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Sunday, July 08, 2018

UPDATE: Two Filipino Women Kidnapped in Iraq have been Rescued

UPDATE:The two Filipino women abducted in Iraq last Friday have been rescued and some of their captors were arrested.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano expressed gratitude to authorities in Iraq for the swift and successful rescue of the two Filipinos who were reportedly seized by armed men.

The two are under police custody after they were rescued in Diyala Province, north of the capital, on Saturday.

For decades, Iraq has been a dangerous place. This was why the Philippine government used to ban Filipinos from travelling to the country since 2004. It is believed that 10,000 Filipinos work in Iraq illegally. The ban was upgraded to partial ban in 2013, with some precautionary measures. This does not mean that the country is now safe for Filipino workers. In fact, recent news coming from the country's security forces say that two Filipino Women have been kidnapped. Details of the kidnapping below. The two Filipino women were kidnapped on Saturday in Iraq on a road connecting Baghdad to Kirkuk, security and local officials informed Reuters news agency. Kirkuk is part of the "no-go" areas still considered too dangerous for foreign workers. The others are the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahuddin. The women were traveling with three other Filipinos on their way to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, when their car broke down. The two women exited the car after it broke down. Unknown men drove by in a yellow car and grabbed them, a military source said. The identities, affiliation, and motivation of the kidnappers were not immediately clear. There has been an uptick in attacks and kidnappings by Daesh militants over the past few weeks near the area the women were taken from. At least eight members of the security forces were kidnapped and later killed by the ultra-hardline militants on that same highway last month.

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Earlier reports indicate that the four Filipinos came from Irbil in the northern Kurdistan region and were on their way to Baghdad when their vehicle broke down along the highway in Uzem District between Kirkuk and Diyala where they encountered armed men in a yellow car.

The women were then forcibly taken by the armed men after their driver abandoned their vehicle when it broke down. However, two of the four women were reportedly able to escape.

the Embassy would request custody of the four women as soon as the police investigation is concluded so that they can immediately be repatriated.

The Embassy estimated that there are 4,000 Filipinos working in Iraq, with around 3,000 based in the Kurdistan region.

Original Article:

For decades, Iraq has been a dangerous place. This was why the Philippine government used to ban Filipinos from travelling to the country since 2004. It is believed that up to 10,000 Filipinos work in Iraq illegally. The ban was upgraded to partial ban in 2013, with some precautionary measures. This does not mean that the country is now safe for Filipino workers. In fact, recent news coming from the country's security forces say that two Filipino Women have been kidnapped.

The two Filipino women were kidnapped on Saturday in Iraq on a road connecting Baghdad to Kirkuk, security and local officials informed Reuters news agency. Kirkuk is part of the "no-go" areas still considered too dangerous for foreign workers. The others are the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahuddin.

The women were traveling with three other Filipinos on their way to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, when their car broke down. The two women exited the car after it broke down. Unknown men drove by in a yellow car and grabbed them, a military source said.

The route as seen on a navigation map. The women were kidnapped on the highway between Baghdad and Kirkuk, on the way to Erbil.

The identities, affiliation, and motivation of the kidnappers were not immediately clear.
There has been an uptick in attacks and kidnappings by Daesh militants over the past few weeks near the area the women were taken from.
At least eight members of the security forces were kidnapped and later killed by the ultra-hardline militants on that same highway last month.

The security forces were believed to be victims of ISIS.

