremitted “for a long period of time.”
These represent collections for the agency’s voluntary membership program, under which overseas workers get assistance for themselves and their family for various concerns.
According to the COA, OWWA’s overseas officers are required to remit their monthly collections to the OWWA Land Bank-Manila dollar account not later than the fifth day of the following month.
But in its scrutiny of the records, it found that P21.587 million had not been remitted for periods ranging from one to 10 years.
Several of the concerned collecting officers are still in the service, four have absconded or are absent without official leave, while another 10 have resigned or moved to another agency, COA said. It also noted that collections from Switzerland from October 2007 to December 2010 were remitted by a labor department employee.
Because the collections were not remitted timely, the funds are at risk of being misused, the COA warned.
“With the lapse of time and the continuous failure of the said collecting officer, particularly those with large amounts of accountability, to remit the said collections, the possibility that the same had been misappropriated could not be discounted,” it said.
It was also concerned that some of the funds may already be lost.
“Moreover, recovering the same may become difficult and may even be doubtful for those who had absconded or had been separated from the service,” it said.
The audit agency told the OWWA that it should demand the immediate remittance of the full amount from the concerned collecting officers.
The OWWA should also withhold payment of any money to the collecting officers, and hold them accountable, it said. It added that the OWWA should get in touch with those who have gone AWOL and demand that they settle their accountability for the unremitted collections.
The OWWA, in response, told the COA that it had sent demand letters to their employees and had withheld their salaries and other benefits in the meantime. It had also sent notices to the collection officers who are not with the OWWA anymore, but are still in the service at the labor department, it added.
It also vowed to find those who have absconded so that they could be held accountable.
http://bit.ly/v2tri6
6:55 pm | Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—Officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration assigned abroad have failed to remit over P21 million in overseas collections to the Manila account of the OWWA, putting these funds at risk of misappropriation, according to the Commission on Audit.
The COA, in its 2010 OWWA report, said dollar and euro collections from various foreign posts which are equivalent to P21.587 million, had been unremitted “for a long period of time.”
These represent collections for the agency’s voluntary membership program, under which overseas workers get assistance for themselves and their family for various concerns.
According to the COA, OWWA’s overseas officers are required to remit their monthly collections to the OWWA Land Bank-Manila dollar account not later than the fifth day of the following month.
But in its scrutiny of the records, it found that P21.587 million had not been remitted for periods ranging from one to 10 years.
Several of the concerned collecting officers are still in the service, four have absconded or are absent without official leave, while another 10 have resigned or moved to another agency, COA said. It also noted that collections from Switzerland from October 2007 to December 2010 were remitted by a labor department employee.
Because the collections were not remitted timely, the funds are at risk of being misused, the COA warned.
“With the lapse of time and the continuous failure of the said collecting officer, particularly those with large amounts of accountability, to remit the said collections, the possibility that the same had been misappropriated could not be discounted,” it said.
It was also concerned that some of the funds may already be lost.
“Moreover, recovering the same may become difficult and may even be doubtful for those who had absconded or had been separated from the service,” it said.
The audit agency told the OWWA that it should demand the immediate remittance of the full amount from the concerned collecting officers.
The OWWA should also withhold payment of any money to the collecting officers, and hold them accountable, it said. It added that the OWWA should get in touch with those who have gone AWOL and demand that they settle their accountability for the unremitted collections.
The OWWA, in response, told the COA that it had sent demand letters to their employees and had withheld their salaries and other benefits in the meantime. It had also sent notices to the collection officers who are not with the OWWA anymore, but are still in the service at the labor department, it added.
It also vowed to find those who have absconded so that they could be held accountable.
http://bit.ly/v2tri6
Monday, November 21, 2011
‘My OFW husband came home a different man’
By Susan K
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:20 am | Sunday, November 20th, 2011
Vicky’s story began like those of many wives whose husbands leave to seek jobs overseas—full of hope for a better future.
