The fight continues, Part 1

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras

Originally Published on: November 30, 2001, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


IN my 'Too many a fight' article published August 24, 2001, I mentioned that 'there's another major struggle brewing up, but I would like to discuss it separately.' Time really flies, and how FAST, and one would really miss noticing it if faced with a lot of challenges in life, as I am. That particular fight is on the rights of Filipinos affected by the 1990-1991 Gulf War to their compensation awarded by the United Nations Compensation Commission which was denied far longer than necessary.


Followers of the OFW-Suite101 topic are aware of the Gulf War compensation mess which I boldly exposed and relentlessly followed up in the past 18 months or so. The seven related stories I wrote since May 2000 - this now will be the eighth - will prove to this claim. Those interested to learn more may visit the following links:


On Gulf war comp claims - published on May 2, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/38539

Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 1 - June 6, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/41008

Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 2 - July 4, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/42989

Pinoy Gulf War claims, an update - October 3, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/49494

UNCC completes payments to Pinoy claimants - November 7, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/52170

Worse than Iraqi invaders - August 2, 2001
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/3728/76348

Pinoy claimants air grievances - September 7, 2001 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/3728...



PCCCS responds to complaints


Following the public reading last August 21, 2001 of the Filipino claimants' letter of complaint addressed to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a dialogue between key government officials and a small group of representative overseas Filipinos at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) premises in Manila, an official response from the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee Secretariat (PCCCS) was received. The response was religiously followed up, on behalf of the Filipino claimants, by the Overseas Filipinos Worldwide Net Foundation, Inc., based in Manila, in particular, by Dr. Rachelle Garcia. For clarity, I am taking full liberty of publishing the letter, as follows:


14 September 2001


Madam:


With reference to your joint letter to her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo dated 19 August 2001 concerning the payment of the Gulf War compensation, I wish to clarify on the following concerns you mentioned in the said letter.


A. "Deliberate delay of payment of our claims". Please be informed that PCCCS never intentionally delayed the release of the Gulf War compensations to the bonafide claimants. The Office started paying war compensations in May 1997 when it first received a fund remittance from the UNCC. Subsequent tranches were expeditiously released to the claimants after the processors/representatives from the Department of Justice, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and Philippine Information Agency have established the identity of the claimant.


The claimants who are able to present the required documents are paid the amount authorized by the UNCC accordingly. However, in many instances, some claimants cannot readily submit to the processors valid documents (passports, travel documents used during the Gulf War) or other documents to establish that they are indeed the rightful owners of the war compensation. This delays the release of the check payments.


Attached are copy each of the UNCC payment history to the Philippines by category and by date of remittance to indicate the continuous remittance of payment of Gulf War claims. Also, enclosed is the updated status of the first two phases of payments on Gulf War claims.


For your information, the average number of claim checks being released per day starting August and September 2001 ranges from 300 to 400 compared to the previous 100 to 150 per day. PCCCS starts its service exactly at 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. without lunch break and many staff members work overtime up to 8 P.M. everyday to ensure that the attached "Tentative Schedule of Appointments" is achieved with a hope that phase 2 of the Gulf War payment will be finished by mid-October 2001 and PCCCS could be moved up to phase three for the full payment of categories "D", "E", and "F". PCCCS also hopes to locate the more than 7,000 Gulf War claimants under category "A" Installments 4 and 5.


Attached is the status of the Gulf War claims of the persons who conveyed their concern through a letter to Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.


B. "Claimants have been, and still are, easy preys to fixers proliferating unabated within PCCC". The PCCC is not aware of the existence of "fixers" in the office. PCCC Secretary General Bayani Mangibin must have been misquoted in his interview with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), that one staff member had been lately terminated when discovered. There was not a single staff member who has been found guilty of any irregularity much less dismissed from the service. There is, however, one representative from one of the five participating government agencies who is presently under investigation as a result of a complaint under oath filed by one claimant. It would be appreciated if your group could help us identify any corrupt official or employee in tne PCCCS in order to take immediate action.


C. "There are those cases of claimants not receiving a single penny until now because their check are nowhere to be found." There was not a single check lost in the PCCCS. The payment checks are prepared after the beneficiary has been duly identified. The PCCCS has not lost a check since it started paying the war compensations. Rest assured that the PCCCS always does its best in discharging its mandate.


Very truly yours,

(Signed) MERLIN M. MAGALLONA Supervising Undersecretary, PCCCS


Denials


After reading the above letter and going through the attachments, I remember feeling the more angered. The outright denial of the claimants' pronouncement that the PCCCS officials resorted to 'deliberate delay of paying the compensation' was that which made me mad. Mr. Magallona's statement contradicted the "Payments History" he sent as attachment. I can see no reason why a claimant would take six months to one year, as shown in the table, to produce the necessary documents if he/she was informed immediately of the availability of compensation funds. If you were a claimant, aware that the UNCC has started paying compensation since six to seven years back, will you not be prepared to present your papers when notified early or immediately of your approved claims? I, for one, when notified, nearly one year from PCCCS' receipt of the fund from the UNCC as I noted in the PCCCS attachment, immediately flew to Manila. And this despite my earlier trip, three months back, to the Philippines!


The delay of payments was admitted alright by the PCCCS official but that it was claimed to be 'never intentionally' delayed. He should tell this to the most stupid and dumb person but not to those who actually experienced, and still are, the gross delay of its release of payments.


Mr. Alecks Pabico, the reporter of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has this to say on Mr. Magallona's denial of the "fixers" activities within the PCCCS:


"pls find below the transcript of my interview with sec-gen mangibin. this is to dispel the notion that he was misquoted, as claimed by usec magallona, and reveals other pertinent issues the pccc has not been able to explain thoroughly. the fact is, he's also been recorded on camera (abs-cbn) saying such things. now the dfa tries to cover up his statements by seeking refuge under trite excuses of being misquoted or taken out of context. - alecks"


Here's that part of the interview as taken from the transcript sent by Alecks:


Alecks: How about yung mga fixers daw within the PCCC? [How about those alleged fixers within the PCCC?]

Bayani Mangibin: Well, please give me the name. As long as under oath, by the way, meron na kaming isa na pinatanggal. [by the way, we already have one dismissed]

A: Masud daw. [Masud, I gathered]

BM: I don't want to give the names kasi may karapatan din yung tao. [I don't want to give names because that person has also rights.]

A: Is he still under investigation?

BM: Wala na yung taong yun. Kasi nga under oath. So we are requesting the public, the claimants, please put it under oath para maaksyunan yan. Kasi may karapatan din naman yung mga tao, huwag naman natin basta sila akusahan. Meron din tayong due process na sana masunod natin. [That person in no longer here. Because under oath. So we are requesting the public, the claimants, please put it under oath so it can be acted upon. We have the due process which I hope we can all follow.]


You will read more about the issue as I continue with the fight . . .

Worse than Iraqi invaders

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: August 2, 2001, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


Dr. Fawzi Elhami Ali, one of OFW-Suite101 frequent visitors, observed it right when he noted in a previous Discussion:

“It's a sad situation . . . that the Filipino officials entrusted with solving the OFWs' problems are in fact prolonging their suffering and profiting from it. In this way, I find these officials no less cruel to the Filipino claimants than the Iraqi invaders of Kuwait!"

It is indeed a sad situation, and abominable, especially hearing such a comment from a non-Filipino!

The officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) manning the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC), since the mess involving fund distribution to claimants was exposed early last year, have continuously denied and vigorously covered their anomalous activities. But the facts and figures presented – in public at that – by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) prove, without reasonable doubt, that the officials have indeed misused the compensation fund which should have been long distributed to the rightful claimants. One has only to read the numerous decisions, reports and recommendations, and press releases on the UNCC website in order to draw an intelligent conclusion. The tales of difficulties faced by and disheartening experiences of concerned Filipinos in the whole process of claiming their grossly-delayed compensation from PCCC are also living witnesses to the anomalies committed by these Philippine government officials!

A long 11 years

IT IS eleven years today since Iraq invaded its neighboring Kuwait. For seven agonizing months, it occupied and ransacked Kuwait and terrorized her people. Imagine how those individuals battled the dangers - unfathomable ones - to their lives.

Soon after the liberation of Kuwait, the United Nations Security Council declared it just for Iraq to pay for its misdeeds (please read Resolution 687, 692, and 986). Thus the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) was created. The UNCC, after setting up rules and regulations, almost immediately sent out forms, through representative governments, for distribution to people and institutions affected. Members of the UNCC Governing Council, early then, deemed it URGENT that the people who suffered during the invasion be compensated for their losses! (Please read Claims Processing).

After January 1, 1995, through Decision 23: [S/AC.26/Dec.23 (1994); 21 October 1994], the UNCC stopped accepting further individual claims. Shortly thereafter, it began sending out payments to duly approved claimants, prioritizing Category ‘B’ claims (serious personal injury or death) through their governments. In October 1995, the UNCC approved to release to the Philippine government US$155,000.00 for distribution to 45 approved ‘B’ claimants. (Please refer to Decision 32: [S/AC.26/Dec.32 (1995); 12 October 1995], Decision 26: [S/AC.26/Dec.26 (1994); 15 December 1994], and Decision 27: [S/AC.26/Dec.27 (1995); 22 March 1995]).

The Philippine government sent out word about the release of fund only in the early months of 1996. The 45 names of those successful claimants were published front page of the maiden issue of Pinoy Expat News or PEN, an independent paper circulating in Kuwait in early to mid 1996. Filipino ‘B’ claimants, accordingly, began receiving their compensations shortly thereafter.

Between 1996 to 1997, the PCCC was quiet while the UNCC continued to release funds to other governments whenever it received then from the 30% revenues from Iraq's petroleum and other petroleum products sales. At the moment, UNCC is receiving 25% share under the "oil-for-food" provision of the UN Security Council.

