Philippines House passes the Controversial RH Bill

Members of the Philippines House of Representatives are shown in Quezon City, in suburban Manila, earlier this year.

Lawmakers yesterday approved legislation calling for government-funded contraception and sex education classes in the Philippines, a first in the heavily Catholic nation.

"Our legislature took an historic vote today for women and families as it successfully passed the Reproductive Health Bill. We thank our senators and congressmen who voted for access to information and care," said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

A reconciliation committee must now work out differences in the versions of the legislation passed by each house before it is sent to President Benigno Aquino, who is expected to sign it.

Legislative leaders hope to finish their work and send the bill to Aquino by Wednesday before going on Christmas break, the official Philippines News Agency reported.

Despite widespread popular support, the Catholic Church has opposed the measure, saying it will destroy marriage and morality in the Philippines.

More than 80% of the Philippines' 96 million residents are Catholic.

Gabriel Reyes, bishop of the diocese of Antiopolo and chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said the passage of the bill marked "a sad day for the country."

But Lacierda said the legislation will help the country's citizens to raise families in a "just and empowered" way.

"The passage of the Responsible Parenthood Bill signals not only a new chapter in our agenda of inclusive growth; it also begins a process of healing for the wounds that may have been opened by an often feisty democracy," he noted.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, who voted for the measure, called the bill "an affirmation of human rights," according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN.

"We have to consider that not all Filipinos are Catholics. We have Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, nonbelievers," he said, according to ABS-CBN.

CNN

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Philippine POEA ban Amazon and other 11 International Firm from Hiring Filipinos

POEA bars foreign firms from hiring Filipino workers

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has barred 11 foreign employers from hiring Filipino workers due to their having defaulted on contractual obligations and for grave misconduct and violation of Philippine laws on overseas employment.

In a statement, POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac identified the foreign employers as the following:

• Lae International Hospital Ltd.
• Al Yagoot Recruitment Office
• Al Huda Engineering Works Co. WLL
• First Kuwaiti Trading Corp.
• Al Asmi Manpower Services
• Around the World Services/Proactive HR Solutions
• Hanjin Trading Co.  
• Saweed Employment LLC.
• Mal Lewis
• Chair of Lae International Hospital Ltd. in Papua New Guinea
• Epissan Mohd Ate Ter of Al Yagoot Recruitment Office based in Saudi Arabia.
• Amazon International Manpower Specialist Inc. had its license revoked for violation of POEA rules and regulations governing the recruitment and employment of OFWs.

The case against Amazon stemmed from complaints filed by Arlyn Pasadas and Mrynalyn Saguid who said they were deployed by Amazon to Albania as a cook and caregiver, respectively, with a salary of $500. The two said they paid Amazon more than ₱100,000 each in placement fees but their employment papers did not go through the POEA process.

The complainants said they left for Albania on Nov. 30, 2010, on multiple visas with an Amazon employee escorting them through the airport.

They returned to the Philippines on Jan. 8, 2011, when their employer terminated their employment after they complained about violations of the terms and conditions of their contracts.

In his order, Cacdac declared Amazon International liable for charging excessive fees and collecting a placement fee from a household service worker, nonissuance of receipts, misrepresentation, deployment of workers to employers without POEA accreditation and other recruitment violations. (http://is.gd/HkflO8)

Inquirer Global Nation 

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Filipino Economy Army remittance rise up 8.5 % in October 2012, Export to rise 11%

OFW line up to send money at a remittance center in the central district of Hong Kong in this 2008 file photo. Given expectations that remittances would continue to increase this year and that export earnings would rebound moderately from last year's contraction, the central bank projects that the GIR would hit at least $79 billion by the end of the year. AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE

Overseas Filipino remittances hit record $1.93-B in Oct., Bangko Sentral reports

Money sent home by Filipinos living and working abroad hit a record $1.93 billion in October, helped by more choices with which to send money back to the Philippines.

In a statement Monday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said cash remittance inflow rose by 8.5 percent from $1.84 billion in October 2012 .

The latest figure boosted remittances in the first 10 months to $17.49 billion, up by 5.8 percent from $16.53 billion year on year.

The Bangko Sentral sees cash remittances increasing by 5 percent this year from the $20.11 billion in 2011.

"Remittances flows were supported by steady deployment of skilled and professional Filipino manpower abroad, combined with commercial banks' continued efforts to build up their network of remittance business partners worldwide," the Bangko Sentral said.

Demand for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) supports "favorable outlook for remittances through end-2012," it added.

Some 302,173 job orders were processed in October, accounting for 41.9 percent of the 721,338 jobs approved as of November, preliminary data from Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed.

The trend is consistent with a World Bank findings that money sent home by OFWs would lift the Philippines to the third spot in the list of countries with the highest remittance inflow this year.

The multilateral lender noted that Filipinos are likely to send home a record $24 billion this year.

Over 10 million OFWs send remittances, which fuel domestic consumption and keep the economy afloat (http://is.gd/H7V6zi)

Filipino exporters see 2013 shipments growing 11%

Philippines will grow by 11 percent next year, driven by the services and electronics sectors, according to the Philippine Exporters Confederation.

PhilExport president Sergio Ortiz-Luis believes that eletronics would continue to recover in 2013

"Electronics I think will improve somehow," Ortiz-Luis noted in a statement, saying he did not thing the slump in the sector would last forever. "It will end sooner or later maybe towards the beginning of 2013," he added.

"On the services side, it would be tourism and BPOs [business process outsourcing]," he said. "They are exactly as big as the electronics," the PhilExport official said, noting that electronics account for almost half of total exports.

He urged exports to look beyond the persisting fiscal and economic problems in the Europe and the United States, and the strong peso that impacts on their receipts, by searching for and developing new markets and constant product innovation.

In the first 10 months of the year, exports reached $44.475 billion – up 7.1-percent year-on-year.

The export sector expected a 9 to 10-percent growth this year, and Ortiz-Luis noted the target was achievable since exports rebounded last September.

Trade Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio expect exporters to do what they could to top the record revenues of $51.4 billion in 2010.

"I believe they can do $12 billion more for the remainder of the year," Panlilio said during the National Export Congress in Manila early this month. (http://is.gd/Hm0b0m)

GMA News

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