“I used to hear bells ringing in my ears every time I heard the name of the place—Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I can’t explain the joy I felt every time I received a letter. I felt hope, love, longings, kisses, and hugs were enclosed in those envelopes from my beloved husband… and they came one after the other,” she recalled.
She married her husband in 1986, and after a year they had a son. “It was a blissful marriage,” said Vicky. “My friends can attest that he put me on a pedestal. I was a lucky wife, they said.”
“My husband left the house to work abroad because he thought that what we were both earning here in the Philippines would not be enough to provide our son a better future. So in January 1988, he decided to try his luck in the Kingdom.” He left a two-year-old marriage and a year-old son.
“I was the typical, supportive wife. Although deep inside I was hurting, I was also willing to sacrifice. And I loved him even more.”
Fast forward—2011. “My husband is now living with another woman. Our marriage started to crumble in 1991, before the birth of our second child.”
Vicky said her husband came home from the Kingdom a changed man—a violent and abusive man. “He was no longer the same person I married. I saw a complete stranger. It was hard to describe because in all honesty I didn’t know exactly what kind of life he had while he was abroad.”
“I persevered. Perhaps, I thought, this too, will pass. Perhaps he was also a victim of society, as much as we, his family.”
But after more than a decade living the nightmare of a battered wife, most times feeling like a zombie and seeing the look of horror in her children’s eyes, Vicky finally had the courage to ask him to leave, citing laws against domestic violence.
“We have moved on. My son is trying to finish his course and is now a third year college student. My daughter just graduated cum laude from a well-known university and is now employed.”
The government sings high praises to OFWs, they call them the “unsung heroes.” They sacrifice for their families; bring in dollars. They help the Philippine economy, etc.
This is another side of the story. What do they call the victims of abusive OFWs?
http://bit.ly/sGOMaU
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:20 am | Sunday, November 20th, 2011
Vicky’s story began like those of many wives whose husbands leave to seek jobs overseas—full of hope for a better future.
“I used to hear bells ringing in my ears every time I heard the name of the place—Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I can’t explain the joy I felt every time I received a letter. I felt hope, love, longings, kisses, and hugs were enclosed in those envelopes from my beloved husband… and they came one after the other,” she recalled.
She married her husband in 1986, and after a year they had a son. “It was a blissful marriage,” said Vicky. “My friends can attest that he put me on a pedestal. I was a lucky wife, they said.”
“My husband left the house to work abroad because he thought that what we were both earning here in the Philippines would not be enough to provide our son a better future. So in January 1988, he decided to try his luck in the Kingdom.” He left a two-year-old marriage and a year-old son.
“I was the typical, supportive wife. Although deep inside I was hurting, I was also willing to sacrifice. And I loved him even more.”
Fast forward—2011. “My husband is now living with another woman. Our marriage started to crumble in 1991, before the birth of our second child.”
Vicky said her husband came home from the Kingdom a changed man—a violent and abusive man. “He was no longer the same person I married. I saw a complete stranger. It was hard to describe because in all honesty I didn’t know exactly what kind of life he had while he was abroad.”
“I persevered. Perhaps, I thought, this too, will pass. Perhaps he was also a victim of society, as much as we, his family.”
But after more than a decade living the nightmare of a battered wife, most times feeling like a zombie and seeing the look of horror in her children’s eyes, Vicky finally had the courage to ask him to leave, citing laws against domestic violence.
“We have moved on. My son is trying to finish his course and is now a third year college student. My daughter just graduated cum laude from a well-known university and is now employed.”
The government sings high praises to OFWs, they call them the “unsung heroes.” They sacrifice for their families; bring in dollars. They help the Philippine economy, etc.
This is another side of the story. What do they call the victims of abusive OFWs?
http://bit.ly/sGOMaU
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Loida Nicolas Lewis gets Eleanor Roosevelt legacy award
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:30 am | Sunday, November 20th, 201
Filipino-American businesswoman and philanthropist Loida Nicolas
Lewis was awarded the Trailblazer of Democracy Award by The Eleanor’s
Legacy organization on October 24, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New
York City.