In early 1998, news came out from the DFA announcing new fund releases from UNCC for some 1,846 claimants under Category A and C. I was entrusted then, luckily enough, by Philippine Embassy officials in Kuwait, to disseminate the information. It was also published front page of the Pinoy News, another publication and the last of my failed newspapering ventures in Kuwait. Sadly, that was the last public announcement made by the DFA. It also ceased to make public the list of successful claimants.

Approval of those 1,846 claims by UNCC was contained in two separate decisions: Decision 28: [S/AC.26/Dec.28 (1995); 22 March 1995] subtitled 'Decision Concerning the Second Instalment of Claims for Departure from Iraq or Kuwait (Category "A" Claims)' and Decision 36: [S/AC.26/Dec.36 (1996); 30 May 1996], 'Decision Concerning the Second Instalment of Individual Claims for Damages up to US$ 100,000 (Category "C" Claims).' Nearing the end of each of the UNCC's decisions on claims approval, one may read the following:

"Reaffirms that when funds become available, payments shall be made in accordance with Decision . . ." (Decision numbers change according to the claims type and instalment bracket).

The missing link, presumably released between late 1996 till mid-1997, is the first-ever payments made to Category A claimants, totaling all to 550. The particular UNCC decision noted that US$2,192,500.00 in funds were approved for payment. The amount was later corrected to US$2,195,000.00.

Suspension of delinquent governments

The Governing Council of the UNCC ruled in Decision 18: [S/AC.26/Dec.18 (1994); 24 March 1994] entitled ‘Distribution of Payments and Transparency' that each government, upon receipt of funds from the UNCC, shall distribute same to the claimants within six months. Thereafter, the government has another three months to report on its payment activities. Should it fail to do as specified, the Council "may decide not to distribute further funds to that particular Government."

This pronouncement by the Council has lately been emphasized by its inclusion, beginning on its October 26, 2000 press release. Previous nine press releases on payments made by UNCC - the first of which was dated April 22, 1999 - didn’t include this particular provision. For easy reference, I would like to quote the statement (page 2, last paragraph) in full:

"The Governing Council monitors the distribution of payments to claimants by the relevant Governments and international organizations. Governments and international organizations are obliged to distribute funds to the successful claimants expeditiously and to report to the Commission on payments made to claimants. Any funds undistributed to claimants by Governments and international organizations within twelve months of receiving payment shall be returned to the Commission. Further payments to the Governments and international organizations shall be suspended where they fail to report on the distribution of funds to successful claimants or fail to return undistributed funds on time."

Fund releases by UNCC

On the UNCC website, release of funds for successful claimants showed to have been reported initially on April 22, 1999. In my long years of following up the payments, I still couldn't find the dates of fund releases prior to the initial date shown. From April 1999 until the latest release dated July 19, 2001 (very recent, take note), the UNCC has made 13 releases of compensation money, now totaling to US$12.6 billion. The dates mentioned are: April 22, 1999; July 8, 1999; September 23, 1999; October 14, 1999; November 1, 1999; February 17, 2000; March 17, 2000; June 8, 2000; September 6, 2000; October 26, 2000; January 25, 2001; May 17, 2001; and July 19, 2001.

Out of these 13 fund releases, only once – on February 17, 2000 – was the Philippines included among those countries given funds by the UNCC!

Suspended or not suspended?

The recent expose of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported that PCCC Secretary General Bayani Mangibin vehemently denied that the Philippine government was ever suspended by the UNCC. The same way that PCCC Deputy Secretary General Sinforiano Mendiola denied, when I asked him during a face-to-face interview held in Manila last July 21, 2000.

According to PCIJ's Alecks Pabico, Mangibin, when confronted with the issue, slipped and admitted that the Philippines was indeed suspended. But the suspension didn’t hold for long, he claimed!

Suspended or not suspended, the fact remains that thousands of Filipino claimants, who all received initial payments in 1997, are still awaiting release of their full payments by the PCCC officials. The fund has long been released by the UNCC - on February 17, 2000 to be exact - yet majority of these claimants are still not receiving any single penny.

My wild guess? The Philippines has been suspended alright by the UNCC, countless times, I should say. As the deadline set by the UNCC had already lapsed (within one year after receiving the fund - released, as repeatedly mentioned, on February 17, 2000) the PCCC was not looking for another suspension after having been suspended in the past. It happened before, it can happen again. Meanwhile, it keeps in the bank the US$15.5 million it received since early 2000. How much interest, do you think, has it incurred since then? The claimants? Ah . . . they can wait!

Poor Filipino claimants, victims indeed of their own government officials - DFA officials, who, in the first place, are supposed to protect their rights!

Dr. Fawzi is right, these officials are no less cruel than the Iraqi invaders of Kuwait. But I would say that these officials are worse than the Iraqi invaders!

OFW-Suite101, in the past 14 months, has extensively covered the subject on the compensation claims by Filipino victims of the 1990-1991 Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War. For more detailed information, please visit the following articles:

On Gulf war comp claims - published on May 2, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/38539
Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 1 - June 6, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/41008
Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 2 - July 4, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/42989
Pinoy Gulf War claims, an update - October 3, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/49494
UNCC completes payments to Pinoy claimants - November 7, 2000 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/overseas_filipino_workers/52170

UNCC completes payments to Pinoy claimants

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: November 7, 2000

Related Subject(s): Persian Gulf War, 1991 -- Claims , Iraq-Kuwait Crisis, 1990-1991 -- Claims , United Nations Compensation Commission

Before anything else I would like first to mention a lesson in life which I FINALLY learned recently. It maybe just a case of coincidence but the message was clear enough for me, that is: not to foretell a definite action! Allow me please to explain further . . .

In my May 2, 2000 published article “On Gulf War comp claims� I wrote that I will continue to give pertinent information “in the next couple of days.� Two days after that I was on my way home to the Philippines to attend to my ailing mother whose right leg needed to be amputated. Then in my previous article “Pinoy Gulf War claims, an update� I also mentioned that I’ll present the information I gathered from the two other sources “within the following two weeks.� On the day I was scheduled to write the story – armed actually with fresh news gathered from another DFA official through a telephone interview conducted two days earlier - I had an appointment with my doctor and learned that I need to undergo surgery. Three days after, I was confined in the hospital and went through a major operation!

Actually these last two incidents (the only times, in fact, I foretold something in all my other previous published articles) were not the only ones I had in my life. The previous ones - although I realized each time that I was being taught a lesson - were simply ignored. Maybe because the “reasons� why a planned or foretold action was not done were not too serious ones like having a bout of migraine or diarrhea or suddenly having an unannounced visitor or receiving bad news from home and ending up crying myself out. But wait, I now remember that the only time I had my lower leg in plaster cast for a month (October 1992) was after I promised a friend of mine to join her in ice skating lesson. Funny, I actually broke my ankle while bowling and it happened just a day before the scheduled skating activity!

Well, enough for lessons in life! I just hope that I really learned this last one. I hope too that whoever reads this article will learn a lesson from my experience. And having said that - just now I thought of telling that this piece on UN compensation claims will be the last one I’ll write for Suite101! Here I go again . . . .

The other sources

Not only two, as previously mentioned, but three more sources of information will be presented hereon in connection with the 40,200+ claims for compensation by Filipinos from the UN as a result of Iraq’s invasion and seven-month occupation of Kuwait. The first two sources from where I gathered new information are UNCC’s latest press releases and a news item published online by ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Central, specifically under its OFW-related news. The third source is from another DFA official through a long distance telephone interview I conducted last October 13.

I would like to mention first the ABS-CBN news which was published online last week of September. Headlined ‘Senate panel seeks faster settlement of Gulf War damage claims’ the report focused on the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s recent discovery that “about 24,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have not received any compensation for losses and damages they suffered after they were displaced from their job in Kuwait� prompting Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, as chair of the body, to urge the PCCC “to speed up the processing and approval of claims.�

Pimentel was quoted as saying that “the affected OFWs, represented by Migrante International, have a valid reason to complain about the gross delay in the processing of damage claims by the PCCC.� It also reported that the Blue Ribbon panel found out that “of the 45,000 claims filed by displaced Filipino workers, only 21,172 claims with a total value of $55 million have been settled and paid by PCCC.�

Another interview

In order to verify the report, I tried to contact Mr. Sinforiano Mendiola but he was out on a meeting when I telephoned the PCCC office last October 13. I talked instead to Mr. Dalidig “Jack� Tanandato, assistant to Mr. Mendiola. Interviewing Jack gave me a feeling of the old days. It was like going back to the time when I was still actively writing for Kuwait Times way back in 1994/95 when he used to be the source of majority of the news item I wrote about the Philippine Embassy’s activities in Kuwait. Jack used to be assigned, among many others, to the Gulf War Compensation section of the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.

He confirmed that indeed the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducted an investigation on the reported misuse of the Compensation Fund. Twice, in fact, the officials of PCCC, headed by DFA Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo, were called to the Senate hearing.

The ABS-CBN reference to the 21,172 claims so far settled and paid by PCCC, Jack said, was not the latest figure as it was contained in a report dated April 2000. As of September 30, 2000, the total number of claimants given compensation has already reached 27,898 with a total value of US$67 million, Jack reported. The figure covers only those claimants under Categories A and C.
“Just recently, on October 10 to be exact, we sent out nearly one thousand notices to claimants whose compensation money has been received by the PCCC from the UNCC,� Jack said. This now covers the second phase and includes full payment of claims under Categories A and C. Those notified were claimants initially given partial payments in 1997.

“The process will now be faster than before because the claimants have all been officially identified, with updated addresses and status,� Jack emphasized.

Before the end of our conversation, Jack reaffirmed Mr. Mendiola’s claim that there was (and is) no anomaly involved whatsoever in the Fund distribution or payment to the claimants by the PCCC. He added that “whatever received from the UNCC for distribution to claimants as contained on a provided list is paid within the time-frame, with a few exceptions of those whose whereabouts are difficult to determine.� Any unclaimed money, he said, is being returned to the UNCC, as per rules and regulations followed. He likewise announced that the PCCC headquarters will be relocated on November 2 to the PNB Financial Center, occupying the whole first floor of the building.

