DFA TO SHUT DOWN 12 EMBASSIES, CONSULATES

by philstar.com

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario today revealed that the department is planning to shut down 12 Philippine embassies and consulates as part of its rationalization program.

Del Rosario disclosed the plan during the deliberation of the DFA's P10.988 billion proposed budget for 2012 conducted by the Senate finance committee.

The DFA chief said that the first six embassies and consulates will be closed in the first six months of 2013. The remaining six will be shut down on the second half of the same year, he said.

Sen. Franklin Drilon, committee chairman, meanwhile told Del Rosario that the DFA should instead complete the closure of the 12 posts before the end of 2012.

”Secretary Del Rosario agreed that there is indeed basis to rationalize and has agreed to close 12 embassies between now and 2013 but we asked him to accelerate this so that the 12 foreign posts can be closed by the end of 2012,” Drilon told the media after passage of the DFA budget at the committee level.

Del Rosario agreed to consider the suggestion of Drilon to finish the closure of 12 posts by end of 2012 that would mean up to P150 million savings for the DFA.

Drilon said the savings that the DFA will incur from the rationalization program will not be returned to the treasury, but will be distributed to the embassies that need additional funds.

The senator also said that the DFA career officers and staff who will be affected by the closure of the 12 posts will be deployed in the embassies and consulates of the countries where there are big overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) population.



”We want to make it clear that the intention of the committee is not retrenchment of our employees in the DFA. Our intention is to strengthen and put money in our embassies where there were many OFWs,” Drilon said.

Del Rosario refused to name countries where embassies and consulates will be closed down, but said that factors to be considered for the closure are the amount of trade, investment and tourism that the Philippines can generate as well as number of Filipinos that has to be served by the affected posts.

The Philippines has 67 embassies, 23 consulates and four missions throughout the world, serving more than 11 million Filipinos abroad.

Dept of Foreign Affairs to Shut Down 12 Embassies Abroad

THE Department of Foreign Affairs has agreed to close down 12 of its embassies and consulates and channel savings to embassies in countries that have more migrant Filipino workers.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario refused to identify which of the Philippines’ 94 embassies and consulates will be closed. He said, however, that the criteria for choosing which foreign posts to keep will be the “amount of investments, the amount of tourism, and the number of Filipinos in those posts.”

He added the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will still have to check which countries that the Philippines has trade and diplomatic relations with can “just as well be served by posts in other countries.”

Del Rosario has agreed to close down the 12 embassies by the end of
2012. The savings, estimated at P100 million to P150 million, will then be used by embassies serving larger communities of Filipino expatriates.

The decision was prompted by urging from Senator Franklin Drilon for the DFA to look for ways to give more help to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Since Congress is barred from raising appropriations to the DFA more than the P10.9 billion proposed by Malacañang, Drilon said the department could rationalize its foreign posts.

Continue reading at Sun Star

24 Filipino Crew of MV Pacific Express Return Home

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that the 24 Filipino seafarers aboard the MV Pacific Express arrived in Manila last night aboard an Emirates flight from Mombasa, Kenya at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

On hand to welcome them were DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) Special Assistant Atty. Enrico T. Fos, DFA-OUMWA Legal Officer Emily Villanueva- Descallar and representatives from the DFA and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The Cyprus-flagged and owned container vessel with 25 Filipinos and one Ukrainian crewmember successfully repelled a piracy attack last September 20.

A Filipino seafarer stayed behind in Mombasa to assess the pirate-inflicted damage suffered by the vessel, as well as to conduct a property inventory.

The MV Pacific Express was attacked by armed pirates approximately 180 nautical miles east-southeast of Mombasa, prompting the vessel’s captain to send a distress call, which alerted the navy vessel Andreadoria to come to their rescue.

The pirates abandoned the vessel and its crewmembers upon the arrival of the navy vessel. However, the pirates set fire to the vessel and burned items including the crewmembers’ belongings before leaving the ship.

The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi provided consular assistance to the crewmembers, as it issued travel documents to the Filipino seafarers since their passports and seamen’s books were among the burned items.

As of date, there are 32 Filipino seafarers aboard five vessels who are held captive by pirates at the Gulf of Aden.

Source DFA

Migrant Groups in Europe Call for Protection for Filipino Au Pairs

Migrant organizations and advocacy groups supporting migrant rights are appealing to Vice-President Jejomar Binay to address the needs of Filipino au pairs in Europe. They also said the vice president was seriously mistaken if he believes that au pairs are overseas Filipino workers employed as household helpers.

Last week, Binay said the Philippine government may consider proposals to lift its ban against sending Filipinas to European countries to participate in the so-called” “au pair” programs where families provide the au pair with room, board, and a small salary in exchange for taking care of small children. Binay said reinstating the au pair program in some European countries will bring employment opportunities to Filipinos.

