Pirates seize German cargo ship with Pinoys

BRUSSELS - Pirates hijacked a German cargo ship north of the Seychelles in an attack over the weekend, the EU's naval mission confirmed Wednesday, as the nearest Navfor vessel was too far away to help.

"After four days of uncertainty regarding the exact status of the crew, MV Beluga Nomination is now believed" to have been captured by pirates, the EU Navfor mission said in a statement on the hijacking.

An unknown number of pirates travelling on a skiff and bearing small arms attacked the German-owned and Antiguan and Barbudan flagged, on Saturday in the Indian Ocean, the statement added.

The attack took place 390 nautical miles north of the Seychelles as the vessels was sailing for Port Victoria.

The 12 sailors on board -- Polish, Filipino, Russian and Ukrainian -- had retreated into a citadel as soon as the pirates boarded but the assailants "were eventually able to enter".

A spokesman for EU Navfor told AFP: "All vessels have been asked to install citadels with communications equipment, enabling crew to talk to us and to wait for a military intervention."

In this case however the nearest EU Navfor warship was more than 1,000 nautical miles away waiting to escort a World Food Programme (WFP) ship delivering vital aid to Somalia, which is the mission's main task.

Navfor said it had no information on the condition of the crew but was monitoring the situation.

The use of a citadel does not guarantee a military response, but "communication is crucial because it gives us guidance," the Navfor spokesman added.

"It is important that the whole crew goes into the citadel otherwise pirates can take prisoners."

Heavy rains worry stranded OFWs in Jeddah

MANILA, Philippines - Stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) living under the Kandara Bridge are appealing for help after heavy rains flooded the roads in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to Charles Tabbu, correspondent of ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, they received several calls from distressed OFWs temporarily seeking shelter under the bridge as flood water continued to rise in the area.

Tabbu said the rain also forced some schools to send their students home.

There are about 100 stranded OFWs remaining under the bridge. Saudi authorities earlier took the women and children under its custody and destroyed makeshift tents because it was illegal.

The Philippine Consulate recently held a meeting attended by different organizations in Jeddah that discussed the problem of distressed OFWs, particularly those living under the Kandara Bridge.

Agents to sue cargo firm for missing balikbayan boxes

HAWYARD, California – ACE Cargo agents Ed Cachuela and Ramon Bunag have been trying to find out what happened to the missing balikbayan boxes their clients ordered over a year ago.

“Kulang sa information and public dissemination on the part of ACE Cargo they have the moral obligation na gawin nyo yun,” said Bunag.

Both agents are caught in the mess after they found out that ACE Cargo has since closed shop.

Bunag has 15 boxes from clients missing, while Cachuela has 110 of his clients’ boxes still unaccounted for.

“I was very worried because most of my clients are calling me saying why their boxes were not delivered yet," Cachuella said.

Last January, 11,000 boxes shipped by ACE from California, Nevada and Washington were put on hold by the Philippine Department of Customs after reportedly seizing illegal items like guns, electronics and donated goods intended for sale.

ACE was not able to pay more than $100,000 in storage fees so, by law, Customs had to offer the boxes to public auction.

“Hindi nino-notify ng Bureau of Customs at saka ng ACE yung mga taong nagpadala. At bago nila i-auction, responsibilidad nila na i-notify yung mga tao,” stressed Bunag.

Bunag and Cachuella are worried that their clients’ boxes may have been among those auctioned. Their employees in Manila are now looking into the status of the boxes.

As ACE agents, they are liable to pay $200 per box lost to their clients.

But, they said, this is unfair. They claim ACE Cargo should be the ones responsible for the payments, not them. The two said they delivered the boxes to ACE, which should have protected them, too.

“They are responsible for the damages. But the problem is there is no longer any communication with them," Cachuella said.

Bunag and Cachuella are now in the process of filing a class action lawsuit against ACE in hopes of reclaiming their losses.

“Mayroon na kami ng referral o pagtatanong sa mga abugado dito sa bay area. Binubuo namin ang substance of the case against ACE Cargo,” said Bunag.

Balitang America contacted Tito Gonzales, the owner of ACE Cargo but they have not yet responded.

Fil-Am No. 1 teen tennis player in the US

CLAREMONT, California - When Gabrielle Andrew first picked up a tennis racket at age five, she didn’t like the sport. But after falling in love with it, she is now ranked number one in the United States Tennis Association’s 18-and-under division.

“I just kept practicing and got better and better and started playing in tournaments,” she recalled.

For her Filipina mother, Evelyn, who works for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and her father Mike, a Los Angeles policeman, the family never thought she would be this good. Tennis started out as a family fitness activity, when she was five.