The UNCC report

According to a UNCC press release dated September 6, 2000, the second phase of payments has now concluded with its concurrent release of US$825,177,061.61 to some 30,951 successful claimants. Second phase payments, which prioritized individual claimants in Categories A and C while also providing meaningful compensation to claimants in Categories D, E and F, totaled all to US$4,860,461,112.60 made available to respective Governments for distribution to 870,816 individual claimants.

It maybe recalled that the first phase of payments involved an initial payment of US$2,500 to each successful individual claimants in Categories A and C, as well as payment of the full amount to all successful claimants in Category B. UNCC reported that US$3,252,337,997.09 were made available to 1,498,119 successful claimants under the first phase of payments.

In its latest press release, dated October 26, 2000, as read on its website, UNCC has “today commenced the third phase of payments by making available a total of US$1,275,020,540.47 to 38 Governments and one international organization for distribution to 1,538 successful claimants.� To date the overall amount of compensation made available by UNCC totals to US$9,414,912,436.73!

Analysis

Based from the data I gathered from the UNCC website, I am now compelled to give my analysis of the issue. I could be wrong but the figures given by the UNCC supercede whatever data provided by the DFA officials and other sources. What could be more official and reliable than the UNCC itself?

It may help to better understand whatever conclusion I’ll present shortly if I summarize the claims made by Filipinos and consequently approved for payment by the UNCC. The figures will speak for themselves, I would say.

All six categories (A,B,C,D,E,F) were filed by Filipino nationals and the Philippine government. Category A claims approved for payment total to 34,454 with UNCC recommended amount of US$135,528.000.00; Category B - 45 claims - US$155,000.00; Category C - 5,709 claims - US$31,115,480.67; Category D – 8 approved claims so far (12 in all according to Jack Tanandato) – US$498,860.67; Category E - 2 claims – US$55,104.00; and Category F – 3 claims – US$7,567,327.00. The over-all total of approved claims came out to 40,221 with recommended amount of US$174,919,772.66.

As mentioned earlier, the UNCC, as of September 6, 2000, has already completed the second phase of payments which involved full payments to all Categories A, C and D individual claims as well as E (claims by corporations) and F (claims by Governments). It has been reported that US$25,000 has initially been made available to claims reaching the US$100,000 limit under Category C, then followed by releases of US$75,000.00 thereafter. This means that if a Category C claim is US$25,000.00 or less, the full remaining amount (minus the initial payment of US$2,500.00 made into effect during the first phase of payment) should be received by each individual claimant as approved. Please note that the UNCC is now on its third phase of payments, which commenced October 26, 2000, and involves initial payment of US$5 million, in the order in which the claims have been approved, to claimants in Categories D, E and F. Within this phase, payments of US$10 million will also be made, depending on the availability of funds, which as reported before, are derived from the “Oil for Food� mechanism of the United Nations.

I find it strange though that in the last 10 reported releases of Fund by the UNCC (from April 22, 1999 to October 26, 2000) only once – on February 17, 2000 – was the Philippines included among those Governments paid. And while the first reported release of Fund on April 22, 1999 involved payments under the sixth instalments of both Categories A and C, the February 17, 2000 release of Fund to the Philippines and 49 other countries reported payments made available under the fifth instalments of Categories A and C!

Try as I may to find a valid explanation to this occurrence, the same hunch as I had before - that the Philippines might have been suspended by the UNCC for its failure to distribute on time the Funds initially released in 1997 – continues to surface. Proofs which I can give are the following:

a) one out of 10 successive releases of Funds (within the past 18 months) by the UNCC was all the Philippine government has had;

b) while the UNCC completed the second phase of payments last September 6, 2000, which, by the way, commenced last September 23, 1999, only this October 10 the PCCC sent out notices to nearly 1,000 claimants due for full payment under the second phase of payments;

c) the reported 27,898 Filipino claimants already given initial payments of US$2,500 (which also includes those who already received full payments with some receiving less than US$1,000.00) are way below the actual figures provided by the UNCC on its website, taking into consideration that the first phase of payments had already been concluded. Remember that approved claims for Category A alone totals to 34,454! If all had been paid initially as dictated by UNCC under the first phase of payments, then why only 27,898 had been reported paid as of September 30, 2000? And what about the 5,709 Category C approved claims?;

d) the DFA reported US$67 million paid out to successful claimants as of September 30, 2000 is too low a figure basing from the over-all US$174.9 million recommended amount for payment by UNCC. Categories A and C approved claims alone make up US$166.6 million of the over-all total; and -

e) as there was no UNCC-reported release of fund prior to and after the February 17, 2000 payment made to the Philippines, you may agree with me in claiming that what is now being - or maybe still to be - distributed by PCCC (it’s nearly a month now since the October 10 sending of notices) comes from the US$15,559,311.09 reported release of fund by UNCC last February 17, which, by the way, has been identified in the UNCC press release as falling under the second phase of payment.

If I were to believe UNCC’s claim that payments under Categories A, B and C had all been paid as of September 6, 2000 I will sure wonder where the bulk of the Filipino claimants’ compensation money is. It’s not with the PCCC – that’s clear enough according to the 9 out of 10 UNCC-reported releases of fund since 18 months ago. The UNCC, of course, can’t be quiet about its release of fund to the Philippine government, can it? Oh my, what am I heading to this time?
Will someone please give me the correct analysis of this very confusing issue?

Pinoy claimants air grievances

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: September 7, 2001, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


In a bid to formalize complaints arising from delayed distribution by a special Philippine government body of compensation approved for payment by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a small group of overseas Filipino claimants sent last August 19, 2001 a letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Timed purposely with the Advocacy Visit to the Philippines by selected overseas Filipino workers and migrants, the complaints were made public during a dialogue held last August 21 at the premises of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila.

Present during the dialogue were officials of the main Philippine government departments and agencies involved in the affairs of the overseas Filipinos. These officials were Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, DOLE Undersecretary Manuel Imson, DFA Undersecretary Merlin Magallona, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Delmer Cruz and Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Executive Director Jose Molano.

Tasked by the claimants to represent them was the Overseas Filipinos Worldwide Net Foundation, Inc., through its Managing Director Dr. Rachelle Garcia. Dr. Garcia, fortunately, was given a special time to read the letter. In an email she sent to the group – Pinoy Gulf War Claimants Club – Dr. Garcia related the following:

“Anyway, everyone listened intently to your letter. Be assured that I did not edit it nor "soften" any of the words used. I read it the way it was written (and the people present congratulated me after as they thought I was "brave" to read it as is). Well, I did so because it is high time that the issue is discussed with both parties present (with our group representing our ‘kababayans’ in Kuwait). Fortunately, Mr. Bayani "Bani" V. Mangibin, the Secretary-General of the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee Secretariat (PCCCS), was there. He answered your allegations point by point (but didn't delve into specifics as he didn't have some documents with him). However, he gave everyone present tabulations of the update on Gulf War claims (for the First and Second Phases of Payments, as of July 31, 2001).�

For information, the full text of the letter, addressed to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is hereunder presented:

August 19, 2001

Dear President Arroyo:

Warm greetings from Kuwait!

We are a small portion of the over 40,000 claimants of the Gulf War Compensation approved for payments by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC). We have been victims of corrupt practices of certain government officials manning the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC) under the Department of Foreign Affairs. Our efforts in the past to curtail the anomalies committed to us had all been fruitless and we continue to suffer while the officials concerned remain untouched and unabated in making use of our money which should have been given to us years before. For this reason, we come to you now, believing in your honest pronouncement that you will curb graft and corruption within the government bodies.

The deliberate delay of payments of our claims is the main injustice we suffer from the corrupt PCCC officials. All the rest of our problems stem from this anomalous practice. The officials are holding the fund for as long as they can, which, had actually resulted to the Philippines being suspended by the UNCC. The last release made by the UNCC, the only one, in fact, the Philippines got in the past 28 months - in the amount of US$15.5 million - was February 17, 2000. PCCC personnel started sending out notices in October 2000 and majority of the claimants, until now, are not in receipt of the notices. Notices of those whose claims amount to high figures are being held while those with lesser figures had been sent ahead of schedule. UNCC has ruled that payments are to be distributed to claimants in order of approval by the Panel of Commissioners.

Lately, the PCCC officials resorted to scheduling payments in batches. Despite their confirmation of names as among those recipients of the latest UNCC fund release, they still refuse to pay until the claimants receive their respective notices. Yet these notices the officials regularly claim to have been sent are nowhere to be found! Please know that there are cases where claimants can attest to the fact that their notices were found lying idle in their trays! These incidents happened between 1997 to 2000, during which time the PCCC distributed in a turtle-like-pace the UNCC release of the first batch of payments to Filipino claimants!

Claimants have been, and still are, easy preys to fixers proliferating unabated within the PCCC vicinity. Some of these fixers are from the PCCC itself and PCCC Secretary General Bayani Mangibin admitted, in an interview with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, that one staff member had been lately terminated when discovered.

There are those cases of claimants not receiving any single penny until now because their checks are nowhere to be found. The PCCC officials are always quick to answer that the checks had all been returned to the UNCC because of the payees’ failure to claim the checks! How can you claim a check when you didn’t receive any notice?

Some rightful claimants are now doomed to “non-compensated status� because of their checks having been claimed by others. A lot of cases even go as far back as 1993 to 1995 when claimants’ papers had been kept unattended by the DFA officials. Those files were returned by the UNCC for completion of some paper requirements and would have been consequently approved had the DFA officials informed the claimants. More than 5,000 claimants are affected by this unfortunate incident.

