To encourage more OFWs to register for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that they are ready to give away all-expense paid trips to top tourist spots in the Philippines and gift checks through a raffle. All OFWs who will register for the coming elections will get a chance to win.

According to Velasco, the registration for the OAV started last November but only 16,070 OFWs had registered for the 2013 elections. This is a very small figure as compared to their goal of at least one million registrants from an estimated 12 million Filipinos working overseas

The Commissioner is hoping that the incentives they are offering would increase the number of registrants.

Velasco said, “Raffle prizes would include free trips to Boracay andBaguio, among other destinations, and gift checks from Duty Free Philippines. But we’re still finalizing the mechanics.”

The Comelec also plans to put up registration counters in airports so OFWs can register even before leaving.

The following warning is taken from the Facebook page of PIA-OFW Watch

Filipino job-seekers were warned strongly against falling for promises of fake jobs in four Chinese cities and the special territories of Hong Kong and Macau, where hiring of foreigners remains restricted.

The warning was issued by the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulates General in Chongging, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macau.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has a new program that would ensure that screening procedures of international travelers in all airports and seaports would be done with utmost courtesy. The new program BI-Cares stands for “courtesy, accountability, responsibility, efficiency, and service” and it comes with the guidelines on how immigration officers should properly inspect arriving and departing international travelers.

Under the new procedures, OFWs with no valid overseas employment certificate (OEC) from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) will not be cleared for departure.

The passengers that are suspected to be victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment will be required to undergo secondary inspection. Passengers will be assessed depending on age, educational attainment and financial capacity.

Read more about BI-CARES.

A government agency in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health (MOH-KSA), is urgently looking for qualified Filipino nurses. The MOH-KSA needs to deploy 2,000 Female Nurses with the following specializations (ICU, NICU, PICU, Cardiac, MS, OR, OB-GYN, Pedia & General Ward. The basic salary offer for successful applicants is SR 3,150 SR

Qualifications

• BS Nursing Graduate
• With Board License
• With at least three years hospital work experience
• Preferably with Prometric Exams
• Not more than 40 years old

How to submit application

This post is from the website of Migrante International:

ARE YOU, YOUR RELATIVE OR AN OFW YOU KNOW A WITNESS OR VICTIM OF:

• rude, negligent, abusive or corrupt embassy or government officials?
exploitation or abuse by employer or recruitment agency?
• unfair charges/over-charging or double-charging?
• illegal termination of employment contract?
• human or sex trafficking?
• government neglect (for those in death row, jail, stranded and other OFWs in distress)?

NOTE: OPEN the LINK below and fill up the Migrante Online Grievance Form provided by MIGRANTE to process your report/complaints.

http://migranteinternational.org/?page_id=1187