Latest news with #Filipinas
Filipino Times
a day ago
- Filipino Times
BI warns vs. ‘mail-order bride' schemes after foiled trafficking attempt
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned the public against the 'mail-order bride' schemes following the interception of a Filipina at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who attempted to leave the country for an arranged marriage in China. In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said such schemes are resurfacing where suspects often deceive women with promises of a better life abroad. 'The mail-order bride trap is rising again—all promise[s] upfront, tricking women into fake marriages and exploiting them as domestic workers with little or no pay,' he added. A 24-year-old woman was stopped on July 15 by officers from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) as she attempted to board a Xiamen Airlines flight to Xiamen, China. She claimed she was traveling with her brother to meet her Chinese husband, whom she had recently married. However, her marriage certificate had a visibly altered date, and her marriage license was issued after the reported wedding, raising suspicions. The woman later admitted that both the marriage and the documents were fake. She told authorities that a recruiter had offered her ₱8,000 and promised her a better life if she agreed to an arranged marriage with a Chinese national. The BI said the woman and her companion were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) under the Department of Justice for further investigation and assistance. Earlier this year, BI intercepted two other Filipinas at NAIA who claimed they were going to China to meet their Chinese spouses. Upon investigation, officers discovered that both were married on the same date and time as two other victims. They later admitted their marriages were also fake and arranged by a third party.
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Gilas Pilipinas Women fall short in comeback vs. New Zealand to finish 6th in FIBA Asia Cup
Gilas Pilipinas Women crawled back from 16 points down, but collapsed late to absorb a 71-78 loss to world no. 26 New Zealand and close out their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign on Saturday in Shenzhen Sports Centre, China. The Filipinas turned it up in the second half by waxing hot from downtown before losing steam in the final minutes, no thanks to a pivotal 17-5 closing rampage from New Zealand. Gilas Women will finish sixth in the eight-team field to match their output from the previous edition. The loss also denied the Philippines its best finish since getting a Division A promotion in 2015. In three editions from 2017 to 2021, the Philippines wound up seventh in the Asia Cup before clinching a sixth-place finish in the 2023 edition held in Australia. Vanessa de Jesus was among the bright spots for Gilas after finishing with a team-high 16 points laced with four rebounds and four assists while Khate Castillo posted 14 markers on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Youngsters Naomi Panganiban and Sumayah Sugapong both chipped in 11 points while Jack Animam poured nine markers, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and four blocks. Despite the loss, it was still an impressive showing for the Filipinas against a higher-ranked New Zealand. After finding themselves once down by 16 at one point in the second quarter, 15-31, the gritty Filipinas turned to De Jesus, Castillo and Sugapong, all of whom connived to help Gilas cut the deficit to just four at halftime, 38-42. Kent Pastrana and Sugapong buried back-to-back triples as they forced a 53-all deadlock in the third before Animam and Castillo combined for three free throws to close out the frame ahead by three. Castillo continued to knock down three-pointers, nailing a pair from downtown to give the Philippines a 66-61 cushion. But Gilas just ran out of gas in the endgame with Emilia Shearer and Esra McGoldrick conspiring to power New Zealand's 17-5 closing rampage en route to the six-point victory. McGoldrick tallied 17 points together with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal while Shearer grabbed 16 markers, six boards, four dimes, and one block. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
New Paper
5 days ago
- New Paper
Two women jailed for using forged university certificates in work pass applications
Hoping to get employment passes so they could work in Singapore, two foreign women submitted false university certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). After they secured the passes, their ruse went undetected for 15 months as they continued working for CL Enterprise, a firm which operates multiple Mr Fix retail outlets carrying items such as kitchenware and appliances. On July 17, Torres Alyssa Riva Fernan and Conol Almira Joy Torres, both 29-year-old Filipinas, were jailed for four and six weeks respectively. Fernan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Torres admitted to one similar charge, with two other charges taken into consideration for sentencing. Asking the judge to impose a strong sentence, MOM prosecuting officer Teo Sijing said others were deprived of the jobs the two women had secured by deceiving the authorities. Some time in September 2020, Torres contacted an unidentified Philippine agent known as "Cory" to look for a new job after her previous employment at another Singapore firm ended. Cory informed Torres about a job as assistant sales manager with a monthly salary of $2,200. Torres was keen and went for the interview. After the interview, CL Enterprise submitted an application for an employment pass for Torres to work as its assistant sales manager. As part of the application process, Torres submitted a forged certificate indicating she had a bachelor's degree in science from Ateneo De Manila University, and signed a declaration form affirming it was true. She also stated that her monthly salary would be $5,800, although she knew this was false. She did so on Cory's instructions as she believed it was necessary for her employment pass application to succeed. Meanwhile, Fernan heard about Cory through a relative while she was still in the Philippines looking for a job. Cory required Fernan to pay her $4,500 before processing her job application. Fernan took a loan to pay Cory. Fernan then interviewed for the position of assistant operations manager at CL Enterprise and was hired. In her employment pass application, she similarly submitted a forged bachelor's degree in science certificate from De La Salle University in Manila, and signed a declaration form affirming that she had this qualification. Both Torres and Fernan worked at the company from November 2020 to February 2022. Their offences were discovered when MOM conducted a random inspection of CL Enterprise. Court documents did not give more details about the inspection. MOM's Mr Teo said educational qualifications and salaries are important considerations when determining whether to grant an employment pass application. Had the authorities known that the details submitted by the women were untrue, the pair would not have been granted the passes, said the prosecutor. "The sentence sought would impose a strong deterrent message to offenders who seek to exploit the work pass system by making false statements and creating backdoors to facilitate illegal employment," said Mr Teo.