A lot more were either uninformed or misinformed by the DFA officials of their privilege to seek compensation from the UNCC. The people affected are those who were immediately absorbed for employment by other countries. Nearly 50,000 Filipinos were evacuated then and most of them found new employment in Asia, America, Europe and other areas in the Middle East not affected by the Gulf War. They never got the chance to claim for their losses, a privilege only enjoyed by Filipino workers who returned to Kuwait after the Invasion. Yet, even those who were in Kuwait were not all timely informed as most had filed claims past the January 1, 1995 schedule of non-acceptance of individual claims by the UNCC!

We would not want to go further into lengthy recounts of our sufferings, our dear Madame President. Suffice it to say that what we have been through in the hands of our government officials are no less cruel than what we had been through the hands of the Iraqi invaders! We are indeed twice victims!

It is not only the desire to get what we rightfully own from the PCCC – a reality which actually drove us to seek your assistance – it is also now the conviction that those officials responsible for the misuse of the compensation fund be punished. These officials are only added smear to your relentless effort in freeing our government from corrupt practices. We would want them removed from their office so they may no longer spread their corrupt wings!

We thank you for hearing us and we all look forward to a positive intervention by your good self. You are now our only hope and we would like to wake up one day with the realization that for once in our OFW lives, a President of our beloved Philippines, has finally come to our rescue!
Please, Madame President, do not deny us that right, that privilege and allow us to add to your SONA’s endearing end pronouncement our own motto: “Let us do what is right. Let us do what is best. Let us leave to God the rest . . . then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will sure act in haste!�

We are attaching herewith helpful information for your easy reference. The UNCC data presented have all been carefully researched and now actually serve as our only weapon against the lies and misinformation that the PCCC officials have been subjecting us, and other people, into in the past six years or so.

Pinoy Gulf War claims, an update

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: October 3, 2000, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


AS promised, I now present a follow-up report on the status of claims for compensation by Filipinos affected by the Gulf War. I managed to gather new information from three sources: a face-to-face interview with a DFA official (when I went for my yearly holiday to the Philippines last July); a UNCC’s September 28 press release; and an ABS-CBN news report published online less than a week ago. I will separate though the report from the last two sources and discuss the issues contained therein within the following two weeks.

The interview

Appointed Deputy Secretary-General of PCCC (Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee) Secretariat Mr. Sinforiano Mendiola, in an interview held July 21, 2000 at his office at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, disclosed some information which somehow clarified some of the issues mentioned in the past three related articles published here on OFW-Suite101 site.

“Our books are clean and every penny released or spent for operation purposes is recorded and copy furnished to the UNCC,� Mendiola said referring to the reported misuse of the Gulf War funds entrusted by the UNCC to his department. A certified public accountant before joining the DFA, he insinuated that his appointment to the present post was partly due to his long years of clean record as DFA’s assistant comptroller, regional fiscal representative and consul general (assigned to Mexico and U.K) in the past 37 years of government service.

The Fund, he admitted, is indeed deposited at the Philippine National Bank (PNB) under the name of Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo in his capacity as head of the PCCC. The PCCC, as a body, he explained, has no identity as far as the bank is concerned. Interest earnings of the Fund are being used for the whole operation of claims processing, Mendiola said, strongly pointing out that the UNCC is aware of the practice.

“We are, in fact, authorized by the UNCC to derive our operating expenses from the interest earnings of the Fund and this has actually saved every claimant from a 1.5% deduction from his/her claim money,� he explained.

I was aware of this 1.5% deduction from individual claims and am keeping on file this UNCC provision as contained in Decision No. 18, dated March 24, 1994 under the heading “Distribution of Payment and Transparency�, and I hereby quote:

“Governments may offset their costs of processing claims by deducting a small fee from payments made to claimants. The Governments shall be required to provide explanations satisfactory to the Governing Council for any processing costs so deducted. Such fees shall be commensurate with the actual expenditure of Governments. In the case of awards payable to claimants in categories A, B and C, the fees should not exceed 1.5 per cent, and for awards payable to claimants in categories D, E and F, the fees should not exceed 3 per cent.�

High interest earnings

The PCCC acting head related that the decision not to deduct any amount from the claimants’ money came about a few months after the Philippine Government received the first Fund from UNCC in May 1997. Because of the slow process of contacting the approved-for-payment claimants, which almost consumed the then allowable 6 months time-frame established by the UNCC for fund distribution, the interest earned by the Fund in the bank was discovered “surprisingly high�, Mendiola hinted. This prompted the then PCCC chair Leonides Caday (now Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia) to “suggest� to the UNCC that instead of deducting the cost of operation from the claimants, the PCCC shall then derive the cost from the interest earnings of the Fund.

“We got the approval from the UNCC and since then, had been regularly submitting reports, as required,� Mendiola reiterated.

He also explained that whenever they need to use the “interest� money, the UNCC’s approval is sought first. He disclosed a recent plan to move the PCCC headquarters to a bigger area in order to accommodate the 300 to 500 people trooping the DFA building daily to claim, submit papers, inquire or follow-up payments. As soon as everything is settled, the office will relocate to the PNB Financial Center building (just opposite the DFA premises in Roxas Boulevard) and will occupy a whole floor. The now 24 staff members will have to be supplemented with additional workers in order to expedite the processing and release of payments to successful claimants, he announced.

Not suspended

Mendiola denied that the Philippine Government was ever suspended by the UNCC for “non-distribution or delayed distribution� of the Fund to the Filipino claimants. My presumption, as reported in Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 2, he stressed, was wrong!

“Since November 1997 up till now, the PCCC has been continuously paying out at least 150 claimants a day,� he said.

The process – from receipt of names of successful claimants and receipt of Fund from the UNCC to the actual release of checks – is quite long, Mendiola said. Receiving the list of names from the UNCC is far different from the actual receipt of the Fund, he explained.

“We cannot send out notices to those listed without the Fund actually remitted to the PNB special account,� he said, stressing that the Fund passes through three channels. It actually reaches PNB nearly two months from the time the UNCC announces a recent release of fund, he added.

Senate hearing

When asked if PCCC officials were ever called to that reported May 8 Senate hearing supposedly to investigate the alleged misuse of the Compensation Fund by a high-ranking DFA official, Mendiola said that there was no notice received. The Senate meeting pushed through, so it seemed, he noted, because by mid-May, “I was asked by DFA Secretary Domingo Siazon to prepare a report on the PCCC’s activities to be submitted to the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee.�

“We have nothing to hide and all our reports and records had previously been checked by the UNCC and approved as per its standard operating procedure, which, I would like to point out, is being done regularly. We follow some rules and regulations in the distribution of Fund as provided by UNCC’s decision. We cannot just decide on our own,� he explained.

Less than US$2,500 claims received

“Whatever amount we give to a claimant is based from a list provided by the UNCC. And whatever amount approved for payment by the UNCC was based from the original amount claimed by individuals,� Mendiola answered when his attention was brought to the issue of the less than the UNCC-approved and reported initial payment of US$2,500 to all successful claimants. He further explained that the occurrence rooted from “individual claimant’s ignorance� of the claims procedure. Although stipulated in the claims application form, some claimants, he said, were careless. Frankly stating his opinion, he observed that some claimants even “wanted more� and instead of opting for the flat US$4,000 individual compensation under Category A “if-no-other-claims-will-be-made� provision, they opted to claim more than one among the seven sub-category claims under Category C (individual losses of up to US$100,000). As per UNCC’s standard procedure of claims approval, these individuals, he said, ended up with less than US$2,500!

Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 2

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: July 4, 2000, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


THE Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission, as gathered from a press release posted on UNCC Website, held its 36th session last June 13-15, 2000 at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Presided over by Ambassador Hans J. Heinemann of the Netherlands, the Council, basing from three reports and recommendations of concerned Panels of Commissioners, approved payments for compensation in the amount of US$148,051,137 to 655 Category D (individual claims for damages above US$100,000) and 10 Category F (claims of governments and international organization) claimants. Including this session’s approved payments, UNCC, as of June 15, 2000, has awarded compensation of US$15,669,471,007 to 2,588,728 claimants.

As of UNCC’s latest fund release dated June 8, 2000, a total of US$6,807,546,431.12 has already been made available to Governments and international organizations for distribution to successful claimants. Those awarded compensation have now reached 1,501,855 in number, nearly half of the total number of claims already resolved. The UNCC still has to resolve claims numbering to 13,086, all under Categories D, E and F. The Commission aims to complete the processing of the remaining claims by mid-2003. There is no target date set by the Commission to complete payments of all compensation sought as fund needed is dependent on Iraq’s income derived from export of its petroleum and petroleum products. The UN Compensation Fund receives 30 per cent of the revenue, under the “oil-for-food� mechanism established by Security Council Resolution 986.

New claims and corrections to old

As previously reported, claims filed by the Philippine government for some 40,215 claimants fell under categories A, B, C and D only. With the latest session held by the Council, not only did I note changes in the number of claimants and the total amount of compensation approved for payment, I also learned that the Philippine government has filed for Category F and E claims. Claims were filed, in particular, by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP) and were all classified under Category F1. The Philippine Airlines (PAL) has also submitted claims under Category E3.

With this new information, my previous report now stands to be corrected: all six claims categories, and not only four, were covered in so far as the Philippine government and the Filipino claimants are concerned. As all claims under Category A, B, and C have long been resolved by the Commission, there are no changes in the total number of claimants as identified in my last report. However, as per UNCC Decision No. 99, dated June 15, 2000, awards of compensation under Category C claims, particularly in the last two instalments (sixth and seventh), have been revised. Including corrections to Category A claims (under fourth, fifth and sixth instalments), which I noted only lately to have been reported in Decision No. 95, dated March 17, 2000, the total amount awarded for compensation under Category A and C alone is US$166,643,480.99. Adding up the US$155,000 already paid to all 45 Category B claimants and the previously reported US$459,840.65 for seven Category D claims, the total has now gone down to US$167,258,321.64. In my previous report, the total was US$167,411,462.16.

