Jobs Abroad

OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) may get loans from the government to start new business ventures.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator (Owwa) Carmelita Dizon, who visited the city recently, said OFWs who are Owwa members, including former members, are qualified to apply for an enterprise loan under the P2-billion OFW-Reintegration Program (OFW-RP).

The OFW-RP is jointly being implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment and Owwa, National Reintegration Center for OFWs, Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines.

As early as now, many OFWs have already signified interest with numerous inquiries reaching Owwa-CAR in starting up small business enterprises in the region. 

Dole Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz in a press statement explained OFWs who have contributed US$25 to Owwa upon processing their employment contract at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and OFWs who voluntarily registered are entitled to Owwa benefits and services, which include availing of business loans under the OFW-RP program,

Also entitled for the loan are OFWs who paid the Owwa membership contribution at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office at their job sites overseas.

Owwa announced the program aims to help OFWs prepare for alternative employment or business undertaking upon their return to the country.

The program provides returning OFWs counseling on saving and financial management to help them manage and sustain their overseas earnings; skills training, retooling, and upgrading to promote their employability and competitiveness; employment facilitation services to help them in their job search, locally or overseas; and livelihood and enterprise development assistance for OFWs who want to set-up businesses.

OFWs who are members of Owwa who want to avail of business loans under the OFW-RP are required to complete entrepreneurial development training scheduled by the nearest Owwa regional office.

During training, OFW entrepreneurs through training are oriented on various business opportunities, and on the basics of starting a business and preparing a business plan. 

It also assesses the participants’ capability to manage any business enterprise to help them find out and address their weaknesses before implementing their business plan.

Interested OFWs are required to submit business plans to the LBP and DBP, which will evaluate the viability of the business enterprise they want to set up.

The other requirements OFWs should submit to partner banks in applying for the reintegration loan assistance includes an Owwa certification that the borrower is a bona fide Owwa member, has completed EDT, and has good credit history; and bio-data.

For a start-up business, other requirements include a certificate of registration from the DTI, and a Mayor’s permit.

For existing business enterprises, other requirements are certificate of registration from DTI, Mayor’s permit, Income Tax Return for the last three years, financial statements filed with BIR in the last three years, latest interim financial statement, and statement of assets and liabilities.

Interested eligible borrowers may proceed to the nearest Owwa regional office for other inquiries or may call 300-3658.

By JM Agreda

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MANILA, Philippines--A migrant workers' rights group has called on President Benigno Aquino III to allocate a more funds for overseas Filipino workers.

Migrante-Middle East made the appeal as the President recently announced that he will be submitting his proposed national budget.

John Monterona, the group's regional coordinator, said the Aquino administration should correct its previous budget planning wherein it substantially cut the funds for OFWS.

He noted the approved DFA budget for this year is about P11 billion , which is a far cry from the department’s original proposal of P19 billion.

Monterona claimed the already extremely inadequate DFA allocation-- from P200 million to P109.3 million--for programs on assistance to nationals that include repatriation and legal assistance programs for the estimated 10 million OFWs, is in violation of the Amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act (Republic Act 10022).

The amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act (R.A.10022) requires a P100 million legal assistance fund, excluding the assistance to the nationals’ fund, to be allocated from various sources, as follows:

--P50 million from the Contingency Fund of the President;

--P30 million from the Contingency Fund of the President Social Fund;

--P20 million from the Welfare Fund for Overseas Workers established under Letter of

Instructions No. 537 as amended by Presidential Decree Nos. 1694 and 1809.

"This fiscal year the DFA’s approved allocation for legal assistance was reduced to P27 million from P50 million of last year during Arroyo administration,” Monterona said.

He added the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) must improve and made easily accessible to its reintegration and job placements program  and prioritize those who will be displaced due to ‘Saudization’ and other similar labor market constraints.

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MANILA, Philippines - Some $1.5 billion worth of annual remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia could be lost because of the kingdom’s Nitaqat program, which requires more than 300,000 firms there to increase their hiring of locals, and lessen their employment of foreigners, an administration lawmaker said yesterday.

“There’s no question Nitaqat is a potential threat to the job security of some Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, particularly those whose skills can be readily replaced by locals there,” LPGMA party-list Rep. Arnel Ty said yesterday.

“For example, once Nitaqat becomes effective, Saudi citizens must comprise at least 10 percent of the labor forces of all construction companies, and a minimum of 70 percent of the staff headcount of all financial firms there,” he said.

Migrant workers’ groups have warned that up to 150,000 OFWs in Saudi Arabia could possibly be displaced by Nitaqat.

Citing Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas statistics, Ty said remittances from Saudi Arabia amounted to $1.544 billion in 2010, or around 8.2 percent of the cumulative $18.763 billion in cash sent home by all OFWs from around the world.

From January to May this year, remittances from Saudi Arabia amounted to $616.19 million, up less than one percent from $611.03 million in the same five-month period in 2010.

“Saudi Arabia is one of only three countries in the world where more than $1 billion worth of annual remittances from OFWs come from. The two others are the United States and Canada,” he said.

OFWs in the US and Canada wired home $7.862 billion and $2.022 billion, respectively in 2010.

He said remittances from Saudi Arabia accounted for 52 percent of the $2.964 billion in cash received by the Philippines from all OFWs based in the Middle East in 2010.

The other large sources of remittances from the Middle East in 2010 were: the United Arab Emirates ($775.24 million); Qatar ($246.81 million); Bahrain ($157.23 million); Kuwait ($106.48 million); Israel ($57.28 million); and Oman ($55.76 million).

