Filipino News JULY 2018

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02 B U H A Y O V E R S E A S ISSUE 116 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | GIVE US A CALL : 027 495 8477 FOCUS PILIPINAS NATIONAL ID SYSTEM TO HELP WITH DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS MANILA - “Aside from helping the ongoing campaign against terrorism and criminality, the newly-signed Philippine System Identification Act will greatly help with disaster relief efforts,” said Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. “For example, as a country prone to disasters, the system will allow improved distribution of aid to legitimate disaster victims. Matters such as this can now be better addressed because of the MANILA - Malacanang announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the full lifting of the deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait. “Upon recommendation of Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mamao, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has instructed the new law,” Lorenzana said in a statement. The DND chief also said that the measure will help the government address the gaps in the identification of citizens entitled to receive government services, thereby making things more convenient for law-abiding Filipinos. “(And) while we welcome the beneficial effects of this law on law enforcement operations, we assure the public that individual privacy will be respected,” Lorenzana stressed. (Labour) Secretary to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait,” Presidential Spokespeson Harry Roque said in a message to Palace reporters. Upon his arrival from Kuwait last May 12, Roque said that the Philippine government The Philippine Identification System Act or Republic Act 11055 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang recently. Under the bill, a foundational ID system, dubbed PhilSys, will be in place. It will have three components: the PhilSys Number (PSN), PhilID and PhilSys Registry. The PSN is a randomly generated, unique and permanent identification number for each individual, to be incorporated in all government agencies' had partially lifted the deployment ban for 'skilled' and 'semi-skilled' OFWs in the Gulf state. The partial lifting of the deployment ban came after the Philippines and Kuwait signed a memorandum of agreement protecting the OFWs in Kuwait. Duterte had earlier Duterte orders the lifting of the OFW deployment ban to Kuwait ordered to stop the deployment of Filipino workers due to a series of reported abuses and deaths of Filipino workers, including Joanna Demafelis. Demafelis’ body was found in a freezer inside the apartment of her Lebanese employer, Nader Essam Assaf and identification systems. It will remain with the person even after death. The PhilID is a non-transferable card with the PSN and basic information. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is mandated to act as the PhilSys Registry. Under the national ID law the PSA will collate the full name, sex, birth date, address, citizenship and blood type of Filipino citizens and encode them in a centralized database. The law ensures that the individual’s right to privacy is protected. As provided under Republic Act 11055, information may only be released when the registered person has given his or her consent, specific to the purpose and prior to the processing, when the compelling interest of public health or safety so requires, provided that the risk of significant harm to the public is Syrian wife Mona Hassoan, in Kuwait. Both Assaf and Hassoan are now detained in their respective countries and are facing the death penalty for the murder of Demafelis. After he ordered the total deployment ban, Duterte demanded that a memorandum of understanding be signed between the two countries to ensure the protection of the OFWs in Kuwait. Duterte demanded that the OFWs should be given established and that the owner of the information is notified within 72 hours of the fact of such disclosure, upon the order of any competent court and when a registered person requests from the PSA access to his or her registered information and record history, subject to the guidelines and regulations to be issued by the PSA. (PNA) seven hours of sleep, a weekly day off with pay, adequate food and safekeeping of the housemaids’ passports in the Philippine embassy. Duterte appointed Mama-o as special envoy to Kuwait after Kuwait expelled Philippine ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa in protest of an 'uncoordinated' rescue done by the Philippine embassy to OFWs who ran away from their alleged abusive employers. (PNA) Bishop urges OFWs to take up `Build, Build, Build’ jobs MANILA - The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) urged overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to avail themselves of the jobs that will be offered by the government under the Duterte administration’s 'Build, Build, Build' program. CBCP-ECMI chairman Bishop Ruperto Santos expressed his support for the Department of Labour and Employment’s (DOLE) plan to hold job fairs in Middle Eastern countries, where many Filipinos are employed. “Yes, we at CBCP- ECMI support and encourage our OFWs to avail themselves of these opportunities,” he said in an interview. The Bataan prelate noted that it is the government’s obligation to provide jobs in the country so that Filipinos would no longer need