Category: General

MANILA: A suspected human trafficker with seven of his suspected victims were recently intercepted by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Parañaque City.

In a statement on Friday, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the trafficker and her victims attempted to depart on board a Philippine Airlines flight to Bangkok last March 1.

Tansingco said the victims initially claimed to be a set of friends traveling abroad for a vacation, but scrutiny of their documents revealed inconsistencies, the immigration officer referred them for secondary inspection, where they admitted to being bound for Laos to work as customer service representatives.

The victims said they are set to fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand before traveling to Laos by boat, and have been offered a monthly salary of around PHP40,000.

The victims received the job offer via Facebook and online messaging service Telegram.

They also admitted that fake IDs and other documents were given to the
m by their escort right outside the airport before their flight.

‘The escort traveled with them but claimed to be traveling alone to Thailand when she went through immigration. We were able to intercept her, and she was positively identified as an accomplice of the recruiter,’ Tansingco said.

The trafficker was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to face charges.

The BI also reported the interception of another female trafficking victim bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The victim was intercepted last March 3 at the NAIA Terminal 3 after attempting to depart on board a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight to Dubai.

The woman claimed to be traveling to the UAE alone for tourism purposes but later admitted to accepting a job offer received via Facebook.

She was allegedly recruited as a household service worker and was offered a PHP20,000 monthly salary.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Philippine Army (PA) is aiming to collect 50,000 blood bags in the ongoing two-day blood drive at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City and other key camps nationwide.

“The Army targets to collect around 50,000 blood bags from donors, which include Army officers, enlisted personnel, reservists, and ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) cadets, as well as donors from civilian agencies and other uniformed services,” PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement.

The event is also aimed at ensuring that the Army has an ample blood supply that can address the need for sufficient blood reserves during large-scale force mobilization in times of emergency, he added.

This activity is one of the events being held to celebrate the PA’s 127th founding anniversary on March 22.

The PA traces its roots to the Philippine Revolutionary Army that was established on March 22, 1897.

Dema-ala said the PA also intends to contribute to the country’s blood reserves

Source: Philippines News Ag
ency

MANILA: Senators recognized the role of women in society’s development as they joined the celebration of International Women’s Month on Friday.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri cited women as a foundation of home and society and assured that senators would continue to push for their welfare and rights towards a “genuine and equal” future.

“Ngayong Women’s Month, kinikilala at sinasaluduhan natin ang lahat ng kanilang kontribusyon sa pagtataguyod ng pamilya at pagpapaunlad ng komunidad at ng bayan (This Women’s Month, we recognize and salute all their contributions in supporting their families and the development of their communities and the country),” Zubiri said.

Senate Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, who joined the Philippine Commission on Women and the UN Women in the celebration in SM Aura Premier, Taguig City, emphasized the importance of empowering women by enabling them to access various government programs.

“Our learnings from the cited projects are two-way – the need to simplify procedures for gove
rnment support, and for organizations to ensure they have sufficient documentation to meet the requirements. This just goes to show that we have to take into account culture, behaviors, and capacities in formulating procedures and policies to enable women to efficiently access government resources,” Legarda said.

Various women’s organizations, as well as small businesses run by women, were assisted by her office to comply with the requirements to access livelihood assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Sustainable Livelihood Program.

“We need to ensure that our gains progress into real benefits for women on the ground while considering their own resources and capacities,” Legarda said.

While attending various engagements in Cebu, Senator Pia Cayetano urged employers to take good care of their female employees.

Cayetano encouraged employers to help their female workers balance their responsibilities with work for them to flourish in wha
tever industry they belong to.

“My message during this Women’s Month for the benefit of women is to the people around them, their bosses, the companies that earn money and thrive because they have women workers around them. The Women’s Month is an opportunity for you to make (the) lives of women better,” she said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos recalled her mother, former first lady Imelda R. Marcos, during her time as a “certified empowered woman” who has been pushing for the rights of women.

“Bago pa naisabatas ang selebrasyon ng National Women’s month, aktibo nang ipinaglalaban at itinutulak ng aking ina na si first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos ang pagkilala sa kontribusyon at paggalang sa pantay na karapatan ng kababaihan (Even before the celebration of National Women’s Month was passed into law, my mother, first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, has been actively promoting the contribution and respect for equal rights of women),” the senator said.

She recalled that his father, the late pr
esident Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., signed Presidential Decree 633 on Jan. 7, 1975, which established the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, the “first national women’s machinery in Asia” chaired by the former first lady.

Senator Grace Poe urged concerned government agencies to remain steadfast in creating economic opportunities for more women to find decent jobs.

“We need more women in the labor force. They represent a formidable talent pool and an underutilized resource in the world of work,” Poe said.

Household duties, she said, are among the main causes for the smaller number of women in the labor force.

“We hail our women for priceless work they do at home. But the opportunities should remain available for those who will decide to try to find their footing in their career,” Poe said.

Skills training and development should remain accessible to women to suit in the fast evolving industries, she said.

Government should also make available programs that encourage the adoption of flexible w
ork arrangements to allow women to be productive while at home, she added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday has yet to receive an extradition request from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for Apollo Quiboloy following a California court’s unsealing of arrest orders for the controversial pastor who is wanted by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for multiple charges.

