New center in Singapore simplifies VISA application in 5 countries...

A new Visa Application Center (VAC) in Singapore intends to simplify visa application to five countries: Australia,Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The five countries formed the Five Country Conference (5CC) to address immigration and border security issues of common interest, a statement of VFS Global posted on the travel news site Travel Blackboard said.

VFS Global, whose services were tapped for the VAC, said the key features of the agency are:

• Conveniently located state-of-the art Visa Application Center
• Longer operating hours
• Dedicated counters for applicants and travel agents
• Easy and standard documentation
• Quick and safe biometric enrolments (For UK currently)
• Professional and responsive staff dedicated to handle visa queries
• Dedicated call centre to answer queries and status of application
• Online appointment system and tracking of application status
• Dedicated websites to provide information on visa categories, fees, application forms, etc.
• 100% secure handling of documents and personal information
• SMS alert for visa status update on mobile phones
• Door step delivery of passports

The VAC, which opened on Monday, is located at 20 Cecil Street, #11-02 to 05 Equity Plaza, Singapore.

The VAC is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

The British High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson and UK Border Agency Regional Director: Asia Pacific, Simon Peachey, joined their Australian and New Zealand counterparts to officially open a new shared visa application centre.

British High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson told Travel Blackboard that the use of shared visa application facilities will save costs for the countries belonging to the 5CC “through shared infrastructure and resources.”

Phillipson added that the visa center will “allow us to maintain the very high levels of service we provide to our customers in Singapore and continue to develop new premium products to meet their needs.”

“The cooperation is aimed not only at providing a convenient and seamless visa application process for these countries, but also jointly tackling visa and identity frauds that has plagued the immigration systems from time to time,” the VFS Global statement said.

“By working together under the aegis of the 5CC, the border control agencies will collectively aim to counter some of the common challenges around global migration by sharing best practice and coordinating their response to these challenges,” it continued.

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/301266/pinoyabroad/news/new-center-in-singapore-simplifies-visa-application-to-five-countries

Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News

Recruiters to resume deploying PH maids to HongKong

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MANILA, Philippines—Good news for Filipinos planning to work in Hong Kong as household service workers (HSWs), or maids. A group of Philippine-based licensed recruiters has lifted its self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of HSWs to China’s Special Administrative Region, or SAR.

Starting on Wednesday (March 27), the Society of Hong KongAccredited Recruiters of the Philippines, Inc. (Sharp) will resume the processing of employment papers of Hong Kong-bound HSWs.

Sharp lifted the two-month moratorium after a majority of its counterpart recruitment firms in the former British colony agreed to the “no placement fee” policy of the Philippine government.

On January 27, Sharp unilaterally declared the moratorium to protest the prohibitive recruitment costs that Filipino applicants incurred, in violation of the no placement fee policy being strictly implemented by the labor department-attached Philippine Overseas Employment Agency.

In a statement, Sharp said it had “achieved our goal in staging the moratorium,” lifted effective March 27.

“We have gained the concurrence of a substantial number of Hong Kong agencies that their employers in Hong Kong will pay the costs of recruiting Filipino maids and not to pass these to them. We have convinced them on the matter,” said Sharp vice president Madolyn Uanang.

Sharp’s “most important achievement is that we’re able to show to the Filipino people, especially to OFWs wanting to work in Hong Kong as HSWs, that there’s no need to shell out a big amount of money for a job contract in the SAR.”

Earlier, Alfredo Palmiery, Sharp president, said that the moratorium would remain until such time that their counterparts and their employers in Hong Kong have satisfactorily addressed the issue of high recruitment costs.

In 2011, more than 130,000 new hires and rehires from the Philippines were deployed by private recruitment firms to Hong Kong.

Some 40,000 of these new hires were processed by Sharp members.

Hong Kong is the fourth largest labor market for Filipino migrant workers and also the largest destination for OFWs in the household service sector.

Foreign maids in Hong Kong are paid a monthly wage of HK$3,740 (about P20,000), in addition to a one-day off per week and a paid sick leave.

