"Tax reforms have caused economic shocks among the ranks of the poor, and this was foreseen.... Knowing that the poor will be most affected, DSWD lost no time in putting together the implementing guidelines of the UCT (unconditional cash transfer) so that the cash grants can be provided as soon as possible," DSWD OIC Secretary Emmanuel Leyco said.
The UCT is a program of the DSWD to shield the poorest families from the effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries will receive as much as P2,400 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under a program seeking to offset the effects of the TRAIN law.
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On March 5, some P4.3 billion was released to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) for 1.8 million 4Ps beneficiaries with existing LBP cash cards.
"Tax reforms have caused economic shocks among the ranks of the poor, and this was foreseen.... Knowing that the poor will be most affected, DSWD lost no time in putting together the implementing guidelines of the UCT (unconditional cash transfer) so that the cash grants can be provided as soon as possible," DSWD OIC Secretary Emmanuel Leyco said.
The UCT is a program of the DSWD to shield the poorest families from the effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.
For 2018, each beneficiary will receive P200 per month. In 2019 and 2020, the subsidy will increase to P300 monthly.
The LBP released cash grants to almost 420,000 beneficiaries from Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the Cordillera Administrative Region. The Landbank of the Philippines has set-up mobile ATM Machine in front of the Department of Social Welfare and Development office. DSWD said that instead of giving the P200/monthly, they decided to give the UCT to its beneficiaries for one year which amounts to P2400.
The UCT is on top of 4Ps beneficiaries' regular cash grant and P600 rice subsidy from the program. This article is filed under: philippine programs, 4Ps, 4Ps benefits, poor families, poorest, programs for the poor, Support, cash grants, cash assistance, cash gift,
Alfredo Salmos, 52, an overseas Filipino worker in Jeddah Saudi Arabia is appealing for help after he was accidentally electrocuted about two years ago in his work. According to Salmos, he was sucked into a 14,000 volts breaker that he was trying to shut down.
PEBA Worldwide launched a Project Salmos to appeal for global support and monetary donations with the consolidated efforts of the different organizations in bringing home our brother, our kabayan, ALFREDO ‘Mang Fred’ SALMOS.
PEBA's Kenji along with ABS-CBN Correspondent Frank Resma, and Marlene of Lakambini Group, Roy and Aaron of Elite Guardians, and Patnubay Riyadh and the owner of La Parilla Restaurant in a roundtable meeting to help Mang Alfredo Salmos.
PEBA has been engage in several project before, Project Twitch, Project Nealshai, and now we are starting Project Salmos. There are many, oh so many good people working behind the scene for Mang Alfred.
We are activating our contacts from 56 countries and territories and asking to solicit donation and engage causes to help this Kabayan. If you wish to be a part of PEBA's Global effort to help, please message us using the FB message above.
We will consolidate all donations into one account, preferably in a foundation. We hope you will share and reach out to others and hope to touch their heart as well.
We couldn't be any prouder. Out of the 83 nominated blogs, we have narrowed the list to 47 finalists, all equally deserving of the PEBA 2010 Blog Awards.
This is even more amazing: The countries that the finalists work in (or live in) is as diverse as their professions: A surveyor from Saudi Arabia, a researcher from Bangkok Thailand, a caregiver from Taiwan, a missionary from the Philippines, a computer programmer from Jeddah KSA, an accountant from Dubai, UAE, a researcher from the US, and a physician from Malaysia. I just mentioned a few, there are just too many of you.
Truth be told, nowhere will you find such diverse talent of OFW and Pinoy expat bloggers than here. So congratulations everybody!
Even our photo contests are receiving a warm reception. To date, we have received 40 photos from eight countries! Well done! By end of November, we are eyeing up to 100 photo entries. These photographs will be on exhibit at the venue during the award's night. Another exhibition of winning photographs is being eyed next year.
