PALM SUNDAY

Procession: commemorating the Triumphant Pass-over of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem



Celebrating Palm Sunday with the Faithfuls

________________________________________________
Luncheon hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Nonito Barraquias, a welcome to Mrs. Virgie Nadado and a sampling of the culinary prowess of Noni Barraquias held on Palm Sunday APRIL 5, 2009


Mr. & Mrs. Barraquias' abode


Escape route ...EAT AND RUNNNN!!!


The Chef - nabusog din ako!


The Hosts - Mr. & Mrs. Nonito Barraquias

At nag posing sa paparazzi!

'Papparazzi' on the prowl...
Praying for blessings








Angie, Renz, Maebs and Gel...and Food? - hard choices!



Lunch Time!


'what is the main course then?,' Maebs


Con-Gen, Renz, Bernie and Benjie


The young ones with Angie, the Moderator


Virgie, Maris, Hosts Nonits and Otie, Con-Gen


How on earth did he make it this NICE?


Light moment of brothers Nino and Neil


Maebs
... and Dad



Otie


Nino with African decor



Gel and Nino


Noni, Sherwin, Gel, Nino and Neil's back


Neil, Otie, Noni, Sherwin, Nino


sherwin


Gel and Neil


Nino


Gel calling Tita Otie kung may natira daw...



Rosa, after the Palm Sunday Mass, sent cake for the luncheon

It's true, RP is a nation of servants, groups say

It's true, RP is a nation of servants, groups say
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV
04/03/2009 | 06:33 PM

NATION OF SLAVES. Filipino migrant groups assert that the Philippines sends out thousands of Filipino maids abroad yearly.

MANILA, Philippines - There are almost nine million Filipinos abroad – half of whom are overseas Filipino workers (OFW), yet we deny that we are a "nation of servants."

It was Hong Kong writer Chip Tsao who wrote in his March 27 column that the Philippines is "a nation of servants" who shouldn't "flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter."

Many migrant groups, including the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA), Kanlungan Center Foundation, and Migrante International, have bashed Tsao for spouting this "racial slur." Nevertheless, the groups admit that the Philippines has indeed become a country of overseas domestics because of the government's labor export policy that should have never been a policy at all.

Kanlungan resource and advocacy assistant Alladin Diega did say, however, that the Philippines being called such is not a new thing.

"Tsao is not the first and will not be the last. [The] Philippines being a nation of servants is not a new thing," he told GMANews.TV on Thursday.

He said Merriam-Webster has even previously defined a Filipina as domestic help.

But both CMA and Kanlungan questioned why Filipinos are so keen on denying the fact that we do have large a number of Filipinos doing domestic work abroad.

"We react because we have too many domestic workers abroad? But we do," CMA executive director Ellene Sana told GMANews.TV in an e-mail.

This, Diega said, is what we get by letting the government deploy thousands of Filipinos everyday to other countries instead of focusing on creating jobs locally.

Institutionalizatio n of migration

The phenomenon of migration in the Philippines can be traced back to the 1970s when there was a surge in the number of Filipinos leaving for abroad.

Dante Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, said this was because then Labor Secretary Blas Ople thought of deploying Filipino workers to the Middle East to take advantage of the oil-boom and at the same time, temporarily solve the growing unemployment rate in the country.

"To the credit of the government, the policy of sending Filipino workers abroad helped defuse what could have been a social volcano," said Ang.

However, more than 30 years after migration was pegged to be a temporary stop-gap measure against unemployment, the deployment of Filipino workers still hasn't slowed down.

In an article titled "Understanding International Labor Migration in the East," published in the May-June 2007 Newsletter of the Philippine Institute for Development, Maruja Asis, director for Research and Publications of the Scalabrini Migration Center, identified the factors why Filipino migration has continued for almost four decades.

One of the reasons for this, she said, is the "institutionalizati on of migration."

The Philippine government has always been very upfront with its desire to deploy more Filipinos overseas – allowing them to lessen the number of unemployed workers while increasing the amount of dollar remittances that the country would be able to rake in.

And while it is clearly stipulated in Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 that the government "does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development, " it is doing just that.

As proof, government agencies like the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs have been set up to help OFWs with their concerns.

This, Asis said, might have developed a culture of migration.

