Philippine labor officials sought to allay the fears of some 80,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan in the wake of an "unpleasant incident" involving the deportation of 14 Taiwanese nationals to China.
Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz downplayed the possibility of OFWs losing their jobs in Taiwan, especially after Taiwan’s move to tightened requirements and procedures for admitting Filipino workers.
"Filipino workers in Taiwan may have fears of being subjected to stricter requirements and procedures. But I do not think OFWs they will be forced out of their jobs because many Taiwanese firms are satisfied with their performance," Cruz said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio.
Cruz also said the Philippine government, through the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, is taking steps to defuse the situation.
He said the MECO has explained the Philippine government's actions in deporting the 24.
"Kinausap na ng ating representative sa MECO ang mga opisyal ng Taiwan (Our representative at MECO has talked to Taiwanese officials)," he said.
There are some 80,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan, most of them working in electronics factories, while some 20,000 are caregivers earning about P30,000 a month.
The row between the Philippines and Taiwan stemmed from the arrest last Dec. 27 of 24 foreigners, including 14 Taiwanese, on charges of fraud.
Despite attempts by Taiwan officials and lawyers who maintained that the 14 were Taiwanese citizens and should be shipped to Taiwan, all 24 were deported to Mainland China last Feb. 2.
While the Philippines follows the One-China Policy and maintains diplomatic ties with Beijing, it also has economic ties with Taipei.
Taiwan recalled its de facto ambassador to the Philippines Donald Lee following the “inhumane" deportation of its "citizens" to Mainland China.
Taiwan's displeasure
Cruz said Taiwan has adopted measures to show its displeasure, including "extending" the screening process for workers from 12 days to months.
He said that another measure involved the withdrawal of a "privilege" where Filipinos with visas to the United States, Japan and European Union member countries need not apply for a visa in going to Taiwan.
Cruz admitted that while the new measures will not likely affect Filipinos already working in Taiwan, it may affect new workers to be deployed there.
"Taiwan never said it will force Filipinos already there out of their jobs. But these measures may affect Filipinos about to head there at this time," he said. — LBG/RSJ, GMA News
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
AFP: Reyes' death a big blow to the ongoing probe on corruption
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Tuesday the death of former Defense chief Angelo Reyes was a big blow to the ongoing congressional investigation on alleged corrupt practices within the military organization.
"This is a big blow to the ongoing investigation where all members of the Armed Forces and the Filipino people quest for truth, in the light of this incident, we hope that the [House of Representatives] and the Senate can expedite these proceedings to ensure immediate reenactment of laws in furtherance of good governance, measures for the whole Armed Forces," said military spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines, its officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees are shocked with the passing of General Angelo Reyes. We condole with the family of Sir Angie," he added.
Reyes is one of several former military chiefs of staff who allegedly received millions in "pabaon" (send-off money) when they retired, as a former military fund manager, retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa, claimed.
Reyes was a key figure in the EDSA-2 revolt that ousted then President Joseph Estrada and catapulted then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency in January 2001.
PMA Class of 1966
Reyes was born on March 17, 1945 in San Miguel, Manila. He graduated valedictorian in Cubao High School in 1960. He also graduated 7th from his class at the Philippine Military Academy in 1966.
Among the various posts he held in the military are: Philippine Army commanding general, Southern Command commanding general, Army 5th Infantry Division commanding general, and chief of the AFP Civil Relations Service.
He was named Armed Forces chief by then President Estrada in 1999, and headed the military during the Estrada administration's all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2000.
After his retirement in March 2001, Reyes assumed various posts during the Arroyo administration: Secretary of Defense, Energy, Interior and Local Government and Environment.
He is survived by his wife Tessie Reyes and his children Pablo, Angelito, Marc, Carlo and Judd. — with a report from Candice Montenegro/RSJ, GMA News
"This is a big blow to the ongoing investigation where all members of the Armed Forces and the Filipino people quest for truth, in the light of this incident, we hope that the [House of Representatives] and the Senate can expedite these proceedings to ensure immediate reenactment of laws in furtherance of good governance, measures for the whole Armed Forces," said military spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines, its officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees are shocked with the passing of General Angelo Reyes. We condole with the family of Sir Angie," he added.
