UAE to protest! "Philippines is not the only country that we can bring workers from"

They have the right to make some rules - but in the Philippines: Abdullah

Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday fielded a question by a Federal National Council (FNC) member about violation of international laws and norms by some embassies in the UAE by holding direct meetings with private sector organizations and obliging them to obey their instructions and orders.

"The embassies operations are governed by the international law and the Geneva convention which regulates activities of diplomatic missions.

"The UAE is a signatory of the convention and therefore, any activities (by such embassies) should be carried out in coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. Otherwise, the ministry will summon the ambassador or charge d'affaires to warn them."

Sheikh Abdullah said the Embassy of the Philippines contacted some of the labour supply companies in the country.

"They have the right to make some rules - but in the Philippines. They have absolutely no right to infringe the UAE government's regulations."

Sheikh Abdullah went on to say that any illegal contacts made by the embassies under and pretext are considered as violations and are not acceptable by the ministry of foreign affairs.

"The ministry of foreign affairs is the key point of contact for the embassies wishing to establish communications with any sector in the country."

He urged government and private entities to report any violation by any embassy or foreign diplomats to the ministry.

"The Philippines is not the only country that we can bring workers from. However, the task of any country's mission is to protect interests of its citizens.

"I can see no harm in what the embassy of Philippines is doing if any labour-related matter is supported by contracts."

Asked about the steps taken by the ministry of foreign affairs to secure reciprocal exemption of visa requirement for UAE citizens in 34 countries, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE was getting positive signals on this.

He added that following the recent visit of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the UK, the government there pledged to consider the issue this year, while contacts with some EU countries were progressing.

In his capacity as Chairman of the National media Council (NMC), Sheikh Abdullah answered a question about misleading advertisements and the steps taken to regulate advertisement.

Sheikh Abdullah said the media in the UAE is governed by the publications law. He added that the NMC has been playing a pivotal role in reflecting the true picture.

"I agree with several points and remarks made by the FNC about the NMC strategy, its role in developing the media sector and in Emiratisation.

"The development of NMC has already begun with the approval by the ministerial commission for services in February of a draft resolution to amend the organisation structure of the council. An advisory board for the council was formed in March."

Sheikh Abdullah said the rate of Emiratisation at the NMC is expected to increase this year to 71 per cent from 61 per cent in 2012. He added that future plans may include creation of a high level media training academy for as part of the Emirtisation efforts in the media sector.

The plans also include improving performance of the Emirates News Agency. He praised the authorities' initiative of inviting local press to cover the sessions of the national security trial.

"This is an unprecedented step that reflects transparency and freedom granted to the local media. You can read the uncensored reports about court proceedings, some of which are even sensitive."

The Federal National Council (FNC) yesterday held its 13th session of the 2nd term of its 15th legislative chapter under the chairmanship of its Speaker Mohamed Ahmed Al Murr.

Present during the session were Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Dr Anwar Mohamed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and for FNC Affairs.

Asked about the national strategy for saving water and energy,the energy minister, who is also chairman of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA), said the authority's strategic plan addresses future needs until 2020. He added that the plan defines a 3-phase project to raise capacity.

"The first phase was completed at a total cost of Dh2.7 billion and resulted in a 52 per cent increase in water network and 49 per cent increase in water storage capacity. The second phase will be completed by 2014," he said.

Emirates247

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Philippines approves three new wind farms for 208 megawatts - operational by 2015

The Philippines has approved three wind farm projects that will generate 208 megawatts, enough to power more than 40,000 middle-class homes, an energy official said.

The wind projects will be the first to benefit from an incentive scheme which aims to ensure half the country's energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, compared with about 39 percent currently, the official said.

The three projects are due to be operational by early 2015, said Mario Marasigan, the energy department's renewable energy bureau chief. "We approved their declarations of commerciality. They (guaranteed) to us that they are viable under the rate of 8.53 pesos (20 cents) per kilowatt hour," he said.

Under the incentive scheme, wind companies will get a fixed kilowatt hour rate of 8.53 pesos (20 cents) rather than a fluctuating amount. The provision is part of the 2008 renewable energy law intended to spur investment in sources including geothermal, biomass, solar, hydro and wind.

