Today, I am lighting a candle to remember the man who introduced the importance of public service through the media. He was a guy who struggled to make a name out of himself, despite his imperfections and flaws, had managed to put up his own legacy in the field of journalism. Few might have remembered him today or some might have forgotten him. Well, that does not matter. To me, he was my father…my mentor. Manuel ‘Noel’ Miranda was killed by a single .45mm bullet many years ago today. He instilled in me the last line in The Journalist’s Code of Ethics: “When in doubt, decency should be my last watchword.”

It has always been my guide and prayer. - joy b. miranda

By Maria Theresa S. Samante (OFW Guide)

The Department of Labor and Employment partially lifted the deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon and Nigeria.
Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said that the deployment of OFWs in Lebanon will be limited to three categories.

New hires or returning non-household service workers or those working in hotels and other similar establishments will now be allowed to leave the country.
Returning household service workers (HSWs) will only be allowed to leave if they will agree with the policy reforms on household service workers.

The deployments of newly hired household workers are limited to those duly endorsed by the Philippine Overseas labor Offices including members of the family of heads of state/government ministers, deputy ministers and other senior government officials of the host country and members of diplomatic corps and duly recognized international organizations. These employers of HSW are required to comply with the HSW policy reforms.

Meanwhile, OFWs with new contract bound to Nigeria are not allowed to leave. Only those returning OFWs who are on vacation and are going to work with the same employer will only be allowed for the processing and deployment.

According to Brion, the partial lifting of deployment ban in these countries is due to the light improvement of security conditions here. He also said that they are waiting for the full assessment report from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Special Task Force on Lebanon before they decide the appropriateness of completely lifting the ban.

Source: POEA

(Just laugh it out!)

UN conducted a survey on: “Would you please give your honest opinion about the shortage of food in the rest of the world?” The survey failed because: In Africa, the people did not know what “food” was. In China, they did not know what “opinion” was. In Europe, they did not know what “shortage” was. Filipino leaders interviewed didn’t know what “honest’ meant. France didn’t know what “please” was. In America they didn’t know what “the rest of the world” meant. (compiled by Bea Joy)

By Carmela Bignotia (OFW Guide)

Engineers, architects, and other professions associated with the building industry have always been in-demand overseas particularly in countries of the Middle East region. Today, however, another door of opportunity opens with another promising destination: the city of New York in the United States of America.

The United States of America (USA) is facing labor shortage not only in their healthcare sector but also in the field of construction. One of the wealthiest cities in the USA is experiencing a boom in their construction industry.

This can be considered as an aftermath of the September 11 attack in World Trade Center. The construction sector dimmed after the bombing, but now five years after, one of the largest building booms in the history of New York has started.

It is said that the USA has always relied on foreign workers whenever the need for laborers for construction projects arises. Now, New York is once again ready to accept foreign workers to fill the open positions.

The New York Building Congress, an alliance of construction businesses in the said city expresses the need for more lenient immigration policies to make the recruitment of foreign workers easier and faster. Tens of thousands immigrant workers are predicted to be hired n the next year or two.

According to a report from the Building Congress, majority of the 275,000 (123,000) employees currently employed in New York are young immigrants. The president of the Building Congress, Richard T. Anderson, said, “We have a big stake in reasonable immigration legislation.â€?

The estimated salary for professions in the construction industry is as follows:

·         heavy and civil construction (USD 68,900)

·         architectural and engineering services (USD 68,000)

·         real estate (USD 47,600) and building services (USD 32,800),
 
 

By Maria Theresa S. Samante (OFW Guide) 

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has set the minimum age requirement for Filipina domestic helper applying overseas to 23 years old, which before was 25 years old.

“We have to act on this matter immediately so as not to prejudice our common objective of strengthening further our programs that would ensure the protection and welfare of our workers abroad,� said Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo Brion.