Complete List of 66 Countries Where Philippine Passport Holder Can Travel Visa-Free this 2018

Are you a Philippine passport holder? Is yes, you can now visit 66 international destinations this year visa-free! With this, the Philippine passport is now the seventh strongest in Southeast Asia. This was after three more countries and territories gave the Philippines visa-free access raising the number of countries that offer visa-free access to the Philippines to 66. This includes China, Taiwan, and South Korea. China offered visa-free travel to Hainan to 59 countries, including the Philippines, in April, while visa-free access to Taiwan was offered beginning November 2017. South Korea temporarily opened its borders for visa-free travel to the Philippines until April 2018 due to the 2018 Winter Olympics. This is based on 2018 Henley Passport Index that looked into the travel freedom of countries based on an authoritative database of travel information. The following are the complete list of 66 other countries and territories that offer visa free-access to the country. Asia Brunei Cambodia Hong Kong Indonesia Kyrgyzstan* Laos Macao Malaysia Maldives* Mongolia Myanmar Nepal* Singapore Sri Lanka** Thailand Timor-Leste* Vietnam China South Korea Taiwan Africa Cape Verde* Comores Island* Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti* Gambia Guinea-Bissau* Kenya* Madagascar* Malawi* Mauritania* Mauritius* Morocco Mozambique* Rwanda Seychelles* Somalia* St Helena* Tanzania* Togo* Uganda* Oceania The Cook Islands* Fiji The Marshall Islands* Micronesia Niue Palau Islands* Papua New Guinea* Samoa* Tuvalu* Vanuatu Carribean Dominica Haiti St Lucia* St Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago* Americas Bolivia Brazil Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Nicaragua* Peru Suriname Middle East Armenia* Iran* Israel *visa on arrival Meanwhile, Japan unseated Singapore on the top ranking in the passport index. Japan gain visa-free access to 189 countries while Singapore â€” 188. Third on the rank are South Korea, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden with visa-free access to 187 countries; Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States followed in fourth place at 186 countries. The lowest ranked passport globally are Afghanistan and Iraq with 30 countries.

OFW Survival Stories

It is not only a few times we hear and read about overseas Filipino workers (OFW) being maltreated and abused by their employers, some of them even return home mentally disoriented and some even did not make it home alive. Importers trade commodities and products but in the Philippines, we export skilled and household workers alike. The latter has a significant number deployed all over the globe with over two million domestic helpers work in the Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, where cases of abuse are registered. Advertisement Sponsored Links The story of Joanna Demafelis, a household worker who was found inside a freezer in her former employer's abandoned residence in Kuwait, made a significant way to address the rampant issue of HSWs abuse and maltreatment. To avoid further similar incidents, President Rodrigo Duterte through Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered immediate deployment ban of all OFWs bound to Kuwait. Should his demands to the government of Kuwait for better living condition and protection of the OFWs be met, the ban may be finally lifted. Hundreds of maltreatment happened in several parts of the gulf. It could be referred to as modern-day slavery. Most household workers are not even allowed to take at least a day off in a week. Some of them are also receiving delayed salaries, some none at all. They are treated as commodities instead being a human. Some of them are even sold to other employers. There have been varying degrees of abuses perpetrated on domestic helpers, but these abuses have largely been tied to the Kafala system, a visa-sponsorship system implemented by Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, where workers are essentially beholden to the demands of their employers. The employer or the sponsor is required to â€œassume full economic and legal responsibilityâ€ and has complete control over when the worker can leave and where the worker goes. It includes keeping the employee's passport, a usual practice in the Gulf countries. they do it to prevent the holder to escape from their custody. While the Kafala system also applies to other migrant workers such as those working in construction, in hospitals, or in engineering, Dr. Jean Franco, an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines whose research focuses on the politics of gender and labor-out migration, says that the abuses carried by the Kafala are gravely felt by domestic helpers because they are not within the public sphere. With the deployment ban in Kuwait, the Philippine government has somehow given the chance to show that it can do measures to alleviate and stop the maltreatment and the abuses to the HSWs and it could possibly be extended to other parts of the Middle East where many cases of abuse are happening. Just recently, President Duterte has announced that the Kuwait government has already agreed to his terms favoring the OFWs working in their country. Filipino resilience is always evident in every OFW. They can endure everything just for the sake of giving their beloved family the best future possible. They give a lot to the government by keeping the economy kicking by their remittances. In return, the government should always assure their welfare and safety. READ MORE: Recruiters With Delisted, Banned, Suspended, Revoked And Cancelled POEA Licenses 2018 List of Philippine Embassies And Consulates Around The World Classic Room Mates You Probably Living With Do Not Be Fooled By Your Recruitment Agencies, Know Your Correct Fees Remittance Fees To Be Imposed On Kuwait Expats Expected To Bring $230 Million Income TESDA Provides Training For Returning OFWs Cash Aid To Be Given To Displaced OFWs From Kuwaitâ€”OWWA Former OFW In Dubai Now Earning P25K A Week From Her Business Top Search Engines In The Philippines For Finding Jobs Abroad 5 Signs A Person Is Going To Be Poor And 5 Signs You Are Going To Be Rich

