By Liza Soriano

KABAYAN party-list Representative Ron Salo has proposed the immediate creation of a task force that will monitor and impose decisive action to ensure the safety and well-being of overseas Filipinos amid the war in Israel and Gaza.

This is in light of the escalating situation in Israel and Gaza and the reported capture of Filipino nationals by Hamas militants.

“With the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the risks it poses to our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Filipino nationals in the region, I have filed House Resolution No. 1369 urging the Executive Department to immediately create a crisis management and response task force for the assistance of our countrymen in Israel and Gaza,” the Kabayan party-list representative said.

“This task force, jointly led by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), will be mandated to closely monitor the evolving situation, ensure the safety of our Kabayans, and be fully prepared for any possible contingencies,” Salo, chairman of the committee on overseas workers affairs, added.

There are over 30,000 Filipinos in Israel as of December 2021, DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said, citing records of Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority.

“The Crisis Management and Response Task Force will work diligently to closely monitor the ongoing conflict and establish effective systems to track the whereabouts and conditions of Filipino nationals in the affected areas, providing around-the-clock updates and assistance as may be necessary,” Salo explained.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv reported that 20 of the 26 Filipinos who were abducted and kidnapped have been rescued.

To ensure a decisive, holistic, and coordinated response of the Philippine government, the members of the task force will include pertinent agencies, including the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency (NICA), and our dedicated diplomatic representatives led by the Philippine Ambassador to Israel and the Labor Attaché in Israel.

The House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, chaired by Rep.Salo, will also conduct a hearing tomorrow, 11 October 2023, at 1:30 PM on the matter.

This vital session will focus on the current situation of our overseas Filipinos in Israel amidst the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a comprehensive briefing on the efforts by key government agencies involved in ensuring the safety and well-being of Filipinos out there.

(ai/mnm)

By Liza Soriano

SENATORS have called on all concerned government agencies to ensure the protection of the Filipinos in Israel after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched a deadly attack last Saturday.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Grace Poe have condemned the violence made in Israel.

“We call upon the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and other Philippine government agencies to secure our overseas Filipinos and ensure safe passage if necessary,” Zubiri said.

“We urge the full utilization of the Assistance to Nationals Fund for this purpose. I pray for all who are affected by this conflict- particularly the thousands of our Filipino brothers and sisters. May the LORD cover you all,” he added.

Poe, on her part, said that the safety of the Filipinos should be the top priority of the government.

“The safety of Filipinos in conflict-stricken Israel is of primordial concern. Concerned government agencies must ensure that our kababayan, especially those living near the battle zones, are moved to secure shelters or halfway houses,” Poe said.

“Repatriation should be calibrated for those who want to go home while the borders are still open […] As we hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, we have to act with dispatch so that no Filipinos will be included in the count of casualties,” she added.

With rocket fire and the deployment of armed men into numerous Israeli communities, Hamas began its most significant strike on Israel in years on Saturday. Israel suffered at least 22 fatalities.

(ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of: Reuters

By Junex Doronio

IN THE FACE OF China’s “expansionist threat,” the Philippines, United States and Japan have jointly expressed their commitment to work for a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensure peaceful resolution of disputes.

This was declared by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines) at the Second Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Our alliance with Japan and the Philippines is a cornerstone of our Indo-Pacific strategy. Together, we are committed to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes, and upholding international law,” Blinken announced.

Hosted by the US, the meeting was attended by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo and Japan Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

Meanwhile, the Philippines is exploring legal options against China accusing it of destruction of coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

But China flatly dismissed the allegation, saying it was an attempt to “create political drama”. (ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of: Reddit

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian, the co-chairperson of EDCOM 2, and Senator Joel Villanueva, a commissioner of EDCOM 2 and chair of the Senate Basic Education Committee, have raised concerns regarding the government’s expenditure of an estimated P2.77 billion on community-based TESDA scholars who did not undergo assessment.

Villanueva highlighted the significant number of graduates from community-based programs, citing TESDA data indicating that 36.21% of their graduates originate from these programs.

Among the 44,000 individuals enrolled in community-based TESDA programs this year, only 17,995 have graduated to date. Out of this group, just 4,086 have obtained a Certificate of Competency (CoC), and of those, only 3,937 have been awarded a National Certificate. Villanueva posed the question, “What happened to the balance?”

Gatchalian emphasized the government’s investment in training through scholarship programs but stressed the futility of this training without assessment and CoC, which are essential for securing employment opportunities.

A critical issue identified was the shortage of assessors and challenges in scheduling assessments, with TESDA Deputy Director General Aniceto Bertiz III noting that the agency currently has 7,593 assessors.

Considering an estimated 1.5 million clients in the entire TVET sector in the country, this equates to 197 clients per assessor, highlighting the severe shortage of assessors.

Gatchalian also advocated for the certification of Senior High School – Technical Vocational Livelihood (SHS-TVL) track students to enhance their employability. He proposed allocating P1 billion in the budget for the certification of approximately 400,000 SHS-TVL students.

He stressed the importance of assessments and certifications, emphasizing that “training is not the end goal” and that around 98% of SHS-TVL learners who take the certification exams pass, making it a worthwhile investment.

TESDA Director General Suharto Mangudadatu suggested training teachers and district supervisors from the Department of Education as TESDA trainers and assessors. However, Gatchalian acknowledged the need for contingency plans, as DepEd might have reservations about this proposal. (AI/MNM)