Evacuation plans for Filipinos in Egypt readied

OFFICIALS say the Philippines has set aside an emergency evacuation fund, identified
possible escape routes for thousands of Filipinos in Egypt and advised its citizens to
defer nonessential travel because of ongoing protests against President Hosni Mubarak’s
government.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday that a number of senior envoys will fly
to Egypt to help ensure the safety of more than 6,500 Filipinos there, mostly maids and
students.

Foreign affairs spokesman Ed Malaya said officials held an emergency meeting in Manila and
discussed plans for evacuating Filipinos by buses or ships in case the unrest worsens.

Malaya pointed out the DFA has set up a P25-million standby emergency fund in case the
need for evacuation and repatriation should arise.

The Philippine Embassy in Cairo has also set up a 24-hour hotline to accommodate calls
from Filipinos there.

The Philippine government on Sunday issued a travel advisory on Egypt, urging Filipinos to
avoid going to the foreign country due to continuing violent political protests there. (PIA)

P-Noy gidayed sa pag-boycott sa Nobel Peace Prize

NAKADAWAT og talagsaong pagdayeg si Presidente Aquino gikan ni Senador Joker Arroyo
sa desisyon niini nga wala magpadala og representante sa Pilipinas alang sa Nobel Peace
Prize awarding ceremony.

Mao kini ang nahimong desisyon sa Presidente aron ma-engganyo ang China nga dili
ipadayon ang pagbitay sa lima ka overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) nga napahamtangan og
kamatayon tungod sa kasong drug trafficking.

Giangkon sa Presidente nga mas prayoridad sa gobyerno ang national interest aron maluwas
ang mga Pinoy nga bitayon sa China.

Gikompirma usab sa Department of Foreign Affairs nga walay mapadalang representante
ang Pilipinas sa Norway alang sa awarding sa Chinese dissident nga si Liu Xiaobo nga
napreso og 11 ka tuig tungod sa subversion case.

Nasagmuyo ang kagamhanang China sa nahimong desisyon sa Nobel Prize committee
human nga si Liu ang napiling modawat og pasidungog.

Nibahad ang China sa mga nasud nga maapektuhan ang ilang relasyon o diplomatic ties kon
magpadala og tinugyanan ug suportahan ang maong pasidungog kang Liu.

Aduna nay gidusong apela si Presidente Aquino sa gobyerno sa China nga nangayo og
clemency alang sa lima ka Pinoy nga nasentensyahan og kamatayon.

Gitandi ni Senador Arroyo ang maong desisyon ni Presidente Aquino sa kanhi
administrasyong Arroyo sa pag withdraw sa tropang Pinoy gikan sa Iraq nga matud pa niya
nga dili sayon nga himuong desisyon. (PIA-Bohol)

DFA: Beware of fake Israeli hospital

Philippine officials in Israel reiterated early this week that there are no job openings for
hospital workers in Israel, and job applicants must particularly beware of a fictitious hospital
used as decoy by illegal recruiters.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a release citing a report from the Philippine
Embassy in Israel that “this announcement is being issued in response to reports and
queries from prospective applicants verifying job opportunities offered to them by certain
unscrupulous recruiters to work in various capacities for a ‘Jordan Valley Medical Center in
Israel.”

The Embassy confirmed that the “Jordan Valley Medical Center” is “fictitious and no such
hospital exists in Israel,” the DFA said.

It reiterated there are no job openings in Israel for hospital workers such as doctors, nurses,
medical technicians, ambulance crew, or drivers, that are available to Filipino applicants.

It also reminded that Filipinos are recruited for Israel as caregivers for home care and not in
hospitals. (PIA)

Tanker nga may 18 ka Pinoy gi hijack sa Somali pirates

GIKOMPIRMA niadtong Lunes sa European Union’s anti-piracy task force nga adunay 18 ka tripolanteng Pinoy ang chemical tanker nga gi hijack sa mga piratang Somali sa southern Red sea.

Matud pa sa taho, ang EU Naval Force Somalia nagkanayon nga gi atake sa mga pirata ang Marshall Islands-flagged MT Motivator sa tamping amihanan sa Bab-Al-Mandeb – ang sigpit nga wanang sa dagat taliwala sa Arabian peninsula ug Horn of Africa niadtong Domingo.

Ang MT Motivator, usa ka chemical products tanker nga nagkarga og lubricants ug adunay gibug-aton nga 13,065 tonilada, matud pa sa NAVFOR.

Ang Department of Foreign Affairs nakadawat sa taho nga hijacking gikan sa Philippine Embassy sa Nairobi.

Matud pa ni Ed Malaya, ang tigpamaba sa DFA nga nakig-coordinate na ang DFA sa tag-iya sa barko ug sa naval authorities sa maong rehiyon alang sa mga lakang aron pagseguro sa kaluwasan ug seguridad sa mga tripolante.

Ang NAVFOR nag monitor usab sa sitwasyon.

Sa talaan sa DFA, kining bag-o pa lang nga hijacking nagdala na ngadto sa 81 ka Pinoy nga nadakpan sa mga pirata: 18 ang sa MT Motivator, 3 sa FV Tai Yuan 227, 19 sa MV Eleni P, 1 sa MV Iceberg I, 19 sa MT Samho Dream, ug 21 sa MV Voc Daisy. (PIA-Bohol)

1,400 Filipinos in Iceland safe

SOME 1,390 Filipinos in Iceland are safe despite a volcanic eruption which continues to affect air travel in parts of Europe.

Philippine Ambassador to Oslo, Norway Elizabeth P. Buensuceso reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that Filipinos living and working in Iceland reside far from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano which erupted last April 14.

The eruption sent a massive cloud of volcanic dust thousands of feet into the air which has spread from the United Kingdom to continental Europe.

Iceland is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano is located in southern Iceland.

Ambassador Buensuceso said the Philippine Embassy in Oslo is closely coordinating with Honorary Consul Priscilla Zanoria who is in touch with the Filipino Community in Iceland.

Meanwhile, the 12 Filipinos who were earlier stranded in Frankfurt, Germany are now in the UK after intercession by the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt.

Consulate officials immediately coordinated with the headquarters of the German Federal Police in Potsdam after it was alerted by the DFA about the stranded Filipino travellers at Frankfurt International Airport. The Filipino travelers were issued transit visas so they could fly to London. (PIA-Bohol)