Page 8 - Hello Philippines February 2016 'B' issue

8 www.hello-philippines.com IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS February 2016 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Pinoy artist’s big ‘heart’ to
help raise funds for SF hospital
DEPICTING a person blowing Named “SF Sun Flowers,” Calindas’ indeed magical,” he wrote in an e-mail try to make it in this city, if not in the
bubbles in a landscape of sunflowers, a five foot-tall heart was painted with to GMA News Online. whole country,” he added. “I want to create not just art but
US-based Filipino artist’s large, painted acrylics and fixatives in his signature a message that either can make you
work is one of the sculptures that will black lines and solid colors. The UP Los Baños graduate said the Calindas’ decision to settle in happy or a theme that can make you
help raise funds for the Priscilla Chan project was the fulfillment of his dream San Francisco was influenced by his want to care for your brothers and
and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco Calindas said the heart portrayed to contribute to the decade-old “Hearts lingering love for his Filipino roots. sisters in this world,” Calindas said.
General Hospital and Trauma Center the energy of the city through in San Francisco” project.
this February. sunflowers, which he spelled with two “I have always heard about how Tickets for Heroes&Hearts cost
words to depict its capacity to “bring “I told myself back then that diverse and accepting the city is and $300, while general admission tickets
Marconi Calindas was one of joy like the sunshine.” someday my art will be on those hearts has always been. San Francisco is very for Hearts After Dark cost $100 and
the four San Francisco-based artists as well. Every year they ask local artists multicultural and it makes you feel like $250 VIP tickets. Sponsorship for both
commissioned to paint the big heart “It seems that my sun flower to submit designs and boy, do they get you are back home in the Philippines,” events begin at $5000. n Rie Takumi / KBK,
sculptures to be auctioned at the theme is more popular because it a lot of submissions from thousands of he explained.
San Francisco General Hospital gives joy to people and the collectors. artists that thrive in the city,” said the GMA News/ Published / February 9, 2016 / 3:22 pm
Foundation’s annual Heroes & Hearts My particular theme for the Hearts former journalist. While he has long since left
and Hearts After Dark events on in SF depicts a playful flower in San the country, Calindas’ his passion
February 18 at the AT&T Park. Francisco. I wanted to show the free “I was so happy to have been in making a difference for the
spirit of its people and how this city is selected and it is indeed an honor to community— especially the LGBT
represent also the Filipino artists who community—persists in his art.

Pinoy jobless in Saudi Arabia after only 5 months due to ‘restructuring’
ELMER Ednillan was a heavy Lawyer Celso Hernandez Jr., POEA legal number of Filipino workers who have lost

equipment operator in Dammam, officer, said Ednillan’s recruiter should their jobs due to falling oil prices in the

Saudi Arabia, who had a two-year have known that there has been a dearth Middle East.

contract with a company involved in in construction projects in the Middle East The POEA, however, has noted that

the construction of buildings including since last year. some companies are no longer hiring new

those of oil companies. “’Pag nagkakaroon ng restructuring, employees.

However, five months into his dapat alam na nila (recruiters) at hindi na Meanwhile, returning OFWs are

employment, Ednillan was laid off nila pinagpapatuloy [ang pagpapadala ng encouraged to enroll in the labor

due to corporate restructuring tao],” Hernandez said. department’s Assist WELL program to

being implemented by the company, A survey by employment agency Hays find new employment opportunities both

prompting him to return to the in November showed that one of three locally or abroad, establish businesses, or

Philippines instead. oil and gas companies in the Middle seek welfare and legal assistance.

In a report by JP Soriano on “24 East have laid off workers recently. In According to data from the Department

Oras,” Ednillan said he knew of other the 28 countries surveyed, 93 percent of of Labor and Employment, most OFWs in

Filipino workers who also lost their employers have laid off workers in 2015. the Middle East are on contracts that span

jobs recently in Saudi Arabia, a prime Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles one to two years.

destination of OFWs. Jose said they are coordinating with other Of the two million documented Filipino

“May mga kasabayan din ako [na] government agencies to come up with workers in the region, some 1.5 million or

ganun din sa kanila, ‘yung company appropriate compensation and assistance 77 percent are classified as temporary

nagbabawas,” he said. programs for displaced Filipino workers. workers.

The report said Ednillan, who has a “Meron kaming inter-agency group Nine percent or some 180,324 are

wife and three children in Mindanao, has and we are studying options kung paano permanent, while less than three percent

sought assistance from the Philippine natin matutulungan ang mga kababayan are undocuments.

Overseas Employment Administration natin dito,” Jose said. Nearly 900,000 OFWs work in Saudi

(POEA), which said it will get in touch The Department of Foreign Affairs and Arabia. n Rie Takumi / KBK/JST, GMA News /

with his recruitment agency. the POEA have yet to determine the exact Published / February 11, 2016 / 9:27 pm

Filipinas in Iraq hotel fire died of smoke inhalation — diplomat
IT may take weeks before the The Filipinas were among the his team arrived in Erbil at 10 a.m. in the tragedy. The Kurdistan Regional The Philippines has placed most

remainsofthe14Filipinaswhoperished 21 killed in a fire that struck the local time and immediately went to the Government has ruled out terrorism of Iraq under Alert Level 4, which

in a hotel fire in Iraq’s Kurdistan region Capitol Hotel in Erbil, the capital of hospital morgue where the remains of in the incident. Investigators said calls for mandatory repatriation, after

would be repatriated and handed the Kurdistan autonomous region on the Filipina workers were taken. faulty wiring triggered a fire at the the Islamic State captured the city of

over to their grieving families in the Saturday. Cato said the remains were basement level of the hotel where Mosul in 2014.

Philippines, the country’s top envoy in Elmer Cato, charge d’affaires of the identifiable. The victims were working our kababayans were working,” Cato Cato clarified that Kurdistan is

Iraq said Saturday night. Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, and in a spa in the hotel’s basement. added. under Alert Level I.

“The cause of death was smoke Asked earlier when the remains “A deployment ban is still in place

inhalation,” he told GMA News Online. would finally be flown to Manila, although Filipinos in Kurdistan

He said they’re still identifying the Cato said, “We don’t know yet. It’s not can avail themselves of the Balik

fatalities. The Department of Foreign normally quick.” Manggagawa Program that could

Affairs will immediately notify the Before leaving for Erbil, Cato allow them to go home to the

victims’ next of kin as soon as the described the incident as worse than Philippines and return to their jobs in

identification process gets finished. the Gulf War. Kurdistan,” he said.
13 not 14 fatalities. In a message to
“Grabe ito …We lost more people in “We estimate around 2,000

GMA News Online on Sunday morning one incident in one day compared to Filipinos are in Iraq, majority of them

Consul Cato corrected the number of the number we lost since the Gulf War,” in Kurdistan,” he added.

Pilipina fatalities in the Iraq fire. Cato told GMA News Online before he The Philippines is among the world’s

“It’s been a long day for us since left for Baghdad International Airport. top labor-exporters with about 8.6
Deployment ban. The Philippine million skilled and unskilled workers
arriving in Erbil this morning. This is

what we could share so far: There are government lifted the ban on the scattered abroad, earning more than

13, not 14, confirmed Filipino fatalities deployment of workers to the Kurdistan they could in the country where jobs

in the fire at the Capitol Hotel on region in 2012. The deployment ban are scarce and poverty is widespread.

Friday.” however, remains in force for the rest n Ares Gutierrez / APG/LBG, GMA News / Published /

Police and military personnel cordon off the Capitol Hotel in Erbil. “Six other [people] lost their lives of Iraq, Cato said. February 7, 2016 / 10:15 am

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