POEA Sees Rebound In OFW Hiring

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

Planning to go abroad as an OFW? Here's some good news.
=========================================



THE country would soon be able to recover from the 3.79 percent drop in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said yesterday.

POEA administrator Carlos Cao said his optimism is based on some 675,146 job orders from at least 129 countries that they are currently holding.

"Add this figure to the 380,188 that we have already deployed during the first quarter of 2011 and we could breach the one million mark," Cao said.

He said the figure does not include the projected employment opportunities to be offered in Saudi Arabia, Guam, South Korea and Australia, among others.

Earlier this month, POEA admitted the drop in the first quarter OFW deployment from 395,189 workers in 2010 to 380,188 this year.

Cao blamed the drop largely on the political crises in the Middle East and North Africa, and the selective ban on OFW deployment put in place by the Philippine government itself. - http://www.malaya.com.ph/may31/news8.html


OTHER NEWS:

DFA: Foreign Affairs Exec Apologizes For Delayed Passport Releases

POEA: 10 Pinoy Teachers Win Case Vs. Recruiters

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

Justice still prevails...

==============================


THE Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) recently ruled in favor of ten Filipino teachers working in Louisiana in a case against a Manila-based recruitment agency, PARS International Placement Agency, and its partner agency, California-based Universal Placement International (UPI). POEA Administrator Carlos S. Cao Jr. canceled the licenses of these agencies after they were found guilty of overcharging of fees.


According to the allegations, PARS and UPI set up illegal contracts and charged exorbitant fees for teachers to come to the US on H-1B visas. The teachers were forced to pay $16,000 up front as placement fees and were promised $40,000 salaries. They were required to sign over 10% of their monthly salary for two years and to pay for housing provided by UPI. Teachers unable to pay the fees up front were directed to loan companies by UPI, which charged exorbitant interest rates. The migrant teachers were also threatened with deportation if they complained.

The owners of PARS and UPI, Emilio V. Villarba and Lourdes Navarro, were put in POEA’s list of people with derogatory records. UPI was prohibited from participating in the overseas placement programs of the government. Refunds amounting from $4,583.33 to $7,169.33 were awarded to the 10 complainants.

Other legal suits in America have been filed against Universal Placement International which include a case filed by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT). Allegations involve multiple violations of state and federal laws and were brought forward by LFT. In August 2010, UPI faced a class action lawsuit filed in federal court by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the labor union American Federation of Teachers for defrauding and illegally trafficking 350 teachers from the Philippines to teach in Louisiana public schools since 2007.

Attorneys for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) say the union is asking that the teachers’ contracts with the California-based recruiter be voided, and that the recruiter be criminally prosecuted under state law.

Lourdes “Lulu” Navarro, a Filipino and president of the recruiting company, is already a convicted felon. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Navarro was convicted of ripping off the Medi-Cal program in California to the tune of $1 million. She served a year in jail in Southern California, but turned up in New Jersey in 2003, where she pleaded guilty to money laundering.

“We welcome the victory of the brave Filipino migrant teachers of Louisiana.

This comes in the wake of earlier awards by the Louisiana Work Commission (LWC) to the teachers for violation of labor laws in the US by their US-based recruiter. Hopefully illegal recruiters will learn a lesson from the courageous fight put up by the teachers,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), which is assisting the Filipino migrant teachers.

“We encourage other teachers who have been similarly victimized by PARS and UPI, or other illegal recruiters to come out and fight for your rights. We will support you and through perseverance, you will surely win as the precedent of the Louisiana teachers have shown,” Miranda added.

(www.asianjournal.com)


OTHER NEWS:

Vacationing OFWs Must Remember To Get Overseas Employment Certificate

MMDA: Smoking Ban in Metro Manila Public Places Begins May 30, 2011

 

Passport Fixers Nabbed In DFA Sting Operation

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

Just a friendly reminder: Never deal with fixers.......
It is easy to accomplish whatever you need to do if you put your mind into it and don't become dependent on the easy way in and out.

Know how to avoid Fixers

Here's some news you need to read:

Two passport fixers were arrested after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conducted a sting operation in southern Metro Manila last week.

The DFA said Tuesday its Office of Intelligence and Security Services (OISS) caught the two near the DFA Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) along Macapagal Avenue in Parañaque.

The DFA did not name the arrested fixers but said the operation stemmed from a request for assistance by a female passport applicant in the consular office at 5:00 p.m. on May 18.

Entrapment operation

In a news release posted on its website, the DFA said the applicant told DFA security officers that she was afraid to leave the premises because the two passport fixers she dealt with before were waiting for her outside the building for an additional payment of P5,000.