Reyes is one of several former military chiefs of staff who allegedly received millions in "pabaon" (send-off money) when they retired, as a former military fund manager, retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa, claimed.
Reyes was a key figure in the EDSA-2 revolt that ousted then President Joseph Estrada and catapulted then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency in January 2001.
PMA Class of 1966
Reyes was born on March 17, 1945 in San Miguel, Manila. He graduated valedictorian in Cubao High School in 1960. He also graduated 7th from his class at the Philippine Military Academy in 1966.
Among the various posts he held in the military are: Philippine Army commanding general, Southern Command commanding general, Army 5th Infantry Division commanding general, and chief of the AFP Civil Relations Service.
He was named Armed Forces chief by then President Estrada in 1999, and headed the military during the Estrada administration's all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2000.
After his retirement in March 2001, Reyes assumed various posts during the Arroyo administration: Secretary of Defense, Energy, Interior and Local Government and Environment.
He is survived by his wife Tessie Reyes and his children Pablo, Angelito, Marc, Carlo and Judd. — with a report from Candice Montenegro/RSJ, GMA News
More Gerry's Grill branches to rise overseas
Filipino restaurant chain Gerry's Grill, a popular haunt among Filipinos, will put up more branches abroad this year, Prime Pacific Grill Corp. president and chief executive officer Gerardo Apolinario said in a statement Monday.
“We are optimistic that 2011 is going to be a banner year for Gerry’s Grill," said Apolinario, trumpeting the gains of the restaurant’s existing branches abroad.
“Our two branches in the US are getting stronger, and we are number one in patronage among the 26 food chains operating at ‘Rasapura Masters’ at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore," he said.
Apolinario said three of the new branches will rise in the United States. In an earlier interview, Apolinario said Gerry’s Grill will likely build its additional US branches in California — joining two branches already located in San Francisco and Los Angeles, both products of joint ventures with US-based investors.
The restaurant also plans to expand to Canada, Australia, and Thailand. It has been running a Singapore branch since December.
In the Philippines, Gerry’s Grill will build a new branch in Baguio City, on top of plans to open restaurants in the cities of Santa Rosa in Laguna, Iloilo, and Davao this year.
“Investor confidence has spurred growth. This reflects on the marked improvement on the business performance of Gerry’s Grill branches in the provinces," Apolinario said.
Forty-three branches of Gerry’s Grill dot the country as the restaurant marks its 14th anniversary this month. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News
“We are optimistic that 2011 is going to be a banner year for Gerry’s Grill," said Apolinario, trumpeting the gains of the restaurant’s existing branches abroad.
“Our two branches in the US are getting stronger, and we are number one in patronage among the 26 food chains operating at ‘Rasapura Masters’ at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore," he said.
Apolinario said three of the new branches will rise in the United States. In an earlier interview, Apolinario said Gerry’s Grill will likely build its additional US branches in California — joining two branches already located in San Francisco and Los Angeles, both products of joint ventures with US-based investors.
The restaurant also plans to expand to Canada, Australia, and Thailand. It has been running a Singapore branch since December.
In the Philippines, Gerry’s Grill will build a new branch in Baguio City, on top of plans to open restaurants in the cities of Santa Rosa in Laguna, Iloilo, and Davao this year.
“Investor confidence has spurred growth. This reflects on the marked improvement on the business performance of Gerry’s Grill branches in the provinces," Apolinario said.
Forty-three branches of Gerry’s Grill dot the country as the restaurant marks its 14th anniversary this month. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News
Time ticks for OFWs in cash-strapped Saipan
SAN JOSE, Saipan – Time is ticking at a frantic pace toward November for most of Filipino workers here whose umbrella permits will expire by that time, unless they secure regular jobs or the US government grants them improved immigration status.
This November, the two-year umbrella permit which allows foreign nationals to work in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will expire and foreign workers may thus be deported.
