Manila, Cebu Now Top Ten Outsourcing Spots

Manila and Cebu City are in the third and eighth spots, respectively, of the top 100 global outsourcing destinations ranked by Tholons, a services globalization and investment advisory firm, reports GMA News. Manila, went up one rank from fourth place in 2012, and has overtaken New Delhi. It follows Indian cities Bangalore and Mumbai. Meanwhile, Cebu City also went up one spot and pushed Dublin from eighth place. Also included in the Top 100 list are Davao at No. 70; Sta. Rosa City, Laguna at No. 84; Iloilo at No. 93; Bacolod City at No. 94; and Baguio City, a new entrant at No. 99.

Fil-Ams Voted Heavily for Obama, Not Romney

Filipino American voters voted more heavily for President Barack Obama during his  re-election victory last year than for Republican Mitt Romney, an exit poll by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) revealed recently. The exit poll showed 65 percent of Fil-Ams voted for Obama to a 2nd term in the White House; while 32 percent voted for his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the November 2012 presidential elections. The result contradicts a separate survey done about two months before the November 2012 polls, which showed likely Fil-Am voters leaning more for Romney, 39 percent compared to the President’s 33 percent.

Anti-Trafficking Seminars Set in Ten Provinces

Anti-human trafficking Pre-Employment Orientation Seminars will be held by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency in ten Philippine provinces where illegal recruitment is rampant, reports GMA News. The seminars aim to educate Filipino job seekers about human trafficking and other job issues. Among the provinces are Isabela, Quirino, Batangas and Pampanga. Human trafficking, also known as "modern-day slavery," affected 20.9 million people globally in 2012.

Pinay, Indian Get Year in Dubai Jail for Kissing in Public

A 28-year-old Indian man and a 25-year-old Filipino woman were arrested for kissing in public in Dubai and must spend a year in jail, after which they will be deported, reports Indian news site Mid-Day.com.  They were spotted ‘wrestling’ by an Emirati child who told his mother who then called the police. The two claim the man was only trying to give the woman CPR when she suffered an asthma attack.  The couple, co-workers at a Dubai McDonald’s, were seen in an intimate situation in the lifeguard tower on Jumeirah Open Beach on December 17.

No Travel Ban to Egypt Yet

Despite continued chaos across Egypt, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will not issue a travel ban but warned thousands of Filipinos there to take caution, reports GMA News.  There is no need to impose such measure at the moment as the demonstrations and violence are contained in particular areas of Egypt, according to the DFA. There are at least 6,000 Filipinos living and working in Egypt. 

Saudi King Pays Death Row OFW's "Blood Money"

Vice President Jejomar Binay and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday thanked Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for donating the P24.9-million ($612,303) balance for the “blood money” needed for the release of Filipino death convict Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza, reports Inquirer.net. “I’m happy to relate that our compatriot has been saved from the execution. This is because of the kindness of King Abdullah,” Binay, who's alsot presidential adviser of OFW affairs, said. The Philippine government had been quietly working for the release of Lanuza, who was sentenced to death in 2000 in Damman, Saudi Arabia for killing a Saudi national. Lanuza claimed it was an act of self-defense.

Congress Passes New Law Honoring Marcos' Victims

Congress last Monday ratified the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013l, which recognizes for the first time that the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship committed atrocities against Filipinos. It awaits the signature of President Benigno Aquino III to turn it into law, reports Inquirer.net. So the nation won't forget, the actl also mandates the teaching in schools of the abuses inflicted by the regime and the heroism of those who fought to bring it down. The act creates the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission and lays down guidelines for monetary reparations to the victims from a P10-billion fund out of the ill-gotten wealth recovered from Marcos.

Pinoys in Switzerland Give Aquino Funds for Typhoon Victims

The Filipino expatriate community in Zurich gave President Aquino a warm welcome  and 9,050 Swiss francs (about P391,000) to help Filipinos hurt by typhoon Pablo (international name: Bopha), which ravaged the Visayas and Mindanao last Decembe, reports Inquirer.net. The President, who spoke before 500 Filipino-Swiss well-wishers, lauded the community for its generosity.