Aside from the Philippines, the 160,000-plus other domestic workers in Hong Kong come from Thailand, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/70447/recruiters-to-resume-deploying-ph-maids-to-hong-kong#ixzz2OgRCJWQD

Hongkong maids lose residency fight....

Court ruling denies foreign domestic workers the right to apply for permanent residency, ending two-year court battle.

The case could have implications for tens of thousands of foreign maids in Hong Kong [AFP]

Hong Kong's top court has ruled against two Filipino domestic workers seeking permanent residency, the final decision in a case that affects tens of thousands of other foreign maids in the city. The Court of Final Appeal was unanimous in its ruling on Monday, siding with the government's position that tight restrictions on domestic helpers mean they do not have the same status as other foreign residents. Lawyers for the two had argued that an immigration provision barring domestic workers from permanent residency was unconstitutional. The decision means Evangeline Banao Vallejos and Daniel Domingo are not allowed to apply to settle permanently after living at least seven years in Hong Kong. Vallejos has worked in Hong Kong since 1986 and Domingo since 1985. Neither appeared at court. "We are very disappointed," said Mark Daly, a lawyer for the pair. He said Vallejos was speechless after learning about the decision. "While we respect the judgement we disagree with it," Daly said. He added that the ruling is "not a good reflection of the values we should be teaching youngsters and people in our society." 'Sad day' The case has split the city, home to nearly 300,000 maids from mainly Southeast Asian countries. Some argue that barring maids from applying for residency amounts to ethnic discrimination. But other groups have raised fears that the case would result in a massive influx of maids' family members arriving in Hong Kong, straining the densely populated city's social services, health and education systems. Supporters of the maids say those fears are overblown. Members of an activist group chanted "We are workers, not slaves" and other slogans on the courthouse's front steps after the ruling was released. "Today is a very sad day for migrant workers in Hong Kong," said Eman Villanueva, secretary-general of United Filipinos in Hong Kong. "The message from the Court of Final Appeal is very unfair and discriminatory." Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and permanent residency is the closest thing it has to citizenship. Foreigners who work in other professions are eligible for permanent residency after living in Hong Kong for seven years. Those who have it can vote and work without needing a visa. Government figures cited by a lower court in this case said an estimated 117,000 foreign maids had been in Hong Kong for that length of time as of 2010. Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/20133254315486835.html

After death of Pinay in UAE, POEA suspends two recruitment agencies

After a Filipina maid committed suicide in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) suspended the recruitment operations of two  UAE-based recruitment agencies.

POEA chief Hans Leo Cacdac said domestic worker Alona Mercado Bagayan committed suicide five days after arriving in Abu Dhabi.

The POEA suspended the recruitment operations of: 

• Al-Masiya Overseas  Placement Agency, Inc., and
• Al Madina Recruitment,  its counterpart agency in United Arab Emirates.

Cacdac cited their apparent oversight in monitoring the actual  condition of Bagayan, who was recruited by Al-Masiyah Overseas Placement.

The agencies were also suspended for failing to report to the POEA Bagayan's death.

Bagayan left the Philippines on January 30 this year and started working for her employer on February 1. She was found dead on February 5.

Cacdac said Bagayan's death could have been prevented if Al-Masiya complied with its duties and obligation based on POEA rules.

“Under POEA regulations, agencies are obliged to monitor the situation of OFWs, especially household service workers – as soon as they arrive in their workplace,”Cacdac said.

“Al Madina Recruitment was suspended from further employing Filipino workers for defaulting on its contractual obligation to the worker, and for gross negligence leading to the death of the Bagayan,” he noted.

“There is strong evidence indicating that the two  agencies committed serious violations relative to the recruitment and placement of the victim," he added. - VVP, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/299488/pinoyabroad/news/after-death-of-pinay-in-uae-poea-suspends-two-recruitment-agencies

Germany welcomes Filipino nurses

MANILA, Philippines—Germany is opening its doors to Filipino nurses and

Manila and Berlin are set to sign an agreement paving the way for the 

deployment of Philippine health workers  with guarantees of professional  

training and a healthy work environment.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that German Minister of Labor

and Social  Affairs Ursula von der Leyen is set to travel to Manila soon  to 

formalize the deployment  agreement with the Philippine Overseas 

Employment Administration.

