Philippine Agency Shuts Down Firm Accused of Luring Workers to U.S. With Fake Caregiver Jobs
MANILA — Philippine authorities shuttered a travel consultancy in suburban Manila on Thursday, accusing it of illegally recruiting workers for caregiving jobs in the United States and collecting tens of thousands of pesos in fraudulent fees. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) issued a closure order against State 101 Travel Visa Consultancy, based in Pasig City, following surveillance operations that...
DMW, TESDA Launches Reintegration Scholarship Program for Returning Migrant Workers
MANILA — Philippine government agencies are stepping up efforts to help returning overseas Filipino workers transition back into the domestic workforce, with 58 workers completing the first batch of a new flagship scholarship program Tuesday in Taguig City. The Department of Migrant Workers and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority jointly administered the pilot KAALAMAN Scholarship Program, which aims...
Gunfire Erupts in Philippine Senate as ICC Arrest Attempt Targets Senator
MANILA, Philippines — Gunfire broke out inside the Philippine Senate on Wednesday as authorities attempted to arrest a sitting senator wanted by the International Criminal Court, in a dramatic confrontation that sent lawmakers and staff scrambling for cover and plunged the country's legislature into chaos. The incident unfolded as agents moved to detain the senator in connection with an ICC...
PhilHealth Budget Triples in 2026 after P60-B fund return, CEO Says
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation announced Tuesday that its projected budget for member benefits is expected to nearly triple this year, reaching between 378 billion and 400 billion pesos, as the state insurer moves to expand coverage across maternity care, outpatient medicines, and critical illnesses. The figure marks a dramatic rise from the 119 billion pesos allocated in 2023, according...
Hong Kong Braces for Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms After Record Heat
Hong Kong's weather authority warned Monday that heavy rain and squally thunderstorms are expected to lash the city later this week as a trough of low pressure and upper-air disturbance moves into the region — even as the city sweltered through its hottest day of the year so far. The Hong Kong Observatory reported that an anticyclone aloft drove sunny...
DMW Shuts Down Unlicensed Recruiter Promising Overseas Jobs for Hefty Fees
MANILA — Philippine authorities on Monday shuttered an unlicensed recruitment office in Manila's Santa Cruz district that allegedly defrauded job seekers with false promises of overseas employment in Taiwan, Canada and New Zealand, demanding fees of up to 260,000 pesos for positions that never materialized. The Department of Migrant Workers said it ordered the closure of Polaris Manpower and Documentation...
ASEAN Leaders Endorse Philippine-Led Guidelines for Migrant Worker Reintegration
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Friday endorsed a Philippine-initiated framework aimed at strengthening the return and reintegration of migrant workers across the region, marking a significant step in coordinated labor policy among the bloc's member states. The ASEAN Guidelines on the Effective Return and Reintegration of Migrant Workers, developed under Philippine leadership through the Department of...
Cacdac to Visit Kuwait as OFW Repatriations Surpass 9,000
MANILA — The Philippines' top migrant workers official is set to travel to Kuwait next week to personally assess conditions for Filipino workers there, as the government reported Thursday that more than 9,000 overseas Filipino workers have been repatriated amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac announced the visit during a press briefing...
Philippines Champions Migrant Worker Protections at UN Migration Forum
MANILA — The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to stronger protections for overseas workers at the International Migration Review Forum in New York this week, with the country's top migration official saying Manila remains a driving force in shaping global labor mobility policy. Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the Philippines actively participated in high-level discussions on global...
