DMW team to visit HK for talks on caregiver jobs for Filipinos

By The SUN

 

DMW Secretary Susan Ople during meeting with HK Labour Chief Chris Sun

The Department of Migrant Workers in the Philippines will be sending a team to Hong Kong next month to start talks on the possible deployment of Filipino caregivers to the city.

DMW Secretary Susan Ople made the announcement yesterday, Jan 12, after talks on Monday with Hong Kong Secretary for Labour Chris Sun who visited the Philippines for three days to meet with various government officials and observe the training given by Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority).

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

During his visit, Sun mentioned Hong Kong’s decision to start hiring an additional 3,000 caregivers from abroad in the first part of the year, in line a resolution passed by the Executive Council on Dec 13 last year to address the acute shortage of workers at care homes for the elderly and disabled.

Hong Kong has set a quota of 7,000 for the hiring of imported workers for this sector, but 4,000 have already been filled by mainland workers.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The proposed salary for the imported workers range between HK$12,000 and HK$20,000, or from Php85,000 to Php140,000.

Ople welcomed the possibility of Filipino workers being considered for the caregiver posts.

“This would provide additional job opportunities for our caregivers, under conditions that value their skills and are cognizant of their rights and welfare,” she said in a statement.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She however, stressed, that there are concerns that should be addressed first, like the need to train those to be deployed to speak Cantonese, which is the only language most of Hong Kong’s elderly understand.

Ople tapped Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne Caunan to head the DMW team that will take up the matter in Hong Kong next month, but did not give a specific date for the visit.

BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! PRESS FOR DETAILS

During her talks with Sun, Ople conveyed the Philippine government’s appreciation for Hong Kong’s effort to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

She also welcomed Hong Kong’s annual review of the minimum allowable wage of foreign domestic helpers, which now stands at HK$4,730, (or Php35,475).

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE 

Ople also proposed a collaboration between the Philippines and Hong Kong authorities on informing Filipino migrant workers on their rights and how they can seek assistance when they are in distress.

The latest data from Immigration show there are around 188,000 Filipinos working as FDHs in Hong Kong.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

CALL US!

Labour chief visits PHL as HK prepares to import 3k caregivers

By The SUN

Labor Secretary Chris Sun takes close look at Filipino workers being trained on elderly care

Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, ended a three-day visit to the Philippines on Tuesday, as Hong Kong prepares to import 3,000 additional care workers for residential care homes.

Sun’s visit included a visit to a training centre of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to take a closer look at the training of overseas-bound Filipino workers, including the scope of competencies, quality assurance and recruitment arrangements.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

A press statement issued by the government said Sun also paid courtesy calls on Secretary Susan Ople of the Department of Migrant Workers, Secretary of Labor and Employment, Bienvenido Laguesma, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Eduardo Punay.

BUY NOW PRESS HERE

His talks with the Philippine officials reportedly focused on strengthening the collaboration between the two governments on the protection of the rights and welfare of Filipino workers in Hong Kong.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Sun assured the officials of Hong Kong’s commitment to protecting FDH rights, and briefed them on government efforts to enhance workers’ protection, regulate employment agencies, and help migrants cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sun meets with Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople

During a separate meeting with Chinese business leaders in the Philippines, Sun gave an update on the latest situation in Hong Kong, and how the government has laid out an array of new measures to attract talents from overseas. He introduced the details of the Top Talent Pass Scheme and urged the business people to help publicize Hong Kong’s bid to attract talents.

BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! PRESS FOR DETAIL

Sun’s visit to the training facility also indicated an intent to hire Filipinos for at least some of the 3,000 slots to be opened for imported care workers in the second half of this year.

The new caregiver positions will supplement the 4,000 imported workers already here, all from the Mainland.

HOW TO AVAIL? PRESS HERE

While the scheme does not exclude workers from other places, the ease of communicating with the residents in care homes could be a factor in getting someone hired from overseas.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE 

The plan to import more care workers was brought up by Chief Executive John Lee in his maiden policy address early in 2022, as a means to address acute manpower shortage in residential care homes.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

CALL US!

