China Closed to Foreign Domestic Helpers The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration reiterates its warning to applicants for overseas employment to be cautious of recruiters who promise jobs in China especially for domestic helpers and teachers.      Administrator Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said employment of domestic helpers, including nannies and caregivers, is closed to foreigners. Baldoz said her office received reports that several Filipinos went to China to work as domestic helpers as promised by their recruiters, which in reality is not allowed by the Chinese government.      Baldoz said most of the victims carried Chinese business “F” visas, whose holders cannot use to work in China. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Public Security Bureau, China has not relaxed its immigration policy with regard to unskilled labor, which includes domestic helpers. Employment of domestic helpers is limited only to Chinese nationals.      Baldoz also warned teachers regarding dubious employment opportunities in China supposedly for English language teaching positions especially those found in the internet. Some Filipino teachers were able to work in China but most of them were eventually deported because they were not given work visas by the Chinese government. (POEA) Dummy Airline Tickets The Philippine Embassy in Singapore reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that twelve Filipinos have been jailed due to the Singaporean Government’s crack down on foreigners who present fake or dummy return airline tickets to its immigration authorities.      Possession of a roundtrip ticket is a requirement for Filipino tourists who travel abroad, and scrutinized at the port of exit in the Philippines and port of entry of the destination country.      Deception of immigration officials and presenting fake e-tickets is illegal and a serious offense in Singapore, as well as in the Philippines. Offenders face a minimum two-year ban to enter Singapore.      In the last two months, fifteen Filipinos drew jail terms ranging from three to ten months each. These include job seekers, pub girls who tried to extend their stay in Singapore, and a Filipino information technology professional who manufactures fake electronic tickets for Filipinos.      Philippine Ambassador Belen Anota warned Filipinos not to use fraudulent tickets issued by travel agencies in the Philippines, and procure instead open-dated return tickets if unsure of a return date.      In a recent meeting with the leaders of the Filipino expatriate community in Singapore, the Philippines’ top envoy asked for support to inform travelers to the city-state to heed the warning and ensure that they have valid roundtrip tickets.      The lady Ambassador also warned travel agencies that produce fake airline tickets risk facing charges and affect their business.      To curb the rampant use of fake return tickets, the Embassy has proposed the following measures to be utilized in the Philippines: 1) To strictly impose disciplinary measures against travel agencies that issue fake electronic tickets as they are a party to deceiving the ticket holders, the airline’s check-in personnel, and immigration officials at the airport; 2) An information campaign at the local government level and among travel agencies in the Philippines on the dangers and disadvantages of using dummy tickets targeting job seekers who masquerade as tourists.; and 3) To aggressively implement laws against illegal recruiters, and to conduct a more intensive information campaign in the localities where trafficking victims are recruited. (DFA) All-Filipino Crew To Man Hellespont Tankers Two newly-commissioned tankers owned by a European shipping company will be manned by an all-Filipino crew, consistent with a policy adopted by the company since 2004.      Hellespont, a European shipping company with offices in Germany and Greece and a manning agency in Manila, has been hiring all-Filipino crews for its tanker fleet since 2004, making Filipino seafarers stand out from their peers in the industry.      In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Cataumber Brady lauded the decision of Hellespont to hire only Filipinos to man its vessels.      “We are not only very proud of their skills at sea but also of their vital contribution to the global economy at large, as without seafarers there would be no shipping industry,” Ambassador Brady said at the christening ceremony of Hellespont’s new tankers, “Hellespont Protector” and “Hellespont Providence”.      “The Philippines is the biggest seafaring nation in the world. With about 245,000 active seafarers the Philippines represents over 22% of the world’s seafarers. Our mariners add US$2 billion to our economy per year and are an important factor to the development of our nation.”      Aside from top executives from Hellespont, the christening ceremonies were also attended by officials from the Mexican and Greek embassies in Beijing, Seatramp Tankers, Inc., HCI Capital and Sanko. Showing its confidence on Filipino skills and manpower, Hellespont also imported Filipino workers based in Dubai to help in the construction of the two vessels in China.      Hellespont currently employs around 600 Filipino seafarers, but this figure is expected to grow to 1,500 in two year’s time, the company said.      With the addition of the two new vessels, Hellespont now operates 11 tankers. Hellespont is also awaiting the commissioning of another tanker and the construction of 14 other vessels to join its tanker fleet. (DFA)