"Working abroad has become an accepted fate to most Filipinos," she said.

In fact, she said it is now unusual for a Filipino to not to aspire for a job abroad despite being faced with proof that overseas is not really a haven for the unemployed.

AN OFW REACTION
Fred Borbon

Pangita ang ebidensya, Tapos na po ang boksing, baka may papalag pa dyan, PASOK...Kuya Conrad, nanlalamig na yata ang iba nating mga kasamahan'

Papaano na iyan Ate Galo ang programa mong "Super Maid" sa Mala, permis muna baga sina Kuneho, Ikeng, at Mulong, mainit pa sa ngayon at ang pag ka "Economist" mo ay (Eh Kuya Nolly May Sabit Tayo) baka may special travel permit pa sila na ibibigay si Kabayan , ayos laang iyan.

Basta Huwag na huwag po lang liliban ng ibang bakudan at kakanain ninyo na pasukin pa ang Inay Gyera sa mga binabalak na mga SM katulad ng sa Jordan at Lebanon.Sabagay, class naman ang dating sa title pa lang kapag tinuran (wag po magagalit ang iba dyan)

Bababa po ang morale at standing ng mga Pinoy at Pinay Executives sa Inay Gyera, bakit naman po nasabi ko iyan, abay mantakin mo naman,,,, Nigerian mo ay Driver, Cook mo ay Nigerian, Nigerian mo ay Secreatary , Draftsman mo ay Nigerian, Coffe/Tea Girl mo ay Nigerian, Nigerian ang Cleaner sa office, oo nga po at Bossing mo naman ay Bitoy, tapos, ang siste po nito, kapag susuguin mo na ang sekretarya mo at Draftman na bilis bilisan ang trabaho at patama lagi ang ginagawa, papasok sa umaga ay doon pa mag aalmusal, mag kakape, kukwento pa sa kasamahan, abay 9 am na makakapag umpisa ng trabahoang mga bopols, tinamaan ng magaling....

Alam mo ang sasabihin nila at isasagot na may gatil pa ang mga litid, hihiyain kang talaga, Yes Master, Why???? why in a hurry, my maid at home is a Filipina ahh, so what........ patay na tayo dyan, saan ka pa lalagay ngayon niyan, tiyak na laylay ang bagwis mo at pakpak, tiklop pa pati mga balikat, damay damay na po.....gugustuhin pa baga nating mangyari ang ganoon. Father Billy nasaan ka, ang sermon mo ay kailangan na kailangan na...

Paging Embassy po natin sa Abuja, baka di ninyo napapansin, madami na daw po nakakalusot na SM, ang iba po ay nag lipana na daw sa V.I., maganda kung may trabaho na maganda agad dito kapag dumating, ang iba po meron man trabaho pero di skilled daw kasi hihiga lang siya habang humihinga, buti sana kung Yoga Instructress ang pinasukan, eh baka daw po JSK (Judo Sa Kama) pala ang alam, ayos lang din, kaso, sablay pa rin eh....

Paki rebisa naman po, mahigpit ang grupo ninyo sa Pilipinas sa aming ipinakikipag laban dito tungkol sa Ban Sa Nigeria, pero maluwag sa kalokohan, ano ba iyan, wala kaming kalaban laban talaga, nag lahok at nag karibok na talaga ika nga , abay gising na at malapit na po ang election, may tulog ika nga kapag tutulog tulog sa pansitan. Matanong ko nga, iyan baga mga Kuya ay di ninyo alam???

Iyan naman po ay pwedeng gawin, kantiin at repasuhin, pwede ding seryosohin, pero kung may special permit naman pala, iyon laang......wala na akong sinabi diyan....mananahimik na po laang....