The Governing Board has also issued a resolution that relaxes two of the provisions being proposed by the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters, Inc. (FAME), a group of recruitment agencies, which has been asking for exemptions to some of the provisions in the new deployment policy.

The resolution also states that only the newly-hired household service workers (HSWs) are required to undergo competencies assessment under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the language and culture training offered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). While there are special rules that would be issued on the implementation of the reform package overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning to overseas employment after completion of their contracts.

In terms of salary, the Board exempts returning HSWs under existing contracts and those who have completed their contracts within 2006 and processed before March 1, 2007, and maintain the new rule on the US$400 to all returning HSWs who completed contracts before 2006 and returning under new contracts processed before March 1, 2007. The same rule applies to returning HSWs on a new contract and those newly-hired.

The no-placement fee policy has also been maintained despite opposes from recruitment agencies.

“We understand that the no placement-fee policy affects the business of recruitment agencies. Placement fees can be collected from employers so why burden our workers?� Brion said. “Marami sa mga kababayan natin ang nalulubog sa utang dahil sa placement fee, napapanahon naman siguro na alisin na natin sa kanila ang pabigat na ito.�

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board has agreed to relax some of the provisions in the new government policy in the deployment of HSWs without compromising the objective of enhancing the welfare and protection being afforded to overseas workers.

Subject: Nice Thought

  It was difficult for me to decide who I thought would DO this because many people claim to pray,
but not everyone does. I hope I chose the right twelve. Please send this back to me. (You’ll see
why.) May everyone who receives this message be blessed.  REMEMBER to say a prayer before you read
the poem. That’s all you have to do.   There is nothing attached. Just send this to twelve.
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. Make sure
you pray, and pray believing that God will answer.

May today be all that you need it to be today.
May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your 
          thoughts,  rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears.
May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced. May your joys be
fulfilled, your dreams be closer and your prayers be           answered.
I pray that faith enters a new height for you,
I pray that your territory is enlarged
and I pray  that you step into your destiny within the ministry.
I pray for peace, health, happiness and true and undying love for God.

Now, send this to 12 people within the next 5 minutes and remember to Send this back…I count as
1…you’ll see why.   Suggestion: copy and paste  rather than forward.  Live simply.  Love
generously.  Care deeply.  Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

 

Annali T. Estrada

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nicosia sponsors the New Inter-Christian Fellowship which will be held on March 25, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Hall. Guest speakers will be Rev. Alex Meek and Sharmaine Meek from Australia. Everyone is invited!

By Primrose Lomas

By Maria Theresa S. Samante  (OFW Guide) 

Many Filipinos consider Canada as destination for their overseas job. In the last quarter of 2006, a memorandum of agreement was signed by the Philippines and Canada that would surely bring another opportunity for many Filipinos. 

Before you finally decide to work in Canada, we would like to give you a guide on how much would it cost you living and working in here. It is cheaper to live in Canada than that of Europe. Like any other countries, cost of living here varies in your location.  The most expensive cities are Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal while Charlottetown, Winnipeg and Edmonton are much cheaper.

Accommodation

The cost of accommodation in Canada depends on the location, apartments near the city are more expensive. Rent for a two-bedroom luxury apartment per month in Vancouver costs $1,406.77. Others say that Alberta has the lowest cost of living while others disagree since there are some areas which accommodation is astronomical.

In most cases for Toronto and other major Canadian cities, the closer you’re house to the city center the higher rent will be. In Toronto, average rental prices are:

v      Rent for a one- bedroom apartment range from $500 CAD to $1,200 CAD per month, depending on the proximity to city center and the amenities included

v      Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment range from $900 CAD to $1,500 CAD, depending on the proximity to city center.

Food

Food in Canada is much cheaper as compared in Europe, typical food allowance is US$5-10. Eating out is affordable, dining for two in restaurant would only cost you for only $20.

Transportation

The cost of transportation depends on how far you need to travel. Buses are the cheapest means, which cost around $3 CAD for one way. Trains are also available and it will cost you some $2.25 CAD per ticket.