“It was 'Hey, lets go out have fun, we’ll socialize, it’d be a good activity, family fun, all in the spirit of togetherness and family,' but I had no idea she’d turn out to be as good as she is,” said her father Michael.

In less than 9 years, Andrew has earned a record of 80 wins and only 12 losses. She finished 2010 by winning the Juniors National Tournament in Arizona and will travel to Spain in February to train for a month.

“To have that high ranking and seeing all of my records--from being 110 to 13 is a really, really good record. And I was proud of myself, and I wouldn’t stop there. I really want to keep going,” Gabrielle said.

Oversupply of nurses blamed for illegal recruitment

MANILA, Philippines – An oversupply of nurses in the country is resulting in nurses becoming victims of illegal recruitment, healthcare groups said Tuesday.

According to the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and the Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates, there are 80,000 nursing board passers each year, while there are just a handful of job openings.

Hospitals also allegedly don't follow the international standard on nurse-to-patient ratio.

Instead of the 1:12 ratio, hospitals currently have between a 1:30 to 1:45 ratio, the groups said.

A lot of plantilla positions in hospitals are also not filled up.

To decrease the oversupply of nurses, either non or low-performing nursing schools should be closed.

There are more than 400 nursing schools in the country and around 112 were identified by the Commission on Higher Education as non-performing, which means the schools only have between 1% to 20% nursing board passing rate.

Fil-Am wins $1 million in lottery

VIRGINIA – A Filipino-American got lucky after winning $1 million in lottery in Virginia.

Florante Jimeno came to the US 20 years ago to seek a better future. His dream finally came true after being proclaimed one of the three $1 million winners in the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle.

Jimeno could take home about $700,000 after taxes.

He said he intends to invest his winnings, pay his bills and ensure the future of his 3 children.

Pinoys in UAE to run for 'kababayans' in need

MANILA, Philippines – A group of Filipino runners based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold a marathon to raise funds for their countrymen in need of financial and harassment assistance.

Called the Filipino Runners-UAE, the group pledged to run a total of 800 kilometers (kms) in the "Takbo para kay Kabayan (Run for my Countrymen)," as part of the annual Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon scheduled on January 21.

The group, composed of both veteran and amateur runners, said they hope to raise at least UAE Dirham 40,000, or P480,000, from individual and company pledges.

It said the proceeds will go to help Filipino patients in Rashid Hospital who can't afford the costs; to workshops which will educate the expatriate workers regarding their basic rights; and, to repatriate migrants currently staying at the Polo-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Center in Abu Hail, Dubai.

Euca Bolingot, the Filipino Runner-UAE coach and team captain, said the "Takbo para kay Kabayan" is their way of reaching out to their compatriots, especially those who are suffering maltreatment and unfair labor practices

"Finishing the Dubai Marathon which includes the grueling 42-km event as well as 10-km race is a major feat in itself but participating in that event to help others is glorious," he said.

“More than ever we are more determined to reach the finish line. Each stride, each bead of sweat, each glory and pain is dedicated to improve the lives of our fellow migrant workers," the IT professional added.

Yuri Cipriano, chairperson of UAE chapter of Migrante International (Migrante-UAE), seconded Bolingot on the cause of the "Takbo para kay Kabayan."

“The event is a clarion call to all Filipino expats to hold similar activities that will uplift the lives of their kababayans (countrymen) in the Middle East," he said.

Last November, the Filipino Runners-UAE had partnered with Migrante-AUE in the hopes of getting support for the project from other organizations under the Filipino Community (FilCom), an umbrella group of Filipino associations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

For details on how to give donations to Takbo para kay Kabayan, visit filipinorunnersuae.com or call Euca Bolingot at +971 50 5189917.

New York attorney general to help abused Pinay babysitter

NEW YORK CITY, USA – A Filipina babysitter who was allegedly turned into a modern-day slave by her Filipino employers in the United States has found an ally in the New York state’s attorney general.

After 10 years of suffering in the hands of alleged human traffickers, Leticia Moratal is now smiling.

She is enjoying her new-found freedom and is thankful for all the support she is getting.

Moratal has met with the lawyers of the New York attorney general's labor office.

“There were 4 lawyers who met with us this....Of course they’re interested to find out if there is a criminal aspect to the allegations that were contained in the civil complaint we filed before the district court in Brooklyn,” said civil rights lawyer Felix Vinluan.

He said says the attorney general's office has vowed to assess if the government can file a criminal case against Moratal's former employers, the Nolasco family, who allegedly enslaved and abused her for 10 years.

Moratal claimed that employers Elsa and Augusto Nolasco and their daughters confiscated her passport, isolated her, and subjected her to years of "backbreaking labor and psychological abuse," without being paid since 2001.

