Pardoned by Cambodia’s king, the women were caught up in a racket that put the spotlight back on human trafficking. Three children already born will be given up for adoption in the Philippines if the mothers are unable to care for them.
Demand is growing in Europe, especially in the health and long-term care sectors. Migrants’ contribution to the Philippine economy is critical, but they need legal protection and support, as well as repatriation plans in case of need. In 2023, remittances hit a record US$ 37.2 billion, or 8.5 per cent of GDP, the largest amounts coming from the United States, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
The Filipino migrant sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking arrived in Manila after 14 years in prison. Today she was finally able to see her children. ‘Living behind bars has changed my life, transforming me into a person who has come closer to God’. There have been many requests from the Church and civil society for President Marcos to grant her a pardon, which the Jakarta government will not oppose.
For the third year in a row, the Philippines is the world's leading importer, with domestic production continuing to fall, due, among things, to La Niña. Food absorbs 40 per cent of expenditures among low-income, resulting in greater social inequalities. Consumption has increased from 14.8 million tonnes in 2020-2021 to 17.4 million this year.
Located on Negros Island, Kanlaon is one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its eruption has led to the evacuation of more than 84,000 people. A blanket of ash and gas fell within a radius of 3 kilometres. Government and dioceses are helping evacuees. For Bishop Alminaza of San Carlos, vice president of Caritas, “we need to support each other”. Lamentably, “We have not been good guardians of nature.”
The death penalty is again a topical issue in Southeast Asia after a Philippine woman sentenced to death for drug possession is set to go home where the death penalty is not in force. Capital punishment is widely enforced in Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. A call is getting louder for “the protection of vulnerable communities”, with many voices warning that “no justice system is immune to error”.