Regards,
Fred Borbon

REACTIONS - Long-staying OFWs in Nigeria to be granted special travel permits

REACTIONS

From: fred_borbon1956@yahoo.com
[http://www.gmanews.tv/]
PINOY ABROAD
Long-staying OFWs in Nigeria to be granted special travel permits
04/02/2009 | 01:48 PM

Filipino workers who have been working for more than 10 years in Lagos, Nigeria specifically may be issued special travel permits*****-bakit naman po ang napili pang lugar sa sinabi ni Kabayan Noli ay Lagos pa, di ba niya alam na ang embahada natin ay andoroon po sa Abuja, pwede naman niyang sabihin na Abuja at Lagos para walang favoritism, talagang si Kabayan eh, nahahalata kita nyan ahh, o baka akalain nila sa Malakanyang na ang Abuja ay kuta ng din ng mga Abu Sayaff, ginawa pang ten years, utin-gnan ninyo, bakit di maging proposal ay 3-5 years ang regular pass, 6-7 years ay special pass at 8-10 years ay very special pass naman, ganyan dapat ang gawing panukala para may pag pipilian naman, hindi na nag isip talaga, he he he

only those employed in safe areas. ***alin bagang safe areas ang tinutukoy nila, at sinong maysabi na safe nga, bakit, nakadating na ba sila dito sa sinasabi nilang safe areas na iyan, eh nanulad na naman ang nag advised na ito sa lumang report. Eh kung iyang mga nurses na nakidnap mismo sa Pinas, isang batalyon ng sundalo ay wala pang magawa, lagi nang we will not tolerate kidnapping, dyan kayo magaling,,,, pero ang tinotolerate ninyo hanggang sa ngayon ay ang lagayan sa Immigration na napakadali naman ng solusyon, abay mahiya naman kayo, eto ang tunay scenaryo at huwag ng mag bulag bulagan pa, papaano ba iyan Ka Indo, di na natuto eh...

Their problem before was that once they go home, they cannot go back to Nigeria because of the ban****bopols talaga, kaya hindi makabalik sa Nigeria sila ay sa tunay na kadahilanang tapos na po ang kanilang mga kontrata, eh ano pang babalikan ay finish project na, sino ba iyang hindi makabali balik na iyan at magarote na, ang kailangan lang niya ay panlagay sa Eh May Grasya, kung wala kang kilalang kontak, bibigyan kita ng isa sa aking 5 kakilala, sa Terminal 1,2&3 pa, wag ka lang tatakbo paloob at permis lang, baka type mo pa nga sa diplomat ka dumaan para siga ang dating, ha ha ha

because of “real dangers and threats" to the safety of OFWs.****saan bagang bansa walang real dangers, ilang Pinoy po baga ang nakakulong ngayon sa piitan sa buong sulok ng Nigeria kumpara sa kulungan ng bansa nilang sinasabi, ikumpara po natin iyan at kung anong emergency procedure at actions ang natatanggap dito ng mga nangangailangan ng tulong bukod sa tulong ng Embassy natin at mga pribadong samahan, pakilasa ko po naman ay di sila napapabayaan dito.
“extremely difficult to control the movement of OFWs" bound for other parts of Nigeria but would still need to pass by the dangerous area. ****talaga naman din, hindi po Okada, tricycle o sa motorbike sumasakay ang mag Pinoy dito sa pag bibiyahe, lahat po ng focal point dito ay paliparan ng Lagos ang babaan, kung sa Lagos to Port Harcourt-eroplano sasakyan mo; kapag Lagos to Abuja-eroplano pa din;Lagos to Warri-eroplano pa din, tapos airport to home base naman po ay may naka abiba na security de Mopol sa harap at likudan.

Father Billy, isama mo na uli sa sermon ang bagong kalokohan na pahayag nilang ito, kung biro man, kapalpakan pa ding masasabi at pag wawalang bahala sa tunay na saloobin at damdamin ng mga OFW sa Nigeria, hindi nga nila makikita ang tunay na solusyon kung hihintayin palagi nila kung alin baga ang uunahin na pag kaka kwartahan sa alinmang mga bansang nakasalang.

Gumagalang,
Fred Borbon

From: Roy Rivas

tanong lang po, pag more than 10 years ka na ba sa nigeria hindi ka na maki-kidnap? nagtataka lang kasi ako bakit selective ang bibigyan ng travel permit kung ang concern nila ay ang security ng pinoy dito sa nigeria.

From: Vangie Novio

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009, 8:54 AM

Pagod na rin ako na mag analyze, eh kanina na nga
lang,pupugutan pa daw ng ulo ang mga nakidnap (RED CROSS) sa
atin, at ipinagbawal na ata ng Canadian government ang
pag travel sa southern Philippines

From: "chona bollos"
Dito din sa Afghanistan. Samantalang bomba dito at doon din naman sa Pakistan pero nandun ang embassy kaya walang ban. Kakatawa din naman.