to seek employment abroad. “It is (the) primary duty of government to create jobs here (so) as to avoid brain and manpower drain and to ease the pains and problems of family separations. Thus we will no longer be a migrant workers sending country and going abroad for jobs will be just (an) option and no longer a forced choice,” he said. “Creating jobs here would be very beneficial to the country’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program, for it is well known that our OFWs are very skilled,” Santos added. Earlier, Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that they are planning to President Duterte with Bishops at Malacanang hold job fairs in several Arab States to encourage Filipinos working abroad to apply for employment in the country. He noted that they are looking to hold the events initially in Qatar and Saudi Arabia in October. The labour chief said that the country would need more workers, particularly their expertise in the construction sector, in connection with the government’s numerous infrastructure projects under 'Build Build Build'. The government is set to construct roads, bridges, airports and railways, among other things, under the project, which has a PHP8 trillion budget. (PNA) Photo credit: Kiwi Bulaclac, Malacanang Photo. HALO HALO NZ : POP-UP FILIPINO STREET FOOD FESTIVAL from September 2018 - www.halohalo.nz
BUHAY OVERSEAS ISSUE 116 | www.filipinonews.nz | filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | FB : Filipino Migrant News 03 FOCUS PILIPINAS Opinion: BY SIMON GRAY The Asia New Zealand Foundation's Manila Hui highlighted the Philippines as having great opportunities, but also as facing deep challenges, writes Leadership Network member Simon Gray. The Manila Hui brought together 12 diverse and talented Leadership Network members, as well as Kiwis from the ASEAN Young Business Leadership Initiative. Combined, this group had wide expertise and a diverse range of interests concerning the Philippines. The five-day programme included cultural visits, a New Zealand Embassy briefing by Ambassador David Strachan on the Philippines and its bilateral relations with New Zealand, academic presentations on political, economic and security issues from Dr Aries Arugay (University of Philippines) and Dean Ronald Mendoza (Ateneo Manila Hui offers multi-faceted view of fast-growing PH The Manila Hui brought together 12 diverse and talented Leadership Network members, as well as Kiwis from the ASEAN Young Business Leadership Initiative. School of Government), meetings with Filipino entrepreneurs and business leaders and a visit to The Philippine Star newsroom. The final day included a range of self-organised meetings. Leadership Network Simon Gray (left), with Ambassador David Strachan and fellow Leadership Network member Garreth. Photo: Asia NZ members individually chose to visit the Asian Development Bank, an orphanage, a child poverty reduction foundation and a disaster relief organisation. Collectively, these experiences provided significant insights into contemporary Philippine society. A FAST-DEVELOP- ING NATION. Our meetings framed the Philippines as a nation with great opportunities as well as challenges. In terms of the former, this is evident in its impressive 6.8 percent GDP growth and in an economy that has experienced consecutive growth of above five percent for the past five years. This growth is set to continue, with the Philippines on track to being an upper-middle income country by 2022 and to boast one of the largest young workforces in the world until 2050. The nation has a rapidly expanding telecommunications sector, with Manila being a global hub for service providers and an emerging international analytical centre. It has a growing manufacturing sector, including shipbuilding and innovative science sectors. This market is driven by the need to better prepare the Philippines against typhoons and natural disasters, as well as by the nation’s geography, which encompasses some 7,500 islands. Additionally, signs of progressive change are emerging in a society otherwise still adherent to traditional, more conservative views. Collectively, such developments have transformed the Philippines into an emerging 'economic tiger' today. Despite this success there remain many challenges, both socio-economically and politically. Like some other nations the Philippines has seen a rise in political 'populism' and the harnessing of social media as a tool to mobilise populist sentiment and spread 'fake news'. Leadership Network members heard about attempts to silence media outlets and journalists. Although the Philippines is a republic, power is essentially dominated by an elite set of political dynasties consisting of some 50 families. Also of concern are high levels of poverty, underemployment and disproportionate wealth distribution. The nation’s economic growth is estimated to have benefited only a tiny and elite proportion of the population. Moreover, the majority of wealth is centred in the National Capital Region (NCR), with very limited amounts redistributed or invested into the nation's wider regions. This situation fundamentally reflects 'growth without development'. This is especially the case in the southern region of Mindanao, where the average GDP per-capita is only about continued on pg 4
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Filipino News JULY 2018

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