By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Noticing that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and “balikbayans” spend more during their short vacation in the country, House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan on Monday called on the Department of Tourism (DOT) to encourage a larger number of Filipinos abroad to spend their holidays in the Philippines.

Libanan, who represents the 4Ps (Pagtibayin At Palaguin Ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino) party-list and great grandson of Katipunan treasurer Valentin Diaz, said their spending can boost the country’s tourism revenues and jobs growth to a great extent.

“Compared to other foreign visitors, overseas Filipinos tend to spend considerably more money here during their vacations, mainly due to their strong social and economic ties,” he said.

Data from DOT revealed that 396,147 Philippine passport holders, who are also permanent residents (PR) overseas, have visited the country from January to November 2023.

“Many overseas Filipinos spend for the improvement of their ancestral homes here in the Philippines when they come for a visit, while others set up new investments, such as apartments for rent, to provide a recurring income stream to their relatives here,” Libanan noted.

He added that the Filipinos who are now PR in their respective adopted countries will “also likely to purchase locally made products to bring with them when they leave.”

“We want the Tourism Promotions Board to draw up a new marketing plan that will purposely entice overseas Filipinos to come and visit their motherland,” Libanan said.

(IAmigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — An estimated 500,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stand to benefit from the recently approved orders hiking the minimum wages in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

This was announced on Wednesday (December 27) by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

“We thank Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Labor Department respectively for enacting wage legislation that recognizes the work of our OFWs and their contribution to the economic development of their host countries,” DMW officer-in-charge (OIC) Hans Leo Cacdac said.

The DMW said in a statement that the Taiwan Ministry of Labor (MOL) mandated a 4.05% increase in the monthly minimum salary from NT$26,400 (P46,378.70) to NT$27,470 (P48,223.43), effective January 1, 2024.

The wage order also hiked the minimum hourly wage by NT$7 from NT$168 (P295.14) to NT$183 (P321.48).

Citing MOL data as of October, the DMW disclosed that 151,562 Filipinos are working in Taiwan.

The agency also anticipated another 17,721 workers in the said category to be hired by the end of the year.

On the other hand, it was learned that OFWs working as foreign domestic helpers (FDH) or household service workers (HSWs) in Hong Kong will benefit from similar wage legislation set by Hong Kong’s Labor Department.

The DMW said OFWs working as FDHs will receive a minimum allowable wage (MAW) of HK$4,870 or P38,010.35, a HK$140 increase from the previous rate of HK$4,730 or P36,917.65.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong Labor Department also increased the allowable food allowance for FDHs to HK$1,236 or P9,649.98 from the previous rate of HK$1,196 or P9,334.78.

The DMW revealed that as of August 2023, there are 196,364 OFWs working as HSWs or FDHs in Hong Kong.

“Additionally, by January 2024, MWO-HK estimates there will be around 205,000 Filipino HSWs working in Hong Kong,” the agency added..

(IAmigo/MNM)

Ni Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — Nakarating na nitong Sabado sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) cargo terminal ang mga labi ng ikatlong overseas Filipino worker (OFW) na napatay sa pag-atake ng militanteng Hamas sa Israel.

Mula sa cargo terminal, dadalhin ang mga labi ng OFW sa Negros Occidental Linggo ng hapon, ayon sa mga awtoridad.

Tumanggi pa rin ang Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) na pangalanan ang naiuwing labi upang bigyan ng respeto ang naulilang pamilya.

Ang babaeng OFW ay isang caregiver na pinatay ng Hamas, ayon kay DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia.

“Ayon dun sa kuwento mismo ng kamag-anak ng employer, ipinagtanggol niya at hindi iniwanan ang kanyang elderly Israel employer. Sinamahan niya kahit na meron siyang pagkakataon na makaalis,” sabi ni Olalia.

Sinabi pa ni Olalia na tumulong ang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno sa pagpapauwi ng mga labi at sa pagbibigay ng suporta sa pamilya.

“Tulong-tulong po ang lahat ng ahensiya sa pagbibigay ng tulong, ng assistance dito sa nasawi natin na modern-day hero. Ang OWWA ay nagbigay ng assistance, ganon din ang DMW pati po ‘yung ibang ahensiya ay nagbigay rin po,” ayon sa opisyal.

Samantala, sinabi ni Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega na 34 OFWs mula sa Israel ang nakauwi na.

(ai/mnm)

By Liza Soriano

MANILA  — Senator Raffy Tulfo on Thursday made a commitment that he would provide assistance to the affected Filipinos in the Israel-Hamas war.

Tulfo  met with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs along with some lawmakers at the DFA Central Office to discuss the current situation of Filipinos in Israel.

Among those who attended the meeting were DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, Usec. Eduardo de Vega of Migrant Workers Affairs, Usec. Maria Theresa Lazaro of Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, Asec. Mardomel Melicor of the Middle East and African Affairs, Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, OFW Partylist Marissa Rep. “Del Mar” Magsino, KABAYAN Partylist Rep. Ron Salo and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro.

Ambassador to Israel Pedro Laylo Jr., Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat, Ambassador to Jordan Wilfredo Santos, Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago, and Charge d’affaires to Syria John Reyes also joined the meeting virtually.

“Patuloy pa rin ang close monitoring sa mga Filipino community sa mga lugar na apektado ng giyera kabilang na ang Israel, Gaza at West bank pati ang mga kalapit na bansa. May contingency plan na din ang gobyerno sakaling mas lumala ang sitwasyon sa rehiyon,” Tulfo said.

There were some OFWs who had already expressed their interest in returning to the Philippines due to the war in the said country.

Among these were the 16 OFWs, along with one infant, who arrived on October 18 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. They were welcomed by Tulfo at the airport.

“Gagawin ang lahat ng gobyerno para masigurong ligtas at maayos na makakabalik ang mga OFW dito sa Pilipinas. May mga ayuda ring ibibigay para sa mga  nakabalik na sa bansa at scholarship mula sa TESDA para sa kanilang mga anak,” he said

“Puspusan din na nagtratrabaho ang Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) at Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) para sa repatriation ng mga Pinoy sa Israel,” he added.

(ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

DESPITE THE DECLARATION of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel is “at war” after Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack Saturday morning, there is still no evacuation plan for the estimated 27,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the US-backed Jewish state.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said their agency is continuing to monitor the critical situation in Israel and accounting the OFWs, most especially in areas near the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian area governed by Hamas militants and blockaded by Israel and Egypt.

“Mayroon na tayong namo-monitor, ina-account natin na Pilipino, mga OFWs na nandoon. Patuloy lang ang effort natin. We are talking to many of them and mga relatives nila. Isa-isa nating naa-account sila,” Cacdac said when interviewed over Teleradyo Serbisyo.

“So far there are no reports of Filipino casualties,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said.

He added: “There are about 27K [Filipinos] in Israel but the vast majority are situated in places other than the Gaza area.”

Gaza is a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza also disclosed that the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv received “unconfirmed reports” that some Filipinos working near the Israeli border were captured on Saturday morning.

Maharlika NuMedia gathered that at least 300 people have died and thousands of others are wounded in Israel.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 232 Palestinians have died and more than 1,600 are wounded in Gaza.

Israel launched air strikes on the territory while its forces clashed on the ground with Hamas fighters.

On the other hand, the Israeli foreign ministry claimed that more than 200 Israelis have been killed. (ai/mnm)