Under Nitaqat, Saudi Arabian firms not currently employing enough locals would not be able to renew the work visas of their foreign personnel.

Recruiters in Manila earlier said Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor had deferred the Nitaqat’s implementation from August this year to March 2012, to allow employers there more time to comply with the mandate to enlarge their number of local staff.

Meanwhile, Ty said some P50 million has been set aside in the proposed 2012 Philippine national budget to support the reintegration of returning OFWs through livelihood and jobs programs.

This is on top of government’s P2-billion reintegration fund, recently launched in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, to provide returning OFWs sustainable business opportunities, he said.

By Paolo Romero

Jobs Abroad

Support groups for overseas Filipino workers are expecting a spike in the number of runaways as Ramadan begins.

Migrante Middle East – one of the region’s biggest migrant workers NGO, said the Holy Month often sees more demands placed on housemaids with longer working hours and fewer breaks.

In some cases, Migrante Middle East says non-Muslim domestic workers are also forced to fast, making working conditions even more difficult.

Regional coordinator, John Monterona, said his teams in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and across the Middle East see an increased number of absconders at this time of year.

He explained: “In Ramadan maids are required to do household and other chores starting early in the morning until late at night.

“Thus, it’s no surprise that during Ramadan, the number of runaway Overseas Foreign Workers goes up. They run away because they can no longer bear the treatment they’re getting from their employers.”

Migrante says there are between five and seven absconding cases reported to its officers region-wide per week but this typically rises to between eight and ten during Ramadan.

The organisation is also urging all Muslim and non-Muslim expat workers to abide by religious rules and show cultural sensitivity throughout Ramadan.

Monterona said 35 Filipino workers across the region were arrested last Ramadan by religious police for violating the Holy Month’s rules.

“This is just to caution our fellow Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs),” Monterona said. 

"Although non-Muslims are not obliged to fast, for instance, we advise our fellow OFWs to observe the religious and cultural prohibitions by the host governments with regard to the observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

Any domestic worker in the UAE who believes they are being mistreated by their employer is urged to contact the Philippines Overseas Labour Office which can offer support and consular assistance.

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Instead of laying down in concrete terms his administration’s plans and programs for the Filipino people, President Aquino merely “picked good apples” when he delivered his State of the Nation Address.

Millions of overseas Filipino workers watched, via Internet, P-Noy deliver his SONA, hoping that they would hear his administration’s programs and plans for OFWs and their dependents. Unfortunately, as he did last year, he just thanked the OFWs for their remittances, which helped keep the country’s economy afloat; he mentioned nothing about plans and programs to uplift their conditions.

We doubt if the 500,000 jobs posted in Philjobsnet that he mentioned are indeed available. Many of the 500,000 jobs may just exist in recruitment agencies’ databanks of speculative job openings advertised by foreign employers.

What is disgusting is this: P-Noy did acknowledge “job mismatches” for which reason he vowed to revisit the Philippine schools’ curricula so that these could meet the requirements of the job market. Except that the requirements he was referring to were those of foreign companies, not those of the Philippine industries. What he obviously wanted was to fill the needs of job markets abroad, not to improve our agrarian-based economy in the direction of national industrialization and development. The 1 million jobs that P-Noy said were created last year are not all local jobs. Many are overseas jobs.

P-Noy failed to outline in concrete terms how to create or generate local jobs. Of course, we expect decent local jobs, not just overseas jobs that are demeaning and dangerous to OFWs who work abroad without any protection from abuses and labor malpractices.

From P-Noy’s second SONA, we cannot visualize where the Philippines is heading. P-Noy failed to present a clear vision for the country. A graft-free Philippines is not enough, but even so, not one corrupt official of the previous Arroyo administration has been sent to jail.

—JOHN LEONARD MONTERONA,

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Regarding Job Order and OEC,

You may ask if where is your job order?

Most agencies do not show the Job Order to their applicants unless the applicants will insist.
But this is not very important when you have already your Visa, OEC and Plane Ticket.

When you have your OEC already, it means you are almost leaving.

You might think that having your OEC does not guarantee that you have job order?

• If your OEC was already processed through POEA, it means that the agency have the Job Order. Usually the agency processed OEC on POEA by bulk, not your papers alone, but many of you.

Before leaving, be sure to take the POLO OWWA Contact Details on the place that you are going to give you help when some problems occur.

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07 March 2010 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wishes to inform the public that beginning tomorrow, March 8, passport services will commence at a new building located at the corner of Bradco and Macapagal Avenues in Aseana Business Park, near the Mall of Asia.

The new telephone numbers at this building are the following: (02)737-1000, (02) 831-8971, (02) 551-4437, (02) 551-4402, (02)834-4855 and (02) 834-4424.To ensure quick, comfortable service, passport applicants are advised to check the passport requirements and secure an online appointment at www.passport.com.ph or call (02)737-1000. Applications may also be filed with the DFA's 19 Regional Consular and satellite offices.



Applicants are no longer required to bring photographs since they will have their pictures taken using ePassport data capturing machines at the new building.

They still need to bring other necessary requirements such as the application form that is available for download at the DFA website and at the reception desks of the new consular building.

Only those with confirmed appointments will be accommodated at the new facility. No escorts are allowed to accompany individual applicants at this time.

The new 7,000-square meter, four-storey building is a few blocks away from the DFA main building.