‘There is no extradition request received yet by the DOJ from the DFA. It’s difficult, however, to speak on hypothetical situations. The government’s goal is to attain justice in whatever form and through the best forum,’ DOJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano told the media.

‘The decision to resolve came as a result of almost a year of verifying the evidence on record as well as the identity of the alleged victim,’ he noted.

Central District of California Judge Terry Hatter Jr. earlier ordered the unsealing of the arrest warrants against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and his co-accused following a request by the United States Attorney Criminal Division.

The charges against Quiboloy and co-accused Helen Panilag and Teresita Tolibas Dandan include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and cash smuggling.

The online poster on Quiboloy on the FBI webpage said the 74-year-old pastor is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas and forced them to solicit donations for a bogus charity.

The donations were allegedly used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.

Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church were allegedly forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fake student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round.

Further, it was alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or ‘pastorals,’ for Quiboloy, adding that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave massages and were required to
have sex with him.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Social Security System (SSS) on Friday said it released PHP156.7 billion retirement benefits to 2.2 million members in 2023, making it the most availed assistance last year.

In a news release, SSS Vice President for Benefits Administration Division Joy Villacorta noted that the retirement benefits released in 2023 is 10.7 percent higher compared to the PHP141.5 billion released in 2002 and that majority or 87.46 percent of the payees are pensioners.

‘Retirement benefit is a cash benefit being granted by SSS to a member who can no longer work due to old age. Members who paid at least 120 monthly contributions will get a lifetime monthly pension while those with less than 120 monthly contributions will receive a one-time lump sum amount,’ she said.

Death benefit came in second with a total release of PHP70.1 billion to 1.4 million beneficiaries in 2023, slightly lower than the PHP70.2 billion death benefits to 1.3 million beneficiaries in 2022.

‘SSS grants cash benefit to beneficiaries of a dece
ased member. Deceased SSS members with 36 monthly contributions will entitle their beneficiaries to a monthly pension. In comparison, beneficiaries of those with less than 36 monthly contributions will get a one-time lump sum amount,’ she added.

Maternity benefit placed third with a disbursement of PHP14.1 billion to 357,000 members in 2023, which rose by 9.6 percent from about PHP12.9 billion recorded in 2022.

Villacorta said female members who have paid at least three monthly contributions in the last 12 months before the semester of childbirth, miscarriage, or emergency termination of pregnancy can avail of the maternity benefit.

As provided in the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the SSS maternity benefit is paid to an eligible member at every instance of her pregnancy since March 2019.

Meanwhile, the disability benefit came in fourth with PHP7.5 billion released to over 130,000 members last year, a 16.3 percent increase from the PHP6.4 billion released in 2022.

‘Members who become disabled either parti
ally or totally can receive a monthly pension or lump sum amount under the disability benefit. Members who have paid at least 36 monthly contributions are qualified to get a monthly disability pension while those with less than 36 monthly contributions will be granted a lump sum amount,’ she said.

It is followed by the funeral benefit with PHP4.8 billion reimbursed to 211,000 payees, and sickness benefit with PHP3.2 billion provided to 376,000 members.

Funeral benefit is granted to whoever paid the funeral expenses of the deceased member. Claimants of deceased members with 36 or more monthly contributions may receive a variable amount from PHP20,000 to PHP60,000, depending on the number and amount of contributions paid by the member.

However, funeral benefit arising from the death of a member who paid less than 36 monthly contributions is fixed at PHP12,000.

The SSS also released sickness benefit — a daily cash allowance paid for the number of days a member cannot work due to sickness or injury.

‘Unempl
oyment benefit is the least availed benefit in 2023 with a total disbursement of PHP914.1 million to 64,000 members, down by 4.9 percent from the PHP961.4 million released to 75,000 members in 2022. This is also a reflection of the continuing improvement in the Philippine labor market with the unemployment rate reaching its lowest levels last year,’ Villacorta said.

She noted that benefit payments released in 2023 amounted to PHP257.4 billion — 6.9 percent more than the PHP240.6 billion disbursed in 2022.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A suspected human trafficker with seven of his suspected victims were recently intercepted by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Parañaque City.

In a statement on Friday, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the trafficker and her victims attempted to depart on board a Philippine Airlines flight to Bangkok last March 1.

Tansingco said the victims initially claimed to be a set of friends traveling abroad for a vacation, but scrutiny of their documents revealed inconsistencies, the immigration officer referred them for secondary inspection, where they admitted to being bound for Laos to work as customer service representatives.

The victims said they are set to fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand before traveling to Laos by boat, and have been offered a monthly salary of around PHP40,000.

The victims received the job offer via Facebook and online messaging service Telegram.

They also admitted that fake IDs and other documents were given to the
m by their escort right outside the airport before their flight.

‘The escort traveled with them but claimed to be traveling alone to Thailand when she went through immigration. We were able to intercept her, and she was positively identified as an accomplice of the recruiter,’ Tansingco said.

The trafficker was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to face charges.

The BI also reported the interception of another female trafficking victim bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The victim was intercepted last March 3 at the NAIA Terminal 3 after attempting to depart on board a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight to Dubai.

The woman claimed to be traveling to the UAE alone for tourism purposes but later admitted to accepting a job offer received via Facebook.

She was allegedly recruited as a household service worker and was offered a PHP20,000 monthly salary.

Source: Philippines News Agency