Eleanor’s Legacy, which is an organization focused on empowering women’s political candidates who follow in the footsteps of former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, honored Lewis for her continued contributions to the empowerment of women in the political and public arena.
Eleanor’s Legacy supports Democratic women who are aspiring for local and state offices in the State of New York.
Lewis is active in political campaigns. She was a supporter of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaigns, as well as the current Philippine President’s campaign in 2010, when she visited different US states to campaign for then Sen. Benigno Aquino III. She is also an advocate of voter registration and mobilization, encouraging Filipino-Americans to “show power in their numbers.”
“The triumph of Loida Nicolas Lewis’ life reminds us all that the real legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt is an obligation to think of ourselves as citizens of the world,” said New York Sen. Hassell-Thompson. “Loida has followed in the footsteps of Mrs. Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was known as the first lady of the world, and Loida’s vision of a better world, where children are given a chance to learn, where giving young women a chance to lead is not contained to New York State.”
Also among the guests was New York Senator Charles E. Schumer, who also spoke highly of Lewis.
“Loida Lewis is one of America’s leading Filipina women,” said Schumer. “Fifteen years ago, when there was a desperate shortage of nurses in this country, and the talent of Filipina women to come here and be nurses was being blocked by the same kind of non-thinking approach to immigration that too many exhibit in Washington today. Loida led the charge to change. There are now thousands of Filipina nurses in America, and particularly in New York.”
Just as Mrs. Roosevelt stepped to the forefront when her husband President Franklin
D. Roosevelt fell ill during his presidency, Lewis stepped forward as
CEO of her husband Reginald F. Lewis’ investment firm TLC Beatrice
following his untimely death at the age of 50. Lewis, who was the first
Asian woman to pass the bar exam in New York without studying in the
United States, showed she was a capable businesswoman in her own right,
eliminating the company’s debt while making a series of decisions that
resulted in an internal return of 35 percent for stockholders.
“I accept this with great honor and humility, and I am honored to represent my fellow Filipinos” said Lewis who was the first and only Filipina Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Awardee. During her speech, Lewis shared her secrets to achieving success. She named goal setting, maintaining Order in your life and having determination in your endeavors.
As a philanthropist, Lewis has contributed a considerable amount to a number of causes, such as The Lewis College in her hometown of Sorsogon Province, that gives scholarships to Filipino children from pre-Kindergarten to university. Her People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation, is involved in micro-financing. As chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), Lewis led simultaneous prayer forums at 175 communities and cities around the world last August 21, 2011 for the peaceful resolution of the Spratlys dispute with China. The group also held rallies in front of the China Consular offices in the US last July.
http://bit.ly/sY0kpg
12:30 am | Sunday, November 20th, 201
 |
| LOIDA NICOLAS LEWIS (left) flanked by US Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and Senator for New York, Charles Schumer, is the first Filipino- American to get the award. CARISSA VILLAC |
Eleanor’s Legacy, which is an organization focused on empowering women’s political candidates who follow in the footsteps of former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, honored Lewis for her continued contributions to the empowerment of women in the political and public arena.
Eleanor’s Legacy supports Democratic women who are aspiring for local and state offices in the State of New York.
Lewis is active in political campaigns. She was a supporter of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaigns, as well as the current Philippine President’s campaign in 2010, when she visited different US states to campaign for then Sen. Benigno Aquino III. She is also an advocate of voter registration and mobilization, encouraging Filipino-Americans to “show power in their numbers.”
“The triumph of Loida Nicolas Lewis’ life reminds us all that the real legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt is an obligation to think of ourselves as citizens of the world,” said New York Sen. Hassell-Thompson. “Loida has followed in the footsteps of Mrs. Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was known as the first lady of the world, and Loida’s vision of a better world, where children are given a chance to learn, where giving young women a chance to lead is not contained to New York State.”
