Repatriation Stepped Up Exit Requirements For Filipino Workers In Syria Waived

MANILA, Philippines --- SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has ordered that the exit visa requirements for all the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) taking shelter at the Philippine Embassy in Damascus be waived immediately and without preconditions, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Wednesday.
Al-Assad’s directive was relayed to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario by Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous.
Del Rosario flew to the Syrian capital last Tuesday to step up the Philippine government’s efforts to bring home the Filipinos fleeing the civil war.
Del Rosario met with Syrian leaders including Arnous, the DFA said.
He first met with Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Presidential Adviser for Political and Media Affairs, whom he thanked for her help in repatriating some 200 Filipino workers last month.
The 200 OFWs were flown to the Philippines without paying exit visa fees and penalties at the Syrian Immigration and Passport Directorate.
Del Rosario explained to Shaaban that he is once again in Syria to request that exit visa requirements be waived for the 250 OFWs under the embassy’s care.
He also asked Shaaban’s assistance in facilitating the repatriation of another 1,300 OFWs who want to go home, and the 2,400 others who are in Syria but have not manifested their intention to return to the Philippines.
Del Rosario explained that while the workers are staying in Syria legally, most of them were illegally recruited from the Philippines and may be victims of human trafficking.
Shaaban promised to do her best and assured del Rosario she will call Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem for him to accommodate the requests of the Philippine delegation.
The DFA said del Rosario handed over the lists of the OFWs in Syria, based on the combined database of the embassy, the Immigration Directorate and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.
Later, del Rosario met with Foreign Minister al-Moallem, who was joined by Arnous and the Chief of Asia Department, Ambassador Suleiman Saraa.
Al-Moallem supposedly left an important Cabinet meeting to be able to meet with the Philippine delegation.
Del Rosario explained the difficulties the Philippine government faces in bringing home its nationals, particularly the exit visa fees and documents needed before they are allowed to leave Syria.
But according to Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, despite the Syrian government’s decision to waive the exit requirements, the problem of the Filipinos’ employers demanding expensive refund from the Philippine government remains.
Binay, who is Presidential Adviser on OFWs’ Concerns, said that despite the resistance of employers, repatriation efforts are continuing.
“Sometimes we manage to send home 20 OFWs, sometimes 30. Our problem really is the employers are resistant,” Binay said in a television interview.
He said an OFW needs his or her employer’s permission to be granted an exit permit. “That’s why we have to negotiate with the employer,” he said.
Some Syrian employers however had taken advantage of the mandatory repatriation of OFWs by demanding from $8,000 to $10,000 as a refund before they sign the exit permits.
The amount is relatively huge compared to the $2,000 a Syrian employer shells out in order to hire an OFW.
“It’s a good thing that the Syrian government has decided to wave some taxes. So the problem lies on the employers who demand refunds,” Binay said.
The Philippine government has spent a total of $3 million to bring home OFWs from war-torn Syria.
It declared mandatory repatriation and a deployment ban when the Crisis Alert for Syria was raised to Level 4 last December.

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Tourism drive targets ‘shopper-travelers’

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. is laying the ground work to push the country as a shopping haven.
At the recent National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo, he said about 10 million tourists are expected by 2016, creating a huge group of potential buyers.
“Stores must convey their desired image. And importantly, they must be able to offer goods or services to their market that fit the image. When these two jive, then a pleasant shopping experience can take place,” said the former advertising executive who headed his agency’s creative department.
“Tourism is the twin industry of retail,” said Frederick Go, Philippine Retail Association and president of Robinsons Recreation Corp.
Go said the country would host the 2015 Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exposition, the longest running retail conference in Asia.
“We are showing the whole world that, indeed, it is more fun in the Philippines. We do this through quality products and excellent services,” he said, adding that over 200,000 delegates are expected to attend.
Samie Lim, PRA chairman emeritus, described the travel sector as on the upswing.
“In a single month, we’ve had over 400 thousand tourist arrivals,” he said, noting that promotions should focus on shopping destinations as well.
He cited the National Statistical Coordination Board finding that foreign tourists spend only 21 percent of their budget on shopping.
“A shopping fest can double this number,” he said.
Lim, who also heads Automatic Centre and Blims Furniture, said getting visitors has always been a competitive game.
“We have to act fast because other countries have long promoted shopping for tourism,” he said, noting India’s Grand Kerala along with the shopping festivals of Dubai and Hong Kong.
“There is a need to develop concept stores that offer Philippine products and will serve as one stop shops,” Lim said. “The One Town, One Product store of the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Agri-Kart of the Department of Agriculture are steps in the right direction. So is SM’s Kultura stores.”