Hay naku si Kabayaran Noli de Cashtro, di talaga yan maintindihan kasi di nga din sya nakaintindi eh. Yang selective permit na yan, subject to magkano na naman yan. Haayyyyyy!!!!!

Long-staying OFWs in Nigeria to be granted special travel permits

PINOY ABROAD
Long-staying OFWs in Nigeria to be granted special travel permits
04/02/2009 | 01:48 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The deployment ban on Nigeria will not be lifted but overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who have been working for many years in the African country will be granted special travel permits.

Vice President Noli De Castro, who is alsopresidential adviser on OFWs, on Thursday said that land-based Filipino workers who have been working for more than 10 years in Lagos, Nigeria specifically may be issued special travel permits.

He said the Filipino workers who may be issued with this permit are only those employed in safe areas.

“This is good news to those OFW professionals in Nigeria who have been wishing to take a vacation back home. Their problem before was that once they go home, they cannot go back to Nigeria because of the ban. Now this has been resolved," said De Castro.

But he said the deployment ban on Nigeria remains because of “real dangers and threats" to the safety of OFWs.

He said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday made the recommendation to maintain the ban because of the latest hijacking incident in Nigeria wherein three Filipino seamen where reportedly held captive.

The DFA said while the hijacking problem in Nigeria is concentrated in Niger Delta, it will be “extremely difficult to control the movement of OFWs" bound for other parts of Nigeria but would still need to pass by the dangerous area.

On the other hand, Malacañang has ordered that the ban on Lebanon and Jordan be lifted.

De Castro said that the lifting of deployment ban to Lebanon and Jordan is still subject to the execution of a labor cooperation agreement between the Philippines and these countries.

This, he said, is to ensure the protection of the rights of OFWs, such as receiving minimum wage, having decent working and living conditions, and reasonable rest periods.

- Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

Arroyo orders lifting of ban on Lebanon, Jordan...AND AN OFW REACTS

Arroyo orders lifting of ban on Lebanon, Jordan
Article posted April 01, 2009 - 03:13 PM
MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wants the government to resume sending overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Lebanon and Jordan following improved security and working conditions there, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced on Wednesday. Ermita said the Palace was leaving it up to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to decide the date when the ban would be lifted.
In his weekly briefing. Ermita also said the ban in Iraq, Afghanistan and Nigeria will remain due to the “unstable security conditions" in these countries.
Malacanang stopped sending OFWs to Afghanistan in 2001 following a US-led invasion on the war ravaged central Asian country, while the OFWs were barred from entering Iraq in July 2004 after the kidnapping of Filipino driver Angelo dela Cruz by militants.
Manila stopped sending workers to Nigeria since January 2007 following the series of kidnapping of OFWs in the African country.
Ermita said the continued ban to Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria as well as the lifting of the
deployment ban to Jordan and Lebanon was recommended by the DFA, which the President approved.
The President has directed the DOLE to coordinate with the DFA on the detail when to effect the lifting of the deployment ban.
“The President has approved the declaration… (to) lift the total deployment ban in view of the improved security conditions in Lebanon. This will be left to DOLE to give the recommendation to the DFA na talagang total lifted na sa Lebanon as well Jordan," he said.
The Philippines banned deployment to Lebanon in July 2006 due to the unstable security situation in the country following the conflict between the Hezbollah and Israeli forces. About 6,000 Filipino workers were repatriated back to the country then but more than 20,000 opted to remain.
The ban on the deployment to Jordan was declared by the Philippine in January 2008 due to the poor working conditions and abuses like unjust and unpaid wages and rape that were committed against Filipino workers especially those working as domestic helpers.
DFA and DOLE to decide date
Two hours after Ermita’s announcement, the DFA came out with a statement saying that the ban to the five countries would remain.
Ermita said the DFA statement does not run counter his pronouncement as the Palace order is for the DOLE and DFA to determine the date when the ban would be lifted.
Foreign Undersecretary for Migrants Workers’ Affairs Esteban B. Conejos, Jr., in a press release, enjoined the public to “respect the ban" as their main purpose for such order is to “keep away our overseas workers from harm and avoid further risks to their lives."
He confirmed that the lifting of the ban to Lebanon and Jordan had been considered due to “some progress in the conclusion of a bilateral labor cooperation agreement that will ensure the protection of the welfare of Filipino workers, specifically minimum wage, reasonable rest periods and decent working and living conditions".
Conejos said the Philippines is now coming closer" to the signing of the bilateral cooperation agreements with Lebanon and Jordan. - 4/1/2009 GMANews.TV

