By OFW Guide

The number of Filipino workers going to Europe increases as demand for manpower continues to arise. Based on the recent study, conducted by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (IND) in Italy, Filipinos are now the sixth largest ethnic group in the country by dominating 113,686 of Italy’s population. Italy is the home for most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who want a better future by working abroad. Italy is also one of the preferred destinations of Filipino caregivers, nurses, restaurant staffs and domestic helpers. According to Philippine Overseas Employment Authority data, it clearly show an increase with the deployment of Filipino workers in Italy which up by 22.6 percent in 2008 compared to only 17.8 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the numbers of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who go to European countries such as Denmark, Scandinavia and Norway to work as au pairs (house helpers) also increases. According to the Norwegian Immigration Department (UDI) in Norway alone, the number of au pairs who entered the country increases with only 78 in 2000 to 2,090 in 2008. This means that 7 out of 10 au pair permits issued by the department are given to Filipinos despite the ban on au pair deployment by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) since 1997. Au airs is slightly the same with domestic helpers. Au pair does light household work like baby sitting but earn by allowance only since au pair a cultural exchange arrangement that allows cultural visits of young people from all over the world in host families. Au pairs in different countries in Europe will attend a convention in Oslo to discuss their motion to expand the benefits for au pair workers in Europe.

By Ester Beatty, (TP Staff)

After more than a month and the many hours spent sorting all the clothes that were donated for the Philippine typhoon victims by the public, the cargo container which sailed towards Phlippines on 7^{th December 2009, have finally arrived in Manila. The container has arrived in Manila on 11th January 2010 and was delivered to a warehouse in Quezon City on 18th January 2010 ready to be transported to Tuao, Cagayan Valley, and its final destination. This has been done to avoid paying demurrages charges. Mr. Rufo Ong, a businessman from Tuguegarao, was kind enough to accede to the request of the Holy Guardian Angels Parish Church to transport the relief goods from Manila to Tuao free of charge. However, the cargo cannot be accommodated all at once as there are more than 100 boxes to be transported so these will be done in batches. Hopefully within the next few days the distribution of the relief goods will commence.}

Contents of the container mostly consisted of good quality used clothing but there were also many new clothes, shoes, blankets as well as non-perishable foods (such as pasta, rice, sugar, tin foods, etc.) and toiletries. During the Rainbow festival in Nicosia and Limassol respectively, a group of Filipino ladies have managed to raise a small amount of money by selling Filipino foods and snacks, which helped to buy some more dry foods (pasta) for the container. The benefactors of the relief goods that were gathered and sorted are the people of Tuao, in the province of Cagayan Valley. The Municipality of Tuao has thirty-two barangays and has a population of approximately 57,000. Distribution of the relief goods will be handled and supervised by the Holy Guardian Angels Parish Church with Rev. Fr. Gerald A. Perez as the over-all coordinator.

This area of the Philippines had suffered the wretch of typhoon “Pepeng”, which had hit them twice. People’s livelihoods and houses were destroyed and some families had been living in makeshift accommodation (in a sports hall) for a month after three successive typhoons. This area has rarely been seen on TV because of its location. When the flooding had occurred the roads were destroyed and transportation system was virtually non-existent. A semi-permanent bridge, which is the only way to cross to be able to reach the other towns, was washed away due to the force of the floodwater. It was weeks afterwards that some normality came back to the town area.

The love and dedication of few women, most especially Mrs. Venny McCullie who had spent most of her spare time in the mornings and evenings sorting the bulk of boxes and bags of clothes that were delivered to the drop-off point, the St. Joseph Social Centre, is deeply appreciated. The help of the following Filipino ladies Susan, Edna, Nora, Scarlet, Maria & Carol who have helped in sorting the in-kind donations (clothing) is also very much appreciated. Almost night after night, after our respective works had finished, we would do few hours of sorting and packing. We would like to thank the different organisations who have donated much of the in-kind donations that were put in the container and we are very grateful for their generosity and the humanitarian effort that they shared with us: Cyprus Indy Media (www.cyprus.indymedia.org), Cans for Kids (www.cansforkids.org), St. Joseph Social Centre, Association for the Protection of Filipinos in Cyprus, the Friday Quilters Group, St. Paul Ladies Guild, the Catholic church in Cyprus for their help during the fund-raising activities held in October 2009 and to all the individuals and Filipinos who have helped us in this appeal. We would also like to express our gratefulness to the generosity of 5Continents Ceylon Services Ltd and their Philippines branch, Five Continents Ceylon Services Ltd (www.fivecontinents.com.cy), a cargo service provider to the Filipino community here in Cyprus, sponsored the 20-ft. container. Trico International, for totally sponsoring the shipment of the 20-ft. container to Manila. For further information, please contact Mr. Gehan Perera at 99-440947 or via email at gehan@fivecontinents.com.cy

In another development, the fund-raising which was initiated by Scarlet “Iska” Tugbo through snacks selling during the Rainbow Festival of Kisa both in Nicosia and in Limassol was also a productive event. She was able to send the proceeds to their area in Novaliches, Quezon City. Iska likewise is thanking everyone who supported her one way or the other.

