Latest news with #Philippine
Yemen Online
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Philippines Seeks Release of Nine Sailors Detained by Houthis in Yemen
Aden – The Philippine government is actively working to secure the release of nine Filipino crew members detained by Houthi rebels in Yemen after a maritime attack earlier this month in the Red Sea. The incident occurred when the cargo vessel Eternity C came under assault and ultimately sank. In a video released by Houthi media, the sailors were shown being rescued from the water. Officials in Manila confirmed the crew is alive, although concerns remain about their well-being and the conditions of their detention. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo stated that the Philippines will not engage directly with Houthi authorities, opting instead to seek assistance from friendly nations in the region to mediate the sailors' release. The Department of Migrant Workers is also coordinating closely with the families of the detained to ensure their safe repatriation. One sailor reportedly sustained injuries during the rescue operation, though details about the remaining crew remain limited. This episode marks another troubling case involving Filipino mariners, who make up nearly 30% of the global shipping workforce. The Houthis previously held Filipino crew members of the Galaxy Leader for over a year before releasing them in January 2025. International maritime organizations have expressed alarm over rising attacks in the Red Sea, urging greater protective measures for commercial shipping lanes and crew safety.
Kuwait Times
6 hours ago
- Health
- Kuwait Times
‘Food on table' outweighs health risks for Philippine e-waste dismantlers
MANILA, Philippines: Dexter Barsigan has spent the past 13 years making a living with his bare hands and a pair of pliers, stripping scrapped laptops and air conditioners for metal he can sell to junk shops in the Philippines. But since his hands began aching and his vision started to blur three years ago, there have been days he can only watch his wife and nephew do the job for him. The 47-year-old father of three is a 'mambabaklas', the Filipino word for informal dismantlers who scavenge electronic waste for the nickel, aluminum and copper inside. 'Dismantling helps us put food on the table. It provides the money to send my kids to school,' Barsigan told AFP while sitting along a kilometer-long stretch of Onyx Street, home to hundreds of fellow 'e-waste' dismantlers. Their work frequently involves burning away rubber wire casings, releasing a toxic brew of chemicals including lead, mercury and cadmium into the air. Both the Philippine government and the Basel Convention, a global waste management treaty signed by 191 countries, consider e-waste hazardous. 'It poses serious threats to human health and the environment,' said Irvin Cadavona, a hazardous waste management officer with the environment department, citing health risks ranging from cancer and neurological diseases to respiratory illnesses and birth defects. The World Health Organization said last year exposure to e-waste chemicals can lead to incidents of asthma and reduced lung function in children, while pregnant women are at higher risk for stillbirths and premature delivery. 'It's very hard to recycle these (chemicals). When you dismantle (e-waste), you must intricately break it down. It can be very hazardous,' Gelo Apostol, an environmental health specialist from Ateneo de Manila University, told AFP. Exposure to the substances can lead to anemia, kidney and thyroid diseases, and nerve damage, he said. The Philippines is among the top e-waste generators in Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations' Global E-waste Monitor, accounting for 540 million kilograms (about 600,000 tons) in 2022. Dismantlers who work at the country's accredited facilities are required to follow stringent guidelines. But their informal counterparts lack the training, regulations and protective equipment needed to properly protect themselves. 'I strongly believe that some Filipinos are getting sick because of the exposure to e-waste,' Cadavona said. Barsigan, who doesn't wear a mask while working, prefers dismantling computer circuit boards with aluminum and copper because they fetch as much as P470 ($8) per kilogram. But circuit boards have especially high concentrations of toxic metals that can cause nerve damage when breathed in, Apostol said. While illegal, Onyx Street's e-waste dismantlers also routinely burn wires to extract copper, which is faster than peeling them by hand. Rosana Milan, physician-in-charge at Manila's Pedro Gil Health Center, said her clinic has diagnosed half of the 12,000 people living along the street with respiratory issues, most of them children. – AFP
Filipino Times
8 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Houthi Rebels Holding 9 Filipino Crew from MV Eternity C — DMW Confirms
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed on Tuesday, July 21, that nine Filipino seafarers remain in the custody of Yemen's Houthi rebels following the Red Sea attack on the bulk carrier MV Eternity C earlier this month. The confirmation came after the Houthi group released a video on Monday showing what they claimed were rescued crew members from the ill-fated vessel. DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said they already had knowledge of the situation prior to the video's release, but were awaiting identity confirmation from the families involved. 'This confirms what we have already known, pending family verification,' Cacdac said in a press briefing. He emphasized that the Philippine government, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), is currently seeking help from allied nations to secure the release of the detained Filipinos. Out of the 22 crew aboard the Eternity C, 21 were Filipinos. According to the DMW, eight have already been repatriated, three were confirmed dead, and one remains missing. 'The remaining nine seafarers are confirmed to be in Houthi custody,' Cacdac stated, adding that the government is providing ongoing support to the affected families, including regular updates and psychosocial assistance.
