KABABAYANS, BE ALWAYS PROUD TO BE FILIPINOS WORKING OR RESIDING IN WHATEVER COUNTRY YOU ARE NOW. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.
Australia pledges action on long-term immigration detainees
Agence France-Presse; World (as of 3/13/2008 1:20 PM)
SYDNEY - A Briton and an Indian held in Australian immigration detention for more than five years are among 61 detainees whose cases will be resolved by the end of April, the government pledged Thursday.
The deadline to deal with an issue that has drawn fire from rights activists for years was set by new Immigration Minister Chris Evans, whose centre-left Labor Party took power in elections last November.
All 61 detainees whose cases will be reviewed have been held for more than two years under the widely-criticized immigration policies of the former conservative government led by John Howard.
"I am deeply concerned that so many detention cases have taken so long to resolve," Evans said in a statement.
Among the cases are those of a 64-year-old British man held for six years and a 46-year-old Indian man detained for five years and 10 months.
No details were given of the individual cases, but Evans said "a number of them seem to fall into the category where there is no solution other than finding some sort of answer in Australia."
"Some of them are from countries where we'll never return them to or we'll never get travel papers and under the previous Howard regime they just left them there."
In January, Australia's official human rights watchdog criticized conditions in some of the government's immigration detention centers as a "disgrace."
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission said illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers were still held for too long and called for the policy of mandatory detention to be scrapped.
Several bungles and miscarriages of justice involving the harsh policy have come to light in recent years.
In one case, a Vietnamese immigrant was held in detention for six years despite having a valid visa before being released in 2005.
Earlier this month, a German-born woman was awarded 2.6 million dollars (2.4 million US) compensation for wrongful detention.
Cornelia Rau, a legal permanent resident in Australia, was held behind bars for more than 10 months in 2004 and 2005 when officials picked her up and wrongly assumed she was an illegal immigrant.
Mentally ill woman gets 2.4 million dollars for Australian immigration bungle
Fri Mar 7, 2:16 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - A German-born woman wrongfully detained under Australia's tough migration policies will receive millions of dollars in compensation, officials said Friday.
Cornelia Rau, a legal permanent resident in Australia, was held behind bars for more than 10 months in 2004 and 2005 when officials picked her up and wrongly assumed she was an illegal immigrant.
After the bungle was discovered the mentally-ill woman launched legal action for compensation from the government of then prime minister John Howard, which had adopted a hard line against illegal immigrants.
New Immigration Minister Chris Evans, who took on the portfolio when Howard's government was ousted in November, said his department had negotiated a deal to pay Rau 2.6 million dollars (2.4 million US).
He said the deal, which also covers Rau's legal bills, met an election commitment by the centre-left Labor government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to quickly settle the matter.
"Rau's protracted compensation claim is one of the many regrettable immigration legacies of the former Howard government that we are committed to resolving," he said.
America's 'Future Leaders' Get A Glimpse of Philippines
By RODNEY J. JALECO ABS-CBN
North America News Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. - They thought it was "cool" the Philippines already had two women presidents, they were impressed by the country’s economic growth and felt reassured most Filipinos still see Americans as "friends".
A group of high school scholars from all over the U.S. were briefed by political and economic officers of the Philippine Embassy here. They are part of the Presidential Classroom, a 40-year-old program that provides an opportunity for young, talented Americans to gain first-hand knowledge of government, the crafting of public policies and international relations.
"We’ve been around for 40 years, and there are 120,000 graduates of the Presidential Classroom. Many of them mark their experience in Washington as the driving force that gets them into political affairs, international affairs. And many of them are actually members of Congress today," explained Annabelle Ombac, a logistics manager of Presidential Classroom. She’s an alumna herself, whose parents hail from Pangasinan.
Lito Nayan, embassy economic officer, said this was the first time since 2005 that the Presidential Classroom scholars paid the Philippine Embassy a visit.
"The embassy visits help give them the exposure to international affairs and diplomacy," Ombac said. Before going to the Philippine Embassy, the group was at the Organization of American States (OAS) where Ombac said they learned how they worked together to promote democracy.
"The Philippines also is a democracy so it was a good way to go from there and see it from another country’s perspective," she added.
President John F. Kennedy sponsored two pilot programs. What started out as "White House Seminars" soon grew into "Washington Briefings". From a White House project it expanded into a full non-profit, non-partisan civic organization managed by a board of directors. In March, they will host a Future World Leaders Summit in this city. They expect to draw youths, 16-19 years old, from all over the U.S. and 50 other countries.
The group was briefed about the Philippines, her people, culture, politics and economy. This was followed by an open forum where the scholars were encouraged to ask questions. Their interest was piqued by the Philippine’s security ties with the U.S. and the Aquino and Arroyo presidencies.
