More than 600 Pinoys out of Sudan

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Department of Foreign Affairs

(DFA) on Monday said at least 616 Filipinos have been evacuated out of Khartoum, Sudan, while more will be repatriated to the Philippines in the next few days.

DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes revealed that of the 616 Filipinos who left Khartoum, 414 were already in Egypt, while others were either at the Sudan-Egypt border or at Port Sudan bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. According to the official, around 750 Filipinos in Sudan – most of whom are undocumented – have pleaded for help from the Philippine government amid the ongoing clashes there between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group. The first batch of repatriates from Sudan consisting of 17 Filipinos arrived in Manila on Saturday.

“Tonight there are 15 Filipinos who will be repatriated. In the next few days, there’s something like 60. Our compatriots are coming back to the Philippines little by little,” Cortes said, in an interview with radio DzBB.

The DFA earlier said that despite the conflict in Sudan, there are still less

Companies is still conducting search and rescue operations as of press time.

SENATOR Win Gatchalian urged the private sector to provide more employment opportunities for senior high school graduates of the TechnicalVocational-Livelihood (TVL) track.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) meanwhile said it is closely monitoring the developments of the ongoing search and rescue operations.

Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco met with Department of National Defense acting secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief general Andres Centino to discuss ongoing search and rescue efforts on the capsized yacht.

Frasco instructed the DOT Dive Committee, including the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), to extend all assistance possible to the survivors of the capsized liveaboard M/Y Dream Keeper, which was reported to be ferrying a team of 15 crew, and 17 passengers, 5 of whom are dive masters, when the yacht capsized. The DOT said it also remains in constant coordination with the Philippine Navy, the PCG, and private entities involved in the incident.

A TOTAL of 11,013 nursing graduates from the Philippines took the US licensure examination for the first time from January to March this year, a House official said on Monday.

“In the January to March quarter, we saw the highest number of Philippine-educated nurses taking the NCLEX for the first time, without counting repeaters,” Rillo said, citing newly released figures from the U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (USNCSBN),” Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, House committee on higher and technical education vice chairperson, said.

The 11,013 represents a surge of 200 percent when compared to the 3,714 Filipino nursing graduates that took the NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination, for the first time in the same three-month period in 2022, according to Rillo.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in March ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to come up with interventions to address the looming shortage of nurses due to overseas migration. Maricel V. Cruz

The Senate Committee on Basic Education chaired by Gatchalian conducted a hearing on Senate Bill No. 2022, or the “Batang Magaling Act,” which seeks to address the mismatch between the skills of K to 12 graduates and the demands of the labor market.

During the hearing, Gatchalian asked the opinion of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) on whether membercompanies hire senior high graduates of the TVL track.

The senator emphasized that senior high graduates underwent training for specific vocational jobs and the work immersion program that provided graduates the opportunity to become familiar with the workplace and to apply their competencies in various work environments.

ECOP Legal Services Manager Robert Maronilla said employers continue to prefer employing college graduates over SHS graduates which is the usual case except when SHS graduates have secured a certification of a specialization.

Maronilla also suggested SHS students taking the TVL track should be more focused on “hard-tofill-in” jobs, such as those in the agriculture and automotive sectors. Macon Ramos-Araneta than a hundred Filipinos who decided to stay there because of their families and other work commitments.

In a television interview, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega urged Filipinos who remain in Sudan to also consider being repatriated.

“I think we can say that everybody who wanted to leave Khartoum, has left Khartoum. Eventually, there may be more that may be coming in the next few days,” he said on ANC.

De Vega said that the DFA has already spent about $1 million to sustain its relief and repatriation efforts for the affected Filipinos.

‘TULONG

PANGKABUHAYAN.’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. hand a certificate of eligibility to Arnold Cabrera, one of the 75 persons deprived of liberty who is a beneficiary of the government’s “Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Worker Program.” Joseph Muego

COA

THE Commission on Audit (COA) has moved toward digital transformation of its audit approaches, techniques and processes during the next seven years under the term of its chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba. Cordoba’s ten-point agenda audit came out during a planning conference conducted by the Commission recently upon the initiative of around 140 senior COA officials led by the COA chairperson and Commissioners Roland Pondoc and Mario Lipana.

“These strategic thrusts focus on developing an easy to implement and technology driven government accounting system compliant with international standards; introducing e-audit as the manner of conducting audit through digitizing government transactions including collections in partnership with all government agencies; and leveraging technology to improve audit techniques and procedures including the development of an automated audit system for e-collections and e-payments and use of artificial intelligence to crunch big data to determine patterns and detect fraud,” Cordoba said in a statement. He said the strategic thrusts are in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to embrace digitalization and adopt technological innovations to make the country more competitive. Maricel V. Cruz

Senators hail P/Col. Marantan’s role in solving Degamo killing in Negros

POLICE Colonel Hansel M. Marantan has reassumed his post as Regional Chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for NCR, the CIDG national office said.

The bemedaled Marantan won praises from senators and local politicians for his handling of cases of violence, the latest of which was the March 4 massacre of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and 5 other people, Marantan was reinstated on orders of CIDG national chief Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. after the colonel testified at the April 19 Senate committee hearing in the presence of senators Ronald dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, and JV Ejercito.

At the committee hearing, the senators gave Marantan a pat on the back for having successfully enforced 13 search warrants on the home and land property of fugitive Rep. Arnulfo Teves.

The warrants led to the arrest of six suspects and the filing of murder cases against them, including Teves, the suspected mastermind of the Degamo killing. Dela Rosa, former national police chief, also praised Marantan for being brave enough to expose the true situation in Negros Oriental, and for defusing the tension in the province. Degamo’s widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo who also attended the hearing, made a glowing endorsement of Marantan.

Miss Universe PH bets kick off East Visayas tour with parade

By Maricel V. Cruz and Ronald Reyes

THIRTY-EIGHT candidates of the Miss Universe Philippines kicked off their five-day tour of Eastern Visayas this Monday with a Flores de Mayo motorcade in Tacloban City as part of the National Costume Competition (NatCos) leading up to coronation night on May 13 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

The NatCos contest is hosted by the Offices of Speaker Martin G. Romualdez and Tingog Party list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre, and the City Government of Tacloban, Department of Tourism Region VIII, the Provincial Government of Leyte, the Provincial Government of Samar and the beautiful people of Eastern Visayas.

“This competition, although a non-points bearing event, is the most anticipated portion by pageant enthusiasts. The MUPh will determine our next crowned queen who will represent our country on the world stage. We are all excited because the Miss Universe title has been held by many Filipino citizens,” Speaker Romualdez said.

At talaga namang pinapahanga natin ang buong mundo sa kagandahan at kagalingan ng mga Pilipina. When the Miss Universe competition is on, a majority of Filipinos watch it with pride, knowing we always have a chance of winning the title,” the House chief added. The Speaker, who represents the first district of Leyte, and Tingog Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez said they hope that the five-day tour of Eastern Visayas by candidates of the Miss Universe Philippines will help showcase the beautiful people of the region, as well as its tourist spots and vacation destinations.

“This is also an opportunity to show the country and the whole world the beauty and wonders that Eastern Visayas can offer. It has been 10 years since Yolanda leveled our region. Pero dahil sa pagsisikap at pagpupunyagi ng mga waraynons, nakabangon kami at nakausad pa mula sa trahedya ,” said Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, a former Binibining Pilipinas International 1996, of Tingog.