“I believe this would facilitate the establishment of education and employment opportunities in Europe for Filipinos, particularly those who have been affected by the political situation in the Middle East,” Binay said in a statement.

According to reports, the Philippines stopped sending au pairs to Europe in 1997 after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) received reports of maltreatment, including being given unfair compensation; being forced to work an excessive number of hours and being subjected to sexual harassment.

Continue reading at Bulatlat

Manila to Host ASEAN Maritime Legal Experts Meeting

The Philippines will host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Maritime Legal Experts’ Meeting on September 2011 at Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

Maritime legal experts from the ten Member States of ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam–will meet to discuss the Philippine proposal for a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZoPFF/C) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The forthcoming Meeting was based on the decision of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers at the 44th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Bali for the ASEAN Senior Officials to study the proposal with the assistance of maritime legal experts.

Subsequently, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers accepted the Philippine offer to host the Maritime Legal Experts’ Meeting.

The Meeting seeks to establish a common understanding among ASEAN Member States on the ZoPFF/C proposal.

Its findings will be reported to the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (ASEAN SOM), which will then make recommendations for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers to consider before the 19th ASEAN Summit in November 2011 in Bali.

Source: DFA

Mobile Passport Application Schedule for October 2011

• Important Reminders for Passport Mobile Services
• The processing of passports at Mobile Passport Services is guided by the Philippine Passport Act of 1996 and its implementing rules and regulations, other relevant Department Orders, Circulars and Memoranda.
• Participation in the Mobile Passport Services must be coordinated with the Passport Coordinator designated by the Local Government Unit (LGU) in advance. The designated LGU Passport Coordinator will collect copies of the application forms from interested applicants at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled date of the mobile passport service.
• The LGU Passport Coordinator will inform the applicant of the indicative time during which he or she will have to file the passport application on the scheduled date of the Mobile Passport Service.
• Personal appearance is a requirement for all passport applicants.
• The Mobile Passport Service will not accept applications for the replacement of lost valid passports but will entertain applications for lost expired passports.
• The Mobile passport fee is same with the Expedite Rate.
• For any details, please call 834-4000. Local Nos. 2406 – 2410 or 836-7750

Venue	Date
UNILAB	October 1, 2011
Taytay, Rizal	October 1, 2011
Quezon City	October 8, 2011
Masinag, Antipolo City	October 15, 2011
Marikina City	October 15, 2011
Oranbo, Pasig City	October 22, 2011
Gen Tinio, Nueva Ecija	October 29, 2011
Jose Reyes Memorial Center	October 29, 2011

Source: DFA

DFA Mulls Lifting of Iraq Deployment Ban

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has entertained the idea of lifting a longstanding deployment ban of Filipino workers to Iraq.

DFA secretary Albert del Rosario has tasked a delegation of five members to Iraq to study the possibility of reopening of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad — which relocated in Amman, Jordan in 2005, and the resumption of OFW deployment into the war-torn Middle Eastern state, where ban has been imposed in 2004. The group, header by DFA Undersecretary Rafael Sequis, arrived in Iraq Monday and will meet with Iraqi officials as well as Filipino workers based in Baghdad and Erbil.

The delegation will also look into the impact of the withdrawal of American military forces in December on the security of Filipinos, the DFA said in a press release. While deployment ban is in place, the Philippine government has allowed those working inside American military camps and facilities to finish their contracts.

This is the first visit to Iraq by a ranking Philippine government official since the DFA transferred its Baghdad embassy to Amman, Jordan in 2005 following the kidnapping of Angelito dela Cruz and Robert Tarongoy in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

PHL Gov’t Urged To Disclose ‘Blood Money’ Policy

Migrante, a migrant worker’s welfare group yesterday urged the Philippine government to reveal its policy on blood money amid requests of government assistance from families of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) currently on death row.


The request was made as a follow up to Malacañang’s decision to form a technical working group (TWG) last July to study the government’s policy on blood money, a term that refers to money paid to next of kin of a murder victim as a form of fine. In Islamic terms, Qisas can in some cases result in blood money being paid out to the family of victims. The amount varies from country to country and from case to case.

The decision to form TWG was made after a meeting called by Malacanang with representatives of foreign affairs, justice, budget and management, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on political affairs last July 20.

John Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante-Middle East, said it’s about time to seek the government’s opinion.

“Little less than 2 months since the creation of TWG on blood money, we believe it is time to hear from the Malacanang-formed TWG what are its policy proposals in regards to finding sources for the blood money of OFWs on death row,” said Monterona.

Monterona cited the request for blood money of the family of Rogelio ‘Dondon’ Lanuza, one of the OFWs on death row in Saudi Arabia.

“Amid Lanuza’s family plea to the government to help them raise the required blood money, the Lanuza’s are still awaiting a clear reply from the government,” Monterona said.