In the coming days up to the award's night, all finalists will be featured in posts and videos for the whole blogging world to see. We wish for everyone to know about your extraordinary courage in responding to our call and in sharing with us your own stories, your thoughts, your dreams. You all are truly inspirations to us.
We come free, but we don't come cheap
PEBA is ran by volunteers, OFWs and bloggers worldwide. Note that not a single cent is being paid to us, and most of the time, we even use our own money (our time and talent for PEBA is always free!). And yet PEBA is getting better and bigger. That's because of people like you. From the pool of nominees, we get some of our best and brightest volunteers who, like us, are motivated too by the desire to reach out, to share, to help.
This made PEBA unique. We are composed of Pinoy expat and OFW bloggers from various parts of the world -- sharing with one another whatever we can give to PEBA and its cause.
We also have a dream: that all of us will have a great EB soon! That all the people who took part in PEBA -- the nominees, winners, directorate, and volunteers -- will one day meet up for a grand EB. Is it a date this December 16?
We don't know how long PEBA will last. Five years? 10? We don't know. Honestly, we don't know. But one thing we're sure is that it's getting bigger and better every year. And to whom do we owe this? You, our current nominees. And also our previous nominees and winners and supporters around the world. So before we get welled up in tears, please accept my profound gratitude to all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Let's get back to serious issues. Here are some points that you may want to know en route to our award's night.
When will the voting close? December 9, 2010. 5:00am, Philippine time.
How do we guard the votes? Oh, we know those who used Host Shield or IP changer software so they can multiple vote for their entries. Sorry, but your 'dagdag' votes are uncounted.
When will the deadline be for photo entries? December 1, 2010.
5:00am, Philippine time.
When will the awarding ceremony be? December 16, 2010. At Teatrino
Promenade, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila.
Who will be our contacts? Yanah and Arvin, our Philippine-based
volunteers will assist you. Please contact them at
I can forget that during his first SONA or State of the Nation Address, there were not a single sentence that mentioned about his plans or support for OFWs. Nevermind that he was supposed to be voted by around 55% of overseas voters. I don't feel betrayed, I didn't vote for him.
Second, he cut the budget for education. This means, there will be not enough funds for public universities that means, they will raise their fees, that will eventually be the reason that most students can't pursue college or university education. I question his priorities here. I don't know why he didn't the point. Education unlocks the door of opportunities. Education is the most basic benefit he can give to the younger generations, because they are our countries future.
And the latest, he cut the budget for DFA and OFW social services by a whopping 40%. From the law requirement of P100M fund, the Arroyo administration provided only 50M, and now, Aquino wants to make it 27M. Now you can see that the government really doesn't care for OFW's. Now it is beginning to be seen that for all these years, we are nothing but lame heroes kuno that are being milked with our money remittances.
If you can join this page by liking it, we will truly be happy. This will serve as a petition to the government not to cut the budget for OFWs because it means, legal assistance, lawyer fees, repatrition, and other aids for OFWs will greatly be jeopardize.
"So in cutting down (or chopping off!) more than half of the DFA’s budget including that to be used for legal and other forms of assistance to Filipinos overseas, the consequences may be the following:
1. The task of repatriating trafficked victims and other distressed OFWs shall now fall on: 1) individual politicians from senators to mayors; 2) OWWA which are made up of contributions of workers who left the country legally; 3) the very individuals and agencies that conspired to victimize these workers thus diminishing the crime and reducing the entire matter into a bargaining situation.
I would have added the NGOs except one can really count on one’s fingers the number of NGOs that could afford to repatriate workers even from neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
No. 1 weakens institutional governance because it would lead to the politicizing of welfare assistance to OFWs in distress; it will also cause enormous lag time in providing onsite assistance – time that could mean the death or survival of an OFW.