Air traffic management system glitch shuts down Philippine skies

 

Air traffic after Philippine shutdown. (Flightradar24 photo)

The skies over the Philippines were cleared of all air traffic for five hours today after the country’s air traffic management system conked out, resulting in 282 domestic and international flights being cancelled, delayed or diverted and affecting some 56,000 passengers.

The incident was first detected at 10am, when a power failure caused a shutdown of the system, the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines said. 

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

But Meralco said: “There were no trouble or issues affecting Meralco distribution facilities and no power outage or fluctuation was likewise monitored or reported as far as Meralco's power lines and facilities are concerned.”

By the time CAAP  partially put the system back on at around 4pm, 268 flights had been cancelled, seven diverted to nearby airports and seven delayed—most of them domestic routes.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

As crowds built up in airports across the country, airlines were directed to “provide food, refreshments, transportation, lodging, and accommodation for all affected passengers, free of charge,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement.

Among those affected were passengers bound for Hong Kong.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Former Labor Attache Bernardino Julve said: “My daughter-in-law and my grandchildren were able to leave on CebPac 5J114 flight to HKG at 1740H… after some hours of anxiety at the terminal.”

Bing Maliwat, who was returning to Hong Kong with his two children on a Cathay Pacific flight scheduled for 12:30pm, said they were able to take off five hours later. “They were promising every hour that we would leave soon, until it finally happened at 5:30pm,” he said.

BUY NOW PRESS HERE

“Nagpakain naman sila near the gate,” he added. The meal consisted of pandesal chicken sandwich and dried mango.

It turned out they were more fortunate, because two other flights to Hong Kong were cancelled: Cebu Pacific’s 5J112 and Philippine Airlines’ PR 306.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The most high profile of the affected passengers was Manny V. Pangilinan, managing director of the First Pacific Group which owns PLDT, Smart and other well-known companies.

“We’re told radar and navigation facilities are NAIA are down. I was on my way home from Tokyo – 3 hours into the flight, but had to return to Haneda. 6 hours of useless flying but inconvenience to  travellers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous. Only in the (Philippines),” he said.

BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! PRESS FOR DETAILS

CAA was quick to issue a public statement apologizing for the incident.

“We are now adressing the (technical) issues for safety concern,” it  said.

“The safety of the passenger is the priority of the agency and it is better to secure the aircraft of the ground to avoid any airborne accident,” it added.

Passengers wait anxiously wait for updates at NAIA's Terminal 1. (Rappler Photo)

But Marites Danguilan Vitug, a veteran journalist, said in a Facebook post:

“Questions on the ‘power outage’ that led to the epic failure in our aviation radar and navigation facilities-stranding thousands of passengers, diverting incoming flights, delaying outgoing flights, etc:

HOW TO AVAIL? PRESS HERE

“1) What caused the power outage?

“2) Why is there no back up system?

“3) Doesn’t a critical facility such as this undergo rigorous checking and maintennance?

Another journalist, Apa Ongpin, added his own questions o Vitug’s post:

“4) Why is the system centralized in such a manner that if NAIA ATC goes down, so does every other international airport in the Philippines?

“5) Costing just under P11B, why does this system have zero redundancy?

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE 

“6) Why was there apparently no emergency procedure to deal with this outage? Not even backup radios to tell incoming aircraft what to do?

What actually happened will not be known until after an investigation is completed.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

CALL US!

 

Pagrerehistro ng SIM card sa Pilipinas, sisimulan ngayon

 

Pwede  nang irehistro ng iyong SIM card na pang-Pilipinas simula ngayon

Simula ngayong araw ng Martes, Disyembre 27, ay maari nang irehistro ang SIM card na inyong gamit sa Pilipinas, ayon sa bagong batas na tinatawag na SIM Card Registration Act.