Katherine Boyles, a high school senior from Massachusetts thinks "it’s fabulous the Philippines had elected a female president almost two decades ago."
"I wish we could do the same here," she said, adding quickly "maybe not Hillary but we’ll see someone soon."
Senator Hillary Clinton is vying with Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
They were told about the country’s People Power revolt that ousted the Marcos dictatorship, helped restore democracy and paved the way for reforms.
"I think it’s great how the Philippines has grown, 7.4 percent is really a lot and I hope they continue to grow," another scholar declared.
Beyond the Philippines’ role in the global war on terror, the students were curious about how they were playing into the regional security equation with North Korea. Few knew that Filipinos spilled blood in defense of South Korea when it was invaded by the communist north.
The visit also coincided with the RP-US joint military exercise Balikatan in Central Luzon and Mindanao. With images of anti-American sentiment across the globe, the scholars found it reassuring that the two countries shared an intricate web of historic, socio-economic, political, ethno-cultural and even personal ties built over a century.
"It’s good to know the Philippines is our friend," one student enthused.
With an estimated four million Filipino and Fil-Americans in the U.S. and a large American presence in the Philippines – highlighted by the fact that the fourth biggest U.S. overseas post is in Manila – that relationship is bound to continue growing.
"Its important that Americans, especially their future leaders, see how important the Philippines is to America," Philippine consul Rico Fos said.
(Pasted from: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/images/news/microsites/ofw/ofw.html)
Views and Analysis (as of 2/27/2008 1:32 PM) Practical steps on how to stretch your dollar or dinar By Pat Sto. Tomas Chairman, Development Bank of the Migration is a natural phenomenon. As the song goes, birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. The non-migrant is the oddity. If you do not live where you were born, you are a migrant. So enough already. Let’s stop the national flagellation and defeatist mantra that we leave the But this is not about migration. This is about how migration can be made to work for the OFW himself or herself. This is how that hard-earned dollar (or euro, dinar or dirham) can go a longer way so that it benefits not just the family that is left behind but the one who leaves as well. Save, Save, Save! I have a few suggestions. First, we need to have more TNTs. That is correct. We need more people who can do Tago ng Tago (TNT), hindi Gastos ng Gastos. If you make $400 a month (that is minimum wage for domestic helpers), open an account for yourself. Deposit at least 25% of your income to that account. Let that be an account which you cannot withdraw from for a specific period of time, usually your contract duration. Ask the bank to put it in a higher yielding account other than savings. If you have a 12-month contract, you would have saved $1,200 or P48,000 for one year. The assumption is that an OFW leaves only if what he gets abroad is at least double what he makes in Start a business One is that they may avail themselves of a loan from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA (up to P40,000) that allows them to start up a little business. This can be done even before the OFW leaves and after his contract is processed. For that amount, one telephone company will give you an Internet Service Package where OFW beneficiaries can derive some income through rental time. The Internet package may also be done in conjunction with cell phone loading operations. This should allow repayment of the loan anytime from 6 months to one year. I also know of one company that allows small investors to distribute their products such as soft drinks, hot dogs, tocinos and assorted household necessities for a minimum investment of P20,000. This can be sold in your neighborhood. Keep a book of accounts The second condition for the regular remittance is to keep a book of accounts for expenses sourced out of remittance. This allows all concerned to monitor costs every month and to be mindful of what is necessary and what isn’t. The OFW is not a milking cow. Separation should be a reason for undertaking fiscal discipline and engaging in activities that keep the family together. Within the family, there should be a designated treasurer, an auditor who verifies the expenses and renders a report to the chief financial officer—the OFW. The OWWA organizes family circles for people left behind. Ask them to put you in touch with family circles in your area. The family circle is supposed to facilitate support. They should be able to tell you where to access services for things like counseling for rebelling children or tutoring for those who do not quite make good in their academic studies. Join family circles At the same time, family circles are supposed to facilitate bulk-buying of basic necessities like rice, cooking oil, pork, fish, chicken or even school supplies. This should also be a source of savings for families who wish for their remittances to go a longer way. It is tempting to view having an OFW as an opportunity to splurge. If income from the home-based business exceeds payment for business-related expense, the remaining $100 can be shared between OFW and the family so that there may be room for a little luxury. I am a penny pincher myself, so what about putting that money towards an education fund for the children or a housing fund for the family. My sense is, after five years of a regime like this, we would have learned not only financial discipline but a better appreciation of the kind of hard work and loneliness that affects an OFW and his/her family. The OFW experience can thus be a self-limiting exercise if everybody cooperates. After Tago ng Tago, we might be Tuwang Tuwa because all that sacrifice would have made possible better opportunities for the OFW and his /her family. The author is chair of the Development Bank of the
Migration is a natural phenomenon. As the song goes, birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. 
