PH to Foot Bill for Return of Stranded OFWs

The Aquino administration will shoulder a portion of the repatriation costs for undocumented Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia, reports Manila Standard Today.com. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government has also asked the Saudi government to waive some of their rules to speed up the issuance of exit visas for the Filipino workers.  Among the rules are: requiring a "no objection" certificate issued by the employers; fine for losing a work permit (1,000 Saudi Arabian riyals); fine for failure to update a work permit (2,000 riyals).

Hawaii gives $450k solar grant to Filipino center

HONOLULU– Filipinos here will be dancing under a new light this year. Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie on Monday presented a $450,000 check to The Filipino Community Center, Inc. (FilCom), to fund a new photovoltaic (PV) system in the organization’s facilities in Waipahu, reports Asian Journal.

PH Asks the Bahamas to Let Filipinos Keep Jobs

MANILA,—The Philippines asked the Bahamas to allow Filipinos to retain their jobs as the independent British commonwealth starts implementing a new labor policy seeking to cut unemployment rates by replacing foreign workers with locals, reports Inquirer.net. A Philippine consular team directly appealed to the Bahamian government to let more than 1,000 Filipino housekeepers, cooks, hotel employees and medical workers keep their jobs despite the pro-local labor initiative.

Filipino Seamen in Portugal Get to Vote for the First Time

To reach a sector mostly excluded in the polls, the Philippine Embassy in Portugal has devised a way to reach the Filipino seafarers and let them vote, reports Inquirer.net. “We call it 'akyat-barko' (boarding the ships), ” Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuiller told reporters of the unique system he designed. “It was just one of the crazy ideas I had. Because why would they come to the Embassy to vote? They have no time. Their ship arrives at 7 a.m., they leave at 6 p.m. And of course they want to go out there [to see the city],” said Lhuiller in an interview in Manila.

Filipina Doctor Is One of TIME's Most Influential

NEW YORK CITY—One of two Filipinos who made this year’s TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World is Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, a pediatric allergist and immunologist from the University of Massachusetts, who was part of the team that developed a cure for an HIV-positive infant, reports Inquirer.net. The other awardee is Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.

Consul in Vancouver Summoned for Alleged Rudeness

A Filipino diplomat in Vancouver, Canada, is in hot water for allegedy displaying inappropriate behavior during a consular outreach mission there this month, reports GMA News. Consul General Jose Ampeso has been ordered to return to Manila to face an investigation after a video of him berating a Filipino passport applicant was posted on popular video-sharing site YouTube. “We are asking him to come home to Manila to explain his side,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing Wednesday.

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China Has Firm Grip on Contested Panatag Shoal

Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing ground in the West Philippine Sea, used to be a safe haven for Filipino fishermen caught by storms at sea. Today, they can't get near the shoal that is the object of conflicting claims by Beijing and Manila. It is now firmly in China's grip, reports GMA News.

Musical on Pinoy Transgenders in Israel Is a Hit

LONDON--The exuberant tale of a group of Filipino immigrants in Israel has dazzled theatre audiences in London, including some of the real people who inspired the true story on stage, reports ABS-CBN News. "Paper Dolls," a new play with music by American writer Philip Himberg, tells the story of five gay and transexual Filipinos in Tel Aviv, who work as warm care-givers by day and feisty club performers at night. The show debuted at Tricycle Theatre in February.