The new building is part of the ongoing modernization program undertaken by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo to further improve the DFA's frontline services which include harnessing new technologies in passport and visa issuances and streamlined procedures in the authentication of documents.

"It is part of our dream for the Filipino people to have a world-class passport and consular services. We have done it through the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) and the ePassport, and now the dream is complete with the new DFA-Office of Consular Affairs building," he said.

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Regarding on the issue of Nursing Volunteer is not considered as a work experience.

Hindi naman sa Pilipinas lang naghihigpit ang Saudi Council, at hindi lang sa mga nurses kungdi sa lahat ng medical staff, especially doctors. Nakasalalay kasi sa kamay ninyo ang buhay nila kaya ganoon. Dati kasi ay nakakalusot ang mga peke (pekeng doktor, pekeng nurses, atbp. kaya ganoon).

Payo ko lng sa mga job seekers most probably sa mga first timer, everytime you have direct hiring na applayan try to use google search sa credibility ng agency o company, second is demand them to negotiate you in live chatting para makita mo kung mga africano o nigerian ang kausap mo, isipin mo din kung paano ka kabilis na hired, consider din natin ang area of destination baka hindi nag eexist ang nature ng work mo don...then saka ka mag decide to allot your time and most important your MONEY to invest.

Jobs Abroad


Advice para sa mga first time mag abroad.

First and foremost you should have a passport, and supporting documents. Before leaving you should have a scanned copies of all your documents even the certificates that you gain during your schooling on your email. Some companies abroad requires you to show some proof that you have this, specially on your first week abroad.

• If applying through an agency, better check the records on POEA.

• If direct hiring from an employer or Company, you can check out the Company Profile through the internet. The POLO-OWWA will also verify if the copany your applying is eligible

 Both of this method of applying work abroad will pass the POEA.

•  To get rid of your second thinking and have a doubt regarding your Agency or Employer, the best thing to do is to go the POEA Legal Department.

About receiving emails that you are qualified to work abroad, DO NOT just get carried away by their good words. Scams are scattered everywhere, if you already received things like this, do not give time for yourself to think about it and immediately delete it, even what you wanna say is that "you are just trying and nothing will lose?". That would be a waste of time because as the process of assessment proceeds, the end will you will be required to pay.

Agencies have no right to hold your papers specially passport. If this scenario happens, you can seek help on POEA Legal Department and if nothing happens, you can go to DFA directly.

Jobs Abroad

Manila: Filipinos in Saudi Arabia have been warned by embassy officials against engaging in lending or borrowing money at usurious rates, as the country has strict rules against exploitative loaning.

In a statement posted in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said lending as well as borrowing money at usurious rates is considered a criminal offence in the Kingdom.

The embassy specifically mentioned the Filipino custom of borrowing and lending on the so-called "5-6" arrangement wherein both parties agree that the individual getting the loan will pay six parts of every five drawn from the lender over an agreed upon period.

Although such practice is not considered legally acceptable in the Philippines, it has been an accepted fact that small lenders and borrowers contract to this arrangement. Sadly, this practice of usurious lending has made its way among Filipinos in Saudi Arabia. There are an estimated 1.4 million Filipino guest workers in the oil rich Kingdom.

In the DFA advisory, it had been mentioned that officials had been receiving numerous requests for assistance from Philippine nationals working in Saudi Arabia concerning problems they encounter with regards to contracting loans of acting as guarantors for loans of other individuals.

"To avoid being accused of usury, lenders have resorted to lending cash with the borrower signing a promissory note to pay installments with a total greater than the amount of cash borrowed. This practice comes in different forms, and sometimes the undertakings are for payment of installments for appliances or furniture or other items instead of cash," the advisory said.

It further said that in almost all cases, a guarantor is required who would also be liable for payment of the total amount as the undertaking binds the guarantor to the obligations of the borrower.

In case that the borrower defaults for any installment and the lender complains to the police, the borrower and/or guarantor are held accountable for this private rights case and face endless imprisonment until the amount is fully settled. Usually, the persons involved in the loan are detained due to the private rights complaints by the lender.

"The Embassy informs Filipinos that it is not authorized to guarantee the obligation and could not settle the amount demanded for the satisfaction of the loan, as this is the responsibility of the borrower and/or guarantor.

Given these considerations, the Embassy strongly appeals to Filipinos to avoid engaging in these types of transactions to avoid serious problems in the Kingdom," the advisory said.

By Gilbert P. Felongco

Jobs Abroad


The nation's Filipino population is rising like Makati skyscrapers, especially in the Beehive State, where the number of "Pinoy" residents exploded by 108 percent in the past decade.

According to recently released census data, Utah's Filipino population jumped from 3,106 in 2000 to 6,467 in 2010, making it one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the state.

For Filipino-American Teena Jensen — who moved from Tarlac to Salt Lake City 33 years ago — the increase has been striking.

"Many years ago, I knew most of the Filipinos living here, but not anymore," she said. "(I) went to a Filipino party last Saturday (and) didn't know half of the people."

Eunice Jones, a real estate broker from Manila, tells a similar story.

"When I moved here (in 1995) I didn't see a Filipino for 10 months, but now I attend Filipino events all the time," she said.

Though the growth can be seen in various towns along the Wasatch Front, most of the Filipinos are flocking to Taylorsville and Salt Lake City.

Jensen credits the rise in residents to the areas' cost of living, low crime rate and geographical beauty.
"Salt Lake is quiet and clean," she said. "Filipinos like the slow pace here."