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Para sa mga OFWs - ISANG KURO-KURO

From: Fred Borbon
Masamang biro po iyan, na di nakasama ang Nigeria.....
Paano baga ang tunay na pangyayari at ang pinagbasehan, iyong report na dalang dala ni General Cimatu o naging paraffle na lang baga ang labanan o naging palabunutan na po yata.

Baka naman kaya by alphabet ang naging basehan

Baka kaya ganire din, Jordan Afghanistan Iraq Lebanon Nigeria, at di talaga kasama tayo sa palatuntunan na iyan, saling pusa lamang tayo at wala sa tambiyolo ang ating entry.

Baka din eto nga pala daw ang naging criteria sa pag pili ng mga u.n.g.a.s. (Usapan Na Ginanap Ayon Sa ) BAN sa Nigeria :

progress in the conclusion of a bilateral labor cooPERAtion agreement that will ensure the protection of the welfare of Filipino workers, specifically :

1) mimimum wage
2) reasonable rest periods
3) decent working and living conditions.
Anak ng kagaw, abay nakaka insulto ang mga lintek na eto ahh...

Father Billy, baka kailangan ng sermon ng mga bopols na nag decide nitong mga pangyayari, baka hindi alam ng mga iyan na Washington din ang paswelduhan dito sa Nigeria at di Naira, baka ang pinag basehan nila ay exchange rate ng peso sa currency ng mga bansa. Abay mababa nga naman, pero mali din, kasi, umaabot ang palitan sa ngayon pa lang ng :

1US$ =Naira166.00
1 US$ =JOD70.85 (Jordanian Dinar)
1 US$=LBP1,507.5 (Lebanese Pound)

Sa Rotation naman, ang labanan kapag nasa sa Oil n Gas Company , Engineering, Construction, Offshore, Telecom company ka sa Nigeria ay months, minsan nga ay weeks pa, (6 weeks/2 weeks of; 8 weeks/2 weeks off; 3 months/1 month; 4 months/1 month) hindi taon ang binibilang para ka makabakasyon at makitang muli ang Land of the Servants daw.

Decent condition, oo nga po at madaming ding nag kalat na pulubi sa lansangan at madaming mga pulis na nangongotong tulad sa Pinas, pero andito ang mina ng langis at no.7 sila na supplier, parehas lang ang lasa este presyo ng langis dito sa Jokedan at Libangan na kanilang napusuan kapag ibenenta sa mercado, kahit paputol putol ang supply ng NEPA kuryente dito ay may pangontra namang mga generator, hindi pamaypay ang gamit natin kapag maalinsangan at uso din naman dito ang mga airconditioner,

Ahh, alam ko na po, baka naman ang sinasabi nilang decent condition ay kapag nabihag ka na ng mga kidnapper, tama sila diyan, sa sapa, sa creek sila naka billet , pero nakakapag request din naman ng Indomie, beer at babae pa nga kapag ikaw ay Bitoy at kasama na daw iyon sa overhead ng ransom. Ibang assessment ang napasubmit ni General Cimatu at baka napalitan, parang bidding iyan na nag karoon ng singitan, ang report natin ay doon binasa sa basurahan ng mga komite de peste-jos.

Ay sa siya, kung ganyan po talaga ang lumabas sa tawas, ang Embassy natin sa Abuja ay magpalabas na agad ng kalatas, dapat maging opisyal na iyan at di sa dyaryo po lamang na ang Ban sa Nigeria ay Inay Gyera pa din.

