USA – A Hawaiian court sentenced Felina Salinas, the manager of Apollo Quiboloy’s church in the island state, to 30 days in prison for lying about a suitcase that contained hidden $350,000 cash found in the pastor’s private jet back in 2018.

Aside from imprisonment, Salinas would also pay a $500 fine, according to the Hawaii-based Hawaii News Now.

In 2018, Salinas attempted to fly with Quboloy on a private jet claiming to Federal agents the cash was hers.

Salinas presented the currency report form but declared that she only had $40,000 and P1,000.

Authorities, however, found $335,000 US dollars inside the bag and a total of 9,000 Australian dollars hidden in socks.

Quiboloy was not charged in the case.

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu is setting up plans for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East in response to the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The President has ordered Cimatu to oversee the situations in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran following the killing of Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani.

“I will do my best to do another mission for our country,” Cimatu assured.

Cimatu served as Special Envoy to the Middle East during the Iraq war in 2003.

He said he will immediately fly to the Middle East once his documents are settled.

He plans to stay in Qatar where he can lay the plans for the repatriation of OFWs in Iraq.

“I plan to go to Qatar, establish our base there and from there we’ll see kung would be able to go inside Iraq,” he said.

Cimatu will recommend raising Alert Level 4 in Iraq to pave way for forced or mandatory evacuation.

Iraq hosts a number of US Military bases thus it is highly susceptible to attack by Iranian forces.

“We have to move out immediately the Filipinos out of Iraq,” Cimatu said.

“Because I believe that this could be the target, initially the US facilities inside Baghdad. Almost the same area where the Iranian general was killed,” he added.

The official targets to repatriate first Filipinos working and living near US facilities in Iraq before they move to other gulf countries with US military bases such as Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

“The best way for the moment is for them to leave Iraq immediately,” he said.

Secretary Cimatu also confirmed that Philippine representatives have also been deployed to Iran to assess the situation of Filipinos there.

Cimatu worries, however, how to deal with the situation of undocumented Filipinos.

Nevertheless, Cimatu calls on the relatives of undocumented Filipinos in the Middle East to coordinate with authorities to locate their loved ones especially those within the possible target areas.

“Ang parents naman nila rito ang magsasabi that they are there, so ito yung mga sources namin kung saan talaga sila, (Their parents here can tell us if they are there so they will be our sources to identify their exact locations),” Cimatu concluded. – MNP (with details from Rey Pelayo)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has alerted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the event that the tension between Iran and the United States of America escalates.

During the 45^th meeting of the President’s Cabinet on Sunday (January 6), the President expressed grave concern over the condition and safety of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East particularly in countries involved like Iran, Iraq and nearby Arab nations, according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

“He stressed that it is the paramount duty of the government to give protection to the Filipinos whenever their lives are in peril and wherever they are,” Panelo quoted the President.

Thus, during the meeting, President Duterte ordered the military to prepare their air and naval assets for possible evacuation of Filipinos in the event hostilities erupt between the US and Iran.

Aside from creating a special working committee composed of members of his Cabinet, the President also directed all concerned government agencies to prepare for contingencies that will absorb displaced workers to government projects.

Meanwhile, the President also ordered Special Envoy to the Middle East Secretary Roy Cimatu to immediately fly to the Middle East to establish coordination with the host countries and lay the groundwork for the evacuation.

Likewise, Panelo said, President Duterte instructed Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Abdullah Mamao to proceed to Iran and Iraq to deliver the President’s special messages to the Iranian and Iraqi Governments on the safety of the Filipinos working in their respective countries.