News Roundup 26 December 2019
Dec 26, 2019 • 2 min Read
Slow march of grim data after Ursula: 3 confirmed dead in Eastern Visayas | INQUIRER.NET – TACLOBAN CITY–At least three persons were confirmed dead following Typhoon Ursula’s onslaught in Eastern Visayas, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). The two were identified as Charles Pongos, 38 and a police officer from Malitbog town, Southern Leyte and Arwin Jomoc,13, from Baybay City in Leyte. The third casualty, Reymark Cañete,27, was pinned down by a fallen tree in Cabugcayan town, Biliran province. Reports on the full extent of the destruction are coming in trickles as communication lines and power were cut off in parts of Eastern Visayas.
US State Department has process to follow in ban on De Lima’s jailers — Panelo | PHILSTAR.COM – There is a process for the US State Department to determine who is covered by a provision in the US budget for 2020 that bars people behind the “wrongful” detention of Sen. Leila de Lima from entering the United States, the Palace said Thursday. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the US State Department will only act when it has “credible information” that a person was involved in De Lima’s continued detention, adding that US Ambassador Sung Kim agreed with him.
Bleak prospects for OFWs in 2020, says recruitment expert | Manila Bulletin – For a recruitment consultant, the prospects for larger overseas Filipino worker deployment in 2020 do not seem to be “optimistic,” citing the continuing downtrend of deployment for OFWs. In a statement, Emmanuel Geslani said this downtrend started in 2017 when deployment dropped to 1,992,746 compared to the 2,112,331 OFWs deployed in 2016, the highest number deployed since 1975. Geslani said data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Planning branch also showed that deployment further went down to 1,363,085 in 2018. “There are no available figures for 2019 to show this decline, which leaves us to ponder on what was actual deployment for 2019.” He added deployment may further decline in 2020. “If economic developments in major markets for OFWs in 2019 are to be studied then there is basis to declare that 2020 deployment will not increase any further due to the flat economies of major oil markets like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.”
Former actress nabbed for drugs | The Manila Times – A FORMER actress who appeared in the movies in the 90s was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Pasay City on Christmas day. Operatives arrested Jennifer Kiilsgaard, 45, and Norman Viña, 49 at Eusebio St., Brgy. 42 Zone 6, Pasay City at 9:50 p.m. Kiilsgaard, who was also known as Jenny Roa, had been under surveillance for a week. Pasay City police chief Col. Bernard Yang said it is likely that Kiilsgaard had been selling drugs for years.