Suggestion ko lang po, kung pupwede ay pasundan na din ninyo ng mga listahan ng mga botante, paki update na lang po ulit kung ang mga tao dito sa buong Nigeria sa listahan na hawak ninyo ay andirito pa, baka kung saan saan na naman baka po mapapunta ang aming mga balota niyan, kami sa Lagos ay andoon sa Port Harcourt katulad noong nag daang election. Gagawin po natin na ma-update ang Master List hanggat maaga pa at hindi iyong isang linggo lamang ang gagawing pag hahanda.

Malalaman natin kung ilang boto ang kanilang ipinag walang bahala, asawa, anak, kamag anak, inaanak at manganganak pa iyan na hindi karapat dapat ang mga nakaupong tagapangalaga ng ating buhay sikmura.

May pag asa pa naman, malayo pa ang election, pero sa ngayon ay walang tibay din pa palang maaasahan.

Regards,
Fred Borbon

MARCH AFFAIR

THE MARCH BIRTHDAY CELEBRANTS - LOLITS, MARIS, BENJIE, FELY, BERNIE (SIT-IN FOR JT right pic)

Although Lolit Victorio of Britamold, Maris Mercado of the Irish Embassy, Fely Ramos of the Philippine Embassy had already celebrated individually their birthdays, they still celebrated to join Romeo ‘JT’ Torres of JBN and Benjie Nadado of Luxury Properties Development Co. Ltd. to round off the March celebrants held at D & S Compound on the 29th of March 2009. Benjie bought a 70kg pig and have it slaughtered and Boy and Fely Ramos and the Chief Cook Nino Luengas of M/T Villa II cooked Adobo, Michado and Dinuguan (Chocolate Soup) duly assissted by Jay R, Ace andAnjo, Lolit brought spring rolls and Julius’ specialty ‘Fruits & Co,’ Maris has her Roast Beef, JT (although had traveled) provided wine and soft drinks and cans of beer. The ever generous Rosa Ilic of D & S Supermarket provided jumbo sausages, chips with Salami and the very delectable cake topped with coconut, Rose Akah of the Philippine Embassy brought the equally scrumptious Biko, Otie cooked Beef Curry, Sherwin of D & S cooked Goat peppersoup, Angie of White Plains British School cooked Pancit for ‘long lives’ of the birthday people, Ana and Melanie brought bottles of wine, Vangie provided Ice Cream, Melanie made chocolate cake. And guests brought gifts, too.
Msgr. Renso and Msgr. Jean graced the occasion. And so our very own Consul-General Alex V. Lamadrid and Consul and Mrs. Garangan and most of the Embassy Staff.
After lunch, Con-Gen Lamadrid took this time to thank the hosts and greeted the celebrants once more. He reiterated the need to register for OAV and not wait until the deadline (end of Aug.) to register. He further thanked Allan Manggis for his selfless service to the embassy and introduced his replacement Alex Emam. He also called on individuals to desist/refrain from making ‘hoax’ letters (offshoot is MIS-229-20090). He then bared his plans for Santacruzan culminating to June 12 celebrations. The seamen of M/T Villa II who were rescued were also present.
Here are pictures during the event:



The celebrants with Santi of Sarplast


Gel and Maebs (Sagala - sagana daw sa gala sabi ng daddy nya)


Rose with Zikora and TJ


JayR, Ace and Alan


Noel and Doy


Rosa and Angie


The celebrants with Msgr. Renso and Msgr. Jean


Sure, they are Pinoys!



Benjie, the celebrant


The crew with Lolit


Maris, the celebrant with the M/T Villa II crew


With Msgr. Jean


Con-Gen, Mr. Tripathi and the Papal Nuncio


Sr. Mary Grace, Sr. Ortencia and Rose (no, the wine is for the celebrants)


Renz, Tikboy and Gel


Angie, Fely, Sr. Res and Sr. Mary Grace


Noni, Gel, Erwin, Julius, Nonits,Fely


Erwin, Rose, Zikora, Lolit


the celebrants - Maris, Lolit and Fely


Cross-section of guests




Santiago...too shy or afraid to be exposed


Cocoy


Zikora, Jaya and Inah-inah


Fely, Rose, Zikora, Jaya


Consul and Mrs. Garangan


Needs support...too hot outside



Mga beauties pa rin - Maris, Melanie, Otie and Rosa


Janette, Benjie the celebrant and Maebs


Efren and Lito


Nino, Chief cook of M/T Villa II, with Allan,Renz, Noni, Nonits,



Con-Gen Alex V. Lamadrid addressing the Pinoys





Janette, Lito, Maris, Sr. Ortencia, Sr. Mary Grace intently listening to Con-Gen


Maris with Sr. Ortencia



Cora, Marietta, Melanie


Donald, Noel, Allan, Ace, Jimmy , Sherwin


Thoughts to ponder?