Customarily prosperous and well-educated, the newcomers have been making their mark on the region's religions and hospitals. And, they're adding a new flavor to the local food scene.

In fact, Five Star Restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City gives Utahns a taste of Southeast Asia through a menu that features lumpia (fried spring rolls), adobo (meat braised in garlic, vinegar and soy sauce) and bibingka (hot rice cake).

Utah's Filipino population is still comparatively small when measured against those of other states. California, for instance, features a Filipino citizenry of almost 1.2 million. Next door in Nevada, Filipinos comprise about 3.6 percent of the state's entire population.

But with the third-highest growth rate of Filipinos in the country, Utah may not be far from the rest once the time comes for the next census in 2020.

"It's exciting," said Jones. "I love seeing new people and welcoming them to our growing community."

Jobs Abroad


Air time over the past few weeks has been dominated by debates in Washington DC between President Obama and the Republicans on the debt ceiling. President Obama, warned last Monday that interest rates on home mortgages and credit cards, among others, would rise if no agreement on how to deal with the deficit budget is reached by Aug. 2, 2011.

With a financial crisis threatening millions of Americans, what does this actually mean to an ordinary Filipino immigrant?

Jason entered the United States as a registered nurse in 2004. He was able to petition his wife to join him and all their three children were subsequently born in the US.

Jason’s losses

He bought a home after two years. He also bought a second house in Las Vegas as an investment. But during the 2009 housing crisis, both homes were  foreclosed by the banks. He is now back to renting a home.

Watching the news, Jason is feeling the pressure of another financial crisis. If the budget deficit is not resolved, interest rates on home mortgages, credit cards and car loans could increase.

His credit cards are already hitting their limits. He may find it difficult to obtain a new loan because of his credit history showing previous foreclosures. The only way he can pay all his debts and sustain the living standards of his family is for him to earn more.

Unfortunately, even for nurses, the job market does not look good.

His current salary is just enough to pay his household expenses. Considering the volatile job market and State budget cuts, he is anxious about a possible lay off.

Jason is still lucky to have a job. Many immigrants are now unemployed.

Mortgages and credit cards

Anyone with outstanding loans or credit balances, will necessarily be threatened by any increase in interest rates caused by the fight in Washington.

This could happen because of the ripple effect that a downgrade in US credit rating will have on consumer loans. Any increase in interest rates on mortgages and credit cards will have immediate serious impact on an immigrant earning a modest income.

The Democrats and the Republicans cannot agree on a strategy on how to solve the budget deficit. While President Obama wants a combination of cutting expenses and raising the taxes, many Republicans are firm on their stand that there should be no new taxes. The impasse is already affecting the markets.

The impact on us

While we normally go on with our daily life and go to work every day oblivious to the happenings in Washington, the impasse between President Obama and Congress gives rise to the threat of a US default on its obligations.  A resulting credit downgrade will cause a rise in interest rates not only for government loans but also for consumer loans. The budget impasse also necessarily threatens jobs both in and out of government. For us immigrants, the budget battle in Washington is no longer just political theater. The threat to the immigrant’s standard of living is real. The effect of what happens in Washington will be felt in the pockets of each and everyone of us.

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I am a Filipino immigrant living in Canada. I watched President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), just as I watched his inaugural speech a year ago. I am following his presidency with the high hope that it will institute political reforms and cleanse government of corruption. I still believe in the country, I believe in our people, I believe in his leadership.

In his Sona, he mentioned about paying taxes. May I report to the President that in my whole life, it is here in Canada where I first received a tax refund. I have worked here for only a year so far. I worked for 15 years in the Philippines, where I paid my taxes. But the phrase “tax refund” was unknown to me there.

I am speaking on behalf of other overseas Filipino workers who have received tax refunds too. I know a tax refund is too good to be true in my country at the moment. But if it can’t be something real in our time, I hope it will be for the next generations.

In his Sona, President Aquino mentioned his health care program. May I report to the President that a few days ago an OFW neighbor checked out of the hospital after undergoing a major surgery to remove a cyst in her stomach. She paid not a single cent. Not only citizens and immigrants are covered with a health care program here, even OFWs are.

I dream of that day when every needy Filipino can benefit from a decent hospitalization program; when health care covers even the poorest of Philippine society.

Lastly, I would like to thank the President for delivering his speech in Filipino. Sa pagsasalaysay niyo ng wikang Pilipino, nararamdaman namin na kami ay personal na kinakausap niyo. Isang bagay na di nagawa ng mga nagdaang presidente, kahit nang yumao n’yong ina. Maraming salamat sa pakikipag-usap sa amin. Mabuhay po kayo! (By delivering your Sona in Filipino, we felt that you were communicating with us in a direct, personal manner. One thing that past presidents, including your late mother, didn’t do. Thank you for talking to us.)

Jobs Abroad

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs ) in Hong Kong found “insulting” the part of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s second State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) urging Filipinos to thank nurses who chose to stay in the Philippines for a lower pay rather than working abroad to serve foreigners in exchange for higher salary.

“We detest the implication that OFWs chose to serve foreigners instead of their countrymen,” said Dolores Balladares, chairman of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE HK).

“We protest the underlying contempt of President Aquino toward migrants who had no choice but to work overseas, separated from our families and communities, because the past and the present administration failed miserably to provide jobs and livelihood and denied basic social services to the Filipino people,” she stressed.