Also among the guests was New York Senator Charles E. Schumer, who also spoke highly of Lewis.
“Loida Lewis is one of America’s leading Filipina women,” said Schumer. “Fifteen years ago, when there was a desperate shortage of nurses in this country, and the talent of Filipina women to come here and be nurses was being blocked by the same kind of non-thinking approach to immigration that too many exhibit in Washington today. Loida led the charge to change. There are now thousands of Filipina nurses in America, and particularly in New York.”
 |
| FIL-AMS
SPEAK OUT Over 200 concerned Filipino Americans in the East Coast joined Nicolas Lewis (center) in the simultaneous protests against China’s intrusions in the West Philippine Sea earlier this year. |
“I accept this with great honor and humility, and I am honored to represent my fellow Filipinos” said Lewis who was the first and only Filipina Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Awardee. During her speech, Lewis shared her secrets to achieving success. She named goal setting, maintaining Order in your life and having determination in your endeavors.
As a philanthropist, Lewis has contributed a considerable amount to a number of causes, such as The Lewis College in her hometown of Sorsogon Province, that gives scholarships to Filipino children from pre-Kindergarten to university. Her People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation, is involved in micro-financing. As chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), Lewis led simultaneous prayer forums at 175 communities and cities around the world last August 21, 2011 for the peaceful resolution of the Spratlys dispute with China. The group also held rallies in front of the China Consular offices in the US last July.
http://bit.ly/sY0kpg
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Rural banks eye OFW remittances via BSP’s PhilPaSS
11/15/2011 | 07:13 PM
Rural bankers see an opportunity to be competitive in the money transfer business, which they intend to maximize by joining the Philippine Payments and Settlements System (PhilPaSS) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“While remittance centers are a dime a dozen, there is still a way for us rural bankers to enter the industry by offering a faster yet affordable service to our clients in the countryside who are also beneficiaries of many OFWs. This is where the PhilPaSS remitting system comes in," said Ian Pama, president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP), which has 600 members.
Pama said none of the RBAP members have yet tapped into the PhilPaSS, the online and real-time payment system the BSP administers to facilitate transactions between banks.
"RBAP has a strategic role to play if and when the organization decides to use the system. Should RBAP members decide to use the system, then we can offer cheaper, if not the cheapest transaction fees without incurring any losses,"
The BSP has been urging banks to use the PhilPaSS Remit System for OFW remittances because it has a rate of P50 per transaction compared to P100 to P500 per charged by other money transfer systems. — ELR/VS, GMA News
http://bit.ly/rZ2IsI
Rural bankers see an opportunity to be competitive in the money transfer business, which they intend to maximize by joining the Philippine Payments and Settlements System (PhilPaSS) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“While remittance centers are a dime a dozen, there is still a way for us rural bankers to enter the industry by offering a faster yet affordable service to our clients in the countryside who are also beneficiaries of many OFWs. This is where the PhilPaSS remitting system comes in," said Ian Pama, president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP), which has 600 members.
Pama said none of the RBAP members have yet tapped into the PhilPaSS, the online and real-time payment system the BSP administers to facilitate transactions between banks.
"RBAP has a strategic role to play if and when the organization decides to use the system. Should RBAP members decide to use the system, then we can offer cheaper, if not the cheapest transaction fees without incurring any losses,"
The BSP has been urging banks to use the PhilPaSS Remit System for OFW remittances because it has a rate of P50 per transaction compared to P100 to P500 per charged by other money transfer systems. — ELR/VS, GMA News
http://bit.ly/rZ2IsI
Friday, November 11, 2011
1 out of 10 OFWs financially broke: study
Posted at 11/11/2011 10:43 AM | Updated as of 11/11/2011 12:37 PM
The study made by the Social Enterprise Development Partnerships
Inc. (SEDPI) also showed that most or around 80% of Filipinos working
abroad overspend on investments on houses and home improvements.