Moratal also claimed that she was threatened with deportation if she did not follow their demands.

As a victim of human trafficking, Moratal can secure a visa to stay and work in the US.

Filipino-American nonprofit groups National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines are standing behind the pursuit of justice for labor trafficking victims like Moratal.

“Historically, may mga nahawakan na rin tayo na campaigns before na naipanalo natin at nakuha yung mga demands nung mga naging victims. Sa ngayon, ang NAFCON ay handing tumulong at sumuporta,” group official Jonna Baldres said.

Moratal said she will tell her story in public events for her kababayans to learn from her experience.

“Ang kahilingan ko naman sa Aquino administration na magkaroon tayo ng public awareness seminar, na iyung bago umalis ng ating bansa as overseas worker, malaman nila ang karapatan nila bilang immigrants sa kung anumang bansa,” she said.

Moratal added that after experiencing what she calls “hell on earth,” she would never want other kababayans to go through what she went through.

Accused Fil-Am teacher pleads not guilty to child porn

LOS ANGELES - The Filipino-American teacher accused of child pornography appeared in the Los Angeles Superior Court for his arraignment.

Silvestre Layug Ela entered a plea of not guilty to a pair of felony charges. One charge accuses him of possessing child pornography. The other charge claims he distributed child pornography.

The 53-year-old teacher from Dominguez Elementary School in Carson, California declined to comment on the case. The District Attorney’s office said the investigation is on going.

Prosecutors said they found over a thousand pictures and videos, mostly of pre-teen boys. During the initial investigation, they said they may find more evidence before the next court appearance on February 2.

Ela was arrested last November when prosecutors said they tracked him down through a website where some 90 members shared child pornography. They are trying to see if Ela had any involvement in producing the pornography.

They have asked potential victims from the school, as well community groups he was involved with, to contact police. So far, no one has come forward to authorities.

Ela had lived in Carson for over 30 years. He taught at Dominguez Elementary School for the past 15 years where he had a clean record. He has been placed on unpaid leave since his November arrest. He will not return to the school district unless the case is resolved.

At his first court appearance last month, the court told him he cannot be with minors, unless accompanied by an adult. Ela remains out of custody on a $20,000 bail. If convicted, Ela could spend up to 3 years and 8 months in state prison and register as a sex offender.

Filipino slain in Mexico more than just a teacher

SAN DIEGO, California – Students say Professor Henry Acejo was more than a Linguistics teacher.

Acejo played a big role in the Filipino community throughout many San Diego campuses. They said he dedicated his life and work to his family in the Philippines and to his students in the US.

Acejo once held office at the University of California in San Diego. He was found stabbed to death in his Tijuana apartment on December 18. Police said they have not yet found a motive or suspects.

Friends said, even though his siblings know, Acejo’s 85- year-old mother still does not know about her son’s death. Students and friends said they only heard about the news last week. The news of Acejo’s death has left students throughout San Diego in shock.

Joseph Ramirez recalled, “He really cared about the students work. Not just how they were doing in school but how their personal life was.”

“He always brings smiles to everyone’s faces. Just with the way he teaches, it’s always fun,” added another former student, Mark Yu.

A former elementary school and college teacher in the Philippines, Acejo migrated to the US in the mid-90s where he began teaching language classes at several San Diego colleges.

Friends said despite reports that he taught at three schools, Acejo also taught Tagalog at UC San Diego as well as a local community college.

His friend Ernald Macaraeg helped start the memorial Facebook site, and has been helping the family by collecting donations. He’s also helping other friends and teachers tie up some loose ends left behind by Acejo’s untimely death.

Macaraeg said the only relatives he knew in the US are in Florida. The rest of his family are mostly in San Mateo, Rizal. The hard working Acejo sent at least a US$1,000 monthly.

Acejo lived in Tijuana because the cheap rent allowed him to send more money to the Philippines. Acejo’s friends were worried by his choice to live in Tijuana with its high crime rate.

“People brought that up with him and told him. But I guess he wanted to live there. He said it was pretty safe. It’s a gated community where he lives,” explained Macaraeg

Macaraeg said the Filipino community is growing impatient with Mexican police over progress in the case.

Students at UC San Diego say they will make a push for the school to honor Acejo, whom they credit with helping build Filipino culture programs in the school during his 3-year stay as a part-time staff and substitute.

Two schools where Acejo was scheduled to teach at this year, San Diego State University and Southwestern College, have been collecting funds from friends and former students. The funds are being sent to Acejo’s sister in Hong Kong to offset the costs of shipping his body to the Philippines, and for funeral services.

Acejo’s body is expected to be flown back to the Philippines by the end of the week.