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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 87 • 2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES MAY 14, 2023
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PH, Kuwait set talks on labor issues A
HIGH-LEVEL Philippine delegation is scheduled to fly to Kuwait next week to discuss the ban on Filipinos entering the Gulf state for the first time and the possible review of the 2018 labor agreement between the two countries. “What we hope to achieve when we get there is to clarify the issues of why there was a visa suspension, what will it take to resolve these issues between the Philippines and Kuwait,” Foreign Affairs AssistantSecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Paul Cortes said in a briefing on Saturday. He said the ban and suspension of entry visa issuance were only formally communicated to the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday, but Kuwait has yet to officially provide a reason behind its decision. Kuwaiti media, however, said the ban stemmed from the Philippines’ alleged non-compliance with the 2018 labor accord concerning the operation of a temporary shelter for distressed Filipinos inside the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait. Cortes, however, said Manila did not violate the deal if this was indeed Kuwait’s reason because the establishment of shelters inside the embassies, now known as Migrant Workers Overseas
Filipino Resource Centers (MWOFRC), is mandated under Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. “We could not have agreed to a provision that will allow us not to establish a shelter for our countrymen because that’s our law. Of course, whenever we have an agreement with another country, we always connect that with our domestic legislation,” he said. He said the operation of these shelters abroad is non-negotiable, and would remain in operation regardless of the outcome of the upcoming talks. “Our law is clear. We have to have a shelter for our kababayans,” he said. Cortes said the DFA would also explain the deployment ban for household service workers (HSWs), which he believes could have been a “source of confusion” for the Kuwaiti side. The ban only covers the contracts of first-time HSWs bound for Kuwait and
was imposed in February after the brutal death of Jullebee Ranawa, whose charred remains were found in a desert in Kuwait this year. Cortes said the meeting is timely as it was already set even before the issue of the entry ban came up. The upcoming high-level talks, he said, are part of the regular discussions between the Philippines and Kuwait concerning the more than 290,000 overseas Filipinos there. According to the DFA, around 70 percent of the OFWs in Kuwait are household workers.
HERO, WITH OR WITHOUT A CAPE.
Kids pose with a ‘Super Mom’ at SM City Dasmariñas to mark Mother’s Day today. Norman Cruz
PBBM: Assist ‘comfort women’ in filing claims PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered concerned government agencies to extend aid and assistance to the case of the “Malaya Lolas” – a group of victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese imperial army during World War II. The President made the statement
UN body: No woman should die giving birth THE United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) called for adequate reproductive health care in the Philippines as the country marks Mother’s Day today, citing how around six to seven Filipino women die during pregnancy and childbirth due to the unavailability,inaccessibility, unaffordability, or poor quality of sexual and reproductive health services. In a press statement, UNFPA Country Representative Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane said maternal deaths globally had increased during the past two years. “Around six to seven Filipino women die daily due to childbirth. During emergencies, when access to maternal health services is disrupted, more women die during pregnancy and childbirth. Women die because sexual and reproductive health services are unavailable, inaccessible, unaffordable, or of poor quality,” Joudane said. Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the UN body noted that 1,458 women died of maternal causes in 2019, which went up to 2,478 in 2021.
MALAYANG LOLAS. File photo shows two comfort women with Teresita Ang See (middle), convenor of the Flowers for the Lolas Campaign, in a protest action in front of the Japanese Embassy in Pasay City in January. Danny Pata
NPC to probe possible GCash ‘data breach’ THE National Privacy Commission on Saturday said it is looking into a “potential personal data breach” among accounts of Globe-backed fintech giant GCash that encountered unauthorized money transfers on May 9. “The NPC’s Complaints and Investigation Division (CID) has been closely monitoring this incident since
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May 9, 2023 amidst circulating reports of GCash users on suspicious transactions on their GCash accounts, to determine the existence of breach and its extent, and whether there are any other violation of the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” the NPC said. The mobile wallet, however, denied that a hacking occurred.
The NPC said it ordered G-Xchange, Inc., the operator of GCash, to appear before the commission for a clarificatory meeting and to provide additional information and documents on May 12. “The NPC will issue another order instructing GXI to provide further information and documents to enable an independent assessment and verify the
claims presented by GXI on the supposed phishing being the cause of the glitch,” the Privacy body said. The Department of Information and Communication Technology as well as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier said they were conducting their own investigation into the incident.
ICC allows PH to submit reply on probe appeal
Medal standings (as of 10 p.m.) Country G S B
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following a report of the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), saying the Philippines had failed to assist the Malaya Lolas in filing claims against Japan. “Government agencies concerned are formulating a comprehensive response to the CEDAW committee and will submit this within the required period,” President Marcos said on Saturday. “We commit to undertaking measures and finding ways to help them live better lives as an expression of our continued deep solidarity with them and of our utmost respect,” he added. Mr. Marcos said his administration acknowledges the “grave atrocities endured by the brave Filipino women during wars of the 20th century.” “(We) sincerely commiserate with them as they bear the long-term and irreversible physical and psychological effects of the war. We honor their indomitable spirit and dignity in taking this important cause forward through these years,” the President said.
THE International Criminal Court has granted Manila’s request to reply to the arguments raised by the ICC prosecutor on the country’s appeal against the resumption of the probe into the bloody war on illegal drugs of the Duterte administration. In a decision made public Saturday, the ICC appeals chamber said itwould help it decide on the appeal petition if the Philippine government submits a reply to certain issues raised by ICC
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Prosecutor Karim Khan. It gave Manila until May 16 to submit its response. “The Republic of the Philippines may file a reply to the Prosecution’s response to the Philippine Government’s Appeal Brief… The reply shall not exceed 10 pages,” read the decision signed by Presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. In January, the ICC’s pre-trial chamber authorized the resumption of the probe
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into the previous administration’s controversial drug war, which it suspended in November 2021 following a deferral request from the Philippine government. Both Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra and Justice Secretary JesusCrispin Remulla had challenged the ICC prosecutor as to how he can continue his investigation without the compulsory processes, such as subpoenas, that only Philippine authorities can issue.
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