Migrante said that Lanuza was convicted in 2000 for killing a Saudi national, an act made only to defend his self. Lanuza has since been incarcerated in Dammam Central jail, Dammam, eastern part of Saudi Arabia.

Monterona, meanwhile, said that Lanuza’s mother has asked their group to arrange a meeting with Vice President Jejomar binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns.

He said Lanuza’s mother, who is based in the United States, is scheduled to arrive mid-September in the Philippines to personally appeal to President Aquino, Binay and officials of concerned government agencies to help them raise the blood money.

Legalization of Undocumented OFWs in Syria Urged

A migrant advocate group pushed for the legalization of thousands of undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Syria after it hampered the government’s ongoing repatriation efforts in the Middle East country.

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Monterona made the statement Friday amid the delays government is now facing in the repatriation of at least 17,000 OFWs in Syria, most of which are undocumented house hold service workers (HSW).
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) earlier said repatriation efforts in the conflict-torn Syria since most of the OFWs in the Middle East country do not have a registered residence, where they are working.

“We have been urging the government even before the upheavals, to work for the legalization, if not repatriation, of undocumented OFWs via diplomatic course of action with the host governments,” Monterona said. “But the PH government, for a long time, had just disregarded the thousands of undocumented OFWs here in the Middle East.”

Continue reading at Manila Bulletin

22 Pinoy Illegals From Bahrain Arrive Home

Twenty-two Filipinos who were caught working illegally in Bahrain arrived back home Saturday.

The workers, who had been staying at the Philippine Embassy’s half-way house in Manama, Bahrain, for several months, were finally able to leave after Philippine Embassy officials secured exit visas for them.

Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Ma. Corazon Yap-Bahjin accompanied the repatriated workers back to Manila aboard a Qatar Airways flight.

Yap-Bahjin said the workers were under the care of the embassy for over four months while embassy officials worked to get travel clearances from their employers.

“Most of them are runaways who could not adjust to the cultural conditions there. Had they gone through the legal process they would have been briefed by their recruitment agencies on what to expect,” she said.

Yap-Bahjin said the embassy staff were able to speed up the travel clearances for the workers since it was the month of Ramadan, when people in the Gulf State are in a more giving and forgiving spirit.

Continue reading at Manila Bulletin

PH Gov’t Offices in Dubai Now in One Location

Philippine government offices in Dubai will now be located in one compound beginning August 28.

In a statement sent to ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, Philippine Labor Attaché to the United Arab Emirates Amilbahar Amilasan said the offices of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG), the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) and other government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry, PAG-IBIG and the Social Security System (SSS) will be housed in one compound.

“It will be a ‘one-stop shop’ for our kababayans in Dubai and the Northern Emirates,” Amilasan said.

Currently, the POLO-OWWA is located at Villa #27 in Abu Hail, Dubai while the PCG is housed at Villa #48, 35 Beirut St. in Al Ghusais 3.

Both offices will be located in a single compound at Community 234, Al Ghusais 3, Dubai starting Sunday.

Filipinos in the UAE have long been complaining about the distant locations of the two vital Philippine government offices.

Continue reading at ABS-CBN News

Gov’t to Rescue 1,700 Pinoys in Tripoli, Libya

The Philippine government plans to rescue at least 1,700 Filipinos in Tripoli, Libya as rebel fighters streamed into the capital.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it has asked the International Organization of Migration (IOM) to assist the Filipinos.

DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and Ambassador Alejandrino Vicente are visiting hospitals and housing areas in Tripoli to convince Filipino to return home.

Many Filipinos in Tripoli, most of them nurses, had initially refused to leave.

Rebels waving opposition flags and firing into the air drove into Green Square, a symbolic location which the government had until recently used for mass demonstrations in support of the now embattled Muammar Gaddafi.

Televised images showed Libyans kneeling and kissing the ground of Tripoli in gratitude for what some called a “blessed day.”

Continue reading at ABS-CBN News

OFWs Want PH Help for Stay in Afghanistan

More than 6,000 Filipinos working in Afghanistan are still waiting for government action to act on their request to extend their stay inside US bases in the country.

ccording to recruitment and migration expert, Manny Geslani, the US Military Command has issued a memorandum order to all US and international companies employing Filipinos to submit a demobilization plan by September 9 for the orderly departure of OFWs.

“If the Department of Foreign Affairs does not resolve this matter by August 31, which is the deadline given by the companies to the Filipinos for any positive action that will save their jobs, then the companies will start hiring replacements and definitely all OFWs will be out of the bases by December 31, 2011,” said Geslani.

This is in line with a directive ordering US civilian contractors to terminate and repatriate all third country nationals (TCNs) whose countries have a deployment ban to Afghanistan.

In its memorandum, the US Military Command noted that there have been petitions submitted to the Philippine government requesting an extension to the directive.

“However, measures must be taken to ensure we are prepared to comply with the current policies and laws,” the memorandum stated.

Continue reading at ABS-CBN News