Pregnant Filipina Rape Victim in Saudi Arabia gets assistance from Philippine Embassy, Suspects arrested

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The pregnant Filipina who was allegedly raped by three Saudi men in Dammam is being assisted by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

The Embassy attended to the Filipina as soon as it became aware of the case and has provided legal counsel by the Embassy.

Representatives from the Embassy immediately went to the Genobiya Police to assist the Filipina, check on her condition and coordinate with the local police in their investigation.

The Filipina, who hails from Bulacan, was walking on her way back to her accommodations from a check-up at the General Case Hospital in Dammam last July 7 when a vehicle stopped and the driver called her attention asking if she works for a certain company.

After being raped, the suspects dropped her off in a nearby the Carrefour Mall where she was able to get the help of Filipinos who were there.

“The Department is pleased to know that the three suspects were already arrested and remains to be in police custody,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban B. Conejos said.

The Filipina, who delivered her baby on Wednesday, decided to pursue the case. As soon as she recuperates, she will identify the suspects, who were all arrested, in a police line-up so prosecution of the case will can commence.

“The Department, through our Embassy in Riyadh, is providing all appropriate legal and consular assistance to the Filipina as she has decided to pursue the case. A lawyer has been hired to assist her and the Department will not stop in assisting her until justice is served,” said Conejos.

 

Philippines and China issues joint press statement

The Philippines and China issued joint statements on July 8, 2011 during the visit of DFA Secretary Albert F. del Rosario.

Secretary del Rosario paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from July 7-9, 2011 upon the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. During his visit, Secretary del Rosario met with Vice President Xi Jinping and had talks with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Continue reading

BIR sues Bulwagang Filipino, Register of Deeds for tax fraud

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) today filed a criminal complaint against the restaurant Bulwagang Filipino, its responsible corporate officers, and the Register of Deeds of Manila, in connection with the transfer of title over a parcel of land and all the improvements therein without the required Certificate Authorizing Registration (CAR) from the BIR and the payment of the internal revenue taxes due on the sale thereof for taxable year 2008. Continue reading

Typhoon Lupit Gains Strength as it Nears Northern Philippines

Typhoon Ramil has intensified and is now slowly moving towards Northern Luzon.

It now packs peak winds of 175 km per hour gusting up to 210 kph according to weather officials and was “almost stationary” for a few hours Sunday before moving slowly west. The typhoon is expected to make landfall in Cagayan either this Wednesday evening or early Thursday.

“The more days it spends over sea, the more it is intensifying,” said Nathaniel Cruz of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Lupit means Cruel

The typhoon’s interntional name Lupit is the Filipino word for cruel. This is also the 18th typhoon to enter the Philippines this year and is expected the hit provinces of Northern Luzon even as the region is still reeling from the massive devastation caused by Typhoon Pepeng earlier this month.

lupit

Relief Goods sent in Advance

Military and civilian officials have mobilized its relief goods distribution in preparation for the coming typhoon which is expected to further intensify as it nears the northern part of Luzon.

“All the units of the Northern Luzon Command have also been alerted,” said Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The government has positioned its assets for possible preemptive evacuation on danger areas as to avoid further loss of lives and property.

The weather service warned that seven dams in northern Luzon had been releasing water in anticipation of heavy rains.

Last month Sept 26, widespread flooding killed approximately 380 people and displaced 4.33 million others in and around Metro Manila as Ondoy brought a month’s rainfall within a span of six hours to the metropolis. Super typhoon Pepeng hit northern Luzon a week later and hovered over the region for more than one week, causing massive landslides and floods that left more than 430 people dead and displaced 3.8 million others.

As of this moment an estimated 266,000 civilians remain in overcrowded evacuation camps with reports of a bacteria-borne disease called leptospirosis claiming the lives of 93 people in flooded areas.

Death by Steel Drum and Cement; A Gruesome Fate for Ruby Rose Jimenez and Others

It was all too sad to see in the news about the murder and the gruesome fate that befell Ruby Rose Jimenez, sister of former beauty queen turned actress, Rochelle Barrameda as she was positively identified as the body found inside a steel drum filled with concrete and encased in a metal box in Manila Bay waters last Wednesday.

Organized Crime or Institutionalized Crime? “ipapa-drum-kita-pag-tinalo-mo-ako”

In what appears to be a mafia-style execution, or better described by one of my fellow kabayans as pinoy-sindikato-style-type of murder, a complicated case of murder, deceit and trafficking are being explored as possible reasons behind this horrible crime.

Sadly, this incident confirms this as the method of choice syndicates and other lawless elements use in disposing off of people who would prove to be a nuisance to their criminal acts often disguised as legitimate private business or in some cases legitimate government operations.

ruby-rose-murder-montage

People who were allegedly nabbed by members of organized crime or even the police and military remain missing to this day, only God knows how many people have met the same fate and are now down in the bay.

Kabayan Xchng Soft Launches on Philippine Independence Day, Araw ng Kalayaan

Today, June 12, 2009 marks the Araw ng Kalayaan or Philippine Independence Day, a historic turning point for the Filipino people who struggled and fought for freedom from Spain. This special day has been chosen as the launch date of this new online community, Kabayan Exchange.

Kabayan Exchange is an online community for Overseas Filipino Workers in the Gulf area particularly in the United Arab Emirates.

An Open Invitation to OFW Bloggers

Overseas Pinoy bloggers naywhere in the world are all invited to contribute to the site. Those interested may drop in their info on the contact page and I will get back to you and open an account where you can post short articles with links going back to your site.