Page 10 - Hello Philippines November 2015 'B' issue

10 www.hello-philippines.com IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS November 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 22 • UK & Europe Edition

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AN overseas Filipino worker was
forced to spend P26,000 on airline issue him the OEC, he said he asked and her only response was ‘Well the “It also did not work for us the last smartphones and tablets.
tickets because of the absence of a airport authorities if he could still government is not rich! What can we time. The online system is buggy at “We’re working on a paperless
Philippine Overseas Employment check in and get on his flight without do!’” Miranda related. best. Why can’t we have a permanent
Agency’s (POEA) desk at the Kalibo the document. card for everyone?” Miranda told system where people don’t need to
International Airport. Sensing his hostility, Ophelia Cacdac. print out the OEC. Pwedeng i-print
“Our request was denied. This was diverted him to another person named na lang sa tablet or sa smartphone,”
“We got back in our Singapore when I asked to see an immigration George, a customer support engineer “The online system could be better Cacdac said.
apartment around 3:15 a.m. More officer for me to explain our case... The for POEA’s online OEC application as the process could be paperless
than 8 hours after our original arrival officer took almost 30 minutes to see service. at some point in time. But we need Next year, OFWs would only
time, unnecessarily braving Manila us and only came when we demanded understanding so we could perfect the need to update their profiles- change
traffic from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1, it furiously from the airport staff,” “Apparently he is but a customer system,” Cacdac insisted. home addresses or work details- on
taxi extortion, long immigration lines, Miranda wrote. support engineer for the online the POEA’s online database to exit
seeing fellow passengers desperately application and no matter how helpful In a phone interview with GMA the country, as the POEA’s database
ensuring no bullets are planted in After 30 minutes of waiting for he tried to be, he had no authority News Online on Saturday, Cacdac said would be connected to the Bureau of
their luggage, forfeited non refundable immigration supervisor Jocelyn whatsoever to grant us the elusive the online OEC system now allows Immigration.
non rebook able Kalibo - Singapore Dequina, Miranda and his partner paper,” Miranda said. OFWs to input their passport number
SQ tickets, and 26,000 pesos poorer,” were requested by Dequina to call a in lieu of an OEC number. Though Miranda did not take up
Singapore-based Alvin Miranda wrote POEA-Iloilo officer named Atty. Ruby They were then forced to book a Cacdac’s offer, he said his friends have
in a Facebook post last November 4. to request for an OEC. flight to Manila and another flight to “That has sort of made it more aided him drawing attention to the
Singapore after their non-rebookable accessible to many OFWs,” he said. issue.
Miranda flight to Singapore was “You would think by now they flight left in the middle of the OEC
apparently delayed because he failed would have had the sense to do the debacle. Cacdac added that the online “Some concerned friends have
to immediately secure an Overseas calls by themselves, but of course we system, which he said has processed forwarded my post to some senators
Employment Certificate (OEC) were only led to an office to get hold ‘Online is the way to go’. Replying more than 200,000 OECs since its and legislators and I hope to be able
from the POEA, which supposedly of a landline (and only after raising to Mirandsa’s Facebook post, POEA inception, will soon offer a credit card to get an audience to address the issue
should have a desk at the Kalibro our voice saying we are not using our chief Hans Leo Cacdac offered to help payment scheme in addition to their ASAP,” he said.
international airport. international mobile number to do all him personally and suggested that the debit and remittance system.
the calls!),” Miranda recalled. OFW use the only OEC system next “Christmas season is fast
The OECs or “exit passes” are time. They are also working on approaching and the OEC process
required by law to prove that “the He was then made to call the making the process more paperless, takes away valuable vacation time to
holder is a bona fide OFW.” overseas agency’s Manila office and “Online is the way to go. If you will beginning with transferring OECs to millions of OFWs,” Miranda said.
look for someone named Jingle or email me in the above stated address,
Miranda said in his post that he first Ophelia. Upon calling the office, he we will walk you thru the process,” Cacdac clarified POEA’s presence
attempted to secure an OEC from the was advised to re-book their flights for Cacdac said in his reply to Miranda’s in Kalibo.
POEA at Kalibo’s airport, but he was two days in order to secure their OECs post.
informed by employees manning the in Manila. He said there is POEA presence in
transport tax booth that the POEA’s The suggestion, however, was Kalibo’s airport, however, the booth
booth no longer existed. “I demanded for full names but criticized by another commenter, had set times and was not active at the
got nothing. I demanded for an Carlo Abueg. time of Miranda’s arrival.
Since there was no POEA people to explanation as to why there is no OEC
counter in this international airport Miranda also reiterated to He said, additional shifts will be
Cacdac that the online system was added to accommodate OFWs with
troublesome. irregular schedules. n Rie Takumi / ALG/LBG,

