The POEA ordered the preventive suspension of Al-Masiya Overseas Placement Agency Inc. for being the agency responsible for the deployment of a Filipina household worker that committed suicide five days after arriving in UAE. The suspension also covers Al Madina Recruitment, its counterpart agency in UAE.

Apparently, the Filipina worker, Alona Mercado Bagayan was recruited by Al Masiya agencyto wor in UAE as a household worker. She arrived in UAE on February 1 this year and Al Madina Recruitment immediately sent her to her employer. The household worker was found lifeless on February 5, 2013.

The POEA chief, Hans Cacdac ordered the suspension of Al-Masiya for deploying Mercado in job harmful to public health and for not reporting the death of its deployed worker.According to Cacdac, the life of the OFW could have been saved if the agency complied with its duties and obligation as provided under the POEA rules.

He said, “Under POEA regulations, agencies are obliged to monitor the situation of OFWs –especially household service workers – as soon as they arrive in their workplace.”

“There is strong evidence indicating that the two (2) agencies committed serious violations relative to the recruitment and placement of the subject OFW, and also considering that Al-Masiya has nine (9) pending recruitment violation cases before the POEA, we believe that there are valid and justifiable grounds that the continued operation of the two (2) agencies would lead to further violations and exploitation of the workers being recruited, ” Cacdac added.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing board stated in three separate resolutions that the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Iraq, Yemen and Eretria is now allowed.

The Labor Secretary said in a press statement, “The Department of Foreign Affairs has included Iraq in the list of compliant countries under Republic Act 10022, effectively lifting the five-year old ban to the said country.”

The Crisis Alert Level in Iraq was lowered to Level 1 (Precautionary Phase) by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with mandatory travel restriction to “no-go” zones to be determined by the host country.

The deployment ban for rehires or returning workers was lifted after the Iraqui government submitted the list of areas identified as “no-go” zones. The processing of applications for newly hired (except HSWs) will resume upon the conclusion of a Bilateral Labor Agreement with Iraq and the identification of the restricted zones.”

Meanwhile OFWs can now be deployed in Yemen since the DFA lowered its Alert Level from  2 to Alert Level 1 last January. The POEA Board also allowed the deployment of OFWs in Eritrea because of a certification issued by the DFA on December 21, 2012, that included it in the list of compliant countries.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has announced charging of P50 or $1 per baggage to travelers who will ask for the service of porters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) effective on March 1, 2013.

According to MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado, the new rule is due to the privatization of baggage porter services at the airport. He stated that the privatization of the service will translate to increased revenue for MIAA, which can be used for the further improvement and upgrading of facilities and services at the NAIA.

On the other hand, the use of pushcarts at the NAIA terminals will remain free of charge. Travelers are also reminded that porters and other airport staff are not allowed to ask for tips.

Filipinos applying for long term visa in United Kingdom (UK) will be required to undergo a tuberculosis (TB) screening starting on February 28. The British Embassy announced this in a news release and said that the new requirement is only applicable for those seeking UK visas that would be longer than six months.

To prove that an applicant doesn’t have TB, they need to present a certificate from an approved International Organization for Migration (IOM) Health Center in the Philippines.

To do this, visa applicants from the Philippines should get in touch with the IOM Health Center in Manila and schedule an appointment. The fee for this is Php3,200.

Their visa application should be submitted together with the TB certificate. Aside from the Philippines, the change in the requirement for long-term UK visa will be implemented in 66 more countries. This is based in World Health Organization (WHO) list of countries where there is high incidence of TB

The same requirement is also required in acquiring visas in US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

To know more about the TB screening and to check the list of approved Health Center facilities in Manila, visit:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/philippines/applying/tb-test/?langname=null

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that their office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA), its Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) and all satellite offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be closed on the following dates in observance of regular holidays and special non-working days in 2013:

Holidays:

• March 28, Thursday – Maundy Thursday
• March 29, Friday- Good Friday
• March 30, Saturday – Holy Saturday
• April 9, Tuesday – The Day of Valor
• May 1, Wednesday – Labor Day
• June 12, Wednesday – Independence Day
• August 9, Friday – Eidul-Fitar
• August 21, Wednesday – Ninoy Aquino Day
• August 26, Monday – National Heroes Day Holiday
• November 1, Friday – All Saints’ Day
• November 2, Saturday – All Souls’ Day
• November 30, Saturday – Bonifacio Day
• December 24, Tuesday – Christmas Eve
• December 25, Wednesday – Christmas Day
• December 30, Monday – Rizal Day
• December 31, Tuesday – New Year’s Eve

No passport appointments and authentication of civil documents will be scheduled on those dates. However, on-call skeletal forces at the Passport Division (including Courtesy Lane and Diplomatic and Official Passports Section) and the Authentication Division shall be designated to answer queries related to passport and authentication of civil documents.

For questions and other concerns, please visit www.dfa.gov.ph or call 556-0000.

Note:  February 25, People Power Anniversary, is observed as a special holiday only for all schools. In this regard, February 25 is a working day for all government agencies.