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Psychiatric test for DHs urged to see if they can handle trauma

A Department of Foreign Affairs official is proposing a mandatory psychiatric test for domestic helpers to see if they can cope with the stress and trauma they may face at the workplace abroad.

ANCs On the Scene reported Friday that four Filipino domestic helpers were forced to seek jobs overseas hoping to find their luck.

However, they did not expect to fall prey to abuse in Jordan.

Inuutusan niya akong paliguan ko siya. Gusto niya hawakan ang ari ko. Sabi ko ayoko sir, ayoko sir, sabi ko sa kanya, said an OFW.

They said they almost lost their sanity in a foreign land.

May pagkakataon na maloloko ka na kasi minsan, kinakausap mo na ang pader na nililinis mo. Sinasabi mo sana mabutas ito para makalabas ka, said another OFW.

According to the DFA, domestic helpers face a number of risks and dangers abroad such as physical abuse.

These often leave the OFW traumatized, and the experience may force them to commit crimes like killing their own employers.

To help prevent this from happening, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Esteban Conejos Jr. said a mandatory psychiatric test in domestic workers should be implemented before they are deployed overseas.

Domestic workers should be assessed if they are able to respond, be able to take this type of stress, Conejos said.

The non-government organization, Center for Migrant Advocacy , however, opposes this.

Bakit hindi mo ayusin yung conditions na yan so that yung mga Filipina will not undergo yung mga ganyang working and living conditions? said CMAs Rodora Abanyo said. Bakit ang nasisisi ang mga domestic helper? Ang sisihin ang kondisyon nila sa ibang bansa.

The CMA said a psychiatric test would be useless if domestic helpers are molested or abused by their employers.

But Conejos believes that a psychiatric test would help determine if a worker is prepared to face these harsh conditions overseas. -- report from APPLES JALANDONI, ABS-CBN News

China launches probe into milk powder after baby dies

BEIJING - Chinese authorities announced a nationwide probe Friday into a milk powder suspected of killing one baby and sickening dozens of others, in the latest safety scandal to rock China's food chain. China's health ministry also ordered all its departments nationwide to immediately report every baby with kidney stones and having problems urinating, symptoms of drinking the tainted milk formula. One baby has died in northwest China and dozens of others have been hospitalized across the country after developing kidney stones, the ministry said on its website as it announced a national probe. A joint inter-ministerial team has been set up to investigate responsibility and strictly handle those responsible, the ministry said of the team composed of police, health, commercial and drug agencies. Guidelines on how to treat infants suffering from the tainted formula were also issued by the ministry. The ministry late on Thursday ordered parents not to feed their babies the Sanlu milk powder, but it did not ban the milk product from being sold. The company has acknowledged that some of its milk powder was contaminated by the chemical tripolycyanamide, which can cause kidney stones, the ministry said. According to the ministry, the company has ordered the recall of 700 tons of the baby milk powder produced before August 6, after internal company investigations showed the formula had been contaminated. The Sanlu Group is a leading state-owned dairy company based in northern China's Hebei province that had plans to list on the Shanghai stock exchange this year. The public relations office at the company did not answer phone calls on Friday, while no notices about a recall or apologies were posted on its website concerning the tainted milk powder. China has in recent years endured a series of high-profile safety scandals over its food and other products sold overseas as well as domestically.

Chinese exports of fish, dumplings and pet food have raised serious concerns in the United States, Japan and elsewhere, leading to recalls of various products in those countries.

Survey: Lack of skilled labor hampers growth

Filipino companies still consider the availability of a skilled work force as the top hindrance for their expansion plans, according to the survey of global accounting and consultancy firm Grant Thornton International Ltd.

In the Grant Thornton International Business Report , 58 percent of local business leaders said the growth of their business is worst affected by the lack of a skilled work force, making it the biggest challenge for Filipino firms for the second-straight year.

The result is higher than last year, when only 43 percent of the Filipino respondents indicated the availability of a skilled work force as their primary reason for thinking twice in expanding their operations.

The IBR, the results of which were released by Grant Thornton local partner Punongbayan & Araullo , surveyed 7,800 respondents from 34 participating countries.

The IBR is an annual survey of the attitudes and expectations of medium-sized businesses globally.

Greg Navarro, P&A managing partner and CEO, said globally, the figure for this constraint increased from 34 percent last year to 37 percent this year.

This is a global worry, no doubt about it, but we are in a more dire situation seeing as how we now belong to the top three countries whose business growth is limited most by this human- resource problem, Navarro said.

The Philippines shares the third spot with Australia, while Thailand and New Zealand occupy first and second place, respectively, in identifying the availability of a skilled work force as their top concern.