Among OFWs, we need more ‘TNTs’
400,000 new job openings up in Canada soon — DoLE
By Raymund F. Antonio (26/02/2008, Manila Bulletin)
Four hundred thousand jobs will soon be available to Filipino and other foreign workers in the Canadian province of Alberta with the scheduled signing of a labor agreement between the Philippines and Canada.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said yesterday that the signing of the labor agreement on the deployment of Filipino workers in Alberta is set in March.
"Alberta has a booming oil and gas industry and is projected to be requiring around 400,000 foreign workers in the next two years," Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo D. Brion said.
Brion signed similar agreements with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan and British Columbia in December 2007 and last January, respectively.
Brion said a similar agreement will be signed with Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba this month.
"The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen areas of cooperation in the fields of labor, employment, and human deployment and development between the Philippines and the respective Canadian provinces," he said.
According to Brion, other Canadian provinces have expressed interest in hiring Filipino workers for various job positions there since Filipinos’ capability could help address its skills and manpower shortage.
He said British Columbia will be in need of hospitality and construction workers for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The province will be hiring more contract and permanent migrant workers, estimated at 30,000, with specific skills every year.
The DoLE chief added that Canada is also in need of workers in the healthcare and education sectors.
In all, some 1.9 million foreign workers are needed in the labor markets of Canada, he said.
In anticipation of the influx of OFWs in Canada, DoLE is set to open a Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Vancouver, the capital of British Columbia. It will also put up a Canadian Desk to assist Filipino workers seeking jobs in Canada.
OFW seeks arrest, deportation of Hollander
Ali Macabalang and Bong Reblando (27/02/08, Manila Bulletin)
STA. ROSA CITY, Laguna — A battered overseas Filipina worker is seeking the arrest and deportation of her Dutchman fiancee whom she had accused of being rude against Filipinos.
In a follow-up letter-complaint she had sent to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, OFW Fatima Alviar, 48, of Villa Caceres, this city, said that her estranged fiancé Edzart Pieter Jan Zwaal, a Hollander, has become an "undesirable alien" not only because his tourist visa had expired but also because he had been degrading Filipinos, including top government officials.
Alviar asked Commissioner Libanan to order the immediate arrest and deportation of Zwaal, alleging he violated the Philippines immigration law, threatened to kill her, and accused "Filipinos of being corrupt."
"My life with Zwaal was unbearable, miserable, and full of anguish, grief and frustration. He beat me on several occasions, verbally abused me, and attempted to kill me," Alviar said.
She said that Zwaal hires armed men led by a former policeman of Sta. Rosa, whom he allegedly used to threaten her.
Zwaal, 68, a retired government employee of Amsterdam, is a tourist whose visa expired in June 2007. He arrived in the Philippines in 2006 together with Alviar as his fiancée with the purpose of marrying Alviar and settling in this city.
Alviar surrendered Zwaal’s passport to the BID office in Manila after Zwaal was arrested and imprisoned for two weeks in the Sta. Rosa police detention cell for beating and attempting to kill Alviar in her home on Sept. 19, 2007.
But she said Zwaal got back his passport with an expired visa from a BID employee. She said he later boasted that he could get away with the authorities because "Filipinos are corrupt."
"This is anomalous. The complaint of Mrs. Alviar should have been acted upon right away. Please tell her to file her complaint with Commissioner Marcelino Libanan. He is a good man," said former BID chief Alipio Fernandez, now Dagupan City Mayor, in a phone interview.
Alviar filed her complaint with the BID in Manila on Sept. 25, 2007 but it has remained unacted upon.
In her complaint, Alviar said she was gainfully employed in Amsterdam as an OFW, then became a permanent resident there and owned a house and lot in Zonnebloempad 14, 8255 JB Swifterband.
Later, she decided to accept the marriage proposal of Zwaal, who was then her boyfriend in Amsterdam.
OFW: Plus & minus factors - By: Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD
SOME years ago, a Cabinet member of the government once related how he met an Italian minister at an international convention in Rome.
"So you are Filipinos!" he greeted the Philippine delegation. "I have a Filipina helper at home," he said. As he tried to continue, he noticed the Cabinet man and his Filipino companions were feeling uneasy, thinking he would report a bad news.
"Signori, please… don’t get me wrong," he countered. "I’d like to tell you that ever since that Filipina lady started working with us, our house has become very clean and orderly. Besides, my children now go to church regularly because she brings them, and we, the parents have to go to church, too, because our children tell us.
"I tell you, she has done so much good for our family. I’m so happy we have her."
The above story illustrates how our Filipino migrant workers have been a positive influence as domestic helpers. We might consider them, too, as our modernday missionaries abroad.
Today is not only First Sunday of Lent but also "Migrants’ Sunday." Our attention is focused on hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who are employed abroad seeking greener pasture.