2. RA 10022 or the amendments to the Migrant Workers’ Act states that the DFA can now use its legal assistance fund to file cases against abusive and exploitative employers and agencies outside the country. The Ople Center and other NGOs were happy to know this because the filing of such cases would greatly boost our anti-trafficking efforts. But with only Php 27-M for an entire year, how can the DFA even hope to pursue such cases? And what about the 3,000 Filipinos in jail, some of who have been detained more than their penalty calls for? If the current legal assistance fund is insufficient in looking after the legal rights of our OFWs, what more just a quarter of that amount? For an entire year!
3. Our foreign posts serve as the refuge of trafficked and maltreated workers. In Dubai alone, the welfare center is overflowing with at least 200 stranded workers at a single given time. A video taken of appalling conditions in Saudi Arabia for workers awaiting repatriation stresses the need for more funds, not less particularly for posts with a high concentration of Filipino workers. If we cannot afford change, then how can we see it? In this case, the OFW sector is not asking even for more funds — though it has every right to do so. But at the very least – a status quo. For now. Especially for a sector that brings in billions in dollar remittances that makes for a positive credit rating from international credit rating agencies. Why cut social services for OFWs?
Unless — the unjustified cuts are but another symptom of internal conflicts driven by magnified, puffed-up bureaucratic and political hurts. Read:factionalism. This may be a valid observation because of how deep the cuts are. Too deep to be superficial; too ruthless to be developmental. The cuts were made to hurt, and hurt bad – except that the wounds are being inflicted several times over on the bodies of the innocents.
We do want to hope again. The yearning is there, it is unmistakable, and while we are watchful, it is a watchfulness for both the bad, and most especially for the good. Honestly, I would prefer the inconvenience of a noisy wang-wang to the heart-wrenching wail of an OFW unable to come home despite numerous beatings from her employer. NFA – no funds available. So what else is new?
This latest move of chopping off millions meant to protect the rights and welfare of our OFWs is simply unjustifiable. When a child leaves home, a parent does what is humanly possible, despite the distance, to make sure that he or she is alright. The Assistance to Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs is the budgetary equivalent of that.
With such drastic budgetary cuts, this administration might as well have cut lives short.
“Kayo ang boss ko!” Prove it to millions of OFWs and their families here at home, Mr. President. This is in your power to change. Do not cut the budget for the DFA’s assistance to nationals and legal assistance fund."
I have been a big fan of Miss Janette Toral. Well, in fact, she is one of my mentor in founding PEBA AWARDS. She is also one of our most avid supporter when it comes to supporting OFW causes. She volunteered as a judge for two consecutive years, without asking anything in return. She has such a good heart, that she brought with her last 27th of December 2009, at the Philam Life Theater a box of her famous Blogging from Home book as freebies for the event. Thank you po, Miss Janette.
This is Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2010 writing project 4th year. I remember the first year when I first voted Avel Manansala, Kevin Ray Chua, and Jehzeel Laurente's blogs?
Topping my list is the blog of Vince Golangco, a good friend of PEBA who volunteered as one of the host from last year's award, and who made that famous video, Top 10 things to spot a Filipino abroad.The success of his site is so phenomenal that he has currently 5,400 plus fans in Facebook.
Are you surprised NoBenta? This blog owner is the same PEBA OFW Division Nominee No. 1 for this year's contest. Love your own, so I love OFW's. hehe. But seriously, his blog, about the nineties, is so cool, for me, because this (90's) years are my 'survival' years. It brings back the memories.
Was initially launched to cover the first 100 days before the 2010 election. After election, it tackles the first 100 days of the newly elected President Aquino. After the 100 days, may I suggest that the site will tackle about 100 things that the administration has done for OFW's. Let's see how fast they can reach 100.
The techie guy in me wanted to support the techie blog out there! Anything about about TVs, laptops, cellphones, cars, and other electronic items and software. Okay, anything that my money will be spent, if I have money. Hehe.
A big supporter of PEBA for me, and a good movie schedule and a bit of a review blog, I feel embarrassed for not including Jay's blog here in my list, but anyway, better late than never. I am fascinated by his post and take about every new movies. It's a great resource, really.
