Increased Remittances by 5.5% -- TUCP

According to Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), remittances by our own seamen has increased by 5.5% (that's roughly $41.851M) from $758M in 2008 to approximately $800M in same period this year. More on this story below from Inquirer.net.

Filipino seamen’s remittances up by 5.5%—TUCP
Source: Inquirer.net
26 May 2009

MANILA, Philippines—Remittances from Filipino sailors increased by 5.52 percent (or $41.851 million) to $800.535 million in the first quarter versus $758.684 million in the same period in 2008, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Tuesday.

TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said this is higher than the cash wired home by land-based migrant Filipino workers which grew by only 2.03 percent (or $64.697 million) to $3.256 billion in the first quarter compared to $3.191 billion in the same period in 2008.

"The rate of increase in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers abroad continues to outpace considerably the growth rate in money transfers from land-based laborers," he noted in a statement.

And Herrera attributed the continued growth in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers increased deployment on account of global demographics.

“Despite the severe global recession, compared to a decade ago, the world’s economy and population today are much larger, thus requiring more ships to move all sorts of commodities faster across continents,” he pointed out.

He also said a growing number of American, European, and Japanese sailors are fast approaching retirement age, and are being replaced wholesale by younger Filipinos.

"Western and Japanese sailors are also increasingly shunning jobs on board ships, preferring shipping desk or port-related jobs instead," he added.

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Unidentified Filipino Seaman Abducted in Nigeria according to DFA

Filipino Seaman Abducted in Nigeria - DFA

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:49:00 05/29/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A Filipino seaman was among those abducted in Nigeria on May 25, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

In his report to the home office, Philippine Ambassador to Nigeria Masaranga Umpa corrected a report his office had made in which the Filipino was mistakenly identified as an Indian national.

Umpa said the Filipino seaman, whose name is being withheld for privacy reasons, was among those abducted in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, along with four British nationals, three Americans, one South African, and one Nigerian.

At about 7 a.m. Saturday (Nigeria time), several boatloads of armed men attacked the offshore construction barge where the kidnap victims worked, said Umpa.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. is now in Nigeria, the DFA said.

Read the Full Article from the source

Filipino Seaman in AirFrance crash

My deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Jugueta, identified as the Filipino on board the ill-fated Air France flight.


Filipino in crashed flight identified
Philippine Daily Inquirer news

MANILA, Philippines— (UPDATE 2) The Filipino who was among the 228 passengers of Air France Flight 447 which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean has been identified, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday afternoon.

Quoting the Philippine embassy in Paris, which was notified by the French foreign ministry, the DFA identified the Filipino fatality as Arden Jugueta, a seafarer whose vessel docked in Rio de Janeiro and who was to take a connecting flight from Paris to Manila.

In a statement, the DFA said the fatality’s ship manning company also confirmed that Jugueta was on board Air France Flight 447.

The Paris main offices of Air France and the local shipping agency have also communicated with the Filipino seafarer’s family.

DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo has extended the department’s deepest condolences to Miguela Jugueta, the wife of Mr. Jugueta, and his family.

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2 more Filipino seamen rescued in Nigeria

22 May 2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- Two more Filipino crew members of MV Spirit were rescued by Nigerian security officers on Thursday, foreign affairs undersecretary for migrant workers’ affairs Esteban B. Conejos, Jr. said.

In a statement, Conejos, who was in Nigeria Thursday, said the two Filipinos joined the nine other Filipino crew members of the vessel who were rescued earlier.

See full article.

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