GMA News / November 7, 2015 / 2:52 pm

POEA to provide on-the-spot assistance to OFWs caught in laglag bala
THE Philippine Overseas would come in the fore of helping OFWs The Philippine Overseas Labor employer shall be requested to give the cartridge case and primer or loaded

Employment Administration (POEA) coordinate with government services Office in the worker’s host country or OFW reasonable time to clear his or her shell for use in any firearm,” in their

said on Saturday that it would such as the Public Attorney’s Office destination will also be notified of the name with Philippine authorities,” the luggage.

help overseas Filipino workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare delay in the OFW’s transit, along with the POEA added. “Please secure your bags and

caught in the alleged laglag-bala Administration (OWWA). Department of Labor and Employment’s The POEA warned Filipino migrant suitcases with locks, and make sure

extortion racket at the Ninoy Aquino They will also offer on-the-spot International Labor Affairs Bureau. workers against carrying live they are sealed shut. Please be vigilant

International Airport. advise, and help link OFWs to “immediate “This is for purposes of advising the ammunition, defined in Republic Act and watch over your belongings at all

In Advisory No. 35-2015, the families, friends, recruitment agencies, foreign principal or employer about No. 10591 as a “complete unfixed unit times,” the agency added. n Rie Takumi /

POEA explained that the assistance or legal counsel.” the situation. The foreign principal or consisting of a bullet, gunpowder, DVM, GMA News / November 7, 2015 / 10:56 pm

Fil-Am caregiver passes away while on annual pilgrimage to PHL

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, was dedicated to caring for patients 30 decided to take their US visitor on “Lisa,” the youngest of three daughters News. “She hardly said no when
California – Family, friends and at the A&C Convalescent Hospital in an excursion to a resort in Laguna, a and six sons born to Marciano Sr. and called upon to take a shift, evenings or
colleagues said a reluctant goodbye Millbrae, California, her employer for couple of hours south of the disaster Lusaria Ramos. weekends.”
November 9 to a longtime certified 15 years. area.
nurse assistant who died of a heart “That’s typical Lisa, ready and eager Relizabeth “Lisa” Miranda Ramos
attack while on her annual pilgrimage Since 2006, however, Paulino had The group’s guest was going over to help out anytime,” QA engineer Paulino was born July 23, 1964 in
in the Philippines. been taking a break from everything to her clothes when she felt ill and asked Ronald Paulino said of his wife after Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. She was laid
travel to Nueva Ecija in the Philippines to sit and relax for a while. Moments the Rosary led by his father Deacon to rest Nov. 9 at Holy Cross Memorial
Relizabeth “Lisa” Ramos Paulino, to honor her late father Marciano later she collapsed and was rushed to a Tony Paulino on the eve of the funeral. Park following Mass at St. Andrew
51, was devoted to her family as she Ramos Sr. on his birthday and All hospital, but it was too late. Church in Daly City. Twenty-one years
Saints’ Day. By happenstance Deacon Tony and earlier, she had walked down the same
South San Francisco Lisa Paulino did not know Paulino’s condition is not rare. his wife Rose Paulinowere in Manila aisle to exchange wedding vows with
her ninth annual trip to the Philippines honor Last month, she fulfilled her vow She was among 43 million women to mark the 40th day of passing of Ronald Paulino.
her late father on his birthday would be her last. for the ninth year, lighting candles in the United States affected by heart another relative. They sped to Laguna
Photo courtesy of Ron Paulino and laying roses on her father’s tomb disease, according to the American to help prepare for their daughter-in- She is survived by her husband
shortly upon arriving in Cabanatuan Heart Association. Heart disease is law’s repatriation to California as their and their children Arronand Valerie
City Oct. 23. the number one killer of women - son, who had stayed behind because of Paulino, and MJ Custodio, and her
one every minute - taking more lives work in San Mateo, California, broke grandson CJ Custodio; her mother
Days earlier Typhoon Lando had than all cancers combined, per AHA the news to their children who are in Lusaria Ramos and her siblings Rey,
ravaged Central Luzon, inundating statistics. college in Colorado Springs and Las Romy, Rick, Remy, Riza, Boyet,
ricefields and flooding homes Vegas. McCoy, and Omar and their families,
including the Ramos residence. The Though she was known to be in-laws, countless friends, co-workers
“balikbayan” did not think twice before taking medication for hypertension, “We will cherish memories of and current and former patients. n
joining relatives in mopping away the her untimely death stunned and her kindness and humility and her
muddy remnants of the storm. saddened her family, siblings and co- devotion to family and work,” Lisa’s Cherie M. Querol Moreno / Philippine News / November
workers, who knew her as “Culot” or bereaved husband told Philippine
After the cleanup, relatives on Oct. 13, 2015 / 12:55 pm