Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia
A Philippine delegation led by Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, second right, met with Saudi Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmed Al-Rajhi in Riyadh on May 24, 2023. (SPA)
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Updated 26 May 2023

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia
  • Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople says focus will be on tourism sector
  • Saudi Arabia plans to increase tourism industry employment to 1.6 million people by 2030

MANILA: The Philippines is discussing with Saudi Arabia a special hiring program for skilled Filipinos, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Friday, as it eyes particularly the booming tourism sector in the Kingdom.

More than 800,000 Philippine expats are already living and working in Saudi Arabia, which is their preferred destination in the Middle East.

Officials see even more employment opportunities in the Kingdom under its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan.

The Philippine government has been in talks with Saudi authorities and earlier this week, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople met Saudi Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmed Al-Rajhi in Riyadh.

“We discussed the possibility of the Philippines and Saudi Arabia having a special hiring program for skilled Filipino workers,” Ople told reporters during Friday’s press briefing.

She said the focus would be on the hospitality sector — an industry that is booming in the Kingdom as the government plans to triple tourism employment to 1.6 million people and triple its contribution to the gross domestic product to 10 percent by 2030.

“They are embarking on expansion plans…They are expecting a huge demand, (especially) for their tourism sector,” Ople said, adding that the Department of Migrant Workers would work closely with the Philippine Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to develop a special hiring program to “meet the demands and requests” of the Saudi government and employers.

The Saudi human resources minister is scheduled to soon visit Manila for broader talks on worker exchanges and amendments to bilateral labor agreements.

“A team from his office will be coming to Manila next month to arrange the details of his visit and other issues like (the) special hiring program,” Ople said.

Saudi Arabia has been trying to improve the professional competence of employees in its labor market and regulate the quality of employment under Vision 2030. In 2021, it launched the Skill Verification Program for foreign employees already working in the Kingdom and those seeking employment but still residing in their home countries.

The program’s practical and written tests verify if workers have the required skills to carry out the jobs they were recruited for. The tests’ outcomes determine whether they can apply for a Saudi work visa.

Bilateral agreements for the implementation of the program are already in place with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which also are major contributors to the Saudi workforce.


NATO chief to Erdogan: Sweden ‘has fulfilled obligations’ for membership

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Istanbul, Turkey, June 4, 2023.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Istanbul, Turkey, June 4, 2023.
Updated 04 June 2023

NATO chief to Erdogan: Sweden ‘has fulfilled obligations’ for membership

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Istanbul, Turkey, June 4, 2023.
  • “Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkiye’s concerns,” Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting Erdogan
  • Turkiye has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden to the military alliance

ISTANBUL: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance, saying Stockholm has addressed Turkiye’s security concerns.
“Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkiye’s concerns,” Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Sweden has fulfilled its obligations.”
Stoltenberg attended on Saturday the inauguration of Erdogan, who was re-elected to serve another five years, in a lavish ceremony joined by dozens of world leaders in the capital Ankara.
NATO member Turkiye has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden to the military alliance. It and Hungary are the only two member countries yet to ratify the membership bid.
Finland formally joined the alliance in April.
Erdogan has accused Sweden of being a haven for “terrorists,” especially members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group blacklisted by Turkiye and its Western allies.


Philippine immigration runs special arrangements for thousands of Hajj pilgrims

Philippine Charge d’affaires Rommel Romato hands out dates to arriving Filipino pilgrims in Madinah on June 3, 2023.
Philippine Charge d’affaires Rommel Romato hands out dates to arriving Filipino pilgrims in Madinah on June 3, 2023.
Updated 04 June 2023

Philippine immigration runs special arrangements for thousands of Hajj pilgrims

Philippine Charge d’affaires Rommel Romato hands out dates to arriving Filipino pilgrims in Madinah on June 3, 2023.
  • About 7,500 Filipino Muslims will perform Hajj this year
  • Hajj flights began on June 3 and will continue until June 16

