PGMA wants consular officers to visit remote areas of Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 23 -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today (Tuesday, September 22, 2009) ordered Philippine Ambassador Antonio Villamor to field consular officers in the remote areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia every two months to look after Filipino workers there.
A total of 1.4 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are deployed to the whole kingdom.
The Chief Executive issued the directive during her meeting with members of the Filipino community at the Habitat Hotel here. The President is in Jeddah on the last leg of her three-nation swing that took her to
The Filipino community had requested the President, when she was in Dammam on Monday (September 21), to establish embassies on wheels that will provide consular services to OFWs in the eastern region, which currently has only a Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo was ordered to implement the directive immediately.
Aside from the labor office in Dammam, the Philippine government operates an embassy in
The President, likewise, announced she had already increased the number of POLO personnel before the end of the year to cope with the large number of OFWs encountering employment-related problems in the kingdom. This elicited approval from some 600 OFWs attending the meeting.
At the same time, the President directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure POLO works double time in serving OFWs, particularly those who need immediate attention.
PGMA orders board exams for Filipino nurses in Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH,
The Chief Executive issued the directive in her speech before more than 600 members of the Filipino community at the Habitat Hotel here.
The President is on the last leg of her visit to three countries. She has just come from
The executive order institutionalizes the President’s earlier directive to the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) to hold licensure examinations in countries hosting a large number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to make it easier for them to be certified as professionals in their respective fields.
Several nursing examinations have already been conducted in
In her speech, the President thanked the
The President noted, however, that Filipino nurses (Muslim or non-Muslim) who want to work in hospitals outside of these two areas still have to pass the required nursing board examinations.
She said there will be a nursing board examination in the last week of November this year.
Earlier, the President swore into office the new set of officers of the newly organized Philippine Nursing Association (Jeddah Chapter). (PNA)
PGMA to fly home with 120 illegal OFWs
JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 23 – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will fly home on Wednesday (Jeddah time) with 120 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are charged with violations of immigration laws and then released by the Saudi Arabian government.
In her speech before some 600 members of the Filipino community at the Habitat Hotel here, the President expressed hopes that other OFWs will be repatriated after their problems are resolved.
The President recalled that since her previous state visit to the Kingdom in 2006, the King has pardoned 700 jailed OFWs.
The President also ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the case of 300 OFWs under the Khandara bridge.
Of the 300 OFWs, 100 have been deported to the
The President underscored the need for DOLE to strictly implement reforms which protect OFWs, particularly household workers. These reforms are: the minimum monthly wage, which was increased from US0 to US0; the no-placement fee policy; the mandatory skills certification to ensure OFWs can perform household jobs; and the basic culture pre-departure orientation that should enable the workers to adjust to their working environment.
Gov't forces rescue three teachers from ASG abductors in Basilan
Supt. Danilo Bacas, spokesman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police Regional Office (PRO), said intelligence operatives of the PRO-ARMM and PRO-9 conducted simultaneous operations at around 11:30 a.m. in the towns of Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo, both in Basilan.
The successful operations, which also involved local police units, were launched following positive information of the presence of the victims in those places.
Victim Jocelyn Inion was safely rescued in Barangay Kabangalan, Ungkaya Pukan town while Jocelyn Enriquez and Noemie Mandi were rescued in Barangay Bangkuang, Tipo-Tipo.
”It was simultaneous operations.. . and the kidnappers were surprised and abandoned the victims,” said Bacas, tagging the Abu Sayyaf band of Nurhasan Jamiri as responsible for the abduction of the three teachers.
Bacas said there was no reported firefight during the rescue operations.
He said the three teachers were subsequently flown to
They were snatched by armed men aboard a motorized banca off the waters of Zamboanga Sibugay last March.
Earlier, government security forces had said it strengthened intelligence gathering to locate the three victims.