24 Countries Around the World that are Off-Limits to OFWs this 2018

The new year is here and many of us are pursuing the dream to work abroad or to become Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). If you are looking for jobs abroad, you should be wary of applying in this following countries where deployment ban is still in effect due to unstable security and economic conditions for OFWs.

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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

ISIS Planned To Bomb An Etihad Flight Over Sydney Skies With A Barbie Doll Bomb

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Police in Sydney has foiled an ISIS-linked plot to bomb an Etihad Airways flight over Sydney skies. The alleged bomb was concealed inside a meat grinder. But the device did not make it onto flight EY451, which departed Sydney for Abu Dhabi on July 15, because the bag where the bomb was placed in was seven kilograms above the airline's weight limit for hand luggage. It was never checked onto the Etihad Airways flight because it was just too heavy.

Two men were charged following terror raids in Sydney. Khaled Khayyat, 49, and Mahmoud Khayyat, 32, were charged of planning a terrorist attack and possesion of bomb-making materials. Two others were later released. Another Khayat brother is believed to be an ISIS commander in Syria.

Khaled Khayyat was arrested during a raid.

The brother in Syria, Tarek Khayyat, allegedly put the pair in Sydney in contact with a dangerous ISIS heavyweight known as 'The Controller' in April, who instructed them on how to build the bomb. The components of the bomb were said to be sent into Australia from Turkey as air cargo and assembled in Sydney. The three Lebanese-Australian brothers allegedly planned to sneak the bomb on to the plane in the luggage of a third brother, Amer, who had no idea about the wicked plan.

Australian police have said they did not believe the brother was aware of the plan, but Lebanon's Interior Minister contradicted that and alleged that the brother was supposed to detonate the improvised bomb about 20 minutes into the flight. Lebanese authorities arrested Amer Khayyat when he landed in the country from Australia in mid-July.

Airport security and inspections have been made more strict following the foiled attempt to bomb an airliner in Sydney.

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Lebanon's interior minister Nouhad Machnouk told Saudi Arabian television that his country's security officials uncovered the alleged plot. Lebanese authorities were tracking the four men accused of plotting to bring down a passenger plane in Sydney for more than a year. Lebanese intelligence began tracking the brothers when Tarek Khayat first moved to Raqqa.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, briefing the media about the foiled plot and Lebanese participation in the intelligence

The men accused of trying to blow up an Etihad flight out of Sydney planned to smuggle two explosive devices onto the plane in the event that one did not detonate successfully. The bombs were inside a large Barbie doll and a meatgrinder, Lebanese officials claim.

Australian authorities haven't confirmed the type of explosive police allege Khaled Khayat and his conspirators tried to smuggle onboard the Etihad flight, it is likely it was the same explosive repeatedly used by Al Qaeda in a series of bomb plots targeting the US —PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate). PETN is valued by terrorists because it is hard to detect and has a relatively high yield for its size: about 100 grams can reportedly destroy a car.

The suspect Khaled Khayyat is pictured in front of Sydney Airport

After the bomb plan failed, The Controller allegedly told the would-be terrorists how to construct an 'improvised chemical dispersion device - a toxic hydrogen sulphide bomb." Their alleged new plan was to release highly toxic gas into Sydney Airport and on public transport at the same time.