More Category D claimants

I was wrong in my previous assumption that Category D claimants totaled only to seven and that the number of instalments decided by the UNCC were only four in all. With the latest session held by the Council, another claim, falling under fifth instalment, has been awarded compensation in the amount of US$39,020.02 . The claimant, as reported in Decision 97 dated June 15, 2000, has originally asked for compensation of US$110,847.00.
It now appears that claims under Category D by Filipino claimants will still increase in number as the Governing Council continues to resolve claims in two to three years from now. Unfortunately, I still can’t find any reference as to the over-all total of claims submitted by Filipinos. As of UNCC’s latest update of figures under Status of Claims Processing dated June 16, 2000, there are still 8,331 Category D claims to be resolved. In the same table, I noted that 2,397 claims have already been resolved and of this number, 2,201 claimants have already been awarded compensation.

As of June 15, 2000, the total amount recommended for payment to the now reported eight Filipino claimants is US$498,860.67.

Philippine government claims

As contained in the 81-page “Report and Recommendations Made by the Panel of Commissioners Concerning the Fourth Instalment of ‘F1’ Claims� dated June 15, 2000, the Philippines was one of the ten Governments identified therein to have sought compensation in the “total approximate amount of US$425 million, including interest.� Covering nine pages (Paragraphs 164 to 205) of the said report, the Panel has clearly explained the proceedings of how the final total amount of awards for compensation was decided, along with other pertinent and interesting facts and figures.

UNCC Claim No. 5000276 was how the Philippine Category F1 claims was identified in the report. Originally, it said that "the Republic of the Philippines sought US$32,017,236 as compensation for the costs incurred and losses suffered by two Government departments – the DFA and OWWA – and by the Central Bank of the Philippines." I found the following statement very interesting and I further quote:

“In a submission dated 8 July 1999, the Claimant attempted to increase the total amount of its Claim to US$42,124,039. The claims of each entity, as reclassified by the Panel, are addressed in turn.�

In the end, the UNCC has awarded US$7,567,327 as compensation for the consolidated Philippine Government claim: US$1,047,998 for evacuation costs incurred by DFA; US$4,599,072 for OWWA which includes claims for property loss, payment or relief to others and evacuation costs; and US$1,920,257 for CBP. PAL’s Category E3 claim was contained in Decision 61 dated March 18, 1999. The amount of compensation recommended is US$52,224. Originally, PAL sought US$998,872.

I would like to mention that all of OWWA's approved claims for "payment or relief to others" in the amount of US$570,926 are supposed to cover the cash loaned to some 5,800 individuals or families evacuated from the Middle East. I learned that those who availed of the financial assistance are being asked by OWWA to pay - thru automatic deduction from the total amount of claims payment received. Now that OWWA's claim for compensation has been awarded, it should return back to the claimants the full P2,500 taken, as soon as funds are made available by the UNCC. And it should stop from now asking repayments for the loan from those who are still to receive their compensation.

In summary, the over-all total of compensation awards approved by UNCC to the Philippines has now reached US$174,916,892.66: US$135,528,000.00 for Category A claims; US$155,000.00 for Category B; US$31,115,480.99 for Category C; US$498,860.67 for Category D; US$52,224 for Category E; and US$7,567,327 for Category F.

Issues

To be honest, I feel inadequate to discuss the issues I mentioned the last time affecting the Filipino claimants as a whole. Difficult as it was in the beginning to report on something learned from someone else’ report, I somehow managed to sustain my interest and lose not the hope of finding something I can base my story from when I discovered the UNCC homepage on the web. Having full access to the Internet at home, I relentlessly attacked the site and gobbled all the information I could get. Yet some of the data I need couldn’t be found in there.

The most important issue, and by which the writing of these last three related stories was inspired, is the reported misuse of the Compensation Fund by one high-ranking DFA official, obviously, in cohorts with some other undisclosed personas in the government service. After that May 8 Senate hearing, supposedly to question the officials involved, no word was ever heard reporting on the said investigation. The efforts I exerted in the past months to gather the needed information, sadly, were all in vain. In the end, I had to rely on my own resources, both natural and “webby�, that is.

Using my analytical mind, largely honed from long years of experience in investigative reporting, I got some answers to most of the questions as I went along with the study of quite a number of UNCC documents printed. When I noticed that the Philippines was not included among those given funds for payment to successful claimants in UNCC’s five consecutive releases of funds between April and November 1999, I found it strange that it should be the case. I patiently “looked around� and I found the answer from the following statement released by the Council on the closing of its 31st session last March 18, 1999:

�The Council also discussed the issue of distribution of payments to successful claimants by Governments and international organizations. The Council expressed concern over the significant amount of funds being held by some Governments that have not yet been distributed to claimants within the one year time limit set by the Council and are due to be returned to the Commission. The Council decided to withhold future payments to those Governments failing to distribute monetary awards to the claimants or to return undistributed funds to the Commission.�

Without even mentioning names, one can easily surmise that the Philippine government was one among those suspended by the Council.

And now what? Just as the Commission recommenced giving payments to the Philippines last February 17, 2000, the news about the anomalous use of the Fund surfaced. It is no wonder then that in the last two UNCC’s release of fund, dated March 17, 2000 and June 8, 2000, the Philippines was again not included!

With regard to the less than the UNCC-prescribed initial payment of US$2,500 received by quite a number of Filipino claimants, I still believe that the occurrence was not the course of event the Commission would expect. I found a basis to this belief from my readings through each UNCC’s report of a latest decision to award or release fund for compensation. Please read the following pronouncement quoted from the Commission’s latest press release, dated June 15, 2000:

“The priority accorded to individual claimants in categories A and C in the second phase of payments follows the earlier first phase of payments, which involved an initial payment of US$2,500 to each successful individual claimant in categories A and C, as well as payment of the full amount to all successful claimants in category B (claims for death or serious personal injury).�

The officials at the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC) were claimed by victims of this ‘anomalous procedure’ to have retorted, when asked, that what was given was what had been originally claimed and approved, accordingly, by UNCC. When I went to the PCCC office last year to claim my partial payment, I had a chance of sitting beside a claimant whose notice received was for a full payment. I remember asking her then if she already received her initial partial payment and I was surprised to learn that it was her very first notice received. We were both waiting then to be called for submission of documents and “interview� prior to the release of check. She was called first and when she came out she told me that the check she received was just for over US$1,000! She was told inside that the amount she received was based from what she originally claimed. You should see the look of sadness and unbelief on her face! I felt so helpless as I couldn’t give her any help. The only thing I did was to ask one DFA official previously assigned in Kuwait and he told me the same. And I believed him.
We don’t know for sure how the DFA official was discovered to have deposited the Fund in his personal account. My guess is that in his effort to protect the interest gained by the big amount of money, he withdrew it at the time the principal was about to be withdrawn and given out to the rightful claimants, with strict orders, for sure, from UNCC. I could be wrong, but who cares? I’ll leave you now dear readers and co-claimants to make your own conclusions. Meanwhile, I continue to wait and hope for a glimpse of good news from the UNCC or from the Philippine government officials themselves. I wonder where Senator Blas Ople is?

Pinoy Gulf War claims: facts and figures, Part 1

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: June 6, 2000, Overseas Filipino Workers, Suite101.com


ARMED with accurate and reliable data accessed from the numerous resolutions, decisions, recommendations and press releases open for scrutiny at the UNCC Website, I am now ready to enlighten everybody on the status of claims for compensation by thousands of Filipino claimants. The task of reading through all the official reports, not to mention the time spent in printing out documents (with some totaling to nearly 150 pages), I would say, was enormous. Still suffering from after-effects of a trauma brought about by my mother’s and old nanny’s recent near-death experience, I almost gave up writing about the subject. But as promised the last time, and this time inspired by the truth discovered, I would like now to share what I learned from the UNCC itself. Had it only been possible for me to interview the UN Secretary-General, I would have done so, my dear readers. But alas, the Secretary-General or the Head of the UNCC Governing Council for that matter, I believe will not oblige or honor my humble self! As it is, the letter I sent to the UNCC, through email, remains unanswered. And I doubt, really, if it will even be acknowledged at all! Well, never mind, let us all just make good use of what I have gathered so far. Anyway the truth is there and the UNCC is good enough to report its activities in public. I should really not complain, you know . . . . But let me tell you that there are some data missing – the information needed could have been provided before the establishment of the UNCC website. Nevertheless, I felt confident to speculate and draw conclusions to some missing facts based from the latest data provided. You would know what I mean in here as we go along with the discussion.

The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC)

We already know that the UNCC is that body tasked by the United Nations Security Council (SC) to process claims and pay compensation for losses resulting from Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait. In its Resolution 687 dated April 3, 1991, the SC made Iraq legally responsible for the losses:

“Iraq is liable under international law for any direct loss, damage, including environmental damage and the depletion of natural resources, or injury to foreign Governments, nationals and corporations, as a result of Iraq’s unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait�.

It is interesting to note that Iraq accepted the terms and the legal responsibility for damage directly caused to different entities by its invasion and occupation of Kuwait three days after the adoption of Res. 687. As a result, the SC adopted Res. 692 on May 20, 1991, establishing the UNCC and the UN Compensation Fund. On August 15, 1991, Res. 705 was adopted by the SC approving the Secretary-General’s recommendation that “the compensation to be paid by Iraq, through the Fund, should not exceed 30% of the value of its exports of petroleum and petroleum products�. However, it was only in December 1996, through Res. 986 of April 14, 1995, that the “oil-for-food� scheme was finally launched and the UNCC began to receive 30% of the proceeds of Iraq’s oil sales. Before that, the Commission’s works were carried forward through its access to amount advanced from the Working Capital Fund of the UN, to reimbursable voluntary contributions from Governments and to the proceeds of Iraqi oil sold after the invasion of Kuwait that had since been frozen by various Governments.