Upon learning about my fellow general (hailed from Gen Santos City), Orman's blog Ganda Ever So Much is more about humor, fun, events, food, "everything under the sun and moon". It is a blog that was started nearly a year ago but is making a lot of ground, and influence in the blogosphere. So being my kababayan, and a wonderful blog, he is worth joining my list of Top 10.
I have added the last in my list a blog by a good blogger friend Fjordan about entertainment news and showbiz blog. Fjordan is also a supporter of KABLOGS and PEBA for these long years. I actually subscribed to his RSS so I will be notified about the latest in Philippine showbiz. I've been too much politics for so long. Makichika naman.
Why I like this blog? Well, currently I am working as a Senior Chemist in a cosmetic laboratory. And my wife insist I should add this site here in my Top 10 list. It is a blog about beauty, and fashion. And the items posted and presented are so familiar to me. I can even donate some photos of lotions, skin creams, perfumes, and hair creams, etc. hehe
Completing my list to Top 10 is a blog from a 17 year old IT student. The Dome is simply all about what Paolo love. Interesting topics from art to music to television to the internet to events to craziness. It has no certain niche, it can't be categorized like anybody else would think. It is not just a blogsite, it is everything under one roof, no, make it one dome. I like his style, and his blog. Sometimes, wondering how a 17 year old can do that...well. Wonder.
I would like all supporters of PEBA and KABLOGS to vote for this list of blogs by posting your own Top 10 Emerging and Influential blog of 2010. Please include the any of the blogs above, and complete your list from the nominees here
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Now do you know guys that PEBA is also conducting a contest for bloggers from the Philippines? Read more here!
• She served in the Senate in 1987 as a staff of Senator Ernesto Herrera. Her first job was as a researcher before she was promoted to media relations officer, mainly because of her excellent writing and networking skills.
• In 1989, the Citizens’ DrugWatch Foundation was created with Herrera as president and Susan as executive director. The Foundation raised funds for the establishment of rehab facilities in Manila and other parts of the country. It also created awareness about the insidious effects of a drug known in the streets as “shabu”. Her work in the Citizens’ DrugWatch led her to author her first book entitled, “Hugs, Not Drugs.”
• In 1992, her father, Blas F. Ople of Hagonoy, Bulacan was elected Senator.
• From 1992 until 1998, Susan worked diligently beside and for her father, helping him write his speeches, organizing his press conferences, and pursuing his projects that even then included helping overseas Filipino workers.
• From 1998 to 1999, Ople’s youngest daughter was accepted and studied at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University, Cambridge, Boston in Massachusetts. She wrote for the school’s magazine, was tapped to write case studies by her professors, cross-enrolled in a creative writing course at Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) and spearheaded a petition to prod the school to level the playing field for international students. Susan Ople graduated with a master’s degree in Public Administration and was awarded the Josephine Vernon Award for Excellence in Communications.
• Upon her return from the United States, her father once again sought her help and designated her as chief-of-staff.
• Susan became a familiar face to media, as her father’s chief writer and media liaison officer. Soon enough, she too found herself writing a column for the now defunct Philippine Post. Thereafter, she was asked to write for Manila Chronicle and Manila Times.
• All in all, Susan spent 16 years in the Senate.
• When her father was designated Foreign Affairs Secretary, he brought Susan with him again as chief of staff. It was during her stint at the DFA that Susan became deeply involved in human trafficking and OFW cases. She was also publisher of the now-defunct “Diplomatic Post” which featured the work of career foreign service officers around the world.
• Her father died with his proverbial boots on, while onboard a plane from Tokyo, Japan to Bahrain to prepare for the President’s state visit. Susan was waiting for him in Bahrain. He died mid-air, with the plane making an emergency landing in Taiwan. By then it was too late. He came home a hero, and was buried as such leaving behind an unparalleled legacy as a statesman, father of overseas employment, and father of the Philippine labor code.