Also, 8 out of 10 do not have savings and are unable to prepare for
their retirement or return to the country and are caught in a cycle of
debt and poverty.
The study also showed that only 5% save a fixed amount regularly and about 15% save monthly but not with a fixed amount.
These worrying statistics was told to ABS-CBN Europe at SEDPI's
financial literacy seminar for Filipino workers in Oslo, Norway last
November 5.
According to Vincent Rapisura, CEO of SEDPI, it is a sad phenomenon
that OFWs do not enjoy financial stability despite years of working
abroad.
Pressures from family members for regular remittances and investing
in idle assets (such as houses) have contributed to bankruptcy and
financial insecurity for most OFWs.
He also told the participants of the seminar, mostly those working
as au pairs in Oslo that it is important to set boundaries when it comes
to sending remittances.
"Ginagawa kayong insurance ng inyong pamilya di ba?" he asked.
He also has three pieces of advice to Filipinos who are working abroad or are planning to work abroad.
First, they must make their goal for going abroad very clear and
discuss this with their family. If the goal is to send the children to
school, the OFW should be able to go home after this goal is achieved.
Another is to learn the discipline of saving money and lastly, acquire
insurance cover to prepare for eventualities.
He also told the participants that unless they have these things,
they should think twice before they send all their money back home.
Rapisura said that Filipinos working abroad should set aside up to 3
to six months of their monthly salary as emergency savings and should
hold a 10-year insurance and health cover for themselves to ensure that
they are protected from economic shocks.
It is also important, he said, for OFWs to be realistic about their
financial position and set a financial goal in order to plan for
financial security in the future.
Asked if these harsh advise had led to economic backlash from
families back home, Rapisura said that on the contrary, families in the
Philippines learn to understand the predicament of their relatives and
has ironically led to closer family ties.
When ABS-CBN Europe asked some participants on the relevance of the
seminar to their life situation, some seem to have taken the
information to heart.
"Every month nagpapadala ako ng 1,000 kroner sa pamilya bilang
tulong sa pamilya ko dahil nandito ako sa abroad. Pero kung hihingi pa
sila ng sobra, siguro may limit na," Carmi Derillo told us.
She also said that she learned how to save money from the seminar.
At 23, she came to Norway to work as an au pair and hopes to save enough to open a business venture in the Philippines.
Jennifer Rarugal, 24 who also works as an au pair also revealed
that she has to struggle with her budget at first since she wanted to
provide for her family's needs.
"Noong una kasi noong pumunta dito sa Norway, iniisip ko lang kasi
ang pamilya ko, na makapagpadala ako, masustentuhan ko sila especially
sa food, kung may nagkakasakit, gusto ko mapagamot agad. (Pero sa
seminar), 'yong isa sa naiintindihan ko na kailangan pala meron kang
perang ipon para makatulong. Paano ka makakatulong kung sarili mo wala
ka naman pera di ba?," she added.
The seminar was organized by the New Filipino Working Group (NFWG)
in Oslo to provide guidance to the au pairs in managing their money.
Jean Langerud, coordinator of the NFWG said that they hope the
seminar will be able to help Filipino workers in Oslo especially the au
pairs to attain financial stability.
"It is a challenge to us Filipinos, on how to manage our money
especially for those who suffer from a culture of deprivation. We tend
to spend on things that we were not able to afford before and that can
lead to overspending and inability to save for the future," Langerud
added.
Monday, November 07, 2011
POEA to review ban on OFW deployment
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
2:45 am | Monday, November 7th, 2011
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will study
a proposal by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to defer
enforcement of a ban on the deployment of Filipinos to 41 countries
deemed as not providing enough protection to foreign workers.
The POEA governing board, chaired by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, initially met on Friday to deliberate on the DFA proposal seeking postponement of the implementation of POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 7.
POEA Administrator Carlos Cao, board vice chair, told reporters that the resolution ordering the ban was to take effect on November 18, or 15 days after its publication.
“Resolution 7 does not take effect until after 15 days and we will take advantage of this.
