OFWs in Qatar Have No Savings

Filipino OFWs in Qatar may be receiving better salaries than in the Philippines, but a large number of them have no cash savings at all, reports Infoqat.com. Charmaine Pamela Bautista, information officer of the Housing and Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), estimates that 90 percent of average- and low-income OFW-earners in Qatar spend the bulk of their hard-earned money on food and education of their children back home. Only a small portion of their salary is left for them to spend, with a mere 20 percent allotted for their meals and transportation costs. Of the estimated 200,000 OFWs in Qatar, about 45,000 are housemaids and 70 percent are average- and low-income earners.

Golden Globe Stars Glow in Filipino Designers' Works

Filipino designers' works shone at the just-concluded 2012 Golden Globes Awards at the Beverly Hilton, reports the Philippine Star. Olivia Munn was in Oliver Tolentino (whose clothes were also worn in recent events by Fergie, Gabrielle Union and Rachael Leigh Cook), Julianne Hough in Monique Lhuillier and Sofia Vergara in Michael Cinco.

Canada Opens New Entry Program for Foreign Workers

Canada is now accepting applications for entry under the Federal Skilled Trades Program, reports ABS-CBN News. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will accept up to 3,000 applications from specific trades currently experiencing shortages. These include welders, electricians, plumbers, and a number of positions in construction and oil and gas industries among others. A complete list is on the CIC website including the requirements to qualify under the program The new Skilled Trades Program is just the beginning of many other changes expected in Canada's immigration policy this year.

Philippines Among Top 10 Destinations

Conde Nast Traveller magazine has listed the Philippines iamong its top 10 destinations for 2013, reports Philippine Star. The London-based luxury travel magazine said the country is becoming “particularly popular among serious divers, who come for the incredible underwater life, unspoilt coral gardens with rainbow-bright fish, green sea turtles and dugongs.” Particular mention was made of Palawan, which the magazine hailed for its “palm-fringed white-powder beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, natural lagoons for wild swimming on Miniloc Island…all of it protected by UNESCO.”

Most Filipinos Optimistic for 2013

Filipinos welcomed 2013 with hope and optimism, according to the latest surveys of Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia, the Manila Bulletin reports. The SWS noncommissioned survey, released on December 28, 2012, showed that 92 percent, or nine out of 10 Filipinos welcomed 2013 with hope

Racist Letter Against Filipinos Sent Out in California Town

A racist letter targeting the Filipino American community in American Canyon, Calif., went viral Monday after resident Derek Valencia posted a picture of it on Facebook, reports The Huffington Post. The letter, which claims to be from the California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Barbering & Cosmetology, is addressed to local resident Maria Aida Ignacio Brandes. The letter targets the entire Filipino American community in the town, calling the population "filthy" and "unwanted." It also targets Brandes' adult daughters for having white spouses to ensure “their half-breed children have ‘straight noses’ in order to be accepted in non-Filipino society.” The police department is investigating the letter. American Canyon in Napa County has a population of 19,454, is 38.9 percent white, 32.9 percent Asian and 7.9 percent black.

Undocumented Filipinos Increase in Malaysia and U.S.

The number of undocumented Filipino immigrants around the world increased by 52 percent last year, the majority of them in the United States and Malaysia, reports ABS-CBN News, citing data from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). Irregular immigrants to Malaysia registered the biggest rate of increase at 124 percent in 2011, from the 200,000 in 2010. Malaysia now has 447,590 irregular Filipino immigrants. The United States followed with a 67 prcent increase in irregular workers, from 156,000 in 2010 to 260,000 in 2011. Singapore had 49,400 irregular Filipino migrants in 2011.

Fewer Filipinos Went Hungry Last Year

One million fewer Filipino households went hungry in the last three months of 2012 compared with the previous three months, reports GMA News. A survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed 16.3 percent of respondents--extrapolated to about 3.3 million families, said they went hungry in the last three months, down from the 21 percent-- 4.3 million households—of the previous period. SWS said the hunger rate in December fell to a one-and-a-half year low, the lowest hunger figure since June 2011 and a far cry from the high 23.8 percent (4.8 million families) in March 2012.