An entrapment operation was immediately conducted, where the applicant met with the fixers at a nearby convenience store.

The police arrested the suspects after they received the marked money that the applicant handed over to them.

The two suspects were turned over to the Parañaque City Police Station.

Modus operandi

The investigation revealed that the passport applicant was introduced to one of the fixers on May 4.

The fixer promised to take care of her passport processing in exchange for P6,500. On the same day, the applicant gave her passport to the fixer and paid P5,000.

However, two days later, the fixer told the applicant the DFA did not approve her application.

When she demanded the return of her money, the fixer told her that her passport is still inside the DFA and it would be difficult to retrieve it immediately.

"The fixer tried to convince again the applicant to pay P15,000 for quick processing of her passport. The applicant bargained and agreed to pay P10,000 with the condition that she will only give the money right after her passport would be processed," the DFA said.

On May 18, they met again at a restaurant across the DFA-OCA building.

Through a legitimate individual appointment she made online, the applicant managed to successfully file for the renewal of her passport.

However, she was afraid to go near the DFA-OCA because the passport fixers were waiting for her, and then decided to seek the help of the DFA authorities.

Warning against fixers

"The public is strongly advised against seeking the help of fixers," the DFA said.

The DFA-OCA, the DFA-OISS, and local police authorities, are exerting efforts to apprehend fixers.

The DFA urged the public to report any activities related to passport fixing to the DFA-OCA and the DFA-OISS. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/221453/nation/two-passport-fixers-fall-in-dfa-sting-operation


 Other NEWS:

DFA Puts Up Online Passport Tracking System

POEA: Suspension Of Recruitment Agency Sought

Bonjour. Mabuhay.


News update on illegal recruiters:
======================

MANILA, Philippines - A migrant workers' rights group has called on the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to suspend an agency in Manila for alleged illegal recruitment.

In a letter to POEA chief Carlos Cao, Migrante-Middle East claimed that Al-Ahram International Group Services Inc in Ermita, Manila has engaged in illegal recruitment of some 52 Filipino housekeepers in a hospital.

The housekeepers have already stopped working at the hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia because their employer, Al-Zahran company, allegedly is underpaying them, Migrante said.

"Upon further investigation, it revealed that the OFWs were asked to sign a blank contract. As they are about to depart, the OFWs claimed that they were forced to sign it without knowing that this will be used against them as their supposed $300 salary was not followed and other terms and conditions as stated on the original contract approved by the POEA,” the group told Cao.

The group also called on the Philippine government to address the illegal activities of erring and unscrupulous recruitment agencies victimizing OFWs.

Other NEWS:

DFA Puts Up Online Passport Tracking System

DFA Consular Office Adds 500 New Appointment Slots to Respond to Consular Needs

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

DFA increases its appointment capacity. Read the news bit below:

======================

06 May 2011 - To respond to the recent unprecedented increase in passport applications, the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) has added 500 new appointment slots to the regular 4,500 appointments available each working day for passport applications. 

Similarly, the DFA-OCA also allotted 1,500 appointment slots on Saturdays. The passport office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

This measure adds 18,000 new appointment slots per month, which brings the total appointment slots to 106,000 per month.

The DFA advises the public to file their passport applications at least 12 weeks before their intended date of travel.

The DFA is exerting all efforts and is committed to respond to the consular needs of all Filipinos, especially of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).  END

 http://dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/consular-advisories/2979-dfa-consular-office-adds-500-new-appointment-slots-to-respond-to-consular-needs

Other News:

DFA To Accommodate June 20 Passport Appointments Earlier

GSIS & NSO Signs MOA

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

News tidbit for GSIS pensioners:
=======================

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Statistics Office (NSO) with regard the establishment of a pensioner database.

As per the MOA, the GSIS will provide the NSO with an initial list of all its old-age and survivorship pensioners, as well as a monthly report.

The NSO will then match the data with its own records and submit to the pension fund a report on who are already deceased or who have re-married in the case of survivorship pensioners.

"This will then be the basis of the GSIS in labeling or tagging the status of pensioner in its database," GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara was quoted as saying.

The initiative, he added, is part of the continuing efforts to provide more responsive service to GSIS members and pensioners. “We don't want to impose unnecessary hardship on our more than 300,000 old-age and survivorship pensioners."

The GSIS revoked the requirement for pensioners to renew their active status during their birth month effective last May 1.

But pensioners whose Annual Renewal of Active Status (Aras) were suspended as of April 30, and those whose monthly pension are about to be suspended due to their failure to renew their Aras during their birth months of February, March or April, need to still activate their status or their pension will be discontinued.