The Claims

The UNCC received approximately 2.6 million claims since 1991 and the compensation sought exceeds US$300 billion. There were nearly 100 Governments which submitted claims for their nationals, corporations and/or themselves and some 13 special UN offices also filed claims for “individuals who were not in a position to have their claims filed by Governments�. As of its latest press release dated March 17, 2000, the UNCC has already made available a total amount of US$5,918,127,474.61 to 2,244,513 successful claimants.

Claims were categorized into six: four individual claims (Category A, B, C and D), one for corporations (Category E) and another one for Governments and international organizations, which also includes claims for environmental damages (Category F). As far as the Philippine government and Filipino claimants are concerned, the first four categories (Category A,B,C and D) were the only claims submitted to the UNCC.

Category A claims are those submitted by individuals who had to leave Kuwait or Iraq between August 2, 1990 and March 2, 1991. Category B claims are claims submitted by individuals who suffered serious personal injury or death as a result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait. Category C claims are individual claims for damages up to US$100,000 each while Category D claims are those for damages above US$100,000.

Claims filed by Pinoy claimants

You would want to know first, of course, the total number of claims filed by Filipinos before anything else. This information, in fact, was one of the first I looked into and I actually created some tables, making use of Microsoft Excel, summarizing all the information pertaining as well to the total number of claims approved per instalment and the corresponding amount recommended for payment by the UNCC including the actual payments made so far. The tables will sure eat up a lot of space and unfortunately I won’t be able to include any of them here. But I am too willing enough to share them to you and if you so desire to keep a copy, you only have to send me an email and I’ll send the tables to you as attachment.

The Filipino claimants share a mere 46,187 of the estimated 2.6 million claims received by the UNCC. Category A claims total to 39,584; only 68 for Category B; 6,528 for Category C claims; and a mere seven claims under Category D. The total number of Category D claims approved for payment was taken from UNCC Decision reports dated June 24, 1999 (S/AC.26/Dec.68) and December 10, 1999 (S/AC.26/Dec.81). All Decisions of UNCC Governing Council could be accessed on the following URL address: http://www.unog.ch/uncc/decision.htm but you need to download a special software in order to open any of the 95 decisions made from the very first, dated August 2, 1991 to the last one, dated March 17, 2000.

Not all claims submitted were approved by the UNCC though. Oh, yes, my dear co-claimants, it’s true! Now we know for sure that the news we heard before that quite a number of claims made by Filipinos were disapproved is true. And do you know how many claims were disapproved? Quite a lot, I’m afraid. It’s 5,972 in all! And this doesn’t include claims denied under Category D, if there was any, that is, as I couldn’t find anywhere any reference to it. There were 5,130 claims in Category A alone disapproved; another 819 in Category C and 23 in Category B. Actually the official number recorded under disapproved claims in Category B is 19. Two claims were duplicates then another four were classified under “other� claims and one as suspended. The suspended one, so it appeared, was granted after all as the total Category B claims approved in the end was 45, not 44 as it was initially reported in one of its decisions.
In all, the number of Filipino claims approved for payment by the UNCC is 40,215 with an over-all total recommended amount of US$167,411,462.16! Broken down into category claims, the following figures, I would claim, are accurate enough, as the numbers were all taken from UNCC’s official reports:

Category A claimants total all to 34,454, drawing a staggering amount of US$135,832,000.00 duly recommended for payment by the UNCC. There were six instalments established and every total number of claimants and the corresponding recommended amount for payment was decided during certain meetings identified by dates. First instalment, with US$2,195,000.00 recommended for payment to some 550 successful claimants was decided last October 20, 1994; Second – US$5,763,000.00 – 1,453 claimants – dated March 22, 1995; Third – US$5,487,000.00 – 1,542 claimants – May 17, 1995; Fourth – US$30,465,000.00 – 7,778 claimants – October 11, 1995; Fifth – US$31,112,000.00 – 7,778 claimants – December 13, 1995; and Sixth – US$60,810,000.00 – 15,353 claimants – October 15, 1996. Please take note that the last payment made available by UNCC to successful Filipino claimants was last February 17, 2000 in the amount of US$15,559,311.09. Of the total amount, US$11,665,500.00 was in payment for Category A claims belonging to the fifth instalment bracket. As reported above, fifth instalment payment should be US$31,112,000.00. This means that the UNCC still has to pay US$19,446,500.00 in order to complete its total recommended amount under fifth instalment.

Category B claimants, on the other hand, total only to 45 with US$155,000.00 as total amount recommended for payment. There were only three instalments decided and Filipino claims were reported under second instalment – both part 1 and 2. Second instalment, part 1 was decided last December 14, 1994 with only one approved claim for the amount of US$2,500.00. Second instalment, part 2 was for 44 approved claims in the amount of US$152,500.00, decided on March 22, 1995. Funds for all 45 claimants had already been released in full by the UNCC as of October 11, 1995. As mentioned in my previous article, this payment for Category B claimants was reported and published in April 1996 on the front page of the maiden issue of Pinoy Expat News, one of my three failed newspapering ventures in Kuwait. All 45 names of claimants were then identified in the paper. Please take note of the date the UNCC released the fund to the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC) and the date the information for payment was disseminated by the Philippine government. Granting the amount was finally received, let’s say, a month after the UNCC’s reported payment, there’s still a difference of five months to the time the government released information on the approval of payments!

Category C claims approved for payment were 5,709 in all with a total amount of US$30,964,621.51 recommended for payment by the UNCC. There were seven instalments for payment decided by the UNCC and the claims made by Filipinos fall under the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh one. Second instalment in the total amount of US$1,329,974.64 for 396 approved claims was decided last May 29, 1996; Fourth – US$727,345.97 – 219 claimants – December 17, 1996; Fifth – US$7,871,819.05 – 2,093 claimants – June 24, 1997; Sixth – US$10,691,744.59 – 1,994 claimants – July 1, 1998; and Seventh – US$10,343,737.26 – 1,007 claimants – June 24, 1999. Included in the last fund release made available to PCCC last February 17, 2000 was an amount of US$3,749,331.09 under Category C, fifth instalment. The fund released was short of US$4,122,487.96 from its earlier reported recommended payment of US$7,871,819.05.

Category D claimants were only seven in all with a total recommended amount of US$459,840.65. There were four instalments reported and Filipino claims were decided under the last two. Third instalment, decided on June 24, 1999 was for only one claimant in the amount of US$20,884.42. Originally, the amount of compensation claimed by the individual was US$106,342.82 but the recommended amount given by the UNCC, as per Decision No. 68 (1999), was US$48,957.18. For reasons known only to them, this amount was again reduced to US$20,884.52, as gathered from UNCC Dec. No. 80 (1999). Fourth instalment, part 1, decided on December 9, 1999, reported six claims approved for payment with recommended amount of US$438,956.23. As of the latest release of fund reported February 17, 2000 by the UNCC, US$144,480.00 was partially made available under the fourth instalment. A total of US$294,476.23 has still to be funded by the UNCC in order to complete its obligation to the rest of the seven claims approved for payment, granting, that is, that the third instalment amount had already been paid. I didn’t find any reference made to the release of fund for the recommended amount.

The same holds true to the previous payments under Category A and C, if any, made available by the UNCC prior to its only reported fund release for the Philippines last February 17, 2000 on its website. Luckily, the last news item I wrote about Gulf War claims approved for payment was based from PCCC documents handed over personally to me by Welfare Officer Ofelia Castro-Hudson in January 1998. According to that report which was published on the front page of the Eye Catchers’ Pinoy News, dated March 1-15, 1998, there were 1,846 claims approved for payment: 1,450 under Category A and 396 under Category C. There was no mention in the news item about the instalment number nor the total amount recommended for payment. It was only during the time I encountered the data, in one of the UNCC’s decisions I’ve printed and studied, that I came to know of the said missing information. I’ve filled in the numbers to one of my created tables and in there I noted that my last reported news item fell under second instalment of both Category A and C. There was a difference though in the number of claims approved under Category A as reported by me in 1998 and as identified in the UNCC Decision No. 28, dated March 22, 1995. The Pinoy News report showed 1,450 while the UNCC decision report showed 1,453. Three claims were missing! (Don’t tell me that the PCCC deliberately took off three names from the original list coming from the UNCC and kept the fund somewhere?) Category C claims were both reported as 396. By the way, the total fund made available then to the Philippine government by the UNCC, presumably between the months of July and December 1997, was US$7,092,974.64 – US$5,763,000.00 for the 1,453 Category A claims and US$1,329,974.64 for the 396 Category C claims.

As the information already given here is quite long and because there are still a number of interesting subjects not covered, say, for example the current total amount of fund already released by the UNCC to the Philippines or the actual minimum amount paid to individual claimants, I decided to divide my article into two parts. However, depending on the avilability of some data missing, which I have a feeling will eventually be filled up by an incoming UNCC decision report and press release (the latest one, by the way, was March 17, 2000), the article can even be continued to Part 3. And if you noticed, I haven’t discussed yet in depth the problems I mentioned in my previous article like the delayed notification of those who already received initial payments and the non-receipt of notice for payment by still quite a number of claimants. And of course, there is that problem encountered by those who already received full payments and yet the amount paid was less than the US$2,500.00 set by UNCC as initial payment. If nationals from other countries - like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – uniformly received a check for US$2,500.00 as initial payments, why did then some Filipino claimants receive even as low as US$500.00 and already considered paid in full by the PCCC? And there is this original problem pertaining to the misuse by government officials of the compensation fund itself. It seems that the government had been quiet about it lately and there was no reference so far made as to decisions came up with by the Philippine Senate, as reportedly a session was to be held last May 8. I have a feeling, my dear readers, that the Filipino Gulf War claimants’ money really “talks�, and loudly, I guess, that’s why everybody’s silent?

On Gulf War claims

Note: This was the very first, in a series of articles on Gulf War Compensation for Filipinos, written and published on the now retired topic 'Overseas Filipino Workers' on Suite101.com.