Gulf Insider
8 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Kuwaiti Couple Sentenced To Death For Fatal Abuse Of Domestic Worker
A Kuwaiti criminal court has sentenced a husband and wife to death by hanging for the fatal beating of their domestic worker. The verdict, issued Monday by the Criminal Court under the chairmanship of Judge Abdulwahab Al Muaili, found the couple guilty of unlawful detention, repeated assault with a stick, denial of medical care, and forced labor, acts that ultimately led to the worker's death. According to court documents, the victim, whose nationality was not revealed, was held against her will inside the couple's home, where she endured persistent beatings and was prevented from seeking treatment despite her visibly deteriorating health. Prosecutors said the couple forced her to continue working under duress until she succumbed to her injuries. The court convicted them of assault leading to death, a charge that carries capital punishment in Kuwait. The Public Prosecution had earlier ordered the couple's pre-trial detention for 21 days on suspicion of murder. Following formal charges of premeditated murder, the prosecution called for the maximum penalty, stating that the defendants 'intentionally and repeatedly beat the maid, ultimately causing her death.' This latest case comes against the backdrop of heightened concern over the treatment of migrant domestic workers in Kuwait, concerns that reached a boiling point earlier in 2023 following a separate, highly publicized case involving the rape, murder, and burning of a Filipina worker by a teenage Kuwaiti boy. On January 22, 2023, authorities discovered the burned body of the woman in Salmiya. Forensic investigations revealed that she had been raped, murdered, and set on fire in an attempt to hide the crime. The suspect was a teenage Kuwaiti national, and the victim had reportedly worked in his household. The brutal killing led the Philippine government to impose a temporary ban on sending domestic workers to Kuwait, citing systemic abuse and lack of adequate protection for Filipino laborers.
Malay Mail
12 hours ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
'Food on table' outweighs health risks for Philippine e-waste dismantlers
MANILA, July 29 — Dexter Barsigan has spent the past 13 years making a living with his bare hands and a pair of pliers, stripping scrapped laptops and air conditioners for metal he can sell to junk shops in the Philippines. But since his hands began aching and his vision started to blur three years ago, there have been days he can only watch his wife and nephew do the job for him. The 47-year-old father of three is a 'mambabaklas', the Filipino word for informal dismantlers who scavenge electronic waste for the nickel, aluminum and copper inside. 'Dismantling helps us put food on the table. It provides the money to send my kids to school,' Barsigan told AFP while sitting along a kilometre-long stretch of Onyx Street, home to hundreds of fellow 'e-waste' dismantlers. Their work frequently involves burning away rubber wire casings, releasing a toxic brew of chemicals including lead, mercury and cadmium into the air. Both the Philippine government and the Basel Convention, a global waste management treaty signed by 191 countries, consider e-waste hazardous. 'It poses serious threats to human health and the environment,' said Irvin Cadavona, a hazardous waste management officer with the environment department, citing health risks ranging from cancer and neurological diseases to respiratory illnesses and birth defects. The World Health Organization said last year exposure to e-waste chemicals can lead to incidents of asthma and reduced lung function in children, while pregnant women are at higher risk for stillbirths and premature delivery. 'It's very hard to recycle these (chemicals). When you dismantle (e-waste), you must intricately break it down. It can be very hazardous,' Gelo Apostol, an environmental health specialist from Ateneo de Manila University, told AFP. Exposure to the substances can lead to anemia, kidney and thyroid diseases, and nerve damage, he said. The Philippines is among the top e-waste generators in Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations' Global E-waste Monitor, accounting for 540 million kilograms (about 600,000 tons) in 2022. Dismantlers who work at the country's accredited facilities are required to follow stringent guidelines. But their informal counterparts lack the training, regulations and protective equipment needed to properly protect themselves. 'I strongly believe that some Filipinos are getting sick because of the exposure to e-waste,' Cadavona said. Burning rubber Barsigan, who doesn't wear a mask while working, prefers dismantling computer circuit boards with aluminum and copper because they fetch as much as P470 (RM34.7) per kilogram. But circuit boards have especially high concentrations of toxic metals that can cause nerve damage when breathed in, Apostol said. While illegal, Onyx Street's e-waste dismantlers also routinely burn wires to extract copper, which is faster than peeling them by hand. Rosana Milan, physician-in-charge at Manila's Pedro Gil Health Center, said her clinic has diagnosed half of the 12,000 people living along the street with respiratory issues, most of them children. 'It's very risky for the babies, the toddlers and even the school children... they're sitting beside their father while the father is... burning the rubber,' Milan told AFP. 'Mostly they have pneumonia, upper and lower respiratory illness, even if they have vaccines.' Dismantler Sammy Oligar said his one-year-old grandchild had been diagnosed with pneumonia that a doctor attributed to pollution caused by the burning. 'The smoke would enter from our window and the child would inhale it,' Oligar told AFP, adding that many of his neighbors were dealing with lung illnesses. 'What are we waiting for?' Medecins du Monde (MdM), a French humanitarian organisation providing gloves, masks and safety orientations for the dismantlers of Onyx Street, is calling for the recognition of informal e-waste workers. 'Health is clearly not their first priority. Their priority is to have food on the table,' Eva Lecat, general coordinator of MdM, told AFP. 'If (their work) was legal and recognised and regulated, there would be ways to protect people and communities.' Cadavona, the waste management officer, said the informal nature of the picker-junkshop relationship made it 'very hard' to establish formal recognition for the community. Apostol, the faculty researcher, said an 'evidence gap' created by the lack of studies specific to dismantlers might be contributing to a lack of urgency. 'But remember, many of the chemicals found in e-waste already have extensive studies on their health effects,' Apostol said. 'What are we waiting for? To have nationwide data of people who died from e-waste before we take action?' Worried he will be unable to afford treatment, Barsigan told AFP he has avoided doctors, instead putting ointment on his hands and taking a cheap, over-the-counter pain reliever. Once his hands feel a little better, he said, he will put them back to work. 'If I stop dismantling, it's as if I have also given up the hope of a better life for my children.' — AFP