Navarro noted that since last year, several companies have been pointing out the shortage in skills in different industries, including IT-enabled services.

Recently, a large Korean investor and many Middle Eastern contractors have also expressed concern about the lack of qualified welders and other skilled technicians. The business community has been experiencing the gradual and continuous deterioration of the quality of graduates in the past decade or so, and has organized itself to help the education sector improve the standard of education in the country, he said.

Besides the availability of skilled work force, the other major constraints to the business growth of local firms are cost of finance, shortage of long-term finance, shortage of working capital, shortage of orders/reduced demand and regulations/red tape.

Navarro said the shortage of orders/reduced demand registered the biggest jump to 46 percent from only 17 percent last year.

Regulations/red tape, however, remained as the second major roadblock for local business expansion at 49 percent, up from only 26 percent in 2007.

Besides being a major constraint to business, regulations/red tape also influences the flow of foreign investments into the country. So we have to take a serious look at how we can reduce bureaucracy and cut the costs of doing business in the Philippines if we want to catch up with our Asian neighbors, Navarro said.

Atlas copper unit starts mining operations

Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. said Friday its copper subsidiary, Carmen Copper Corp., has started mining operations in Toledo City, Cebu.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange, the parent firm said Carmen already began stockpiling ore near the primary crusher it earlier commissioned.

"The rest of the mill will be commissioned over the next few weeks," it said.

Atlas likewise announced that it has been granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement, covering an area of roughly 648 hectares in Toledo City that forms part of Carmen's contract area.

Carmen had planned to boost copper production this year, with the rehabilitation of its Toledo mine nearly complete.

However, it said it needs more funds to fully rehabilitate the mine by 2009.

Atlas has so far raised $140 million in capital for unit Carmen, of which $100 million came from Deutsche Bank and $40 million from a Singapore-based financing firm, Crescent Asian Special Opportunities Portfolio.

Atlas, in a separate note on Friday, said it has again agreed over a bridge loan facility of $20 million with a global capital fund.

The bridge loan is intended to be transformed into a convertible loan, the terms of which shall provide for a conversion price of P12.60 per share.

"The terms and conditions of the agreements pertaining to the financing facility are being finalized and shall be subject to the approval and confirmation of the board of directors," Atlas said.

Carmen's copper operation in Toledo City was the biggest in Asia from 1955 until 1994, when it was suspended.

Confessional screens at Indiesine this August

The award-winning Cinema One Originals digital film "Confessional" will have its special one-week theatrical run at the Indiesine of the Robinsons Galleria starting August 13, 2008.

"Confessionals" theatrical run this August is a follow up to its recent triumph when it won the Best Film in the First Features Section of the 10th Osian Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema in New Delhi, India last Saturday July 19, 2008.

First Features Section jury head, Roger Garcia with his co-jurors, film-maker Nagesh Kuknoor and Sri-Lankan film-maker and journalist Vimukti Jayasundara were impressed by the film.

ā€œThat the film impressed these foreign critics was unexpected,ā€ said Ronald Arguelles, "Confessionals" executive producer and Cinema One Originals project head.

The award also caught its director Jerrold Tarog by surprise.

ā€œWe didnt think the films culture-specific themes would resonate with from other countries but from the wonderful comments we received after the screeningm we knew it really connected with the viewers. Its a great feeling.ā€

"Confessional" initially got its string of triumphs when it won Best Picture, Best Director , Best Screenplay , Best Editing , Best Sound and Best Supporting Actor for Publio Briones III at the November 2007 Cinema One Originals Awards Night held at the Renaissance Hotel Makati.

This year it won Digital Film of the year, Digital Movie Director of the Year for its tandem directors Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Antipuesto, Digital Movie Sound Engineer also for Jerrold Tarog at the 24th PMPC Star Awards for Movies held last June 27 at the Ateneo de Manila University.

It follows fledging documentarian Ryan, who stumbles upon an unexpected subject who will make a stunning mark in his documentary; an ex-politician who confesses his crimes before Ryans camera.

What follows is a string of unearthed secrets and sweet lies. Thus explains the catchphrase of the movie equation-style: ā€œLies + Lies = Truth.ā€

Directors Tarog and Antipuesto both extend their gratitude to Cinema Ones Channel Head Ronald Arguelles for their movies triumphs.

Arguelles said the recognition of Cinema One Originals digital film locally and abroad made the channels annual digital movie project and festival a potent venue for young blood of new Filipino cinema.

"Confessional" is a 2007 production of Cinema One Originals annual movie project. The project and the channel are owned by Creative Programs, Inc.