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On July 26, UK and US intelligence agencies tipped off their counterparts in Australia about the alleged plot. The Khayat brothers were caught in a series of raids in Surry Hills, Wiley Park, Lakemba and Punchbowl, before the alleged second attempt, which was 'very close' - even just days or hours from happening. "They were going back to the airport, they would let it off in there if they couldn't get it on a plane." according to the intelligence tip.

The raiding team also found bomb-making material “ready to go,” and took handwritten notes, two phones, an iPad, two cell phone SIM packs and car registration and insurance papers.

Scene at one of the houses raided by Australian Federal Police

The flight held around 400 passengers, 120 of them Lebanese. The Lebanese minister said the suspects wanted to avenge the UAE and Australia for being members of the anti-ISIS coalition bombing the group in Iraq and Syria.

sources: DailyMail, ABC.net, NYPost, BBC

5 Things To Watch Out For If You Plan To Work In New Zealand

New Zealand has always been one of the top destinations for migrant workers seeking employment and residency abroad. With its beautiful climate and eye-catching scenery, people think of life in New Zealand as perfect. The country also welcomes migrant workers, more so than others. Filipinos prefer working in New Zealand too, especially in the dairy industry. But recent developments in migrant laws are putting this view into question. Add to that, recent incidences of racial and employment abuse should make prospective migrant workers think twice before coming to New Zealand. Don't take me wrong. New Zealand is a nice place, and the people are wonderful. This only serves as a warning for people to know what to look for when considering working in this country. A new report authored by a former Parliament member and commissioned by a migrant workers' union highlighted astonishing abuses of migrants, particularly Filipinos, working in the Dairy Industry. An estimated 1,700 Filipinos work in the country’s dairy farms. The report is based on interviews with 27 Filipino migrants working on dairy farms in both the North and South islands. A small number of New Zealand workers were also interviewed for comparison. Almost all those interviewed were not aware that they were already being abused, exploited and underpaid. But the shocking case is actually not limited to the Dairy Industry. Similar cases were recorded elsewhere - in restaurants, fishing boats, construction, hospitality and horticulture industries and in other areas where migrant workers often find work. Foreign students doubling as workers are also vulnerable. Below is a list of the 5 things to watch out for if you plan to or is already working in New Zealand. Physical/Verbal Abuse Kiwis, local people, have a thick accent much like Australians. Also, yelling and swearing are quite normal for locals. Add unfamiliar words and slang to the mix and you get confusion. This becomes a dangerous mix when misunderstanding and stress comes together in a workplace. Cultural differences lead to instances like these. While a local employer might think it normal, a migrant employee could actually feel or could really be undergoing verbal abuse. Where there is verbal abuse, physical abuse is not far behind. Overwork According to interviews by government officials, they found some farm workers that said they often worked 20-hour days and used heavy machinery without proper breaks or time off. Similar long hours were noted in restaurants as well, with one incidence of a migrant worker collapsing from exhaustion and being asked to continue working once she was able to stand. Fishermen were in the worst scenario, working 16-hours per day, but are stuck in a ship for up to two weeks - in often hazardous conditions. The worse part, many of the overworked workers are paid very little, and in some cases, not paid for all the time they put into work. Many are also found to not enjoying a customary day off. Underpaid Surveys reveal that a number of migrant workers are paid less for the same job as locals. The wage disparity is even bigger for jobs that locals do not like to take. Some migrant workers even do not know the minimum wage in New Zealand, receiving much less per hour rate. Some workers, especially in far flung areas are also missing out on statutory entitlements as well as overtime pay. Those who work for 16 to 20 hours a day often receive wage for just 8 to 12 hours. Being Exposed to Dangerous Conditions Farm workers, fishermen and those in construction face huge dangers in their job. And some employers are not helping the situation either. In the case of dairy farm workers, employees are forced to use damaged equipment and also left without Personal Protective Equipment like gloves, helmets, jumpsuits or masks. In an interview, one farm worker said "I just kept vomiting with all the chemicals I use." Workers actually have a right to refuse work if they think that the work being asked is likely to cause them serious harm. Work can only continue if the employer and employee have agreed that the work has an essential, understood risk of serious harm, and the appropriate hazard controls have been put in place. The New Zealand government is aware of the exploitation of migrant workers, and they have steadily worked to eliminate such shameful practices, especially in blue collar jobs. Some of the basic rights, known as "minimum rights" in NZ are below: Click here to see the complete list of migrant workers rights in New Zealand. source: Radio NZ, Inquirer, Stuff, New Zealand Immigration