The largest of the projects is a wind farm to be set up in Burgos town, 320 kilometers north of Manila by Energy Development Corp. — the 87-megawatt project will cost an estimated $300 million, the company said in a statement.

Two other wind projects of 67.5 megawatts and 54 megawatts will also be set up by local firms, Alternergy Wind One Corp. and Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., respectively. The two firms declined to disclose how much their projects would cost.

The Philippines already has one 33-megawatt wind power plant in the north, set up in 2005 before the renewable energy law was passed.

as published in Arab news

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Taiwan to deport 88,000 Filipino Worker’s contract end, returning back – Sanction that could hurt Taiwan Economy

Reuters - Antonio Basilio (R), the Philippines' representative to Taiwan, speaks during a joint news conference as Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (L) gestures to him at the Ministry of Affairs Taipei, May 15, 2013

One Sanction against the Philippines That Really Hurts Both country's economy

Taiwan has announced 11 sanctions against the Philippines over what it calls an insincere apology for the coast guard shooting of a fisherman last week. One of them will really stick.

And it will hurt both sides.

Recalled diplomats can be replaced, and suddenly suspended talks on fishing or aviation cooperation can be resumed as sanctions come off some day when Manila recasts its apology for the May 9 shooting or Taiwan decides to drop its demands. Most of the $11 billon two-way trade relationship will stay intact.

It's harder to say that about a freeze on Filipino migrant labor in Taiwan, also one of the sanctions.

The freeze effective from Wednesday (May 15, 2013) bars new laborers, and the 88,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan now must leave once their contracts end. Contracts usually cover three years.

For the Taiwan side, the slow departure of Filipino workers without replacements will mean a loss of up to 1,000 English-speaking degree holders in white-collar IT jobs and many more thousands of manual workers in high-tech factories.

When Taiwan banned importation of Filipino labor in over a civil aviation dispute 14 years ago, the number of migrant workers onshore dropped from about 114,000 to just fewer than 73,000 between 1999 and 2001. There is no word on how long the ban imposed this week will last.

"Our policy is to suggest that Taiwanese companies hire workers from other countries," a Council of Labor Affairs official told this blog, asking not to be quoted by name.

That might not be so simple. Migrants from other Southeast Asian countries can easily keep working in home care, construction and fishing, all jobs that Taiwanese don't want. But high-tech firms prefer Filipinos for their degrees, work experience and English reading ability, key for example to reading equipment labels. They earn a minimum wage equal to $638 per month, far below what locals would get.

Due to high competition, Filipino workers hired late 2009 to 2013 even earned lower salary of than previously hired which job contract shows NT$13,000 or around $430 per month without housing and food allowance.

High-tech, particularly contract manufacturing of consumer electronics, is incidentally Taiwan's top source of exports. "I would think (the labor freeze) would have an impact on the IT industry," says Peter O'Neill, coordinator for services to migrants in the Catholic diocese of Taiwan's Hsinchu County, a high-tech hotspot.

In absence of Filipino workers, Taiwan economy is expected to sink in the following months.

Remittances from workers abroad, Taiwan included, made up 9% of the 2011 Philippine GDP.

Filipinos worry about a different kind of impact. Some have worked in Taiwan more than 10 years with trusted, long-term relations with Taiwanese employers. Back in the Philippines and jobless, they must compete with peers for work in other countries, and competition will stiffen without Taiwan as a market.

"They'll decide to go to other countries," O'Neill predicts, noting a number of phone calls this week from nervous workers. "That means more migrants competing for South Korea, Singapore and Canada."

Many Filipino activists welcomed heartily the decision of Taiwan as it could also give another pressure to the Aquino administration to invest more to the country to create "real jobs" for the returning home Filipino workers and to stop the labor exports.   

Investors who are searching for abundant skilled manpower pool might likely to follow and invest to the low operational cost Philippines to exploit the young English speaking workers if the labor exportation of the Philippines would continue declining.

With reports from Reuters,  RFTBP and FORBES

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