MUSCAT | With ‘A Toast to the Pearl of the Orient’ as its theme, the Philippine School in Muscat celebrated its 20th anniversary.

At least 19 Filipino seafarers who were aboard a cargo vessel that sank off Spain are safe, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

Election packets containing ballots have already been sent directly to Filipino voters in Canada, the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Canada said in its website, as part of moves to prepare for the May 10 elections.

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama on Tuesday joined immigration officials and well-wishers in welcoming 27 refugees from the world’s trouble spots as they were sworn in as US citizens.

Thirty-seven mostly female overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from Kuwait and Jeddah in the Middle East arrived in Manila Tuesday, officials said.

The Philippine offices in Singapore and Hong Kong are changing their work hours during the overseas absentee voting period, which will run for a month starting April 10.

CHICAGO – Although the more than 200,000 marchers for immigration reforms were somewhat overshadowed by the health care reform debate at the Capitol Hill, they are hopeful that a bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress could put the long-sought sweeping immigration measure over the hump this year.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) not to fall prey to foreigners who lavishly give out money or leisure trips in exchange for carrying baggage as more Filipinos become victims of drug trafficking in the Middle East for carrying baggage with illegal drugs.

They were just a minute too late, but 11 pardoned overseas Filipino workers missed their flight back to Manila after languishing in a Riyadh jail in Saudi Arabia for several months.

Job openings may be awaiting Filipino engineers and technicians, particularly in the health and development sectors in Afghanistan.