News from home: OFWs vs racist Hong Kong lawmakers, EDSA commemoration
MANILA, Philippines — From updates on kababayans affected in the Türkiye quake to an employees’ union’s successful bid for an increase in wages amid soaring inflation rates — these were among our headlines and news stories from the past week we think you should know if you’re a Filipino based abroad.
Overseas Filipinos
- The Philippine Embassy in Ankara has confirmed the death of a Filipina and her three children who were previously reported stuck under the rubble after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye.
- Migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong are calling on the Philippine and Indonesian governments to declare Hong Kong Legislative Council member Elizabeth Quat and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong lawmaker Frankie Ngan “persona non grata” for their remarks and proposals that show “slave-master mentality.”
- Germany said it is now working on a new immigration law in hopes to attract more international workers. Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock said they are grateful for the contributions of professionals from the Philippines who have since migrated there.
Work and the economy
- Senate employees are getting a higher inflation aid worth P50,000 from only P12,000, thanks to their union – the Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO). The union pointed out the huge gap between the minimum wage of rank and file government workers and a family’s living wage worth P1,161 daily and said workers everywhere should be paid better.
- Traditional jeepneys will no longer be allowed to operate by end-June unless they are a part of a cooperative or a cooperation, but even those jeepneys will eventually be phased out. This comes as the government continues to push for the modernization of public utility vehicles despite protests.
Politics and the nation
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Most Filipinos still think that the spirit of the EDSA People Power Revolution lives on, despite the election of the son of the ousted dictator, according to 62% of respondents of an SWS poll.
As President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. calls for unity, history teachers, children’s book authors, and church leaders look back on memories of the revolution sparked by the atrocities of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s martial law and discuss ways to move forward and remember the “people’s power.”
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Authorities are now in the process of retrieving the bodies of four passengers who perished from the Cessna plane crash from Mayon volcano’s peak, some 3,500 to 4,000 feet above sea level. The victims included two Australian nationals who were technical consultants for renewable energy firm Energy Development Corp.
- The US District Court in Tacoma sentenced a former active-duty US soldier to 22 years in prison who has admitted to involvement in the sexual abuse of children and in the production of child pornography in the Philippines.
- The Bureau of Corrections is planning to transfer its headquarters to the award-winning ecotourism site of Masungi Georeserve, raising concerns that the plan will damage the already fragile Upper Marikina watershed.
You can view last week’s rundown here or sign up for the newsletter here.
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