Pensioners living abroad are also required to renew their active status via video call or through the use of Skype, a web-based software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet free of charge. (CGC) - http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2011/05/22/2-agencies-sign-agreement-pensioners-benefit-156847

It is important to indicate the DATE and PLACE of the MARRIAGE of the PARENTS in the child’s BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

Ready to become a parent?

You should also be ready to properly document the certificate of live birth of your child.

Pertaining to the child’s legitimacy, note the following facts below:

===============================================

- It is extremely important that this item (Item 18) is not left blank, otherwise, the legitimacy of the child will be questioned.

- If the parents have forgotten the exact date of their marriage, enter the approximate year. If they cannot approximate the year, enter “forgotten”.

- Enter “Not Applicable” if the child has unknown father or mother.

- Enter “Unknown”, “Don’t Know” or “D.K.” if the informant could not supply the information.

- Enter “Not Married” if the parents of the child are not legally married on or before the birth of the child and their names appeared in Item 6 and Item 13.

===================================================================

You can have your NSO certificates delivered door to door by calling the NSO Helpline (02) 7371111 or chatting here.

POEA Sees Continuing Decline In OFW Hiring

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

News updates for those planning OFW work:
======================
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported yesterday that hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is expected to decline in the coming months due to recent developments in various host countries.

Based on its overseas employment projections for 2011 to 2016, the POEA said the number of Filipinos leaving the country to work abroad is expected to drop by at least three percent this year.

Among the primary reasons is the prevailing political tension in Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon and Bahrain.

The POEA said the suspension in verification of employment contracts for household service workers could also lead to a sharp decline in the deployment of OFWs this year.

Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that deployment of household workers in Saudi Arabia has already suffered an 80 percent decline because of the suspension in verification of employment contracts.

The POEA said the Saudi government has intensified the hiring of locals and has sanctioned employers who are not complying with the program.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz’s policy direction to strictly implement the household worker reform package, as well as the implementation of the amended Migrant Workers Act are also expected to adversely affect employment of OFWs in the coming months.

The twin disasters that struck Japan last March could also affect employment prospects of Filipinos, the POEA said.- http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=686498&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Other News: DFA To Accommodate June 20 Passport Appointments Earlier

DFA Adds Personnel For Passport Processing

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

News regarding DFA passport processing:
======================
MANILA, Philippines—To cope with the unprecedented increase in the number of people applying for passport applications, the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) has added 500 new appointment slots to the usual 4,500 appointments available each working day for passport applicants.

The DFA-OCA has also allotted 1,500 appointment slots on Saturdays. The passport office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

The measure adds 18,000 new appointment slots per month, which brings the total appointment slots to 106,000 per month.

The DFA advises the public to file their passport applications at least 12 weeks before their intended date of travel.

Earlier, the DFA also announced that it had extended the validity of current expiring passports of applicants who have urgent travel needs.

The agency explained the move was prompted by the “unprecedented increase in applications and other technical concerns” that caused delay in the processing and releasing of passports. - http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20110507-335100/DFA-adds-personnel-for-passport-processing


Passport Appointment

DFA Urged By Travel & Recruitment Agencies To Go After Erring Employees

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

News bits for your reference.

========================

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) must go after its employees who are reportedly conniving with passport fixers that charge exorbitant fees to facilitate the early appointment and release of travel documents, travel and recruitment agencies urged on Monday.

Travel agencies have bearing the brunt for some time now of the passport syndicates operating at the DFA Consular Affairs Office at Aseana building in Parañaque City, said Maria Paz Alberto, board member of both the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) and the Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan (PILMAT)

Alberto hailed last week’s apprehension of two DFA employees — reportedly caught conniving with a fixer on the early release of passports of the family of a Hong Kong-bound couple.

That was “… a step in the right direction," she said, noting that the problem may by addressed with this development.

“Hopefully… we will now be able to speed up the process of providing our clients [with] their passport needs," said Paz in a statement issued Monday.

The Hong Kong-bound couple — interviewed by the DFA consular Office — supposedly got their passports earlier than the day these were supposed to be released.

Bernielin Samson, according to PILMAT and the PTAA, admitted having paid a fixer P15,000 to have the five passports of her family released by the DFA Consular Affairs Office.

Proliferation of fixers

PILMAT has been asking the DFA Consular Office to address the proliferation of passport fixers at Aseana building, recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said in a separate statement.

“The recent apprehension of two senior employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs — after they were caught red-handed dealing with passport fixers — confirms what the recruitment industry has been reporting [in] the past year that there was [a] passport syndicate operating at the DFA Consular Affairs Office in cahoots with DFA personnel," Geslani said.

