Fil-Am Named Trump Asst. Press Secretary

Ninio Joseph Fetalvo (Source: ABS-CBN)

Ninio Joseph Fetalvo (Source: ABS-CBN)

Ninio Joseph Fetalvo has been appointed White House assistant press secretary, working with press secretary Sean Spicer in addressing issues about the U.S. government. Fetalvo will cover issues on healthcare, education, transportation and veterans affairs, reports the Manila Bulletin.

PH economy grew 6.8% in 2016

The Philippine economy grew by a robust 6.8 percent last year even amid a transition in government between two administrations. Full-year economic growth was within the 6-7 percent growth target of the Duterte administration for 2016, reports Inquirer.net.
 

Filipino Is Focus of US Supreme Court Case on What Crimes Call for Deportation

The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments involving James Dimaya, a Filipino immigrant, in a case that raises the question of whether crimes such as home burglary can be considered “crimes of violence,” which under federal law calls for the mandatory deportation of the convicted perpetrator, reports Inquirer.net.

 

Washington Shouldn't Pay for Duterte's Drug War, says US Newspaper

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called on Washington to make sure that US aid to the Philippines is not used for President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. The editorial ran weeks before the kidnap-for-ransom-murder of a South Korean expatriate in the hands of Philippine National Police officers—in the guise of an anti-drug operation--triggered an international outcry, reports Inquirer.net.

 

Number of OFWs in Israel Rises By 25%

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Israel have reached their highest number in the last five years, according to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Tel-Aviv. The deployment of OFWs rose from 2,288 in 2015 to 2,850 in 2016 or by 24.56 percent, reports Inquirer.net.

Abducted Korean Strangled Inside PH Nat'l Police HQ

Former Hanjin executive and South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo was strangledinside Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine National Police, shortly after he was kidnapped by rogue policemen in October, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ), reports Inquirer.net.

Number of Filipinos Who Think They're Poor Decreases

The number of Filipinos who consider themselves poor fell to an annual average of 44 percent in 2016, the lowest since 1987, according to a recent Social Weather Stations survey reports ABS-CBN News.

 

Canada Cancels Deportation Order for Filipina Migrant Rights Activist

Prominent migrant worker activist Georgina Gina Bahiwal learned Jan. 13 that Canada’s federal government has canceled the order for her deportation, reports Inquirer.net.