We believe this will give us ample time to discuss the matter thoroughly and extensively on whether to defer or not,” Cao said.
Cao earlier defended the ban, saying that the agency was only complying with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10022, which restricts the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to countries duly certified by the DFA as having adequate protection for migrant workers.
However, former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Raul Señeres said the certification provisions of RA 10022 should be repealed by Congress as soon as possible because they are difficult to implement.
“The law will be unimplementable in the long run. The hiring of migrant workers in labor-receiving countries is a lucrative and flourishing business dominated by foreign manpower companies. Nothing can prevent a manpower company based in an unbanned country such as Saudi Arabia from recruiting workers from the Philippines purportedly or on paper, to work in Saudi Arabia but their actual destinations are somewhere else, such as banned Afghanistan,” Señeres said.
He added, “Also, what will prevent an employer in the United Arab Emirates who has 10 Filipino housemaids from bringing five of them to Iraq to work in the household of his relatives there? Stamping the OFWs’ passports with a notice that travel to, say, Lebanon, is restricted is obligatory only on the part of Philippine immigration officials and not on the part of the other countries’ immigration officers.”
Señeres said the Philippine government should instead deploy diplomats determined to fight for the rights of OFWs wherever they might be.
“The best thing to do is to send ambassadors who are briefed to truly fight for every Filipino worker’s rights like a Doberman, not a poodle. They should send a strong signal to employers of OFWs that they should not mess around with an OFW. They should not be afraid of being declared persona non grata for fighting at all costs for an OFW,” he said.
After all, he added, the Migrant Workers Act directs that the “top priority concern of the secretary of foreign affairs and the Philippine ambassadors is the protection of OFWs.”
http://bit.ly/vBFTz1
Philippine Daily Inquirer
2:45 am | Monday, November 7th, 2011
 |
| Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ NIÑO JESUS ORBETA |
The POEA governing board, chaired by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, initially met on Friday to deliberate on the DFA proposal seeking postponement of the implementation of POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 7.
POEA Administrator Carlos Cao, board vice chair, told reporters that the resolution ordering the ban was to take effect on November 18, or 15 days after its publication.
“Resolution 7 does not take effect until after 15 days and we will take advantage of this.
We believe this will give us ample time to discuss the matter thoroughly and extensively on whether to defer or not,” Cao said.
Cao earlier defended the ban, saying that the agency was only complying with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10022, which restricts the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to countries duly certified by the DFA as having adequate protection for migrant workers.
However, former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Raul Señeres said the certification provisions of RA 10022 should be repealed by Congress as soon as possible because they are difficult to implement.
“The law will be unimplementable in the long run. The hiring of migrant workers in labor-receiving countries is a lucrative and flourishing business dominated by foreign manpower companies. Nothing can prevent a manpower company based in an unbanned country such as Saudi Arabia from recruiting workers from the Philippines purportedly or on paper, to work in Saudi Arabia but their actual destinations are somewhere else, such as banned Afghanistan,” Señeres said.
He added, “Also, what will prevent an employer in the United Arab Emirates who has 10 Filipino housemaids from bringing five of them to Iraq to work in the household of his relatives there? Stamping the OFWs’ passports with a notice that travel to, say, Lebanon, is restricted is obligatory only on the part of Philippine immigration officials and not on the part of the other countries’ immigration officers.”
Señeres said the Philippine government should instead deploy diplomats determined to fight for the rights of OFWs wherever they might be.
“The best thing to do is to send ambassadors who are briefed to truly fight for every Filipino worker’s rights like a Doberman, not a poodle. They should send a strong signal to employers of OFWs that they should not mess around with an OFW. They should not be afraid of being declared persona non grata for fighting at all costs for an OFW,” he said.
After all, he added, the Migrant Workers Act directs that the “top priority concern of the secretary of foreign affairs and the Philippine ambassadors is the protection of OFWs.”
http://bit.ly/vBFTz1
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