By Maria Nieves – (Tinig Pinoy – October 2009 issue)Like all other Filipinos around the globe, the Filipino Community (FilCom) in Cyprus also did a fund raising activity to help the victims of super typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng which hit most parts of Manila and northern Luzon, Philippines. The fund raising which was spearheaded by Mrs. Ester Beatty, was done for two consecutive Sundays, October 3 and 11, 2009. The organizers were able to collect an amount of 8,856.66 euros Cyprus-wide and on 14th of October, 2009, the said amount (minus the charge) was sent to Sagip Kapamilya of Abs-Cbn Foundation, Inc. It can be recalled that on 26th of September 2009, super typhoon Ondoy or internationally known as typhoon “Ketsana”, has devastated the country’s capital, causing huge damages to properties, leaving hundreds as homeless and losing dear ones. Immediately after, a very concerned Ester Beatty has emailed all the Filipino leaders in Nicosia to sit down and discuss what to do. A meeting was set in her residence and it was agreed by everybody to sell Filipino snacks and delicacies in front of the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Nicosia. The next day after the meeting, Ester then talked to Fr. Andrew Arhin and asked him to send the proceeds of the fund raising tor the intended recipient (in case Fr. Umberto Barato will not be around). On the first Sunday the organizers were able to collect 1,739.29 euros in Nicosia alone. Aside from the snacks selling, second hand clothes were also sold and there were boxes provided by El Shaddai- Nicosia where church-goers placed in their cash donations, plus the collections from the morning and evening masses. The word has spreaded out all over Cyprus as head organizer Ester also called on the participation of all the Catholic Priests in the land to help dessiminate the information. After the first Sunday, she was invited to speak at radio station Rik 1 for the donation appeal. In the middle of this first week activity, Sis Bernadette of El Shaddai has mentioned to Ester that there might be one cargo company in Limassol that will donate a 20ft. relief container, which, she said, still awaiting for its confirmation. Having that in mind, Mrs Venny McCullie, Joy Miranda and Ester Beatty sat down together in front of the computer and researched how much money it incurs to send a relief container from Larnaca port to Manila. Ester has emailed her contact in the Philippines and asked if there is a custom charge to transport a relief container if it is done for charity and most especially if it will be sent through the International Red Cross. Ester has grilled her mind off into it and was adamant to know in advance what to do or prepare in advance where to get the funds, in case the container will be confirmed. The following day, Ester got the reply from her contact who said that it might cost the recepient about 340 euros. Ester right away forwarded the email to Joy Miranda and both discussed that should the container be confirmed, a prospected sponsor will be tapped to shoulder the cost. Later on same day, Sis Bernadette sent a text to Ester about the container’s confirmation with a less charge of only 110 euros here. Ester then informed Bernadette about the charge in the Philippines, while at the same time started to send out the flyers asking for relief items to fill in the container. As this developed, Ester again has called for a meeting regarding the container, to inform and update everybody about the plan of asking for a sponsor to shoulder the cost. But before she could lay it on the table, Bernadette interrupted saying that Fr. Zach from Limassol has cancelled the container because according to Bernadette, Fr. Zach said that it is not worth for the recipient to spend such amount for a garbage. Hearing this statement, Joy Miranda blurted out to Bernadette “Oh, just like that? You cancelled the container shortly after confirming it to Ester and after we already have spreaded the appeal for in kind donations?” Bernadette explained that Fr. Zach decided to cancel it after knowing the cost and insisted that she texted Ester right away about the cancellation. Ester in turn gave Bernadette a look of confusion denying to have received the cancellation. “Marami kang sinasabi na nainformed mo ako pero hindi maliwanag at malabo gaya ng nakipag appoinment ka kay consul that you did not even bother to ask first if libre ako,” Ester said. Disappointed, Ester told everyone, in that case,”I’l take over with the container, I’ll handle it!”  