In addition to heaping praises for their diligence, our migrant workers have immensely strengthened our economy through their dollar remittances.
For them this is a real sacrifice because the peso’s exchange rate to the US dollar has diminished, thus whittling down their takehome pay.
On the reverse side, there are serious moral problems especially for married couples. For instance, it’s not uncommon that a spouse working abroad can succumb to infidelity due to loneliness and long separation. The spouse left behind can also fall to the same predicament.
One wonders if the dollars earned are worth it when one’s family is in shambles. To paraphrase the Lord’s words: "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his family."
Moreover, not a few overseas workers suffer maltreatment from cruel employers, or land in brothels or sometimes end up on death row, like Flor Contemplacion (remember?), or suffer sexual harassment and rape. Hence, is OFW life really a blessing or a bane, an advantage or disadvantage?
Today, National Migrants Sunday, we thank our OFWs for the enormous contributions they’re rendering to our country, particularly the economy. But we pray especially today that God may help them surmount the moral and family problems they encounter in their pursuit for a better life.
Today’s Humor. A wife writes to her husband working abroad who has not returned home for three years.
"Thanks for all the money you’re sending. Our kids are now studying in a private school; our one-storey house is now two storeys, and our two kids are now four!" (4 in three years! How come?).
A teen-aged son asks his father at what age temptation to women disappears.
Father: At my age, son, 75 years. Whereupon, a beautiful, shapely girl passes by. Ogling at her, the father blurted out, "Son, did I say 75 years? Make that 80!"
Woman: Father, I confess. Every time I look at other women during Mass, I realize I’m the prettiest girl in the church! Is it a sin?
Priest: No, hija, it’s a joke.
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Internet appointment system in passport processing starts
By CHARISSA M. LUCI
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is scheduled today to launch its passport appointment system via Internet to accommodate the swelling number of applicants.
"Under this system, passport applicants can set an appointment with the DFA-Passport Office for the filing of their passport applications," the DFA said in a statement.
Among those who can avail themselves of the appointment system are: those whose passports have already expired, those whose passports will be expiring within the next one year, and senior citizens.
"The DFA Passport Appointment System will be expanded to cover all passport applicants in due time," the DFA said.
Qualified applicants who wish to avail themselves of the new scheme can send their request at appointment@dfa.gov.ph. They are compelled to provide substantial information, including full name of applicant (first name, middle name, and surname); date of birth; place of birth; and latest passport number and date of issuance.
"Application for appointment must be made one week before the proposed date of appointment," the DFA said. The DFA-Passport Office will send a confirmation and give a reference number to the applicant before he proceeds to the DFA on Roxas Blvd., Pasay City for the filing of the passport application.
"Applicant must be at the DFA-Passport Office (special area for those with appointments) at the confirmed designated date and time for the filing of the passport application," it said.
The DFA and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are now in the "final stages" of bidding out the R1.4-billion electronic passport (e-passport) project, and are expected to award the contract to the winning bidder by March.
The e-passport project is expected to be implemented by the third quarter of this year. Most of the bidders are European companies, which include Alma Viva, the supplier of Italian passports; GND Co.; FCO Co. of Belgium, and Bundesdruckerei, a supplier of passports to the German government since 1987.
The actual implementation of the project will take place within six to nine months after the awarding of the contract, the DFA said. DFA and BSP officials verified the readiness of the four European private firms to implement the epassport project last year. Last September, the DFA issued machine-readable passports to all regular applicants, particularly to first-time Philippine passport holders.
The DFA cited the implementation of the machine-readable passport project as a "major landmark" after the Philippine government launched it two years ahead of the April 1, 2010 deadline imposed by the International Civil Aviation Office (ICAO) to upgrade the passport system among all its member-countries.
On June 18, 2007, machine-readable passports were issued to 450 government officials and 200 diplomats, a month after the DFA started accepting applications from the elderly, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and their dependents.
The DFA forged an interim agreement with French company Hologram Industries (HI) that "provides the necessary hardware, software, technical training, and support for the issuance of these passports at no cost to the Philippine government." T
he DFA sought relief from the Supreme Court after a Pasig regional trial court issued a preliminary injunction that barred it from awarding the new contract to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) which supplies the passport booklets. Arbitration is still ongoing after a Philippine-Thai private firm, BCA International, lodged a case against the DFA for terminating the project.
The DFA terminated the project in December 2005, citing the financial incapability of the firm to implement the e-passport project. Last March, the High Court issued an injunction that allowed the DFA to pursue the machine-readable passport project. With the SC’s ruling, the Philippines beat the deadline of the International Civil Aviation Organization for all member-countries to have machine-readable passport by April, 2010.
Pasted from <http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080114114362.html>