62 Filipino Drivers in Dubai Offered and Secured New Jobs, 14 to be Repatriated
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1 June 2009 – Majority of the remaining Filipino drivers in Ajman, United Arab Emirates who were duped by
CYM International Services for non-existent jobs have been offered employment by Emirates Flight Catering
and Dubai’s Road and Transportation Agency.
In a report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, Philippine Consul General in Dubai Benito B.
Valeriano said Vice Consul Edwin Gil Mendoza and welfare officer Elmer Joven recently visited the Filipino
workers to check on their condition and employment status.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to look for alterative jobs for the stranded drivers as a humanitarian
gesture.
According to the Consulate officials, 62 workers are waiting for the processing of their employment papers
and payment of their overstaying penalties.
The Philippine Government has pressed on Al Toomoh Technical Services, the counterpart of CYM
International Services in Dubai, to shoulder the payment of said penalties.
“Their employment papers could not be processed because the penalties for overstaying need to be paid.
They came in various dates from January until March using visit visas, the validity of which have already
expired. Al Toomoh Agency management has stated that it would pay for these penalties,” Consul General
Valeriano said.
Meanwhile, eight of the 76 Filipinos have started working for Quality Mix. Another eight were offered
employment by the same company.
The remaining 14 Filipino drivers have opted to return to Manila. The DFA is coordinating with other concerned
agencies on their repatriation.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency has already filed charges against CYM International Services for
violating labor deployment laws and regulations. END
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RP Commemorates International Day of UN Peacekeepers by Paying Tribute to Filipino
Blue Helmets
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1 June 2009 - The Philippines marked the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers last May 29 by
paying special tribute to Filipino peacekeepers, especially those who have given up their lives in the cause of
peace.
In a statement, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hilario G. Davide, Jr. extolled
Filipino peacekeepers for bringing honor to the Philippines by helping keep the peace and rebuild lives in
conflict areas worldwide.
“Today, we pay tribute to the men and women from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine
National Police for helping make our world a safer place to live in,” Ambassador Davide said. “We specially
remember those who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of peace.”
The Philippine Mission to the United Nations said the Philippines first participated in UN peacekeeping
missions when it deployed an air force squadron to support the United Nations Operations in the Congo in
1963. It has since then deployed Filipino blue helmets to conflict zones as near as Cambodia and Timor
Leste to as far as Burundi and Liberia.
As of April 2009, the Philippines has a total of 562 peacekeepers deployed in Afghanistan, Cote d’ Ivoire,
Darfur, Georgia, Haiti, Liberia, the Sudan and Timor-Leste, making it the 30th largest contributor of
peacekeepers to UN operations.
The Philippines also has the distinction of being the second largest contributor of individual police officers
with 293 officers serving in UN mission areas. Until recently, the Philippines had peacekeepers in Nepal and
Kosovo.
Ambassador Davide lauded the members of the 8th Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent in Haiti under Col.
Raymundo Elefante for helping rescue students who were trapped in the rubble of a collapsed school building
in Port-au-Prince in November.
“Filipino peacekeepers rose to the challenge in Haiti by rushing to the scene of the tragedy and using their
bare hands to dig through the rubble to rescue the living and recover the dead. Actions such as those carried
out by Colonel Elefante and his men indeed make us proud,” Ambassador Davide said.
The ambassador also cited the case of Lt. Col. Renerio Batalla of the Philippine Army who died of malaria
while serving as a military observer in the Sudan in 2007. Lieutenant Colonel Batalla’s widow received the
Dag Hammarksjold Medal in the Service of Peace from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo in
ceremonies in Manila on May 29.
Lieutenant Colonel Batalla is among 16 Filipino peacekeepers who died in the line of duty since the
Philippines first participated in UN peacekeeping operations in 1963. In 2005, the Philippines suffered its first
combat fatality when Haitian gunmen shot and killed Staff Sgt. Antonio Batomalaque in Port-au-Prince.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was commemorated in Manila with ceremonies at the
Department of Foreign Affairs that was also attended by officials from the Department of National Defense, the
Department of the Interior and Local Governments, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine
National Police, and members of the diplomatic corps.
The event was in accordance with Proclamation 1755 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 16 April
2009 declaring May 29 of each year as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in the
Philippines. END
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German-Philippine Business Officials’ Visit to Berlin Boosts RP-German Economic
Relations
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1 June 2009 - In line with its commitment to strengthen German-Philippine economic relations, officials of the
German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (GPCCI) visited Berlin on May 12 to 14 and met with officials
of the German Parliament, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce Congress (DIHK), the Federal
Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Federal Foreign Office, the Federation of German Industries (BDI),
the Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade (BGA), and other government officials and
representatives from the private sector.
In his report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, Consul Julius Caesar A. Flores, the Embassy’s
Officer-in-Charge, stated that the Embassy welcomed GPCCI officers Mr. Klaus Schröder, Mr. Bernhard Krüger-
Sprengel, and Mr. Claus Sudhoff on May 12 and discussed with them their objective of gaining official
recognition and support as the chamber of commerce and industry abroad advancing German interests in the
Philippines.
The Philippine Embassy conveyed its strong support to GPCCI’s bid for recognition as GPCCI plays an active
role as the Embassy’s partner in promoting deeper and broader Philippine-German business ties.
Organized in February 2008, GPCCI has initiated a series of business promotion activities in the Philippines. It
has drawn up its organizational requirements including the setting up of a functioning office and the expansion
of its membership to encompass important companies and key personalities in Philippine-German business
and political circles. Ambassador Delia Domingo-Albert has graciously welcomed an honorary membership
in GPCCI.
The visiting GPCCI officials, at a breakfast meeting organized by the Embassy, indicated the positive signals
and sympathetic ear they received in their meetings with the representatives of the public and private sectors
in Berlin.