The umbrella permit scheme was aimed at cushioning the CNMI economy from the dire effects of the global economic crisis, following the repatriation of some 10,000 garments workers as factories started to fold since 2006.
To this day, the US territory’s economy continues to struggle.
Diego Gomez, 43, left his manpower agency business in the Philippines to work in the CNMI in 2004, only to find himself years later doing menial jobs like selling downloaded movies and music, selling fish by the roadside, cutting bush, and buying and selling used items.
“This is a nightmare [for me]. Nung nasa Pilipinas pa ako, akala ko magandang magtrabaho sa abroad. Hindi pala. Pero ‘di ako basta-basta makakauwi kasi ‘di pa malaki ang naiipon ko para sa asawa at mga anak ko (When I was in the Philippines, I though it would be good to work abroad. It turns out I was wrong. But I cannot just go back because I have not yet saved enough for my family," Gomez told GMA News Online in an interview, as he was selling downloaded movies and music at a weekend flea market in the CNMI’s capital island of Saipan.
Collapse of garment industry
Gomez is just one of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the CNMI who have lost their regular jobs when this US territory’s economy began shrinking to its lowest level in decades with the collapse of the garment industry in 2009 and continued decline in tourist arrivals.
But many OFWs like Gomez, who do not have regular jobs or no jobs at all, have learned to thrive in a depressed economy, even if it means cleaning somebody else’s house or clearing gardens.
“Napasubo na ako. Ayaw ko namang umuwi habang ‘di pa ako nakakaipon ng malaki-laki kaya titiisin ko na lang ang hirap dito. Kung magbibigay ang US Congress ng improved status para sa mga foreign workers, malaking bonus ‘yun para sa akin (I was left with no choice. I din’t want to go home just yet without having saved enough, so I’ll just have to endure the difficulties here. If the US Congress will grant foreign workers an improved status, that would be a big bonus for me)," he said.
Rudy Francisco, 51, has also been without a regular job in Saipan since 2006. He used to be a security guard.
Like many others, he makes money doing part-time jobs that include maintenance work, buying and selling household items, and unloading cargo from shipping containers.
Francisco, however, will likely have to leave the CNMI because of a pending case filed in a US court against his former employer over unpaid wages. He also has an umbrella permit which expires November 2011.
To date, he has yet to collect some $25,000 in back wages from his first employer that hired him from the Philippines in 1992.
He said if the CNMI or US government forces him to leave the CNMI when his umbrella permit expires, he will start a protest in front of the US Embassy in Manila until he is paid the money he work hard for in the past.
“May utang sila sa akin na mga $25,000. Kapag nakuha ko ang pera na pinaghirapan ko, uuwi na ako (They owe me some $25,000. When I get the money I worked hard for, I will go home)," he said.
While many OFWs stayed in the CNMI, a considerable number have either gone back home or worked somewhere else like in the US mainland, Canada, or Dubai.
Worker population also shrinks
As the CNMI economy shrunk so did the foreign worker population — now less than 15,000 from a peak of some 40,000.
Most of the remaining foreign workers now in the CNMI are Filipinos — estimated at 10,000. Records from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas show there were some 17,500 Filipinos in the CNMI as of December 2009, including a little over 1,200 having permanent resident status. The rest are OFWs.
The territory’s gross revenue plunged from a peak of $2.6 billion in 1997 to a historic low of $1.552 billion in 2009.
Tourism, the only industry left in the CNMI, dropped from a record 736,117 tourist arrivals in 1996 to 353,956 visitors in 2009.
In 2005, garment factories which used to employ some 25,000 foreign workers mostly from China and the Philippines started closing one by one — the first ones going like thieves in the night, leaving thousands of workers stranded, wages unpaid, and without jobs.
To get by, some of the former garment workers worked the streets collecting soda cans to sell to recycling centers. Some of them were forced to work as household help.
Economy goes from bad to worse
Pinina Cambronel of Occidental Mindoro was among the thousands of foreign workers who lost their jobs in the garment industry.
