Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Five OFW News
Here are some OFW news I gathered today.
News one: OFW in Saudi faces charges for counterfeiting
His name is Ryan T. Anievas, an OFW working in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.
He is being charged with counterfeiting for apparently using fake bills to purchase goods. He faces five to fifteen years imprisonment and a fine of not less than SR30,000 and not exceeding SR 100,000. Anievas claims that the five pieces ten riyal bills were from another store and he didn't notice that the bills were forgeries.
Anievas seeks help from local Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) offices and from the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
More details are found in GMA News' article: Pinoy worker on trial for spreading bogus riyals
Migrante KSA also has an update regarding the case.
(I hope Anievas gets out of this mess soon and I hope he gets the help from Philippine Embassy because the last thing I heard about it is that someone volunteered to help him but Anievas first needs to shell out SAR20k for the service).
(Update: Nereus, a Saudi-based blogger, listed a number of resources to assist OFW's in determining whether a Saudi Riyal bill is fake or not).
News two: An OFW cons fellow OFWs in Alkhobar
A Saudi-based OFW Alan Sepe writes a letter to POLO OWWA Labour Office in Alkhobar to report a fellow OFW Sherwin G. De Vera (alyas Mayumi or May May) who apparently shortchanged 11 OFWs of their money. Sepe claims that he and other Filipinos paid De Vera a sum of money in payment for a house rent for six months. However De Vera reportedly pocketed the money and left Saudi Arabia on an Exit Only visa. Sepe and his friends ended up losing an amount equivalent to more than SAR 40,000.
(The sadder fact about this is that those OFWs who were conned were new arrivals from the Philippines looking for a house in Saudi. A friend once told me: money, you can still earn; reputation once lost is gone forever.)
News three: Saudi Prince says no job loss for Saudi OFWs
Saudi Prince Khalid bin Saud bin Khalid gave assurances to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia that they need not worry (because) there will be no job losses for the more than 1 million OFWs in the Kingdom. In fact, Saudi Arabia are also looking to hire at least 6,000 Filipino health professionals like doctors and nurses in the next three year, the prince says. Inquirer reports more.
(That's a relief. I strongly believe Filipinos are so good a worker we will never run out of jobs abroad.)
News four: Filipino worker loses job for not using toilet the "Australian Way"
Amado Bernabe, a 43-year old contract worker in Australia, lost his job for carrying a bottled water inside the toilet and for not using the toilet the Aussie way. Full story here.
(This is, to borrow an Englishman's term, bloody ridiculous. And insane.)
News five: How to save money amid crisis? Be a businessman.
Pinoy Abroad provides OFWs some sound tips in saving money -- during or even beyond this crisis period.
(I hope all OFWs can do it.)
nakakaawa naman ang kababayan natin sana tulungan ng gobyerno natin maliit na halaga lang ung fake money ako nga nakaltasan ng 500 riyals sa sahod ko noon kasi nakatanggap ako ng fake 500 riyal dito sa store di ba may bago silang 500 note eh am not aware kaya ayon charcge to experience.
Naawa na kung sa naawa but what Kabayan has gone through should serve as a lesson to all of us. We have to be very careful when dealing with money especially that we're in KSA.
What Mayumi did was inexcusable but our Kabayan from MEELSA should have been more careful. The hints are obvious but they fail to see it.
Talagang nagbabasa kayo ng news, ako nakikinig at nanonood lang sa TV.
Sari-saring mga balita ah, para sa akin may nakakahiya, may nakakatawa, may nakakatuwa (no job loss for OFW in KSA)...
'Yong sa 'Australian way...' Hindi kaya mali ang headline?! Hahaha! Parang tinanggal siya sa trabaho kasi sinagot nya ng hindi maganda ang superior niya. Kahit saan naman siguro ay talagang istrikto sa Health and Safety in the Workplace. NATAWA AKO SA LAST paragraph ng news, ang mga toilet cubicle kasi nila rito consistent na wala talagang tap! Hahaha! Dati nga hindi ako sanay without water, pero dapat na akong masanay na after defecating, toilet paper lang ang kayang abutin (walang water bucket at tabo kahit sa mga bahay), dahil ang faucet at handwash na panghugas ng kamay ay malayo sa toilet bowl.
AYOS ANG MGA TIPS sa saving money. o",)
***kung minsan talaga, kapwa pilipino mo pa ang manloloko/manlalamang sayo. maaring ang guamwa nun ay may sariling pangangailangan din pero hindi yun sapat na rason apra gumawa sya ng kalokohan sa kapwa kabayan nya.. well, kahit sa ano pa mang lahi hindi dapat ginawa yun. isipin na algn din na mabilis ang balik ng karma..
****the idea of losing ur job just because you didnt do it the way Australians do it...napaka senseless..napaka unreasonable.. ewan ko. kahit anong tingin at isip ang gawin ko.. wala pa rin akong makitang logic..
Yung #1, I've read about this. Supposed to be he got the fake money from some "itnin-itnin stores". The problem here is that they seldom do follow-up investigations dahil sa katamaran. Pag sayo nahuli, yun na yun. They will even cover-up their screwed investigation by inventing more cases against you.
Yung #4, I think it was blown out of proportion by the linked blog. Mukhang mas kapanipaniwala yung kwento ni RJ, that he was terminated because of disrespect. Oh well, coins always have two sides.
Thank you friends for your comments.
Bottomline ng mga balita: mag-ingat palagi.
Umiinit na yong balita tungkol dun sa OFW sa Australia. Buti n lang sa Saudi, me 2 choices of toilets: western and eastern. Maswerte p rin pala tayong OFW sa Saudi (at least sa aspeto ng pangungubeta).
ang lungkot ng mga naloko na yun, kwawa naman nebz.
Thanks for posting about this.
pag dating talaga sa balita a head ka ng 24 oras...uu nga noh! di tayo madalas gumamit ng toilet.sila dito madalas gumamit kasi laging maglilinis ng katawan para magdasal.