According to the recruitment consultant, PILMAT in May 2010 raised the problem with the DFA after it has come to the association’s attention that fixers at the Consular Affairs Office in Aseana were charging applicants P5,000 to P10,000.

The DFA last year denied such activities were happening at the consular Affairs Office.

However, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Jet Ledda confirmed last year that fixers were able to block the schedule of appointments for passport applicants — a situation that could only have been done in connivance with DFA employees who have access to the schedule.

The backlog in the DFA’s online appointments had reached three months, prompting many applicants to turn to passport fixers to have their travel documents released as early as possible, Geslani said.

The Consular Affairs Office processes 8,000 to 10,000 passport applications a day on top of the 3,000 to 5,000 passports travel agencies bring to the DFA for processing. — VS, GMA News

OTHER NEWS: Vacationing OFWs Must Remember To Get Overseas Employment Certificate

Deployment Deal Between PH, Saudi Pushed

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

More news update:


A GROUP of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on Sunday pushed for the establishment of a government-to-government deployment arrangement to fully address the labor row between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

In a statement, the Migrante-Middle East (MME) said it would be best to simply establish a government-to-government deal so that all concerns of both parties would be completely addressed.

“It is time for the Aquino government to seriously find ways to solve, if not diminish, incidents of abuses and rampant labor malpractices involving OFW by inking a government-to-government deployment arrangement of domestic workers in view of providing them real protection,” said MME coordinator John Leonard Monterona.

Monterona said it would be a better arrangement for the OFWs especially since it involves the arguably number one foreign employer of Filipinos.

“For instance, the repatriation of thousands of stranded and distress OFWs in Saudi and other mid-east countries could be dealt best by both -- the sending and receiving-host governments -- stranded OFWs’ repatriation can’t be relied on erring and negligent recruitment agencies,” he said.

Records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) show that there are more than a million OFWs working in the KSA most of which are employed as engineers, nurses or hospital workers, accountants, office workers, construction workers, restaurant workers, and maids.

Last March, the Saudi government stopped processing the hiring of OFW household service workers as Saudi employers protested the requirements imposed by the Philippine government such as the minimum wage and worker protection.

The contested requirements were imposed back in 2006 when current Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz was still the POEA chief. (AMN/Sunnex)

Asean Seeks To Strengthen Antipiracy Drive

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

News update on antipiracy:


MANILA, Philippines - Foreign ministers of Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) member-states will seek to strengthen further the regional and global campaign to combat piracy and violations of intellectual property through the development of multilateral and bilateral arrangements, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday.

The DFA reported that the proposal to further enhance Asean's antipiracy drive aims to facilitate the apprehension, investigation, prosecution, and extradition, exchange of witness, sharing of evidence, inquiry, seizure and forfeiture of proceeds of piracy, mutual legal and administrative assistance among Asean member-states, which is in accordance with the Asean Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario have pushed forward Philippine priorities in achieving the Asean community building goals in 2015 during the Fifth Meeting of the Political-Security Community (APSC), the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the Eight Meeting of the Asean Coordinating Council in preparation for the 18th Asean Summit in Jakarta.

According to the DFA, these priorities also include the “full and effective implementation of the Asean Work Plan on Combating Illicit Drug Production, Trafficking and Use for 2009 to 2015 to achieve a Drug-Free Asean by 2015.”

Del Rosario highlighted the Philippines’ commitment to promote and protect human rights in Asean through the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the implementation of the Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.

He cited the completion of the Guidelines on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea this year to commemorate 20 years of Asean-China strategic partnership.

During the preparatory meetings, del Rosario also asserted Asean Member States’ need for closer coordination to promote and protect the welfare of its nationals caught in crisis situations given the peace and security situation in the Middle East and Africa.

Moreover, the list included enhancing disaster-management cooperation in the Asean Regional Forum by improving coordination mechanisms and capacity building such as the Disaster Relief Exercise held in Manado, Indonesia, from March 14 to 19.

Del Rosario likewise pushed for the full implementation of APSC Communication Plan which, he said, was adopted in 2010 to enhance awareness among the peoples in Asean of how APSC benefits the region to contribute to the promotion of peace and security in the region.

The DFA Secretary said also in the priority is the preparation of an Asean Convention on Trafficking in Persons as soon as possible as a mechanism to enhance Asean’s efforts in combating trafficking in persons.