Not known to Bernadette that many nights since the fund raising started, Joy Miranda, Scarlet Tugbo, Venny McCullie and Ester Beatty did not stop discussing how to make this endeavour successful, to widen the scope of help the FilCom in Cyprus could extend to the victims. While Ester was awaiting for Bernadette’s container to be confirmed, Ester too, on her own, solicited another 20ft relief container purposedly to send to her province Cagayan, as it was badly hit by typhoon Pepeng. The Five Continents Cargo company has pledged Ester to donate and send it to Cagayan. “Yung kay Bernadette, kapag approve na, will be sent to Manila through the International Red Cross. Itong galing sa Five Continents, akin ito, para sa mga kababayan ko sa Cagayan,” she said. “With the turn of events, mabuti na lang may back up na container pala si Ate Ester, kung hindi mapapahiya tayo dahil nai-announced na sa lahat, marami nang nagbigay ng mga damit, bakit nagdedesisyon yan sina Fr. Zach at Bernadette ng basta-basta, ano ba yan?” was a comment of another member of the organizers.The tension between Bernadette and the rest of the organizers started when Bernadette said that Fr. Zach has instructed her to make an appointment with the honorary consul to ask the latter that she will be the one to send to ABS CBN whatever cash this fund raising gets. As it turned out, Bernadette heeded the instruction of Fr. Zach to go straight to the PHC and made appointment without even informing Ester first hand. Joy Miranda straight away opposed to the idea saying that the first plan was for Fr. Andrew (Fr. Umberto was away) to send the money, giving credit to the church which have helped in so many ways for this aim. Further, Joy Miranda reiterated that this fund raising is not an exclusive activity of El Shaddai therefore Fr. Zach or Bernadette should not make decisions on their own alone, causing an indirect insult to the organizers themselves. “This is a team effort, we should work as a team and decide as a team!” Joy Miranda stressed. Bernadette defended herself saying that “Gusto lang masiguro ni Fr. Zach na nasa ayos ang pera so dapat si consul ang magpadala dahil yun din ang advised ni welof (referring to Welfare Officer Tobias). Tapos na, okey na kay consul.” This statement has all the more irated Miranda saying that, “Look, we or I have nothing personal against the consul, the point is, you should have consulted the rest of us to discuss this matter. With your action, you were being unfair to Ester, showing her on the face that hindi katiwa-tiwala ang organizers dito, which I am part of it.” Miranda further argued that, “we are doing this in good faith, with all our good intentions, aiming to help our kababayans, and we are aware that meron ka talagang maririnig na pagdududa, whether we like it or not, that is why we get the church and priests involved here in the first place! The money will be sent by the church representative, that’s a majority’s decision.” Joy Miranda’s sentiments were being supported by the others who were at the meeting. Then Bernadette bursted out into tears, saying “naiipit na ako, nakakahiya kay Fr. Zach at kay Consull. Please Joy, pwede kalimutan na lang natin ‘to, and lets move on?” Everybody was silent, but when Cora Hammoud, who acted as treasurer, said to Joy Miranda, “Paano yan, na schedule na kay consul na iturn over sa kanya ang pera.” It was then that Joy cooled down, saying, “okay, be it.” The meeting was adjourned after Joy and the majority gave in to Bernadette, decided to set aside the differences and go on with the aim to help. The relief container (Five Continents) will continue and drop off donations was set until October 31st only. It will be forwarded to Manila on mid- November. The next Sunday all the organizers were present at the church and the cash count afterwards went off smoothly. The money were endorsed to PHC and was sent to ABS CBN last 14th of October. Head organizer of the said fund raising, Ester Beatty, who flew to Houston, Texas, USA last Friday accompanying her husband for a business trip, conveys her gratitude to the following who helped, donate and share their precious time for the success of this event. Maraming salamat to Scarlet Tugbo, Venny McCullie, Joy Miranda, Cora Hammoud, Cathrine, Matthew and Nora, Five Continents Cargo Philippines, Western Union, Sisters of St. Joseph, SJSC Filipino Group, Smart Flat ladies, Letty Ramos (Legion of Mary), Bong Jusi (OFWFC), Catholic Charismatic Renewal (Nicosia and Larnaca), El Shaddai, Sister Aida (Church of God), Mrs. Myrna Nicolao, Bro. Carlos, Mrs. Josefino Martinez, Pafos Catholic Church, St. Catherine Catholic Church (Limassol), St. Mary of Grace Church (Larnaca), Holy Cross Catholic Church (Nicosia)), the Catholic priests for announcing the appeal, Cypro-Philippine Association, Renalyn Clavesillas of UN, Cyprus Indy Media, Ester’s Quilting group, and to the anonymous donors, everyone, Filipinos or non-Filipinos, thank you all for your generosity!