The subject of their protest is the part of Aquino’s SoNA last July 25 stating: “Kung magkasakit ka at makita mo ang nars na nag-aruga sa iyo, sa halip na magserbisyo sa dayuhan kapalit ng mas malaking suweldo, pakisabi rin po, ‘salamat po’ (If you get sick, and you see the nurse who takes care of you, instead of serving foreigners in exchange for higher salary, please also say thank you.)”

“Bago ka umuwi galing eskuwela, lapitan mo ang guro mong piniling mamuhunan sa iyong kinabukasan kaysa unahin ang sariling ginhawa; sabihin mo, ‘salamat po’: (Before you go home from school, approach the teacher who chose to invest in your future instead of prioritizing her own welfare; say ‘thank you’.),” Aquino also said.

“Now we understand why Aquino totally ignored our letter stating the OFWs’ demands to act on them in his first year in office. It is quite outrageous that he has the guts to deride our contribution to the economy through billions of dollars in remittances and to treat us with disdain despite earning huge profits through the mandatory insurance, OWWA membership fees, OEC, employment agency fees, etc.,” she said.

The group also criticized the part of the SoNA which stated: “Dati, nakapako sa pangingibang-bansa ang ambisyon ng mga Pilipino. Ngayon, may pagpipilian na siyang trabaho, at hangga’t tinatapatan niya ng sipag at determinasyon ang kanyang pangangarap, tiyak na maaabot niya ito. (Before, our foremost ambition was to work in another country. Now, the Filipino can take his pick. As long as he pursues his dreams with determination and diligence, he can realize them.)”

“Obviously, Aquino is out of touch from the reality that more than 4,000 Filipinos are leaving the country every day to work abroad. Had he visited the POEA Ortigas office, he would see a sea of Filipinos enduring bureaucratic processes and mountains of fees just so a livelihood can be had by their families,” Balladares said.

The group said that because of Aquino’s “continued subservience to foreign interests through his private public partnership, conditional cash transfer, and other globalization policies that fail to provide jobs and livelihood to the people, poverty worsened in his first year resulting from regular oil price hikes, 200% tuition increases, rising cost of commodities, and inadequate social services.”

“Aquino’s hollow ‘wang-wang’ had served its purpose. It’s time for him to act on our pressing issues and define the straight path to the provision of welfare and rights protection to OFWs,” Balladares said.

Balladares said that the lack of mention of OFW concerns in the SoNA “is telling of the government’s lack of attention to the situation of migrant Filipinos and their call for action.”

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AL-KHOBAR – With the Nitaqat system scheduled to begin in September, Filipino community and professional organizations in the Eastern Province are planning to hold a series of business and livelihood seminars to prepare their members for their eventual return to the Philippines. Many Filipinos are anticipating that they will be affected by the new nationalization program of the Saudi government.

The Philippine Society of Safety Practitioners-Middle East (PSSP-ME), a leading professional group, is scheduling business venture seminars during the Ramadan period, according to Engineer Greg Crisosto, president of the society.

 He said members of the society will focus on discussing during the seminars various topics, ranging from agro-business, franchising, and training on safety courses for overseas Filipino workers.
“Nitaqat may not affect some of us, but it is always a good policy to prepare ourselves to return home,” Crisosto said.

The Batangue?o ng Saudi Arabia (BANSA) a regional organization of Filipinos from the province of Batangas in Southern Luzon, Philippines, concluded their reintegration program this week. “We are concentrating on businesses that are available in our region, or on ventures that have advantages, like tourism, on account of our natural resources,” said Engineer Simeon P. Perez, president of Bansa.
During the Bansa seminar, the business ventures presented to the members included franchising, cooperatives, corporate enterprises, and eco-tourism as fallback businesses for retiring OFWs.

 The OFW Congress in the Eastern Province has also recently completed its reintegration seminars, presenting several enterprise ventures, such as animal and poultry raising, computer and IT businesses, cooperatives and franchising.

  “With or without Nitaqat, we OFWs have to prepare ourselves to return home. We should learn as much as we can about possible enterprises and business ventures in preparation for our final exit,” Crisosto said.

The Philippine government has also taken bold steps to support the reintegration of OFWs. President Benigno S. Aquino III has recently made available two billion pesos to be used as loans to OFWs who plan to set up business ventures upon their return to the Philippines.

Those qualified to take advantage of this loan package, called the billion OFW-Reintegration Program (OFW-RP), are OFWs who are members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and former OFWs who were members of OWWA.

 The Philippine government banks, Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, are supporting the two billion pesos loan facility.

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SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, July 29 (PIA) -- A bonafide Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) and member of the Overseas Workers Welfare and Administration can avail of the reintegration loan assistance under the P2-billion OFW-Reintegration Program to help them set up for alternative employment or business undertaking upon their return to the country.

The reintegration program is jointly implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), National Integration Center for OFWs, Land Bank of the Philippines, and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

The program provides returning OFWs with the following services: counseling on saving and financial management to help them manage and protract their earnings abroad; skills training, re-tooling, and upgrading to promote their employability and competitiveness; employment facilitation to help them search jobs locally or overseas and livelihood and enterprise development assistance for OFWs who want to establish business.

OFWs who contributed $25 or P1,083.98 to OWWA upon processing their employment contract at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and who voluntarily registered and paid the OWWA membership contribution at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office at their job sites overseas are qualified to the reintegration loan assistance.