• In 2004, Susan Ople was designated by the President as Undersecretary of Labor and Employment.
• It was during her time that the DoLE established a partnership with Microsoft for a computer literacy program for OFWs called, “Tulay”. Since 2004 until today, more than 14,000 Tulay scholars have crossed the digital divide as computer literate OFWs and workers. The oldest Tulay graduate is Buhay Tan, an 80-year old mother of five OFWs. She now uses Skype, Facebook, and e-mail to communicate with her children and grandchildren.
• Last year, thanks to a grant bestowed by Microsoft, Susan through the Blas F. Ople Center, was able to put up 10 new Tulay facilities in Koronadal City, Tacloban City, Tuguegarao City, Baguio City, San Fernando in Pampanga, Calamba City, Intramuros in Manila, Butuan City, Davao City and as well as in Bataan while adding 10 new computers to the Tulay Center in Hong Kong and putting up a new Tulay facility in Taipei.
• Cognizant of her writing skills, the President requested her transfer from DoLE to the Office of Communications Director where Susan headed the presidential speechwriting group. When the OCD was abolished, Susan was taken in by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita as his Undersecretary. She respectfully tendered her resignation to ES Ermita on January 2006 because she was not in favor of a hasty Charter change, the kind that the administration was pushing.
• After her lengthy stint in government, Susan decided to continue her advocacy work in helping OFWs through the non-government organization that she founded in 2004, after her father’s death, known as the Blas F. Ople Policy Center. She thought of offering short courses such as "Foreign Affairs on Saturdays", "On Writing Well" and "History for Grown-ups" to enable adult learners to expand their competencies while enjoying themselves.
• She also worked as consultant and chief of staff to Senator Mar Roxas. She resigned in 2008 to focus full-time on the Tulay Program and the work of the Ople Center.
• In between all of these, Susan has written two books, numerous columns and articles, served as a bridge between the DFA/OP and families of hostage victims, Robert Tarongoy who was kidnapped in Iraq, and Angelito Nayan, who was held hostage in Afghanistan. She also served as a consultant to the International Labor Organization on women workers’ training on gender issues and labor rights. • Susan was instrumental in the rescue of 17 women trafficked to Syria, 137 bus drivers illegally deployed to Dubai, and countless other victims exploited in Malaysia and the Middle East. With the help of the Ople Center, the bus drivers were able to file complaints against their recruitment agencies which led to the cancellation of 7 licenses and the suspension of five others. The Ople Center also spearheaded the filing of the very first human trafficking case against a Singaporean based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who has victimized over a hundred Filipino women. The second hearing on this case will be on December 28, 2009. Meanwhile, the Ople Center has stepped up its advocacy against the use of Filipino women as drug mules by international drug rings. She has been able to help a Filipino woman recruited by a Nigerian syndicate to Lima, Peru by providing her with temporary shelter and assistance. As of today, the members of the syndicate have been arrested by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration (PDEA), with the help of the Filipino victim and the Ople Center.
• Aside from inheriting her father’s love for the OFWs and labor, Susan also took over her father’s column in Panorama Magazine and Tempo. She is also the host of a weekly radio program called, “Global Pinoy”, on DWIZ 880 AM, every Saturday, from 5.30 to 6.30 pm.
• Susan believes her biggest accomplishment to date is that of raising 24-year old Susanne Laurie Ople Osorio also known as Estelle. Estelle is a high school English teacher at Reedley International School in Pasig City and is a well-known debater and adjudicator.
• Clearly, the Ople legacy lives on, in his daughter, Toots.
That's me sharing OFW stories to Susan "Toots' Ople, running for Senator as guest candidate of the Nacionalista Party. I am asking all my friends, fellow bloggers, and OFW's around the world to support this wonderful, kind, and intelligent mother, and OFW advocate.