The Embassy expressed its best wishes for GPCCI’s success in its endeavors and assured it of the
Embassy’s full support and cooperation toward strengthening Philippine-German business relations and
invigorating bilateral trade and investment.
Also in attendance at the breakfast meeting were Consul Mardomel Melicor; Mr. Heinz-Peter Heidrich,
Philippine Honorary Consul in Essen; Mr. Alexander Fierley, Desk Officer for the Philippines at the Federal
Foreign Office; Ms. Rita Feid, Managing Director of the Asia-Pacific Weeks; and Mr. Frank Schüttig, Publisher &
Chief Editor of Business & Diplomacy and Diplomat Media. END
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RP Participants Shine at the 37th International Children’s Exhibition of Fine Arts in
Lidice
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1 June 2009 - Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic Regina Irene P. Sarmiento reported to Foreign
Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo that six participants from the Philippines were awarded at the recently
concluded 37th International Children’s Exhibition of Fine Arts in the historic city of Lidic.
The event started as a national children’s competition in 1968 to commemorate the children from the Czech
village of Lidice who were murdered by the German Nazis in 1942 in reprisal for the assassination of SS
General and Deputy Protector Reinhard Heydrich by Czech paratroopers serving in the British Army. It has
since then evolved into an international competition in 1972.
The international exhibition, which featured children’s paintings, drawings, graphic works, photographs,
ceramic works and works of combined techniques, was organized by the Lidice Memorial under the auspices
of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Czech Commission for
UNESCO.
The winning Philippine participants are: Gaw Samantha Nicole, 9 years old; Chenee Hazel Jimenez, 13 years
old; Trisha Co Reyes, 11 years old; Justen Paul Tolentino, 14 years old; Maxine Lorraine Ty, 15 years; and
Jerrika Shi, 12 years old.
The students are from St. Stephen High School Manila and St. Jude Catholic School. They were among 24
contenders from the Philippines who received the Honorable Mention Award.
The best child artists were from Romania, Slovak Republic, and Mexico. Some 21,731 art pieces were
submitted from 53 countries. A panel of judges selected 1,467 to be included in the exhibition, 593 of which
were submitted by foreign participants. END
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Guam Governor declares June as RP Independence Month
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1 June 2009 – In a report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, Philippine Consul General Olivia V.
Palala stated that Guam Governor Felix P. Camacho signed Proclamation No. 2009-058 last May 27 declaring
the month of June as Philippine Independence Month. The signing was done at the Conference Hall of the
Governor’s Office in Adelup, Hagatna and was witnessed by Philippine Consul General to Guam, Hon. Olivia
V. Palala; Consul Kerwin Tate, staff of the Philippine Consulate; and the officers and members of the Filipino
Community of Guam and various Filipino organizations.
The Proclamation recognized the “close and mutually beneficial relationship between Guam and the Republic
of the Philippines” and the valuable contributions of Filipinos to the overall improvement of the island
community.
It further stated that: “Filipinos have helped enrich and diversify Guam’s heritage and people. Many have
established themselves as integral members of society and have diligently served our island as educators,
business leaders, doctors, nurses, police officers, accountants, government officials and in other professions.
Filipinos, through their significant contributions to our community have helped enhance and expand the
uniqueness that makes Guam special.”
Governor Camacho also stated that “Guam has been blessed immensely by the Filipino people and we thank
you for being our brothers and sisters. We thank you for being part of our life and our community”.
In response, Consul General Palala thanked the Governor for signing the Proclamation and for the recognition
accorded to the Filipino community’s contributions to the growth and development of Guam. She likewise
mentioned that the Philippines is proud for being the first democratic republic in Asia and that, as a people,
Filipinos are proud of the struggles of our forefathers and the blood they shed in order for present day Filipinos
to possess the freedoms they enjoy now.
Senator James V. Espaldon, who is of Filipino descent, and Senator Eddie B. Calvo of the 30th Guam
Legislature were also present to witness the proclamation signing. END
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RP Consulate in Jeddah Marks National Flag Day
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1 June 2009 - The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah officially started its month-long celebration of the
111th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Philippine Independence with a solemn flag-raising ceremony and
launching of an exhibit on the evolution of the Philippine flag during the National Flag Day last May 28.
To the beat of marching music, the flag-raising ceremony started with the entrance parade of the 10 flags that
historically preceded the present Philippine flag. A new and bigger-than-usual Philippine flag was then proudly
hoisted as the national anthem was sung in full accord with the so-called Julian Felipe arrangement
prescribed by law.
The officers and staff of the Consulate, together with their counterparts in the attached agencies (the
Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine Trade and Investment
Center, Hajj Attache’s Office, Social Security System and the Pag-IBIG Fund, joined by the wards at the Filipino
Women Resource Center, recited the Panunumpa sa Watawat.
In the spirit of this year’s official theme, “Kagitingan, Kagalingan at Kasipagan Tungo sa Tunay na Kalayaan,”
Consul General Ezzedin H. Tago remarked that: “While it is alright for us to celebrate Independence Day
festively, it is also fitting for us to embark on activities that bring us back through history every once in a while.”
The ceremony “recalled” the evolution of the Philippine flag through Vice Consul Lorenzo Rhyss Jungco’s
narration of the historical background of each and every flag. To cap, George Canceco’s composition, “Ako ay
Pilipino,” was aptly belted out by everybody.
The flags were then brought to the Consulate’s hall where they would be exhibited for the entire duration of the
celebration of the 111th Independence Day, from May 28 to June 25. Consul General Tago, assisted by
Consul Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr., formally opened the exhibit in the presence of guests from the Filipino
community and officers and staff of the Consulate. Everyone in attendance then partook of coffee, tea, puto pao
and kutsinta before. END
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