It can be recalled that the P2 billion reintegration program was launched during Migrant Workers Day June 7 by President Aquino. (ANL/EMR-OWWA/PIA 1 La Union)

Jobs Abroad

 

 

 

CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan, July 29 (PIA) -- Repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Libya are starting over with small businesses in Bulacan as they are supported with an P11 million loan fund from the provincial government.

According to Jovito Saguinsin, head of the Provincial Cooperative and Economic Development Office, 150 repatriates in Bulacan have been assisted through a P5 million fund which was saved from the previous local administration.

The P6 million, Saguinsin said, was currently stored under a trust fund which will also be used for loans.

Each approved OFW has received up to a maximum of P25,000 - P50,000 livelihood assistance.

Saguinsin said the Bulacan government has already profited from the interests of the loans. The revenue will again be utilized for allotting more financial assistance to OFWs and cooperatives in the province.

“Intact pa ang P6 million na trust fund. Ang mga interest mula sa P5 million fund ang pinapaikot natin. Kumita na tayo diyan (The P6 million trust fund is still intact. We are circulating the interests earned from the P5 million fund. We have already profited from that),” said Saguinsin.

Another P3 million will be lent to Libyan repatriates this August.

Loans afforded to the OFWs have been used in putting up businesses on production and manufacturing in the province, added Saguinsin.

“The funds are being used for putting up small and medium enterprises ng mga OFWs from Libya. Sila ang naapektuhan talaga (They are the ones seriously affected).”

According to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, more than 2,000 Filipinos had been evacuated from Libya due to political tensions.

The government has set aside at least P130 million for the repatriation of more than 13,000 Filipino migrant workers displaced by the Libyan conflict. (WLB/JMG-PIA 3)

Jobs Abroad

 

 

Lorena Banggayan, Mary Rose Saberon and Rowena Villanueva, three hopeful overseas contract workers from Nueva Ecija, went to Taiwan as “caretakers” after applying with the OFW Recruitment Agency at a job fair held at their barangay last February 09, 2011.

After borrowing more than P150,000 each for their recruitment fees, however, they all scurried home after barely two weeks. They visited Bantay OCW at Radyo Inquirer last July 19, 2011 to complain that they had been set up for virtual slave labor. They sought redress for what they referred to as their “unsuccessful and lost chance abroad”.

OFW Banggayan was deployed last June 22, 2011 but was back after only three days.  She said she was made to work from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.—the first half of the day at a one-hectare fish farm where she was told to feed the fish then cut the grass and spray pesticides; then at noon she was returned to her employer’s residence to prepare lunch, clean the house and care for an elderly member. 

Banggayan, a mother of three, wept while begging her broker in Taiwan to allow her to return home.

OFW Saberon lasted 16 days in Taiwan. She said she was made to work at the agency then was deployed with several employers. When she contacted OFW Recruitment Agency to complain about the job after  all the money she had forked over, a staffer named Benzon Tan reportedly advised her to go jump off a building so she could collect insurance money to recover her recruitment costs.

OFW Villanueva also said she was given an almost impossible job when she arrived in Taiwan last June 14, 2011. She lasted 9 days after solely cleaning a six-storey house with eight huge rooms and several cars every day. When she visited her local agency to complain that this was not the job she expected, the same Benzon Tan advised her to be an agent and recruit others (P5,000 per head)to recover her lost money.

The three complainants had all taken out loans of P150,000-P160,000 with a lending company referred to them by the OFW Recruitment Agency. Banggayan also sold her house in Nueva Ecija worth P100,000 for the processing of other documents. Saberon’s parents mortgaged their lot. Villanueva borrowed about P50,000 more from other sources.

Bantay OCW learned that OFW Recruitment Agency was licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) but they had no approved job order on their records.

When contacted by Bantay OCW, Benzon Tan denied he told Saberon to go jump off a building. He said the girl probably overheard him “teasing” a different applicant over her insurance coverage. He also denied advising Villanueva to recruit other applicants to such jobs in Taiwan. Tan did not answer our questions regarding the agency’s job orders.

The three complainants have since filed a complaint with the POEA  against the recruitment agency. Their conciliation hearings are set this July 27, August 1 and 4, 2011. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has offered to assist them in their legal battle against agencies suspected of selling their kababayan into slave labor.

by Susan K

Jobs Abroad


Whenever I write about our overseas Filipino workers, as I did last Sunday, I am flooded with e-mail lamenting the government’s inattention to our OFWs’ woes. Many readers are moved by their sad plight and invariably offer creative ideas and out-of-the-box remedies.

The best creative solution I received comes from Alberto Lina who said that his company (Air 21) would put up a call center that OFWs anywhere in the world can dial for help, free of charge, 24/7. Air 21 already operates a call center. All it needs is the cooperation of the Department of Labor and Employment.

* * *

Foreign shares in utilities. To explain a major controversy besetting the economy, let me first cite the Constitution. It states that (1) only Filipino citizens or “corporations… at least 60 per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens” may operate a public utility such as a phone company; (2) “the participation of foreign investors in the (board of directors) of any public utility… shall be limited to their proportionate share in its capital,” and (3) “all the executive and managing officers of such corporations” must be Filipinos.

In turn, the capital stock of a corporation may be divided into (a) “voting” and (b) “non-voting” or “preferred” shares. Only voting shares can be used to elect members of the board of directors. Non-voting or preferred shares cannot; but they may legally be used in voting on very important issues, like in disposing of all or substantially all of the corporate assets; in incurring or increasing bonded indebtedness; or in merging the corporation with another; or in dissolving the corporation; etc.