A lady patiently carrrying the donation box during Sunday mass as part of the Filipino Community (FilCom) fund raising for the typhoon victims in the Philippines. 

By OFW Guide
Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc (PASEi) recently recommends a more comprehensive proposal regarding the additional insurance that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) will benefit.
The association recently opposes the recent statement of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) regarding the latter’s stand that additional insurance for OFWs should be voluntary and not compulsory.
Victor E. R. Fernandez, Jr, president of PASEI claims that POEA’s objection on the House Bill 5649 and Senate Bill 3286 that seek to amend Republic Act No. 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 is baseless.
“The objections that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) interposes are based on conjectures and not on facts. There are enough safeguards that had been incorporated in the law. POEA cannot logically answer and present their objections impartially since POEA prefers to see the OFWs suffer than try the solutions offered by the industry,� says Fernandez on his statement.
Fernandez added, “The proposal of PASEI is more comprehensive compared to the current proposals being put forward under the Senate Bill No. 3286 and House Bill No. 5649 which limits the proposed liability insurance to money claims or damages.
Under the PASEI’s proposal OFWs will be entitled with these benefits:
 
Accidental Death Benefit- USD15,000
Survivor’s Benefit- USD10,000
Total Permanent Disablement- USD7,500
Repatriation
 
Bodily Remains- US$4,000
(Including burial, up to the maximum reimbursement)
Other Causes – USD1,000
and Emergency Evacuation 
 
Subsistence allowance- USD600
Payment for legitimate monetary claims- USD4,500
 
Under their proposal, insurance companies will be liable if they failed to comply with their monetary obligations to OFWs who suffered accidents, death, etc.
Moreover, all recruitment agencies will also lose their license to operate and their directors and officers will also be disqualified from engaging in business of recruitment/placement agencies if the premium cost of the compulsory insurance will not be given to OFWs.
“On the other hand, escrow is limited to unpaid wages only. It does not cover repatriation of remains and burial, life and accident insurance, subsistence allowances, repatriation for other defined causes and total permanent disability.
In the end, the compulsory insurance coverage of all legally POEA-processed workers at no cost to the worker and at no cost to government may guarantee direct, immediate and more expeditious delivery of benefits to the OCWs.� The statement read.

By OFW Guide
Participating in the Philippine election is now possible even if one is not physically in the Philippines through the Absentee voting law. In the coming May 10, 2010 presidential and senatorial elections, a non-government organization, The Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) is urging Filipinos working and living overseas to register and vote.
The CMA which had lobbied for the right to vote of Filipinos outside the Philippines are reminding them that there is a seven month period for them register for the overseas absentee voting
The registration for absentee voters has started last February 1, and will be open until August 31 of this year. To be eligible, Filipino migrants and overseas workers should be 18 years old and above.
Ellene Sana, executive director of CMA said, “If you want change to happen, be involved. Be responsible citizens, go out and register.”
Of the estimated eight million Filipinos abroad, almost 50 percent are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). However, only a small percentage (below 50,000) registered to vote in the last two elections.  
One of the reasons cited for the low turnout of voters is the difficult requirements needed to register. One of them is the need for a personal appearance, which can be time consuming and hard for many whose residence and job sites are far from Philippine embassies and consulates.
The CMA responded, “But personal appearance is required for the biometrics capture of photograph, thumbprint, and signature. As in previous OAV registrations, various posts abroad could conduct mobile and field registration in far areas.�
The CMA added, “But usually the Department of Foreign Affairs, which conducts the registration and elections for the Commission on Elections, chooses sites for this type of enlistment in places where there are many Filipinos.�
Other Requirements: Valid Philippine passport or a Department of Foreign Affairs certification (as most employers of household service workers in the Middle East get their passports) Accomplished OAV registration/certification form. For seamen: a photocopy of Seaman’s Book or proof of being a seafarer. For Filipinos who retained or re-acquired their Filipino citizenship under Republic Act 9225 granting dual citizenship: original or certified true copy of the Order of Approval of Application.
To register, the CMA advisory states that Filipinos abroad can go to embassies, consulates, and other foreign-service offices. Filipinos who are just about to leave the country can register before their departure at the Committee on OAV at the Commission on Elections, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (ground floor), and the OFW Pre-Departure Lounge of the Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Seafarers could register at any diplomatic post abroad or in Manila.
During the registration period, previous registrants can also do the following: file or request for transfer of registration records; reinstatement in the National Registry of OAV; correction of wrong entries/misspelled names; withdrawal of application for registration/certification pending approval; or reactivation of registration record.
For other inquiries, one can contact Comelec’s Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting at the following numbers: (632) 522 2251, (632) 521 2952, or (632) 523 9924 and the DFA Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat at (632) 8330914 or (632) 832 8363. One can also visit their websites at: www.comelec.gov.ph and www.dfa.gov.ph .