61 Visa-Free Countries Filipinos Can Visit in 2017

ASEAN Brunei Darussalam - Visa not required - 14 days Cambodia - Visa not required - 15 days Indonesia - Visa not required - 30 days Laos - Visa not required - 30 days Malaysia - Visa not required - 14 days Myanmar - Visa not required - 14 days Singapore - Visa not required - 30 days Thailand - Visa not required - 30 days Vietnam - Visa not required - 21 days NON-ASEAN Azerbaijan - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Taiwan - If holding valid visa for Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Schengen countries, United Kingdom and United States - 30 days Georgia - Visa issued upon arrival - 90 days Hong Kong - Visa not required - 14 days India - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Iran - Visa issued upon arrival - 15 days Israel - Visa not required - 90 days South Korea - Visa not required (If arriving at Jeju Island only) - 30 days Macau - Visa not required - 30 days Maldives - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Mongolia - Visa not required - 21 days Nepal - Visa issued upon arrival - 90 days Sri Lanka - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Timor Leste - Visa not required - 30 days NORTH AMERICA Costa Rica - Visa not required - 30 days Dominican Republic - Visa not required - 21 days Haiti - Visa not required - 90 days Nicaragua - Visa issued upon arrival - 90 days Saint Lucia - Visa not required - 42 days Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Turks and Caicos Islands - Visa not required - 30 days SOUTH AMERICA Bolivia - Visa not required - 90 days Brazil - Visa not required - 90 days Columbia - Visa not required - 90 days Equador - Visa not required - 90 days Peru - Visa not required - 183 days Suriname - Visa not required - 90 days EUROPE Kosovo - Visa not required - 30 days SOUTH PACIFIC Cook Islands - Visa not required - 31 days Fiji - Visa not required - 120 days Marshall Islands - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Micronesia - Visa not required - 30 days Niue - Visa not required - 30 days Palau - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Samoa - Visa not required - 60 days Tuvalu - Visa issued upon arrival - 30 days Vanuatu - Visa not required - 30 days AFRICA Burundi - Visa not required - 30 days Cape Verde - Visa issued upon arrival