Just like Cambronel, 48, those who remained in the CNMI after the garment industry died shifted to other jobs. But the economy had gone from bad to worse. One by one jobs even outside the garment industry started to fold.
Cambronel came to Saipan on Feb. 20, 1990 to sew for one of the biggest garment factories at the time. She sewed clothes for global brands such as Gap, Limited, Liz Claiborne, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
On Dec. 31, 2004, the World Trade Organization lifted the quota restrictions on garment products entering the United States, weakening the CNMI’s competitiveness because other countries like China, where wages are much lower, have also been afforded the same privileges.
When the second garment factory she worked for closed in 2007, Cambronel worked as a cook/helper at a small restaurant. Unfortunately, that restaurant closed in 2010. She had since accepted part-time jobs cleaning other people’s houses and selling used household stuff.
“Kung di lang dahil sa anak ko, uuwi na ako sa Pilipinas. Pero 18 years old pa lang siya (If it were not for my son, I would have gone home to the Philippines. He’s only 18 years old)," Cambronel said.
Improved immigration status
She, like many foreigners in the CNMI, is waiting for an improved immigration status that the US Congress could give long-time foreign workers in the territory.
It is this reward for a decade of working in the CNMI that is forcing her family to live through rough times. She, her partner, and their son live in a one-room affair for $100 a month.
The US Department of the Interior, which oversees US territories, has recommended to the US Congress that status of foreign workers who have been legally in the CNMI for at least five years be reclassified under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Should the US Congress act on the recommendations, foreign workers could find themselves becoming a US citizen outright, or getting a permanent resident status or “green card" leading to citizenship, or a status similar to those granted to people of Freely Associated States (FAS). FAS citizens can freely live, work and study in the US and its territories.
CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan said there’s no telling when the US Congress will act on the Interior Department’s recommendation, if at all.
This early, the CNMI Senate plans to propose that the US Congress grant FAS status to eligible foreign workers.
Disenfranchising local workers
But CNMI Gov. Benigno Fitial is opposed to this, saying foreign workers were brought into the CNMI to work, not to get permanent immigration status.
He said once foreign workers are granted any improved status, local CNMI workers will be disenfranchised. He said he’s willing to extend the umbrella permits of foreign workers whose skills could not be matched by the local labor pool.
Leonila Hipolito, 58, said going back home to the Philippines could be much tougher than surviving in the CNMI.
“Matanda na rin ako. Mahirap makahanap ng trabaho sa atin. Kakaumpisa ko lang uling magtrabaho (I’m old. It’s hard to find a job back home. I just got another job)," she said.
Hipolito came to Saipan in 1989 to sew for global brands. When the garment factory closed in 2005, she took on the job of a barbecue stand cook. Alas, even that barbecue stand was gobbled up by the territory’s sagging economy leaving her jobless.
She then tried part-time jobs cleaning other people’s house three days a week
With her husband able to hold on to his job, they were able to make ends meet.
She has one child in Saipan and five children in the Philippines, most of them are no longer minors and have their own jobs.
"Sana mabigyan ako ng status ng federal government para mas madaling makahanap ng trabaho (I hope I would be given a status by the federal government so it would be easier to find a job)," she said. — JMA/VS, GMANews.TV
This November, the two-year umbrella permit which allows foreign nationals to work in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will expire and foreign workers may thus be deported.
The umbrella permit scheme was aimed at cushioning the CNMI economy from the dire effects of the global economic crisis, following the repatriation of some 10,000 garments workers as factories started to fold since 2006.
To this day, the US territory’s economy continues to struggle.
Diego Gomez, 43, left his manpower agency business in the Philippines to work in the CNMI in 2004, only to find himself years later doing menial jobs like selling downloaded movies and music, selling fish by the roadside, cutting bush, and buying and selling used items.
“This is a nightmare [for me]. Nung nasa Pilipinas pa ako, akala ko magandang magtrabaho sa abroad. Hindi pala. Pero ‘di ako basta-basta makakauwi kasi ‘di pa malaki ang naiipon ko para sa asawa at mga anak ko (When I was in the Philippines, I though it would be good to work abroad. It turns out I was wrong. But I cannot just go back because I have not yet saved enough for my family," Gomez told GMA News Online in an interview, as he was selling downloaded movies and music at a weekend flea market in the CNMI’s capital island of Saipan.