Listening to Con-Gen


Otie, Mrs. Garangan, Yoly and Rose




The crew of M/T Villa II with Alex Emam and Consul Garangan



Sheen, Maris, Consul and Mrs. Garangan, Salve with Jaya and Inah

TRAVELBAN

Some Pictures During the Meeting with the Vice- President Noli de Castro

TRAVEL BAN

--- On Fri, 3/27/09, carlota derpo wrote:

From: carlota derpo
Subject: Phil. Brgy. Society - Nigeria [PBSN] UPDATE!!! PBSN Chairperson Meets with VP Noli de Castro
To: "PBSN" , "Philippine Embassy Abuja-Nigeria"
Date: Friday, March 27, 2009, 7:05 PM


27 March 2009 --- Philippine Vice President Noli de Castro held a meeting with PBSN Chairperson, Mrs. Esperanza Derpo this morning, at his office at President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City. Also in the meeting were Special Envoy of the President to Middle East and African Countries, Gen. Roy Cimatu; and Mrs. Derpo’s other half, Engr. Nestor Derpo.



Mrs. Derpo appealed to the Vice President to strongly endorse the lifting of the OFW deployment ban to Nigeria which has been in place for more than two years. She discussed at length the many reasons why the ban should be lifted, noting the issues on security; working and business opportunities for Filipinos in Nigeria; and the current working conditions of the OFW’s there, among others.



The Vice President was impressed to hear of the high regard companies in Nigeria have for Filipinos brought about by our OFW’s working ethics, skills and professionalism, which make them a preference for supervisory, managerial and other key positions in various industries all throughout Nigeria. He also commends PBSN’s charity efforts to the Philippines and its host country Nigeria as seen in the various projects the organization has pushed through with the leadership of Mrs. Derpo.



The Vice President says that he is fully convinced that the ban should be lifted and believes that taking this up in the cabinet meeting can enlighten other officials to make a sound decision. He invited Gen. Cimatu to present the issue in the cabinet meeting in Malacanang on Tuesday, including Mrs. Derpo as a resource person.



Mrs. Derpo is scheduled to attend the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Deployment ban to Lebanon stays—labor chief

Deployment ban to Lebanon stays—labor chief

As well as in Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:35:00 03/26/2009

Filed Under: Migration, Overseas Employment, Health and Safety at Work, War

MANILA, Philippines—Despite the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the ban on sending Filipino workers to Lebanon stays, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque told INQUIRER.net Thursday.

In a phone interview, Roque said the lifting of the ban would depend on a memorandum of agreement the Philippines sent to Lebanon three weeks ago for the protection of Filipino workers there.

“The ban is still there. If Lebanon signs the MoA, I will immediately sign the order lifting the ban…The ball is in their court,” he said.

A DFA security assessment favors the lifting of the deployment ban, but the MoA sets the terms and conditions for the employment of Filipinos in the Middle East country, he said.

Manila imposed the deployment ban in 2006, at the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Roque said that aside from household service workers, Lebanon may hire more hotel workers once the ban is lifted.

On the three other countries where the work prohibition remains in force, the labor chief said the DFA assessment of the security situation in Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Iraq has not changed, saying the situation there is still dangerous for Filipinos.

“The problem in Nigeria is there is no border control between the north and the south,” he said.

Filipinos in Nigeria have repeatedly petitioned the Philippine government to lift the ban, arguing that the security situation in the north is relatively peaceful.

Most of the kidnappings in Nigeria happen in the oil refineries in the southern part of the country.

“Definitely, the ban stays in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Roque said.

Special Envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu recently went to Lebanon and Nigeria to really find out the situation on the ground.

But while the DFA assesses the security situation in these conflict-ridden areas, the labor department has the final say on deployment of Filipino workers.