OFW – ellen tordesillas

Social Media useful in making those in power accountable in Bertiz’s case

Published by Ellen on October 3, 2018

The shaming of Party List ( ACTS OFW) Rep. Aniceto Bertiz, III (which he fully deserves) caught on quickly because of the closed-circuit television video which was circulated in Social Media.

One of media’s public service roles is to hold those in power accountable. In this case Social Media, was a useful tool.

I’m at a loss for words to best describe Bertiz.

I find “bastos,” “trarantado,” “gago,” “walang hiya,” “manloloko” too mild for what he did to the airport personnel last Saturday at the NAIA.

Layoffs of OFWs in Saudi not due to oil price slump: labor attaches

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2016

Filipinos in Saudi renew their passports. Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

Despite decline in global oil prices, the Saudi labor market remains stable for Filipino workers. The reported retrenchments are not due to the oil price slump in recent months, according to assessment of Saudi-based labor attaches and diplomats of the situation in the Middle East kingdom that hosts some 800,000 OFWS.

The positive assessment should calm the fears of massive retrenchment in Saudi due to the plunge of oil prices. In fact, last week Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz expressed concerns of a possible displacement some 1.5 million Filipinos classified as temporary workers in the Middle East as the global oil glut is expected to continue in the coming months with the recent lifting of the sanctions on oil-producer Iran.

A report on the OFW situation in Saudi said, the retrenchments, particularly to the employees of the Middle East construction giant Saudi Binladen Group (SBG), “are hardly traceable to declining oil prices.”

Binawi ang ban ng OFW sa 41 na bansa

Published by Ellen on November 5, 2011

Heto na naman. Pumalpak si Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz sa pag-anunsyo na may ban sa pagpadala ng manggagawang Pilipino sa 41 na bansang hindi pumirma sa kasunduan sa Pilipinas para protektahan ang mga Pilipino na nagtatrabaho doon.

Ngayon, hindi niya alam kung paano babawiin dahil sa masamang reaksyun ng mga bansang apektado. Sabi niya pansamantala daw ang ban hanggang makapag-comply ang ibang bansa. Nahihibang ba siya> Magku-comply ang Saudi Arabia, Korea at iba pang bansa sa kagustuhan ng Pilipinas?

Sabi naman ng ibang opisyal, wala naman talagang ban.

Noong Biernes, sabi na ni Baldoz, ipagpaliban daw ang ban.

Caregiver of caregivers’ kids

Published by Ellen on December 26, 2010

Nina Simon receiving award — Nina Simon receiving the award from Nokia Marketing Manager,Nikka S. Abes

The phenomenon of Overseas Filipino Workers, OFW in short, which disperses more than 10 million Filipinos all over the world, most of them away from their families, has created another phenomenon: children growing up without the care of their mothers who are taking care of other people’s children.

This sad situation has created also another kind of job in the Philippines : mothers taking care of children of mothers who go abroad to take care of other people’s children.

One of the outstanding entries in the this year’s Philippine Expat/OFW Blog awards was Niña Simon’s “My Mom’s Quasi-orphanage” . It won the Nokia award for Philippine-based blogs that also deal with overseas Filipino workers.
Simon’s blog is http://pinaywriteroraldiarrhea2.blogspot.com.

Here’s her winning article which PEBA has allowed me to reprint here:

Hinagpis ng mga OFW

Published by Ellen on July 20, 2010

Kahindik-hindik ang nangyari kay Asria Samad Abdul, 34 taong gulang na overseas foreign worker (OFW) sa Kuwait.

Ayun sa report, nakita ang bangkay ni Asria, na tubong Datu Odin Sinsuat sa Maguindanao, sa disyerto ng Kabd na maraming saksak. Mukhang tinurture muna siya tapos sinagassan ng kotse para kunwari namatay siya dahil nasagasaan.

Nahuli na raw ang mag-asawang criminal. Egyptian daw.

Ang isa namang OFW, si Norhaisa Nasa Andao, 32 taong gulang ay sinaksak ng kanyang asawang Egyptian ng 31 beses sa loob ng beauty parlor sa Kuwait din. Siyempre patay.

Kalbaryo ni Cielo sa DFA

Published by Ellen on April 3, 2010

Update, April 5, 2010: I just got this text message from Ed Malaya, DFA spokesman:

“The DFA OUMWA office has initiated an internal investigation on the complaints aired by Cielo Corcuera.

“Initial findings indicate that the documents pertaining to the last salary and death benefits of Arlin Bello we acted upon but inadvertently sent to the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and not to the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, UAE, its inrended destination.

“The DFA will undertake corrective measures to ensure that this and similar snafus do not happen again in the future.”

Noong Miyerkoles, may nagpadala sa akin nitong email tungkol sa kalbaryo ng isang nangangalang Cielo Corcuera sa kanyang pag-follow up ng claim ng isang Overseas Filipino Worker.

Si Cielo ay sumulat kay Alex Bello na nasa Saudi Arabia tungkol sa kanilang claim para sa huling sueldo at benefits ni Arlin V. Bello na namatay noong Agosto 2009 sa Dubai, United Emirates. Kapatid ni Alex si Arlin.

Sabi ni Cielo magbabayad lamang daw ang kumpanya na pinagtrabahuan ni Arlin na Al Shola Driving School sa Sharjah, UAE kapag naipresenta ang Authenticated Certificate of Heirship at Authenticated Special Power of Attorney nag bibigay ng permiso kay Consul General Benito Valeriano na magtanggap ng kabayaran.

Poll bets vow spending more for OFWs

Published by Ellen on March 5, 2010

by Ruben Jeffrey Asuncion OFW Journalism Consortium IF elected, presidential candidates Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Manuel Villar and Richard Gordon would throw cash and strike deals…

Pinoy Expat/OFW blog awards

Published by Ellen on December 26, 2009

Mamayang gabi, malalaman ang mga nanalo sa pangalawang Pinoy Expat/OFW Blog Awards.

Gaganapin ang awarding ceremonies sa Philamlife Theater sa U.N. Avenue, Manila, 6 p.m.

Kahanga-hanga itong project na itinataguyod ng grupo nina Kenji Solis na ang pangunahing layuin ay magbigay pugay sa ating mga kababayang sa ibang bansa na siya ngayon ang nagbubuhay ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.

Finalists in the 2009 Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2009

Congratulations to this year’s finalists for the 2009 Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards (PEBA).

This is the second year of this laudable undertaking being spearheaded by Kenji Solis and his associates. Please visit the site or simply click on the logo above or on the left side of this blog to know more about the contest and how you can participate in selecting the winners.

This year’s theme is “Filipinos Abroad: Hope of the Nation, Gift to the World”. Kenji said they started with 73 nominees from 21 countries (Hongkong is counted under China).

Awarding ceremonies will be on December 26, 2009, 6 pm at the UP Diliman Ang Bahay ng Alumni Convention Hall.

Feel the joys and the anguish of our kababayans through their blogs as they pursue their dreams away from home. Here are the finalists:

First batch of nurses, caregivers leaves for Japan under JPEPA

Published by Ellen on May 12, 2009

By Tessa Jamandre VERA Files With tears in their eyes, Vilma Balatbat, 39, and her husband tightly embraced each other, knowing it would be some…

Tag: OFW