Collapse of garment industry
Gomez is just one of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in the CNMI who have lost their regular jobs when this US territory’s economy began shrinking to its lowest level in decades with the collapse of the garment industry in 2009 and continued decline in tourist arrivals.
But many OFWs like Gomez, who do not have regular jobs or no jobs at all, have learned to thrive in a depressed economy, even if it means cleaning somebody else’s house or clearing gardens.
“Napasubo na ako. Ayaw ko namang umuwi habang ‘di pa ako nakakaipon ng malaki-laki kaya titiisin ko na lang ang hirap dito. Kung magbibigay ang US Congress ng improved status para sa mga foreign workers, malaking bonus ‘yun para sa akin (I was left with no choice. I din’t want to go home just yet without having saved enough, so I’ll just have to endure the difficulties here. If the US Congress will grant foreign workers an improved status, that would be a big bonus for me)," he said.
Rudy Francisco, 51, has also been without a regular job in Saipan since 2006. He used to be a security guard.
Like many others, he makes money doing part-time jobs that include maintenance work, buying and selling household items, and unloading cargo from shipping containers.
Francisco, however, will likely have to leave the CNMI because of a pending case filed in a US court against his former employer over unpaid wages. He also has an umbrella permit which expires November 2011.
To date, he has yet to collect some $25,000 in back wages from his first employer that hired him from the Philippines in 1992.
He said if the CNMI or US government forces him to leave the CNMI when his umbrella permit expires, he will start a protest in front of the US Embassy in Manila until he is paid the money he work hard for in the past.
“May utang sila sa akin na mga $25,000. Kapag nakuha ko ang pera na pinaghirapan ko, uuwi na ako (They owe me some $25,000. When I get the money I worked hard for, I will go home)," he said.
While many OFWs stayed in the CNMI, a considerable number have either gone back home or worked somewhere else like in the US mainland, Canada, or Dubai.
Worker population also shrinks
As the CNMI economy shrunk so did the foreign worker population — now less than 15,000 from a peak of some 40,000.
Most of the remaining foreign workers now in the CNMI are Filipinos — estimated at 10,000. Records from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas show there were some 17,500 Filipinos in the CNMI as of December 2009, including a little over 1,200 having permanent resident status. The rest are OFWs.
The territory’s gross revenue plunged from a peak of $2.6 billion in 1997 to a historic low of $1.552 billion in 2009.
Tourism, the only industry left in the CNMI, dropped from a record 736,117 tourist arrivals in 1996 to 353,956 visitors in 2009.
In 2005, garment factories which used to employ some 25,000 foreign workers mostly from China and the Philippines started closing one by one — the first ones going like thieves in the night, leaving thousands of workers stranded, wages unpaid, and without jobs.
To get by, some of the former garment workers worked the streets collecting soda cans to sell to recycling centers. Some of them were forced to work as household help.
Economy goes from bad to worse
Pinina Cambronel of Occidental Mindoro was among the thousands of foreign workers who lost their jobs in the garment industry.
Just like Cambronel, 48, those who remained in the CNMI after the garment industry died shifted to other jobs. But the economy had gone from bad to worse. One by one jobs even outside the garment industry started to fold.
Cambronel came to Saipan on Feb. 20, 1990 to sew for one of the biggest garment factories at the time. She sewed clothes for global brands such as Gap, Limited, Liz Claiborne, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
On Dec. 31, 2004, the World Trade Organization lifted the quota restrictions on garment products entering the United States, weakening the CNMI’s competitiveness because other countries like China, where wages are much lower, have also been afforded the same privileges.
When the second garment factory she worked for closed in 2007, Cambronel worked as a cook/helper at a small restaurant. Unfortunately, that restaurant closed in 2010. She had since accepted part-time jobs cleaning other people’s houses and selling used household stuff.