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The offences were discovered during an MOM inspection on the company they both worked at. SINGAPORE – Hoping to get employment passes so they could work in Singapore, two foreign women submitted false university certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). After they secured the passes, their ruse went undetected for 15 months as they continued working for CL Enterprise, a firm which operates multiple 'Mr Fix' retail outlets carrying items such as kitchenware and appliances. On July 17, Torres Alyssa Riva Fernan and Conol Almira Joy Torres, both 29-year-old Filipinas, were jailed for four and six weeks respectively. Fernan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Torres admitted to one similar charge, with two other charges taken into consideration for sentencing. Asking the judge to impose a strong sentence, MOM prosecuting officer Teo Sijing said others were deprived of the jobs the two women had secured by deceiving the authorities. Sometime in September 2020, Torres contacted an unidentified Filipino agent known as 'Cory' to look for a new job after her previous employment at another Singapore firm ended. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore Premium China carmaker Hongqi, known for Xi Jinping's limos, to launch in Singapore in 2026 Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them Cory informed Torres of a job as assistant sales manager with a monthly salary of $2,200. She agreed and went for the interview. After the interview, CL Enterprise submitted an application for an employment pass for Torres to work as its assistant sales manager. As part of the application process, Torres submitted a forged certificate indicating she had a Bachelor's Degree of Science from the university Ateneo De Manila, and signed a declaration form affirming it was true. She also stated her monthly salary would be $5,800, although she knew this was false. She did so on Cory's instructions as she believed it was necessary for her employment pass application to succeed. Meanwhile, Fernan heard of Cory through a relative while she was still in the Philippines looking for a job. Cory required Fernan to pay her $4,500 before processing her job application. Fernan took a loan to pay Cory. Fernan then interviewed for the position of assistant operations manager at CL Enterprise and was hired. In her employment pass application, she similarly submitted a forged Bachelor's Degree of Science from De La Salle University in Manila, and signed a declaration form affirming that she had this qualification. Both Torres and Fernan worked at the company from November 2020 to February 2022. Their offences were discovered when MOM conducted a random inspection on CL Enterprise. Court documents did not give more details about the inspection. MOM's Mr Teo said educational qualifications and salaries are important considerations when determining whether to grant an employment pass application. Had the authorities known the details submitted by the women were untrue, the pair would not have been granted the passes, said the prosecutor. 'The sentence sought would impose a strong deterrent message to offenders who seek to exploit the work pass system by making false statements and creating backdoors to facilitate illegal employment,' said Mr Teo.
GMA Network
6 days ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Gilas Pilipinas Women hold off Lebanon for first win in FIBA Asia Cup
Gilas Pilipinas squandered a double-digit lead, but showed poise in the endgame to gut out a 73-70 win against Lebanon in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup on Wednesday in China. The Filipinas thus barged into the win column of the continental tournament with a 1-2 card while Lebanon ended the group stage winless at 0-3. More importantly, the Philippines will remain in Division A while Lebanon will take on the last-seeded team in the other group in the battle for seventh place, where the loser will be relegated to Division B. The Philippines has also secured a spot in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments as it is already assured to finish within the top six of the ongoing Asia Cup. Jack Animam picked up where she left off, detonating for a huge double-double effort of 14 points and 16 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals while young gun Naomi Panganiban top-scored with 15 markers laced with four boards, three dimes, and one steal. Gilas started off hot with Animam completing a three-point play that brought the Filipinas to a 29-12 lead at the end of the opening frame, but Lebanon put on a huge second quarter barrage that sliced Gilas' lead to just four at the break, 41-37. Lebanon continued to lean on Jillian Archer and Rebcca Akl in the third as they regained a slim 57-55 cushion before heading to the crucial fourth period. Gilas then proved it is not a one-woman show with the likes of Sumayah Sugapong, Vanessa de Jesus, and Kacey Dela Rosa sparking a 6-0 run to open the payoff period. Animam scored back-to-back baskets before Dela Rosa completed a layup off an offensive rebound and assist from Panganiban, 67-62. Lebanon responded with two quick points, but Gilas turned to Dela Rosa and Sugapong anew as the two created a 71-66 separation in the final 1:50. Dela Rosa would foul out and Lebanon took advantage of it, sinking four straight free throws to trim their deficit to just a point with 29 ticks left to play, 71-70. Panganiban showed composure at the stripe, calmly knocking down the game-winning freebies as Gilas kept its title contention alive. Gilas will next take on the second-seeded team in Group A on Friday, where the winner will earn a semifinals berth. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