The signing follows a March 8 meeting between Philippine Ambassador to

Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad and officials of the federal employment agency,

International Placement Services (ZAV), in Bonn, said the DFA.

Supervised by Von der Leyen, the ZAV, along with the German Agency for 

International Cooperation (GIZ), “will ensure that Filipino nurses will have

adequate linguistic and professional preparation, free of charge, prior to entry to

Germany” as part of a “triple win formula.”

“It is all systems go for the Triple Win Project. When the agreement is signed, then

 we have a cooperation framework that enables Filipino nurses to work in Germany,” 

Natividad said in a statement.

She said the deployment agreement has safety nets to protect the Filipino workers’

rights. “Under the agreement, Filipino workers may not be employed under working

conditions less favorable than those comparable for German workers,” she said.

The DFA said the deployment agreement is part of the enhanced labor cooperation 

that Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and German Foreign Minister Guido

Westerwelle discussed in Manila last February.

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/68509/germany-welcomes-filipino-nurses#ixzz2O8kcUlPG
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Filipino on Saudi death row wins short reprieve..

BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE 

POSTED ON 03/12/2013 7:26 PM  | UPDATED 03/12/2013 7:23 PM

BLOOD MONEY to save their dad. Zapanta's children appeal for 'blood money'. 

File photo courtesy of Migrante International

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government said Tuesday, March 12, that a Filipino who was due to be executed in Saudi Arabia this week was given an extra 3 months to raise $1 million in "blood money" to save his life.

Saudi King Abdullah granted the reprieve to laborer Joselito Zapanta, who had been sentenced to death by beheading for the 2009 murder of his Sudanese landlord.

The reprieve follows an appeal from President Benigno Aquino III.

Saudi authorities announced the extension of time on the final day that Zapanta had been given to pay the wife of his victim 4 million riyals ($1.06 million) in exchange for his life, Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

Binay, who also acts as a special envoy for the millions of Filipinos working overseas, thanked King Abdullah for his "humanitarian gesture."

"His benevolence has given our countryman a 3-month lease on life, and his family additional time to raise the blood money," Binay said.

Under the Saudi system, a murderer can be saved from execution if he or she pays money demanded by the victim's family.

The victim's wife in this case is demanding the equivalent of P43 million, but Zapanta's family had only raised about P10 million, Binay's office said.

Last month, a Filipino sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for killing a man he said tried to sexually abuse him walked free after a similar amount of blood money was paid to the victim's family.

In that case, the Filipino man's family raised the equivalent of $245,000, while the Saudi government paid another $615,000.

Roughly 9 million Filipinos work around the world, often in menial jobs yet earning much more than they could in their poverty-stricken homeland. – Rappler.com

Palace condemns Malaysian police abuse

By TJ Burgonio, Christine O. Avendaño   Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:09 am | Monday, March 11th, 2013

Malacañang on Sunday condemned the reported abuses suffered by Filipinos at the hands of Malaysian police in the crackdown on followers of the sultan of Sulu in Sabah.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is verifying the report published by the Inquirer Sunday based on the accounts given by Filipinos fleeing violence sparked by the intrusion of the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III into Sabah.

One refugee, Amira Taradji, spoke of how Malaysian police conducting sweeps of villages in search of the sultan’s followers rounded up Filipino men, made them run as fast as they could, and shot them.

One of the men killed in Sandakan was Taradji’s brother Jumadil.

Even Filipinos with immigration papers were being rounded up and thrown into jails, Taradji said.

Some who tried to avoid arrest by showing their papers were shot, she said.

Seventy-nine people, including Tausug and Orang Suluk (people who originated from Sulu), were rounded up on Friday in police sweeps of villages to flush out supporters of Jamalul’s attempt to retake Sabah from Malaysia.

Thirty-three more, including four women, were arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of abetting the intruders, including providing them with security information.

The Semporna police chief, Firdaus Francis Abdullah, said the suspects, all foreigners, were detained at Bakau. He did not say if the foreigners were Filipinos, but Bakau has many Filipino residents.