“Kung di lang dahil sa anak ko, uuwi na ako sa Pilipinas. Pero 18 years old pa lang siya (If it were not for my son, I would have gone home to the Philippines. He’s only 18 years old)," Cambronel said.
Improved immigration status
She, like many foreigners in the CNMI, is waiting for an improved immigration status that the US Congress could give long-time foreign workers in the territory.
It is this reward for a decade of working in the CNMI that is forcing her family to live through rough times. She, her partner, and their son live in a one-room affair for $100 a month.
The US Department of the Interior, which oversees US territories, has recommended to the US Congress that status of foreign workers who have been legally in the CNMI for at least five years be reclassified under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Should the US Congress act on the recommendations, foreign workers could find themselves becoming a US citizen outright, or getting a permanent resident status or “green card" leading to citizenship, or a status similar to those granted to people of Freely Associated States (FAS). FAS citizens can freely live, work and study in the US and its territories.
CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan said there’s no telling when the US Congress will act on the Interior Department’s recommendation, if at all.
This early, the CNMI Senate plans to propose that the US Congress grant FAS status to eligible foreign workers.
Disenfranchising local workers
But CNMI Gov. Benigno Fitial is opposed to this, saying foreign workers were brought into the CNMI to work, not to get permanent immigration status.
He said once foreign workers are granted any improved status, local CNMI workers will be disenfranchised. He said he’s willing to extend the umbrella permits of foreign workers whose skills could not be matched by the local labor pool.
Leonila Hipolito, 58, said going back home to the Philippines could be much tougher than surviving in the CNMI.
“Matanda na rin ako. Mahirap makahanap ng trabaho sa atin. Kakaumpisa ko lang uling magtrabaho (I’m old. It’s hard to find a job back home. I just got another job)," she said.
Hipolito came to Saipan in 1989 to sew for global brands. When the garment factory closed in 2005, she took on the job of a barbecue stand cook. Alas, even that barbecue stand was gobbled up by the territory’s sagging economy leaving her jobless.
She then tried part-time jobs cleaning other people’s house three days a week
With her husband able to hold on to his job, they were able to make ends meet.
She has one child in Saipan and five children in the Philippines, most of them are no longer minors and have their own jobs.
"Sana mabigyan ako ng status ng federal government para mas madaling makahanap ng trabaho (I hope I would be given a status by the federal government so it would be easier to find a job)," she said. — JMA/VS, GMANews.TV
Fire razes 100 homes along Agham Road
A fire of still undetermined origin is razing at least 100 homes along Agham Road in Quezon City as of this posting early Tuesday.
Initial reports on GMA’s Saksi newscast said the fire started at 10:56 p.m. Monday, and has reached alert level Task Force Bravo as of posting time. This means fire stations from other districts are mobilized to respond to the emergency.
Radio dzBB said at least three men and two women have sustained minor injuries from the blaze.
Fire officials said they are still looking into the cause of the incident.
Hundreds of Agham Road residents have been left homeless due to fire-related incidents in the past year.
At least 100 families lost their homes along Agham Road due to a fire in September last year. Four months before this, 200 families were also left homeless when their houses went up in flames.
Agham Road is part of Sitio San Roque, home to almost 10,000 families who were subject of demolition operations in October last year to make way for the Quezon City Business District Project. — Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News
Initial reports on GMA’s Saksi newscast said the fire started at 10:56 p.m. Monday, and has reached alert level Task Force Bravo as of posting time. This means fire stations from other districts are mobilized to respond to the emergency.
Radio dzBB said at least three men and two women have sustained minor injuries from the blaze.
Fire officials said they are still looking into the cause of the incident.
Hundreds of Agham Road residents have been left homeless due to fire-related incidents in the past year.
At least 100 families lost their homes along Agham Road due to a fire in September last year. Four months before this, 200 families were also left homeless when their houses went up in flames.
Agham Road is part of Sitio San Roque, home to almost 10,000 families who were subject of demolition operations in October last year to make way for the Quezon City Business District Project. — Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News
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