Author: Freda Editha O. Contreras
Published on: May 2, 2000

WHAT I am going to present here is of a very sensitive nature. It particularly concerns the compensation deemed worthy for payment by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) to thousands of Filipinos affected by the 1990-1991 Invasion of Kuwait. I know that I am not an authority to discuss the subject but being a victim myself of the recently discovered irregularities involving high ranking officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the distribution of the fund, I feel obliged to share the information I painstakingly gathered in my search for truth.

From the time I submitted my claim papers to the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait in May 1992 up to the present, I have patiently waited and religiously followed up the payments. In early 1995 I was privileged to get hold of confidential papers from the UN when I wrote about the upcoming first ever payment by UN to a few hundred Filipino claimants. This happened during the time I was maintaining a special two-page section “Pinoy News� in Kuwait Times, one of the only two English dailies in Kuwait. I was then actively working hand-in-hand with the Philippine Embassy officials, headed by Ambassador Shulan O. Primavera (now head of Middle Eastern and African Affairs, DFA, Manila) in disseminating information to Filipinos in Kuwait and the Gulf. In April 1996, I was again entrusted with confidential papers by Ambassador Primavera containing full information, including names, of all 45 Filipinos given payment by the UN under Category B claims. The story I wrote then was published on the front page of the maiden issue of “Pinoy Expat News� or PEN, the first independent Filipino newspaper established in Kuwait and the Gulf. In February 1998, I got hold of another set of pertinent papers from the UN containing names of nearly 2,000 claimants earlier approved for payment. The story appeared in the third and last issue of Eye Catcher’s Pinoy News. It turned out to be the last story ever written about the UN claims as far as the Filipinos are concerned. It was not because I ceased writing and publishing newspapers in Kuwait either because of unavailability of press media – it was simply because the Philippine government officials refused to divulge any more information!

The embassy officials in Kuwait even refused around that time to give out names, as they used to, each time concerned Filipinos inquired after reading in the local papers about a UN-disseminated general information on recent payments made. They reasoned that they were no longer supplied with the list of approved-for-payment names. They were given instead an order from Manila to inform those who approach the embassy to inquire directly at the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee Secretariat. I particularly remember approaching Welfare Officer Ofelia M. Castro sometime in July that year to find out if my name was included among those recently approved for payment by the UN. She showed me a copy of a fax message from Manila dated June 24, 1998 and I’m quoting the full text here, as follows: “REUR REQUEST TO FURNISH YOU WITH UNCC-APPROVED LIST OF 3RD BATCH CATEGORY “A� GULF WAR CLAIMS. PLS. BE ADVISED THAT WE ARE NOT AUTHORIZED BY DFA TO DISSEMINATE SAID LIST. YOU CAN THEREFORE NOTIFY CONCERNED OFWS TO DIRECT THEIR FOLLOW-UPS/QUERIES TO THE PHILIPPINE CLAIMS AND COMPENSATION COMMITTEE (PCCC), DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, PASAY CITY. ALL RECORDS ARE CENTRALIZED AT THE PCCC SECRETARIAT.�

When asked why the list of successful claimants was no longer available for viewing by the public, the embassy officials I talked to then explained that they were trying to curtail illegal activities of some “fixers� who as alleged, had victimized quite a number of claimants. Said fixers, after getting hold of names approved for payment, can actually claim the checks after presenting forged papers, they said. As of this writing, I still have to encounter an actual case of those fixers’ activities - if there really is such!

For the information of those who are not aware of the anomalies committed by the officials who are supposed to be protecting the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), below are selected news captions I came across while doing my research.

“DFA exec involved in Gulf War fund scandal faces ax. . . Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo allegedly has a bank account under his name for $863,000 (roughly P34.5 million), consisting of bank interests of Gulf War payments remitted to the Philippine government by the United Nations and deposited with the Philippine National Bank (PNB). Domingo reportedly gained access to the money through his appointment as chief of Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC) tasked to oversee the proper disposition of the funds. Siazon said Domingo has made three withdrawals totaling $60,000 from the account. The inquiry on the Gulf War fund mess also covered Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leonides Caday, Domingo’s predecesor at the Office of the Legal Assistant for Migrant Workers Affairs (OLAMWA), which handles the proper disposition of the Gulf War payments.� – by Aurea Calica, The Philippine Star.

“Release Gulf War claims. . . Senate President Blas Ople is urging the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to facilitate the payment of some P34.5 million in Gulf War claims which a DFA official, he said, has allegedly kept in a bank deposit to earn interest. Ople said the fund was released by the United Nations to the Philippine government through the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee (PCCC). He said Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon has directed the DFA official to go on leave after initial reports showed that the Gulf War fund has, indeed, been earning interest in the personal account of the official. "I don't see any reason why such a huge account could accumulate if there is a conscious effort to immediately distribute the war claims payment to their respective beneficiaries," Ople said.� – by Perseus Echeminada, The Philippine Star.

“Diplomats worried over picket at DFA . . . Foreign diplomats expressed concern over prolonged demonstrations at the Department of Foreign Affairs, saying these were hampering normal operations of the DFA. Members of the militant group Migrante International have been camping there since Wednesday to denounce the alleged ineptitude of the Estrada administration and the DFA in addressing the concerns of overseas Filipino workers -- the so-called modern-day heroes. Migrante members are demanding the resignation of President Estrada, DFA Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. and DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Benjamin Domingo for Domingo's opening of a separate interest account for Gulf War compensation funds in the Philippine National Bank. This, even after Siazon and Domingo assured OCWs that principal Gulf War funds were not affected by the interest account under the name of the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee with Domingo as sole signatory.� - by Aurea Calica, The Philippine Star.

“Calls mount for resolution of Gulf War fund mess. . . Clamor for a speedy resolution of the Gulf War fund scandal mounted as various sectors feared that the mess would delay compensation for the victims who have been waiting for it for the past 10 years. Some 100 Gulf War victims, joined by supporters from the militant group Migrante, picketed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) offices in Pasay City yesterday to demand the immediate release of their claims and the ouster of DFA officials involved in the scandal. Earlier, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' (CBCP) Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Overseas Filipino Workers' sector at the House of Representatives also voiced out serious concern over the alleged misuse of the funds. This developed even as President Estrada ordered a full-dress investigation into the fund mess involving the allegedly irregular deposit and withdrawal of interest earnings of the Gulf War payments. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo, who heads the Office of Legal Assistant and Migrant Workers' Affairs, was cited as having deposited the interest earnings of the funds under his own name. Domingo admitted that the Philippines has been delayed in settling the claims of the war victims, and that the United Nations has already directed the DFA to speed up processing of the claims.� – by Aurea Calica, The Philippine Star.

“Ople urges Senate probe on delayed payment of ‘Gulf war’ claims. . . When the Senate resumes regular sessions on May 8, the foreign relations committee will immediately start an inquiry on the failure of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to release $l28 million intended for the 32,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were evacuated from Kuwait and Iraq during the l99l Gulf War. Senate President Protempore Blas Ople said the inquiry will coincide with his takeover of the foreign relations committee from Francisco Tatad who became the Senate majority leader. The delay in a separate DFA inquiry was apparently due to charges that DFA Undersecretary Benjamin Domingo, head of the claims and compensation office, deposited the money to a bank account under his name. Domingo explained he transferred the fund to protect it from the Y2K bug.� - by Macon Ramos-Araneta, The Manila Times.

The news which surfaced in the past one and a half months have finally confirmed a suspicion “that something was really amiss� which I, and those other claimants I have been in contact with lately, have kept far too long. We confirmed a number of hunches, particularly concerning those who received less than the UN-prescribed $2,500 minimim. We finally understood why there are a lot of claimants who still didn't receive notification and why those who already received partial payments have been notified late. Take for example my case: the notice sent by the DFA was received two weeks past the scheduled date I was to go to the DFA. The letter was actually undated and the instruction noted I was to personally appear on June 14, 1999. Two dates appeared, though, in the envelope. Stamped in front was Jun 3 1999 and at the back Jun 7 1999, both originating from Manila. I received the envelope only on June 30! In answer, I sent an email dated July 5 to Domingo and I would like to share the contents, as follows:

“I received five days ago an undated letter informing me of UNCC’s approval of the release of the PARTIAL payment of my Category C Gulf War claim. Said letter instructed me to personally appear on 14 June 1999.

"Obviously enough, the scheduled date has already passed. What do I do now? Should I wait for another schedule or should I come anytime? And if I do come, should I be entertained? I presume you have claimants coming over everyday as scheduled.

"Please understand that I would not want to undergo the same experience I had when I went to the DFA last March 26, 1999 (a Friday) to inquire. One lady sitting behind a table just outside the glass door was so busy she practically avoided me. I had only one request then – to check my name on the newly released list. She said that the complete list will be posted on the bulletin board in April and I could come back then. I tried to explain that I’m going to my homeplace (in Antique) the following day and would be flying off back to Kuwait on April 8 straight from the domestic airport in Iloilo City to NAIA. I had only 15 days leave then.

"I did practically beg her but she completely ignored me. I undertand of course that you have rules to follow and that lady must be simply following instructions. But was it very difficult for her to go over the list and check my name knowing my circumstance?
"How I wish your people could be more helpful and considerate to those coming to inquire – especially those who are coming from abroad. Relating to you the above incident has somehow relieved me of my hidden frustration. I hope you could consider relaxing some of your rules.

"I really would appreciate it very much if you could advise me on what I should do now. I’m now arranging for another trip to the Philippines and most likely, I’ll be there on or before the 20th of this month. You could either send your helpful advice through email or through Vice Consul Wilfredo Santos. And by the way, he promised he’ll get in touch with you to advise you of my predicament.�

I did receive a reply three days after and I was told that I could come any day (Monday to Friday) within the next six months!

