PH Embassy Repatriates OFWs From Iraq

PH EMBASSY REPATRIATES BAGHDAD—The Philippine Embassy has repatriated the first batch of overseas Filipino workers who asked to be brought home after their families expressed fears for their safety due to the security situation in Iraq.

The Embassy said the first three of 19 Filipino employees of an upscale Baghdad restaurant were repatriated on Thursday and are scheduled to arrive in Manila on Saturday. The rest will be repatriated before the end of the month.

Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato said several other Filipinos working in other establishments in the Iraqi capital have also reached out to request the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs in their repatriation.

Cato said the workers, who are among the estimated 1,500 Filipinos in Iraq, had asked to be covered by the mandatory repatriation program being offered by the Philippine Government after they nearly became casualties in two suicide car bomb explosions in Baghdad two months ago.

“A number of our kababayans here in Baghdad approached the Embassy and said they want to go home because they no longer want to unnecessarily worry their families in the Philippines,” Cato said.

Most of those who asked to be repatriated are waiters of a prominent restaurant who were billeted at a hotel in Baghdad’s downtown Karrada District, where a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle on 5 May.

The vehicle exploded just five minutes after most of the Filipinos staying there and in an adjoining building have left for work. Several other Filipinos were inside the hotel when it was hit by the blast that killed four persons and wounded several others.

Later that month, another suicide bomb explosion hit two five-star hotels in Baghdad, including one that employed 21 Filipinos, killing six persons and wounding several more. A bomb that detonated near one of the two hotels a few weeks earlier also resulted in several casualties.

The attacks prompted the Embassy to reiterate its call for Filipinos in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq to seriously consider returning to the Philippines and offered to facilitate their repatriation. A total of 42 Filipinos have now been

Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad bids farewell to three Filipinos who were repatriated from Iraq on Thursday. The three are among several Filipinos who requested the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs in going home after their families in the Philippines expressed concern for their security and safety following a series of car bomb explosions in Baghdad. (Philippine Embassy Photo)

 

NAPABA Commends White House Plans to Reunite Filipino American WWII Veterans with Their Families

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the White House for announcing plans on Wednesday for a parole program that would allow Filipino American World War II veterans to be reunited with their families. This program was announced as part of a Visa Modernization Task Force report.

“NAPABA commends the Administration for improving our immigration system and for honoring the sacrifices many Filipino veterans have made for our country,” said George C. Chen, president of NAPABA. “This action has been long overdue as these World War II veterans have waited decades to be reunited with their families, including their children.”

During World War II, more than 260,000 Filipino soldiers fought for the United States and were promised citizenship and benefits in honor of their service. After finally being granted eligibility for citizenship decades after their wartime service, these veterans were able to petition for family members to immigrate to the United States. However, family visa backlogs have kept many of these families separated for more than 20 years.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.

NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

To learn more about repatriated under this program.

Manila placed most of Iraq under Alert Level 4 (Mandatory Repatriation) after the Islamic State captured the city of Mosul last year. Except for the Kurdistan region in the north, which is under Alert Level 2, most of Iraq remains under Alert Level 4 due to the volatile security environment in the country.

Last month, the Embassy issued an advisory urging Filipinos in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq to exercise extreme caution and to limit their movements following a series of bombings and other violent incidents in the past weeks.

Filipinos working in Iraq are also being urged to register with the Embassy so that they could easily be contacted in case of emergency. ###Sean Reyes is the 21st Attorney General for Utah and was first appointed in December of 2013. Reyes is Hispanic, Asian and Polynesian, and the first ethnic minority statewide elected official in Utah history. He has been lauded by legislators from both sides of aisle for his work ethic and legal acumen, and won praise from Utah Governor Gary Herbert and his cabinet for increased excellence and transparency in the Attorney General’s office.

 

CHICAGO RANKS AS A TOP METROPOLITAN AREA FOR EXPORTS

Chicago Area Goods Exports Increased 5.4 Percent to a Record High in 2014

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today released a report highlighting goods exports from U.S. metropolitan areas for 2014. The International Trade Administration’s 2014 Metropolitan Area Export Overview indicates that goods exports from the Chicago- Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wisc., metropolitan area reached a record $47.3 billion, ranking it as the No. 6 metro area last year. Chicago goods exports increased by $2.4 billion, or 5.4 percent, from 2013 to 2014, helping Chicago to remain a top metropolitan area for exports in 2014.

“More and more U.S. businesses understand that 96 percent of their potential customers live outside the United States, and that selling their world-class goods in the global marketplace is critical to their bottom line,” said Pritzker. “New high-standard trade agreements are one way the Obama Administration is working to help open more markets for U.S. companies. We remain focused on helping to increase the number of companies that take advantage of these exporting opportunities, creating jobs and strengthening both the local Chicago and national economy.”

U.S. metropolitan area goods exports exceeded $1.44 trillion in 2014, up $36 billion from 2013, and accounting for 89 percent of total U.S. goods exports last year. For the first time ever, 161 metropolitan areas tallied merchandise exports worth more than $1 billion in 2014.

“The vast majority of area exporters are small and medium-sized firms who are reaching new heights with their export success,” said Monica Toporkiewicz, Acting Director of the U.S. Commercial Service in Chicago. “We work with hundreds of business clients each year, and many firms soon discover their export potential is much greater than originally thought.”

Chicago Metropolitan Area Export Highlights for 2014:

· Achieved increased goods exports for a fifth consecutive year.

One of 139 metro areas to achieve record goods export levels.

Chicago sent 60 percent of its goods exports to markets where the United States has trade agreements.

Key merchandise export categories included computer and electronic products; chemicals; transportation equipment; machinery; and petroleum and coal products.

Canada, Mexico, China, Germany, and Japan were leading destinations for Chicago’s goods exports.

Increasing U.S. exports is a top priority for the Obama administration. The Commerce Department and the Administration are working to keep businesses competitive, the economy growing and global economic leadership intact by pushing for 21st century trade agreements such as the Trans- Pacific Partnership. Current and potential free trade agreement (FTA) partners account for a large share of exports for many metropolitan areas.

For more information on exporting, contact the U.S. Commercial Service Export Assistance Center in Chicago at (312) 353-8059 or visit http://www.export.gov/illinois/.

For more information on the impact of Metropolitan Statistical Areas on U.S. exports, including fact sheets for the top 50 exporting MSAs in 2014, visit http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/metrorepo rt/index.asp.