Saudis Start to Feel Negative Impact of Expat Fees

Looking back a year ago into the plans of the Saudi Government to effectively earn huge sums of money by taxing expatriates in one form or another, everyone but the government saw the toll it would take, not only with expatriates but with the local economy as well. Fast forward to today, a number of expatriates have opted to send their families back home following the imposition of the dependents' annual fees than began July 1st. This has resulted in an unusually large number of apartments being vacated with no new tenants coming in. In what seems to be the beginning of a domino effect, real estate prices in the Eastern Province have crashed, causing a nervous slowdown in the construction industry and effectively bringing down with it the price of construction materials. According to real estate agencies, prices of land and houses have been on a continuous downward trend since the end of 2016. The market was hoping to see stability in prices at the beginning of this year. But the first quarter results showed an even more worsening figure. According to trade analysts and real estate agents, prime land rates in Al-Khobar and Dammam in the Eastern Province witnessed a sharp decline of around 18%. The rates were even lower in remote areas, going down by more than 20%. The fall in the prices began about six months ago when nervous expatriates accepted the fact that the government was hell-bent in imposing the expat fees as well as new taxes, and that they would have to face the brunt of it. Alongside the decline in real estate price, Saudi Arabia has also witnessed a sharp drop in house rents in the past 8 months. This is mostly due to the fact that a majority of renters are expats, mainly because they are not allowed to purchase real estate properties in the kingdom. According to one estimate, house rents in prime locations in Al- Khobar and Dammam have gone down by 15 to 20% in a country where just a few years ago, rents were expected to increase annually. Real estate agents fear further slide in rental rates as there are more vacant houses and less takers - this after the government, in a bid to stabilize the then increasing rental rates, pressured landowners to develop unused lots or risk a government buyout. "A four-room apartment which was rented for SR24,000 a year is now offered at SR22,000 or less," one real estate agent is quoted as saying. Similarly flats in Dammam Housing (Iskan), which were fetching rent as high as SR35,000 a year until last year, are now lying vacant with a rent tag of SR25,000 per annum. Agents say the rent prices are expected to come further down as many more expatriates will send their families and dependents to their respective homes. The major reason real estate brokers cited was nervousness in the market over large-scale exodus of expatriates from the Kingdom. No doubt that new fee on expatriates, increase in visa fee and other expat-related hikes will initially bring in huge revenue and will also help in Saudization campaign, but economists warn that the flight of expatriate workers is disturbing the projected population ratio, thus affecting demand. The impact will not be restricted to real estate but will spread to consumer items, services and even industrial products. The declining land prices and house rents have already impacted the construction industry adversely. Construction companies are getting less and less contracts, forcing them to lay-off a huge number of employees. Some companies have totally closed shop. Since construction on several projects has either slowed down or completely stopped, the construction-related material industry has also suffered a major setback. The worst affected is the cement industry which has witnessed lowest price decline since 2008. According to market retail rate a cement bag that was costing SR240 is now costing between SR130-170. The high quality Sulfur Resistant Cement, which was being sold in retail market for SR260, has gone down to SR150-190. The larger cement companies including Yamama Cement, Eastern Cement, Qassim Cement have experienced a decline in profit from 46 percent to 81 percent in the first six months of 2017. Industry expert say that these declines will eventually impact other industries as well and unless some drastic corrective measures are taken, the situation is likely to worsen further.

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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Duterte's Anonymous Donor To Give P1 Million Each Family Of Fallen Soldiers

On his speech on Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte said that an anonymous donor out of his willingness to help, has decided to give P1 million to each of the families of soldiers and policemen who has offered their services in the expense of their own lives in the conflict in Marawi City.

Duterte’s announcement has gained deafening applause from the bereaved families who were invited to Malacañang for the turnover of financial assistance from the Go Negosyo Kapatid Family Fund and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.

Duterte said that the donor doesn't want to be publicly recognized.

Dubbed as the Go Negosyo “Kapatids” , they are a group of the country’s wealthiest people , among them Manny V. Pangilinan,CEO of the First Pacific Company, Lucio Tan, LT Group CEO and Vice Chair Teresita Sy-Coson of SM Investments Corp. They are all present at the said event.
Some of the families were also given a privilege to fly from their provinces to Manila for free courtesy of the Tan-owned Philippine Airlines. Free hotel accommodations were also given to them.

Watch the full video of President Rodrigo Duterte's speech below:

Meanwhile, President Duterte said that the Philippines will be forever grateful to the fallen soldiers.

“Our troops knew of the danger that they will face upon the venture into the warzone. Still, they bravely took up the challenge so that they can bring peace and liberation to the besieged city,” Duterte said.

The Marawi City crisis which is now on its third month since it has ignited, a total of 109 government troops are among at least 607 who have died in the clashes, majority of those killed were terrorists.

On May 23, the conflict erupted between government forces and Islamic State-linked terrorist groups who had set out to establish an ISIS province in Mindanao.
With the battle still up in Marawi, Duterte told state troops fighting there to always keep safe.