Other bills

Other expenses such as gasoline and cars are cheaper. The prices of gasoline also depend on the location/province of the service station. Electric bill comes costly during winter since you need to heat your house during this season.

If you want to spend time watching movie after a long workweek, it would cost you around $8.50 – $12.00 CAD. Sending an international postage (if you still prefer this type of communication with you love ones although there’s email and text messaging) costs $1.45 CAD.
 
 
 

“Coffee has evolved in years with cream, iced coffee, coffee with choco chips or cookies. But no matter how people try to innovate coffee varieties, it still does not lose its distinct aroma…just like us…no matter how we clothe ourselves with different personalities, still, our character remains. People may destroy your image, stain your personality, but they can’t take away your distinct character. Live…exist…let your character diffuse its distinct aroma.” (Compiled by Bea Joy)

By Maria Theresa S. Samante (OFW Guide)  

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned applicants to be cautious in applying overseas jobs in countries such as Norway, Canada, Northern Marianas, South Korea and China.

No demand for nurses in Norway

Aspiring and current overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), especially nurses, are warned by the POEA that there are no job offers for nurses in Norway. This was proven by the POEA when the Philippine Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden reported that there is no present demand for professional nurses, foreign or local, in Norway.

The Director Per Haugum of the Norwegian Registration Authority for Health Personnel, replied to the Philippine embassy’s request for verification, said he was not aware of any demand for nurses in Norway.

Thus, the POEA denied the request of the Professional Management AS, a company registered in Oslo, Norway, for accreditation with Reliable Recruitment Corporation to supply them with Filipino nurses.

The POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz also advised OFWs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and South Korea to go back to the country first before processing their application for caregiving jobs in Canada.

“Recruitment activities done outside our territorial jurisdiction are not covered by Philippine laws on recruitment so I advise applicants to be careful in dealing with these foreign placement agencies,� she said. 

She added that the agency offering this service, the Canadian Career Caregiving Services, is not accredited with the POEA or any local recruiter.

Crackdown for overstaying foreign workers in Northern Mariana

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) warned OFWs looking for a job in Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a United States territory in the Western Pacific, without acquisition of proper documents.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Saipan, reported that the Department of Labor of CNMI recently published a list of non-resident workers who are staying illegally in the territory and they are facing deportation.

There are 1,000 names of foreign workers included in the list, some of them has expired contracts while others are those who failed to find jobs with the 45-day transfer period and yet continued to remain in the CNMI.

Before leaving, make sure you’re holding the proper visa

The POEA keep on advising Filipino workers to hold proper visa when planning to land a job abroad. Holding a visit visa when working abroad has never been legal although this is the fast and easy way to leave the country.

Many has been lured to work abroad using visit visa but ended nothing to pay debts they spend during the processing of their documents. This happened to a 23-year-old education graduate who paid an illegal recruiter P200,000 to facilitate his employment as an English teacher in Beijing, China.  

The unnamed victim arrived in China holding a six-month business visa. He later found out that the job offer does not exist and there was really no job waiting for him. Luckily, he got a job in a secondary school in Inner Mongolia and he earned about US$600 a month. Unfortunately, the authorities raid the school for it does not hold a license to hire foreign teachers. He was jailed and fined because it turned out that his visa was fake. Through the negotiation of Philippine Embassy his jail term was reduced but he was deported back to the Philippines.

No more trainee visas for Korea

The Korean Government has stopped issuing the trainee visas and abolished its Alien Industrial Trainee System. Thus, OFWs who wants to secure job in Korea should apply through the Employment Permit System (EPS) under the POEA.

The POEA is the only authorized agency to implement the EPS in the Philippines. Korea is no longer accepting OFWs who applied through private agency, instead, only those OFWs who apply through the EPS.

The POEA Administrator, Rosalinda Baldoz, advised OFWs holding trainee visa to return home upon the expiration of their contract and re-apply though the EPS.