Kapag hindi ito narehistro sa itinakdang petsa ay hindi na magagamit ang SIM card at pati na ang numerong nakakabit dito.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Ayon sa National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), may palugit na anim na buwan ang publiko para magparehistro. Kung kinakailangan, maari pa itong palawigin ng 120 araw, o apat na buwan.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Ang pagrerehistro ay online, at ayon sa NTC ay madali lang. Kailangan lang sagutin ang form sa website ng mga telephone companies o telco.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Kasama sa mga hinihinging impormasyon ay ang pangalan, tirahan, petsa ng kapanganakan at kasarian ng gumagamit ng SIM card.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Kung walang koneksyon sa internet, maaring humingi ng tulong sa mga telcos, Department of Information and Communications Technology, at iba pang sangay ng gobyerno.

BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! PRESS FOR DETAILS

Tinitiyak din ng NTC na ligtas at protektado ang mga personal na detalye ng bawat magrerehistro ng kanilang SIM card.

Sinumang magbibigay ng maling impormasyon sa kanilang pagrerehistro ay maaring makulong at magmulta ng hanggang P1 million.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Payo naman ng mga telco sa publiko, abangan ang kani-kanilang anunsyo para sa proseso ng pagpaparehistro sa kani-kanilang account sa social media.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

CALL US!

Paeng leaves 80 people dead in Phl

By The SUN

Paeng caused flooding in 59 provinces across the Philippines

Tropical Storm Paeng – or Naegi to the rest of the world – is now in the South China Sea, and is forecast to bring some rain and cooler days to Hong Kong starting on Tuesday, but extreme weather conditions are not likely.

But in the Philippines, the storm left a trail of death, destruction and power outages over the weekend. 

At least 80 people were reported dead, mostly due to flooding, and about 40 others injured.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

About half, or 40, of those who died were residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with 40, followed by Region 6 or Western Visayas with 18, Calabarzon with 12, Region 9 or the Zamboanga Peninsula with four, Region 12 or Soccsksargen with three, Region 8 or Eastern Visayas with two, and Region 5 or Bicol with one.

Paeng was unusually persistent, having made landfall on Philippine soil five times on Saturday:  in Virac, Catanduanes at 1:10am; Caramoan, Camarines Sur at 1:40am; Buenavista, Quezon at 6am; Santa Cruz, Marinduque at 8:40am; and Sariaya, Quezon at 1:40pm.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

After turning around to hit Quezon a second time, Paeng moved on to Laguna, Cavite, Metro Manila-Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga and then Zambales, before exiting to the West Philippine Sea.

But even before making a landfall, Paeng already caused severe flooding and landslides in Mindanao and parts of the Visayas. It also rendered 150 roads and 60 bridges impassable in as far away as the Cagayan Valley.

Damage from the storm was extensive, largely because it brought with it heavy and constant  rain that led to massive flooding across 59 provinces throughout the country.

More than 1.1  million people had to leave their homes when Paeng swept through the Philippines

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), up to 1,174,666 people—or 339,051 families—were affected by the storm. About 485,000 people have been displaced, and are mostly staying in more than 3,000 evacuation centers nationwide.

At least 1,537 houses were damaged, with 332 of these totally wrecked, the NDRRMC said.

MAY CHANCE KA PANG MANALO!

Just before leaving the country’s territory on Sunday afternoon, Paeng swept through Metro Manila, causing heavy flooding in places like Cavite and Paranaque. At least 45 areas had either their telephone connection or electricity supply cut for hours.

The government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local units, has so far provided Php5 million worth of assistance to affected residents, mostly in the form of good packs.

A total of 285 flights, both international and domestic, were canceled.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Even before Paeng had left another tropical depression was brewing just outside the country’s territorial waters.

The tropical depression was located 1,385 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao before dawn on Sunday, moving west northwest at 10 km/h after being almost stationary.

It still has maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h and gustiness of up to 55 km/h.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PAGASA said the tropical depression may enter PAR on Monday morning, and would be given the local name Queenie. But it will likely remain a tropical depression until Tuesday, when it is forecast to start weakening.