Filipina wins silver in olympics of dance

Principal dancer of Ballet Philippines Candice Adea won the silver medal in the senior division of the 9th USA International Ballet Competition (USA-IBC) in Jackson, Mississippi last month.

According to news from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, it is the first time that the Philippines has won a medal in the prestigious competition. Read more

POEA prohibits recruitment of seafarers at Rizal Park

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ordered manning agencies using booths managed by Luneta Seafarers’ Welfare Foundation, Inc (LUSWELF) at Rizal Park near the National Library to stop their recruitment activities or face administrative sanctions.

According to a POEA news release, Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said all recruitment activities of manning agencies in the area are deemed illegal. Read more

More Filipinos get scholarships in Korea

The number of Filipino students in South Korea has gone up to about 400 this year from 108 in June 2005, according to data from the Korean Immigration Service.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis T Cruz said the growing community of Filipino students is making an impact on both academic and social landscapes. Read more

France passes law regularizing illegal migrants

France passed last month a law allowing illegal migrant workers to regularize their stay in the country, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

The French embassy’s deputy chief of missions Didier Ortolland is encouraging undocumented Filipinos to take advantage of the new law.

Ortolland also said that Filipinos have a good record in France–not one has ever had a criminal record. Read more

France stops issuing blue cards for skilled migrants

France will no longer issue blue cards that make migration easier for skilled foreign workers, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

The French embassy’s deputy chief of missions Didier Ortolland said, however, that France and the Philippines could still enter into a bilateral labor agreement, possibly when the global economic crisis ends. Read more

No minimum wage for foreign maids in HK

Foreign live-in domestic workers are not included in the Hong Kong (HK) minimum wage law, according to a report from the Associated Press.

As the first ever minimum wage law to be passed in HK, legislator and union organizer Lee Cheuk-yan sees this as a positive sign that HK was moving toward social justice for workers. Read more

Remittances in May reach highest level at US$1.6 B

Remittances in May amounted to US$1.6 billion, the highest monthly remittance level recorded by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

According to a BSP press release, total remittances for the first five months of 2010 reached $7.4 billion. This is 6.6% higher than the amount registered in the same period last year. Read more

UK radio program launches weekly RP embassy news

A United Kingdom (UK)-based online radio program launched a weekly segment to inform Filipinos in London of the Philippine Embassy’s various programs and activities, particularly on consular matters.

Pinoy Radio UK’s pilot broadcast of Ang Embahada–Kaibigan Mo! started with a discussion on the implementation of the new Philippine electronic passport (ePassport) system in the UK as well as Philippine Citizenship retention and re-acquisition. Read more

UK schools win court battle vs visa restrictions

English language schools won in a High Court battle against visa regulations requiring foreign students to already know the language well even before studying in the United Kingdom (UK).

According to Reuters, High Court judge David Foskett ruled that the matter be referred back to Parliament. Read more

DOLE to review policies for HSWs

The Household Service Worker (HSW) reform package needs to be reviewed to strengthen the protection of overseas HSWs, said Labor Chief Rosalinda D Baldoz during a consultative meeting with labor attaches who are now in the Philippines.

The move is in line with the 22-point labor and employment agenda of President Benigno C Aquino, according to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) news. Read more

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