A majority of 10 Supreme Court members led by Justice Antonio T. Carpio held in Gamboa v. Teves (June 28, 2011) that the word “capital” in the cited charter provision should refer only to voting shares, “not to the total outstanding capital stock.” Hence, foreign investments in public utilities, like PLDT, should be limited to only 40 percent of the voting shares. The Court said that this interpretation will ensure that Filipinos will “effectively control” public utilities because “it is the board of directors that controls or manages a corporation.”

To assure such control, it directed the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “to apply this definition of the term ‘capital’ in determining the extent of allowable foreign ownership in respondent Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, and if there is a violation of… the Constitution, to impose the appropriate sanctions under the law.”

A minority of three dissenters, led by Justice Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., (two seats were vacant) opined that jurisdictional, procedural and due process issues hobble the majority’s decision. On the merits, the dissenters argued that “capital” should include not only the voting but also the preferred shares because this was the interpretation given by the framers of the current and previous Constitutions since 1935.

Further, under item 2 above, the Constitution already assures Filipino control of public utilities because, in electing directors, foreigners can use only 40 percent of the common shares they hold, even if they own more than that percentage. Hence, “they will never be in a position to elect majority of the members of the board of directors… Filipinos will always control the board… although they (may) own less than 50 percent of the (voting) shares.” Also under item 3, only Filipinos may be “executive and managing officers” of public utilities, thus doubly ensuring Filipino control.

Liberty and prosperity. I believe that in construing the economic provisions of the Constitution, courts should – absent grave abuse of discretion – defer to the government, especially the Executive Department. Here, judicial restraint – nay, self-restraint – is the better course. Au contraire, in litigations involving civil liberties, the scales of justice should weigh heavily against the government and in favor of the people, particularly the poor and marginalized. I have always espoused this philosophy of “liberty and prosperity.”

With due respect, I submit that the judiciary does not have the mandate, not to say the expertise, to decide on matters relating to the economy and prosperity, and must – as much as possible – defer to the officials elected by the people to look after these issues. After all, if these elective officials fail to deliver on their mandate, they can be held accountable during periodic elections. This is how democracy thrives.

During the last several decades, our elected leaders – despite their partisan differences –have always relied on foreign investments to propel our economy and alleviate poverty. Even the majority’s decision concedes that over the last 75 years, the Charter has been uniformly construed to refer to all shares, not to voting shares only.

Most objectionable is the threat of sanction that the Court ordered the SEC chair to impose retroactively. How can we punish investors who relied in good faith on government’s blandishments over the last 75 years? That is most cruel and unfair.

However, if the decision cannot be reversed, I respectfully submit that, instead of being sanctioned, investors should be given a reasonable period of time, a few years, to comply with the new ruling. Finally, I believe Congress should consider passing a new law, which will govern an orderly and fair divestment process that will not unduly derail the country’s economic progress.

Jobs Abroad


MANILA -- Only overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) are qualified to apply for an enterprise loan under the P2-billion OFW-Reintegration Program (OFW-RP), the government said Wednesday.

National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) Director Vivian Tornea issued the statement following queries from non-Owwa members who expressed interest of availing business loans under the said program.

The queries included those from Filipino working students abroad.

Specifically, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said only OFWs who have contributed $25.00 to Owwa and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office upon processing of their employment contract are entitled to the loan.

The OFW-RP is jointly being implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), Owwa, NRCO, Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

OFWs who are members of Owwa who want to avail of business loans under the OFW-RP are required to complete entrepreneurial development training (EDT), conducted every Thursday at the NRCO, Owwa Building, Intramuros, Manila.

Tornea said the training orients participants on various business opportunities, and on the basics of starting a business and preparing a business plan.

It also assesses the participants’ capability to manage any business enterprise to help them find out and address their weaknesses before implementing their business plan.

She added that interested OFWs are required to submit business plans to the Land Bank and the DBP, which will evaluate the viability of the business enterprise they want to set up.

The other requirements OFWs should submit to partner banks in applying for the reintegration loan assistance are the following: an Owwa certification that the borrower is a bona fide Owwa member, has completed the training, and has good credit history; and biodata.

Jobs Abroad

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - A wave of revolutions in the Middle East, a tidal wave of apocalyptic dimensions in Japan.

These events thousands of miles away from the Philippines, and yet, their impact on the country is no less devastating.

The shockwaves from the so-called Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya and other Middle Eastern nations, and the great Sendai earthquake and Tsunami in Japan forced hundreds, even thousands of Filipino migrant workers to flee these danger zones and return to their homeland.

Their untimely departure was meant to ensure their physical safety. But for many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) like Lorna Catungan, it also brought them closer to economic jeopardy back home.

Catungan has been an OFW for the last 8 years, six of those as a domestic helper in Hong Kong.

Only recently, she was employed as a teacher in Libya, making use of her training as a BS Education degree holder from the Philippine Normal University.

“Kung ako lang ang masusunod, ayoko sanang umuwi hangga't masu-sustain ko na mag stay doon. Gusto ko kasing magkaroon ng another employment. Ayaw naman akong payagan ng nanay ko kasi sobrang na-trauma siya sa nangyari, sa experience ko sa Libya,” she said.

But the rebellion against the decades-old regime of Moammar Gadhafi made it unsafe for her and many other Filipinos in Libya to remain in the

Catungan gave up her teaching job and with it, the income she needed to support her mother and married siblings as well as her niece.

If Catungan were to look for another job in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia may no longer offer any opportunities for her or for thousands of other OFWs.