Firdaus said four of those arrested were believed to be intruders.

Malaysian police chief Ismail Omar reported that a teenage boy was shot dead and a man was wounded by security forces in the bushes in the battle zone Sunday.

Unacceptable

Omar did not say whether the man and the boy were followers of the Sulu sultan.

Sixty-one people have been killed in fighting since the intrusion led to violence on March 1, including 53 Filipinos and eight Malaysian policemen.

Speaking on state-run dzRB radio on Sunday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said abuses against Filipinos in Sabah was “unacceptable” to the government.

Valte said Philippine diplomats would talk to the Malaysians about the reported abuses.

She said President Aquino spoke with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on March 2 and received assurance that the rights of the 800,000 Filipinos in Malaysia would be protected.

The DFA began verifying the Inquirer report on Sunday.

In a statement issued Sunday, the DFA said the Malaysian government should clarify the reported abuses. “If this is true, we will tell them that this should not happen because the safety of all Filipinos in … Sabah is important,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in interview on dzRB.

Hernandez said the government would appeal to Malaysia to treat Filipinos in Sabah humanely.

He said Malaysia had not responded to a Philippine request for updated information about Filipino casualties in the fighting between Malaysian security forces and followers of Jamalul led by the sultan’s brother Agbimuddin. The Philippines has asked Malaysia to be given access to 10 sultanate followers who were captured during a police raid on Agbimuddin’s group in Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town on March 1, but the Malaysians have not responded, Hernandez said.

Malaysia also has not responded to the Philippines’ request for permission for a mercy ship to go to Sabah to pick up Filipinos who want to return home, Hernandez said.

Protest it

Omar declined to comment on the reported police abuses, saying he did not want to dignify the refugees’ claims.

Omar said the police was handling the operation against Jamalul’s followers with professionalism.

Civic and militant groups called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and urged the government to protest the abuses. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan on Sunday pressed the government to protest the brutal crackdown on Filipinos in Sabah or its silence might be understood as a tacit approval of the Malaysian government’s mail-fisted response to the intrusion.

“The crackdown on Filipino civilians must stop. The abuses must end. The Aquino government should vigorously condemn the atrocities. Aquino himself should speak out against these atrocities. The Department of Foreign Affairs should file a formal protest against Malaysia,” Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes Jr. said.

The reported ordeal of Filipinos in Sabah has prompted at least 93 civil society groups in the Philippines and Malaysia to call for a “humanitarian ceasefire” to ensure the safety of noncombatants in the eastern Malaysian state.

The appeal is addressed to President Aquino, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Jamalul.

The groups also called for the setting up of “safe zones” where humanitarian organizations could help people fleeing from the violence in the territory.

Flight from Sabah

Filipinos have been fleeing the violence in Sabah since Monday last week.

Taradji’s group of about 400 refugees crossed the Sulu Sea in a boat from Sandakan and arrived in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, on Friday.

Three hundred more arrived in Jolo in another boat from Sandakan on Saturday with stories of Malaysian police abuses committed against Tausug residents of Sabah.

The fresh stories tended to confirm Taradji’s report of police brutality.

A female refugee said Tausug suspected of supporting Agbimuddin’s group were not allowed to buy food to prevent help from reaching the intruders, who were believed moving between the villages of Tanduao and Tanjung Batu in pairs or small units.

Stranded refugees

Sources in Lahad Datu said Malaysian police had been arresting immigrants since the killing of two policemen by Agbimuddin’s group on March 1.

The Philippine Navy on Sunday reported that 400 refugees had been stranded on Taganak Island (Turtle Island) since Saturday night, waiting to be rescued. Navy Capt. Rene Yongque, commander of Naval Task Force 62, said the refugees, all from Sandakan, reached Philippine waters in wooden boat past 7 p.m. Saturday.

Yongque said the Navy’s vessel Sultan Kudarat had been dispatched to rescue the refugees.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it would help the refugees get to Bongao.

—With reports from Julie Alipala, Karlos Manlupig, Allan Nawal and Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao; and The Star/Asia News Network

Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/68273/palace-condemns-malaysian-police-abuses#ixzz2NCQQsrZ1
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