 In this regard, he said, the Philippines, as the lead shepherd on Trafficking in Persons (TIP), will host the “Experts’ Meeting to Study the Feasibility on Developing an Asean Convention on Trafficking in Persons” in June, and the Fifth Senior Officials’ Meeting on Transnational Crime Working Group Meeting on TIP and the 20th Meeting of the Heads of Specialist Antitrafficking Units in July this year.

As agreed in the preparatory meetings, the Asean Ministers also committed to ensure “tangible progress” on the implementation of the priority projects and key actions of the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity which include the feasibility studies on (1) the Asean roll-on/roll-off and Short Sea shipping; and (2) the extension of the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline in BIMP-Eaga;

Del Rosario said the conferees also agreed on the inclusion of political and security issues in the agenda of the East Asia Summit (EAS) by “creating an environment conducive to discussion of such issues.”

By doing this, he said, Asean raises the strategic value of the EAS as a leader’s forum with the inclusion of the United States and the Russian Federation as new members.

Del Rosario explained that since Asean is only four years away from its target date of building its community by 2015, he stressed during the meetings the need for Asean to step up and expedite its work to realize an Asean Community that is peaceful, stable, economically competitive and people-oriented. By Butch Fernandez, Business Mirror

DFA Senior Employees Caught Dealing With Fixers

Bonjour. Mabuhay.

Information found on the electronic highway:

================================

TWO senior employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) are facing administrative charges and possible dismissal after they were allegedly caught red-handed dealing with passport fixers and facilitating early release of passports on Tuesday.

The DFA’s Office of Consular Affairs handles an average of 8,000 to 10,000 individual passport applications, on top of those being handled by travel agencies that usually reach 3,000 to 5,000 daily.

The DFA Office of Legal Affairs said administrative charges have been filed against the head secretary of DFA Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Jet Ledda and an officer assigned in the office of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. The two are senior staff members who have served the department for almost 10 years.

The two DFA employees were allegedly caught conniving with a passport fixer whose services were engaged by a Hong Kong-bound couple identified as Vann Matthew and Bernielin Samson. The couple, along with their child and in-laws, were scheduled to leave on May 4 but their passports were supposed to be released at a latter date.

On Tuesday the couple sought the assistance of a fixer operating outside the DFA Office of Consular Affairs located in Aseana building in Parañaque City. The couple paid P15,000 for the early release of the five passports.

A BusinessMirror source, known to the passport applicants, forwarded the text message of Samson to her husband before she went to the DFA consular affairs office on Tuesday to get in touch with the insider contact of the passport fixer. The text message to her friend said:

“Andito po ako sa DFA old building, ’yung pupuntahan ko sa DFA MOA na contact ni sweetie [referring to her husband Matthew] dito eh ’yung [referring to head secretary of Ledda]. ’Yung kilala ni sweetie dito ang nagpabilis ng printing ng passport. Sa QC BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] pala piniprint ang passport.”

DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya confirmed the filing of administrative charges against the two erring employees, saying the department is ready to institute reforms to protect passport applicants from being victimized by the fixers.

A senior diplomat, meanwhile, said the DFA has conducted an immediate investigation into the involvement of passport fixing of the two senior staff members.

“We were able to trace the culprits and referred the cases to the office of Secretary del Rosario. They are now facing administrative charges and will be suspended while we conduct further hearings,” said the senior diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“I believe justice has been done, and their suspension will cripple the passport-fixer syndicates who continue to victimize our poor applicants,” said the senior diplomat.

He added that officers conniving with passport fixers have been happening for many years, but there were no formal complaints lodged by the victims.

He said the department has recently dismissed a casual employee assigned at the consular affairs office for conniving with passport fixers.

“This incident appears to be the first time that senior officers have been involved in passport fixing. It’s very sad and disappointing for us in the diplomatic service to find out that our colleagues are involved in illegal activities,” said the senior DFA official.

The increasing number of passport applicants, up to 12,000 daily, at the consular affairs office is causing the backlog in the release and facilitation of the travel documents, consequently prompting applicants to engage the services of the passport fixers lurking around the DFA consular office.

In an earlier BusinessMirror report, Ledda confirmed the operation of online passport fixers who block en masse passport application schedules and sell them to passport applicants who need to rush the release of their travel documents.

The online passport fixers charge exorbitant fees for blocked schedules, ranging from P1,500 to P15,000, depending on the dates of application.

The DFA has embarked on a P3-billion electronic and machine-readable passport project with French Belgian firm Oberthur to upgrade the country’s travel document. The DFA, in partnership with the BSP, started the issuance of the e-passport in August 2009. – Estrella Torres / Reporter http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/nation/10732-2-dfa-senior-employees-caught-dealing-with-fixers