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7 justices skip flag-raising rites with Sereno

MANILA, Philippines – A senior court official said the decision of the seven magistrates to skip the flag-raising ceremony Monday was “intentional” and was meant to “send a strong, cogent statement” to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
“It’s very clear that the justices snubbed the new Chief Justice. How else would you describe that?” the court official, who asked not to be identified, told the INQUIRER.
“Their absence in the first public appearance of Sereno before the court employees was very telling. It’s a rebuff of her appointment as Chief Justice,” the source added.
The source said most of the 14 current members of the Supreme Court were questioning Sereno’s capability and experience to lead the judiciary.
“Not only did they question her leadership and management skills. Most of the justices I spoke with also doubt her knowledge of the laws,” the source added.
Two other court insiders said that the justices’ decision to give Sereno a cold shoulder was intended to “register their strong opposition to her appointment.”
“Sereno should expect that kind if treatment for the next several years,” one of the insider said.
Sought for comment, former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez said the absence of the justices was “just a tail-end of some disappointments on their part.”
“I understand they were rooting for the justices other than Sereno. That’s their disappointment and I think that the solution to this problem lies in the vastly untapped area of human relations,” Chavez said over the phone.
He, however, said the tension between Sereno and the other justices “will eventually go away and that they will be able to find ways and means to discharge their functions as a collegial body.”
Asked if he thought the justices snubbed Sereno, he said: “No. I wouldn’t say that unless this goes on for three or four times. Then I can say that it’s not only a snub, but it’s a repudiation of (Sereno’s) appointment.”

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BC to investigate leak of Sereno’s psychiatric test

MANILA, Philippines—The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will investigate the alleged leakage of the result of psychiatric and psychological examination of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

JBC member lawyer Jose Mejia on Monday told reporters that fellow council member retired Justice Aurora Santiago Lagman has requested the investigation.

“There was a pending request by Justice Lagman to investigate the alleged leakage because we have been emphasizing from the start that this is very confidential,” Mejia said.

A newspaper report cited an 11-page psychiatric and psychological report which indicates that Sereno and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza got the lowest psychological evaluation rating given to JBC candidates.

The psychiatric and psychological report was submitted to the JBC by a group of two medical psychiatrists and two psychologists.

Based on the report, Sereno and Jardeleza got a grade of “four” after the tests, adding copies of the report were distributed to JBC members during their July 19 preliminary meeting.
Under the test, there was a five-point numerical rating system where 1 is the highest or most superior, 3 is the median and five the lowest or a failing mark.
The report claimed Sereno keeps a smiling face to project that she is happy. It also said the report claimed Sereno is “dramatic and emotional,” and that she may tend to “make decisions based on current mood.”

“[The investigation] will start with the [JBC] Secretariat, but of course it will be done on behalf of the JBC,” Mejia said but added that the investigation does not mean they are confirming what was stated in a newspaper report.

One of the candidates for chief justice, Associate Justice Arturo Brion, requested for a result of his psychiatric and psychological report but, Mejia said the request was denied.

He explained that the psychological and psychiatric report is confidential that not even the candidates were given a copy.

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DFA verifying reports of new Chinese structures in Panganiban Reef

The Department of Foreign Affairs is verifying reports that China is building new structures in Mischief Reef, a Philippine-claimed territory in the South China (West Philippine) Sea that Beijing occupied in 1995.

“We will verify the information and the photo with the Department of National Defense,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez told reporters Monday.

The department will act appropriately as soon as it confirms report that  China is fortifying its structures in the area also called Panganiban Reef, according to the DFA official.

“We will wait until we have verified it,” he said.

If confirmed, such move could be seen as a violation of a non-binding code of conduct signed by Beijing and the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which the Philippines and other South China Sea claimants Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, are members.

Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are other members of the ASEAN.

The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC, which does not provide sanctions against states that violate its provisions, calls on all claimants to exercise restraint and stop new occupation of territories.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Indonesia to encourage unity among Southeast Asian nations in an effort to manage increasingly tense disputes with China.

China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia lay claim on parts or the entire contested region, where gas deposits have been discovered in several areas.

China, which claims the South China Sea in its entirety, prefers to negotiate one on one with other claimants, giving it an undue advantage because of its sheer economic and military clout compared to smaller rival claimants.

Beijing is likewise pushing for the shelving of disputes and for joint development in the strategic waters pending a final resolution of the claims.

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