MANILA: Philippine authorities made special arrangements to accommodate thousands of Filipino Muslims performing Hajj this year, the Bureau of Immigration said, as the country’s first batch of pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
About 7,500 Filipinos will perform the Hajj in 2023, according to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.
The first batch of almost 300 arrived in Madinah on Saturday on board a Philippines Airlines flight.
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration has made special arrangements to accommodate Filipino Hajj pilgrims, it said in a statement, to “improve their overall experience during the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage and thereafter.”
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said: “Our primary goal is to make the journey as seamless as possible and allow (them) to focus on their spiritual endeavors without the unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
“This is our way of extending support and courtesy to our Muslim brothers who are embarking on this pilgrimage which is considered as one of Islam’s most sacred and important religious events.”
In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Muslims constitute roughly 5 percent of the country’s population of 110 million. Most live on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south, as well as in the central-western province of Palawan.
Tansingco said the special measures include dedicated lanes in various airports across the Philippines, designated specifically for the Hajj pilgrims to ensure speedy immigration process.
After the first Hajj flight on Saturday, remaining flights for Filipino pilgrims are scheduled until June 16, NCMF spokesperson Yusoph J. Mando said, adding that the commission “has been working tirelessly” to make this year’s Hajj operations successful.
“It is our hope in the commission that this shall be the beginning of a highly systematic Hajj operations for the Philippines,” Mando said in a statement shared with Arab News on Sunday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a special message delivered by his special assistant Anton Lagdameo during a send-off ceremony in Manila, said Filipino pilgrims “shall also act as our nation’s emissaries of peace and unity with other countries.
“May the tales of your journey inspire, and bridge gaps foster understanding and unity amidst our diversity, and promote a more peaceful and harmonious society,” he said.


First Sri Lankan pilgrims depart for Hajj with hopes, prayers for crisis-hit nation

First Sri Lankan pilgrims depart for Hajj with hopes, prayers for crisis-hit nation
Updated 04 June 2023

First Sri Lankan pilgrims depart for Hajj with hopes, prayers for crisis-hit nation

First Sri Lankan pilgrims depart for Hajj with hopes, prayers for crisis-hit nation
  • Sri Lanka is sending more than 3,500 people to this year’s pilgrimage
  • Island nation showing ‘tentative signs of improvement,’ IMF said on Friday

COLOMBO: More than 60 Sri Lankans departed for Hajj on Sunday, the first group of over 3,500 pilgrims expected to perform the spiritual journey in Saudi Arabia this year as the crisis-hit country shows signs of improvement.
As the Hajj returned in 2023 to pre-pandemic arrangements, Saudi Arabia initially approved the pilgrim quota of 3,500 for Sri Lanka and later added over a 100 more.
Sri Lanka fulfilled its entire quota this year after only about 960 pilgrims, or slightly more than the 2022 quota, were able to perform the Hajj last year.
“This year, 3,500 pilgrims from Sri Lanka are performing Hajj. They all hope and pray for Sri Lanka to recover from the current economic crisis, and for peace, harmony and unity among all communities in Sri Lanka,” Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, who oversees Hajj logistics at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.
“The religious belief has become strong among Sri Lankan Muslims. The gap of three years in performing Hajj has also made the desire of Sri Lankan Muslims to be firm and strong.”
Most of the pilgrims are younger than 50 and about 35 percent of them are women, Ansar said.
As there are no direct flights from Colombo to Jeddah, Sri Lankans will fly via Middle Eastern capitals with Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and Oman Air.
The first batch of Sri Lankan pilgrims, comprising more than 60 people, left Colombo on Sunday morning.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, who helped to negotiate Sri Lanka’s additional Hajj quota this year, said the past few years have been a “struggle” for Sri Lankans.
“It was a very tough affair for the Sri Lankans, but we are happy that things have returned to normal,” Sabry told Arab News.
“We are happy Sri Lankan Muslims are exercising their religious rights with a lot of pride and dignity in undertaking pilgrimage to holy cities. I wish them a meritorious journey.”
In 2022, Sri Lanka faced a political crisis as the country was gripped by the worst financial downturn since independence in 1948 and defaulted on foreign debt repayments. 
Though “economic recovery remains challenging,” the island nation is “showing tentative signs of improvement,” the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.
Sri Lanka’s inflation rate, which reached a record high of around 70 percent in September last year, eased to about 25 percent in May.  
“This year, we have regained our economy in a great way and our rupees have strengthened against the US dollar,” Rizmi Reyal, who heads the Sri Lanka Hajj Travel Operators Association, told Arab News.
“People have regained confidence in the country’s economy, and they are spending their savings on Hajj since they can feel they can earn their bucks easily because of the developing economy.”
In a send-off ceremony also attended by Sri Lankan officials early on Sunday, Saudi Ambassador to Colombo, Khalid bin Hamoud Al-Kahtani, “praised the level of coordination and cooperation” among Hajj authorities of the two countries, the Kingdom’s embassy in Sri Lanka said in a statement.
“The government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques attaches great importance to the pilgrims of the House of the Almighty Allah and all measures have been taken to ensure the comfort of the pilgrims in order to perform Hajj rituals with great ease,” the statement added.


Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister

Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister
Updated 04 June 2023

Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister

Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister
  • Deal has facilitated increase in returns to Balkan nation, Robert Jenrick tells Sky News
  • British PM has made tackling illegal migration a core aim of his administration

LONDON: UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has revealed that hundreds of Albanian migrants have been repatriated as part of a “gold-standard” deal with the government in Tirana. 

Jenrick, who initially suggested “thousands” had been removed, told Sky News that it was “early days” and that “spurious last-minute claims” were delaying deportations.

He said while “thousands of Albanian illegal migrants returned home and the numbers crossing from that country (are) significantly reducing,” only hundreds of people had left on flights as part of the deal with Albania.

He also admitted that a number of Albanian asylum-seekers remained in temporary accommodation or had “absconded.”

The UK government announced in April that “over 1,000” Albanians had been deported since December, including “failed asylum-seekers, foreign national offenders and voluntary returns.”

Around 16,000 Albanians claimed asylum in the UK in 2022, with Jenrick coming under fire for suggesting that they should be “excluded” from doing so as their country is safe.

The deal to “enhance cooperation” between the two countries was agreed between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during the latter’s visit to London in December last year.

The agreement focused on “security issues and home affairs (with the main focus on the fight against organized crime and illegal immigration),” as well as “economic growth and investment” and “innovation, youth and education,” with a plan to set up a “joint migration task force” to “manage illegal migration of Albanian citizens to the UK.”

Sunak has made tackling illegal immigration a core issue of his premiership. 

Jenrick said a second “landmark” deal with France had led to a “big increase in the number of interceptions” of boats carrying migrants across the English Channel, resulting in around 33,000 people being turned back.

Rama previously told Sky News that his meeting with Sunak had demonstrated “important signs of regret and embarrassment” from the UK government over rhetoric used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who referred to Albanian migration across the Channel as an “invasion,” and to migrants themselves as “criminals.”


Indian railways minister says signaling system error led to crash that killed over 300 people

Indian railways minister says signaling system error led to crash that killed over 300 people
Updated 04 June 2023

Indian railways minister says signaling system error led to crash that killed over 300 people

Indian railways minister says signaling system error led to crash that killed over 300 people
  • Authorities worked to clear mangled wreckage of the two passenger trains that derailed Friday night in Balasore

BALASORE, India: The train derailment in eastern India that killed more than 300 people and injured hundreds more was caused by an error in the electronic signaling system that led a train to wrongly change tracks, India’s railways minister said Sunday.
’’Who has done it and what is the reason will come out of an investigation,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said in an interview with New Delhi Television network.
The explanation came as authorities worked to clear the mangled wreckage of the two passenger trains that derailed Friday night in Balasore district of eastern Odisha state, in one of the country’s deadliest rail accidents in decades.
Preliminary investigations revealed that a signal was given to the high-speed Coromandel Express to enter the main track line, but the signal was later taken off, and the train instead entered an adjacent loop line where it rammed into a goods train. The collision flipped Coromandel Express’s coaches onto another track, causing the incoming Yesvantpur-Howrah Express from the opposite side to derail, triggering a three-train collision.
The passenger trains were carrying 2,296 people total.
Trains that carry goods are often parked on an adjacent loop line on the side so the main line is clear for a passing train.
Fifteen bodies were recovered on Saturday evening and efforts continued overnight as heavy cranes were used to remove an engine that had settled on top of a rail car. No bodies were found in the engine and the work was completed on Sunday morning, said Sudhanshu Sarangi, director-general of fire and emergency services in Odisha.
The accident occurred at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on the modernization of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion people. Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.
Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to try to save people who were trapped inside the rail cars.
Modi visited the crash site on Saturday to examine the relief effort and talk to rescue officials. He also visited a hospital where he asked doctors about the treatments being given to the injured, and spoke to some of the patients.
Modi told reporters he felt the pain of those who suffered in the accident. He said the government would do its utmost to help them and strictly punish anyone found responsible.
Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, said Amitabh Sharma, a Railroad Ministry spokesperson.
In 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India. In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.
Most train accidents in India are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.