Only last year, the deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia reached a 7-year high with over 293,000 Filipino workers hired or re-hired in the kingdom.

But the Kingdom's labor policy of Saudization will now limit the job openings for Filipino workers and is prioritizing the hiring of Saudi Arabian citizens.

Although the process of Saudization will be gradually applied, it raises the unwelcome prospect of even more unemployed Filipinos who would otherwise have found work in Saudi Arabia.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz estimates that up to 50,000 OFWs may be affected by Saudization, and if other Arab states implement a similar labor nationalization program, the number of jobless OFWs could increase.

And yet, for some of the over 1 million OFWs already in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom may no longer be as attractive a job destination as it was.

The problems of inhumane treatment by their Arab employers, unfair wages and unreasonably long working hours have made it unbearable for some OFWs to remain in the kingdom.

Rudy Salem worked as a janitor in Saudi Arabia for six months. He and 2 other Filipino co-workers escaped from their employer, unable to withstand the working conditions they found themselves in.

With hardly anything saved from his stint in Saudi Arabia, Salem returned to the Philippines to take shelter at a friend's house in Malabon, and with no idea of where to find his next job.

The disruption in the employment of Filipinos in the Middle East and in Japan is also expected to reduce the inflow of hard currency into the Philippines.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expected remittances to grow 8 percent this year, but it has scaled this back to 7 percent.

The loss of overseas job openings puts even greater pressure on the Aquino administration to live up to the president's inaugural pledge.

The president said during his inaugural: “Our goal is to create jobs at home so that there will be no need to look for employment abroad. However, as we work towards that end, I am ordering the DFA, POEA, OWWA, and other relevant agencies to be even more responsive to the needs and welfare of our overseas Filipino workers."

In the early part of this year, 3 Filipinos convicted for drug trafficking in China were executed.

Sally Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain were caught by Chinese authorities in 2008 while trying to smuggle in heroin.

Their cases highlight the desperation that in some large measure keeps Filipino workers spreading around the globe despite the hazards they face in other lands.

Jobs Abroad

 

 

The King Saud Medical Complex, a government hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is in need of staff nurses and other medical workers. The job openings are posted under the Government Placement Branch (GPB) recruitment scheme so successful applicants would not be required to pay a placement fee. The recruitment for these job openings are handled by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Check out the job openings:

Position/Categories	Number of Position Required	Salary Offer
General Staff Nurse	148	SR 3,400/mo.
CSSD Technician	20	SR 3,400/mo.
Medical Controller	10	SR 3,400/mo.
Respiratory Therapist	44	SR 3,400/mo.
Quality Assurance Specialist Quality Assurance Consultant	6 3	SR 8,000/mo. SR 16,000/mo.
Medical Secretary	10	SR 2,500/mo.
Paramedics	20	SR 2,000/mo.

QUALIFICATIONS

Nurses

• BS Nursing Graduate
• With Board License
• Two-three (2-3) years hospital work experience
• Female / Not more than 40 years of age

CSSD Technicians

• BS graduate in medical field
• Male / Female
• Two-three (2-3) years hospital work experience
• Not more than 45 years of age

Medical Controller

• With BSN course and masteral degree in medical field
• Licensed (Male/Female)
• Five-ten (5-10) years hospital work experience
• Not more than 45 years of age

Respiratory Therapist

• Graduate of BSRT course
• Male/Female
• With or without work experience
• Not more than 45 years of age

Quality Assurance Specialist

Quality Assurance Consultant

• With BS Engineering course and Masteral degree
• Three-seven (3-7) years work experience
• Licensed (Male)
• Not more than 50 years of age

Medical Secretary

• A graduate of BS Secretarial (related field e.g. Computer Science, etc.)
• Two-Three (2-3) years work experience preferably in hospital or office setting Female / Not more than 45 years of age

Paramedics

• A graduate of BSN course
• With BLS (Basic Life Support) training
• Two (2) years work experience
• Male / Not more than 45 years of age

Employment Package:

• 30 days annual paid vacation
• Free round trip economy ticket
• Free transportation and housing
• Yearly renewable contract

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS are advised to REGISTER ONLINE at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph and personally submit a detailed resume with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, PRC credentials, valid NBI, original & photocopy of the first page of the passport and 6 pieces 2x2 recent photo at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, Ground Floor, Blas F. Ople Building (Formerly POEA Bldg.), Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

Deadline of submission is on 01 August 2011.

Present original documents, if submitting requirements personally. Those who will register online will be asked to present original documents for authentication of written information before forwarding the resume to the employer.

Jobs Abroad

 

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has a job opening for a government hospital in Riyadh, the King Fahad Medical City. The hospital is in need of Male Programmers (3 vacancies). The hired applicants can expect a monthly salary of SR4700.

Qualifications:

A graduate of BS Secretarial (related field e.g.Computer Science, etc.)

Two to six years of work experience as Lawson Programmer in hospital or office setting

Not more than 45 years of age

Housing Allowance : SR1500

Transportation Allowance : SR 600

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS are advised to REGISTER ONLINE at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph and personally submit a detailed resume with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, PRC credentials, valid NBI, original & photocopy of the first page of the passport and 6 pieces 2x2 recent photo at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, Ground Floor, Blas F. Ople Building (Formerly POEA Bldg.), Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

Deadline of submission is on 27 July 2011.

Note: Present original documents, if submitting requirements personally. Those who will register online will be asked to present original documents for authentication of written information before forwarding the resume to the employer.