Come to think of it: had that lady looked into the list, I could have arranged to claim my compensation right there and then. Then I could have been saved from going on another trip to Manila! Sadly, it was not supposed to be the case. The instruction was to check the list in April or to wait for a notification! No more, no less! Or she will be in trouble with Domingo and his cohorts. Obviously enough, those officials involved were doing all their best to delay notifying the claimants so that the well-deserved and long-overdue pay of the poor OFWs could still stay in their personal accounts to earn interest for themselves!

In the past two weeks, I was on holiday and I spent most of my time reading through the UNCC Resolutions, Decisions and Recommendations, including all press releases (from December 12, 1997 to March 17, 2000) open for scrutiny on its website. I have learned so much and I am now armed with the truth. Somehow, I feel brave to face anybody, especially those Philippine government officials who keep on telling lies! And I feel daring enough to approach anybody, including the UNCC itself. Please read on . . .

“Dear Sir,

"Warm greetings from Kuwait!

"We are a small group of Filipino Gulf War claimants interacting through a mailing list created in response to the recent anomaly involving some high ranking officials of our Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). We still couldn't believe that the money which should have been given to us claimants in the fastest way possible have been misused by our very own government officials.

"We need help as we don't know whom to trust anymore. We strongly believe that in the light of what has happened the UNCC should intervene.

"To be honest with you, we are very much confused and hurt. It seems that what we all have gone through were not enough. We all suffered during the long life-threatening ordeal and when we were deemed worthy for compensation by the UN, we didn't only suffer the long wait of getting our much-earned and long overdue claims, we were also denied of the right and just service we all deserve!

"Please, help us.

"For and on behalf of the Pinoy Gulf War Claimants,

"Freda Editha O. Contreras
Administrator, Pinoy Gulf War Claimants Club
Contributing Editor, Overseas Filipino Workers-Suite101.com"

The above letter was sent last April 14 through the email address provided at the UNCC website. I still am awaiting a response and I hope that it will come soon. Meanwhile, please bear with me, dear readers, as I provide you with more enlightening information. More will come your way in the next couple of days. I am supposed to submit only one story a month but because of the importance of the subject to all concerned OFWs, I am willing enough to spend extra time in providing you all with accurate and up-to-date information. So, keep watch, please!

DFA announces deadline for Gulf War Claims

Note: The following Press Release and List of 817 names of successful Filipino claimants were provided by the Office of Senator Ralph G. Recto, in response to an email inquiry sent on June 7, 2006.

2 MAY 2006. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has announced that the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) Governing Council in Geneva, during its 56th Session, has set 30 September 2006 as the final deadline in locating and paying Gulf War claimants who had been affected by the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war and with approved claims from the UNCC.

Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee Secretariat (PCCCS) Secretary General Minda C. Cruz stated that, based on PCCCS records, there are still Gulf War claimants who have not coordinated with PCCCS despite efforts to reach them through mail, saturation drives within the Philippines and abroad and assistance of Philippine Foreign Service Posts. She said that PCCCS now calls on these claimants to coordinate with the office at the soonest possible time.

"These claimants must coordinate with PCCCS before the set deadline because, after 30 September 2006, UNCC will no longer entertain Philippine Government requests for the return of funds to be paid to applicants whose claims have already been approved by the UNCC," said Secretary General Cruz.

She added that the " PCCCS now calls on all OFWs who were affected by the war in Iraq and Kuwait in 1990 and who have claims approved by the UNCC to call the office at telephone Number 832-5303, or visit us at the 3rd Floor of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City so that they can find out if they are included in the UNCC list of approved claims."

Attached is the list of concerned Gulf War claimants. END

Unlocated claimants with "Philippines only address"
1. ABAD, BERNADETTE R.; 2. ABADA, RAYMUNDA C.; 3. ABADINES, NENITA A.; 4. ABALOS, NELIE; 5. ABAS, LUMAGAN M.; 6. ABDUL, NELIA A.; 7. ABDUL, ROWENA A.; 8. ABDUL, SITTIE C.; 9. ABDULGAFAR, MAHILAN S.; 10. ABDULLA, MAIZA H.; 11. ABDULLA, MARVIN JABER; 12. ABDULLA, NORAYA; 13. ABDUMASAD, DOMISA M.; 14. ABEN, CATALINA; 15. ABLESO, RINOA Y.; 16. ABLOG, VIRGINIA I.; 17. ABON, ADELAIDA S.; 18. ABRAHAM, SURAIDA A.; 19. ABRGONDA, CARINA M.; 20. ABSALAN, FE; 21. ABSALON, NELLY; 22. ABUSANA, AISA M.; 23. ACABA, MARISSA B.; 24. ACERET, FLORIDA C.; 25. ACOSTA, JESSIE A.; 26. ACOSTA, LIWAYWAY Z.; 27. ACOSTA, TESSIE A.; 28. ADAM, HALINA M.; 29. ADDALAL, INDAH; 30. ADIL, SORAIDA E.; 31. ADRIANO, CORAZON F.; 32. AGA, GENARO; 33. AGPAOA, ERLINDA R.; 34. AGUINALDO, ANTONIO M.; 35. AGUINALDO, MILA C.; 36. AGUTO, MARIANO; 37. AKMAD, RUBIA T.; 38. ALAVBA, NOR AMIR; 39. ALBA, FATIMA M.; 40. ALBAIYA, KAMBAH I.; 41. ALBANO, DOLORES
42. ALBASTIAS, ZENAIDA M.
43. ALBERTO, JOSEFINA B.
44. ALDAY, FRITZI
45. ALEJANDRO, LEO M.
46. ALEJANDRO, MILAGAROS V.
47. ALFONSO, ALFREDO
48. ALFONSO, ARTEHAMA M.
49. ALI MAGNO, REMELITA V.
50. ALI, RACMA K.
51. ALMIROL, LOURDES A.
52. ALVAREZ, MELCHOR K.
53. AMBI, LUISA C.
54. AMENALLAH, SAPHIA J
55. AMIL, FATMAH H
56. AMINOLA, SAHADA I
57. AMIOVEL, NORSIDA A.
58. AMIRA, EMALYN L.
59. AMIROL, SURALA S.
60. AMUD, MOSTURA S.
61. ANCHETA, MARILYN S.
62. ANDAL, DALMACIO C.
63. ANDAYA, NELSON D.
64. ANDAYA, ROSENDA A.
65. ANGAIN, ESTHER P.
66. ANGELES, MERCEDES R.
67. ANGYAEN, PHOEBE
68. ANIA, JEOFREY J.
69. ANISA, SANDONG E.
70. ANISCUA, EDNA S.
71. ANNIE, SAIDA C.
72. ANONICAL, MA.CONCEPCION A.
73. ANTASARI, HANISA K.
74. ANTONIO, ROLANDO R.
75. APILLANES, MA. NORMA M.
76. APOLINARIO, PRONEBO N.
77. AQUINO, ALVIN S.
78. AQUINO JOJO A.
79. AQUINO, MARCELA M.
80. ARANO, FLORENCIO L.
81. ARAOS, SHIRLY V.
82. ARDINA, MARCELINA M.
83. ARIA, ELISA D.
84. ARIP, JURMA
85. ARIPEN, SAADA T.
86. ARREOLA, ROSILILY B.
87. ARROYO, NORA P.
88. ARTAL, NABAYA
89. ARTHUR, LUIS M.
90. ASCUETA, MARLETE T.
91. ASELA, ANTONIO
92. ASIS, MIKE B.
93. ASISTIN, FERNAND L.
94. ASLIM, SABIRA A.
95. ASTA, DORIS I.
96. ASTA, JOURADIYA L.
97. ASTA, MELINDA
98. ATARI, NORHIMA P.
99. AVANZO, LORENA
100. AVILA, RERO P.
101. AYTON, ANICIA R.
102. AYUBAN, LOURDES S.
103. BACINO, JUANITA M.
104. BACOL, SORAIDA
105. BADING, HANA M.
106. BAGAIDA, PAPARDAYA
107. BAGAMANO, EVELYN R.
108. BAGULI, FATIMA R.
109. BAHILLIO, OFELIA D.
110. BAISA, NAIMA H.
111. BALANGUE, LENA A.
112. BALANSAS, EVELYN
113. BALENTING, SANIYA T.
114. BALGOS, MARDION L.
115. BALLADARES, FLORENCIO D.
116. BALLESTEROS, ROSIE C.
117. BALMEDINA, AGNES A.
118. BALTAZAR, HUTRIO R.
119. BALUAN, AISA M.
120. BALUAN, AMBING S.
121. BALUAN, TALBIYA T.
122. BANEGUN, FATMA A.
123. BANEZ, MELANIE D.
124. BANGAY, LUCY B.
125. BANLUTA, HERWIN
126. BARCENA, LEONISA P.
127. BARIQUIA, JESSICA L.
128. BATINGAN, MARIBEL N.
129. BAUTISTA, RAMIL C.
130. BEATO, VICTORIA B.
131. BELEN, JOSEPHINE D.
132. BELENO, SONIA A.
133. BELLADA, SAMAR V.
134. BELUSO, DANILO M.
135. BERAME, MILAGROS G.
136. BEREBER, ELENA B.
137. BERGONIA, LADY LOVE
138. BEROU, GERARDO A.
139. BERSABE, CONSUELO G.
140. BESALDA, ESTER A.
141. BETETA, BARBARA JON B.
142. BIDO, AMINA A.
143. BISTONDO, TOMAS
144. BLANDO, AIDA B.
145. BOAC, EMILIANO J.
146. BONGYAN, CRISTINA C.
147. BORON, SUSAN B.
148. BULAN, NORIYA
149. BUSTON, SYLVIA M.
150. CABALONGA, KNOWMAR
151. CABANERO, PETER D.
152. CABIDA, NENITA
153. CABRAL, GLORIA C.
154. CABURO, EDGARDO L.
155. CAERLAN, NENITA D.
156. CAGA, ESTHER B.
157. CAIDA, AIDA B.
158. CALIMLIM NERA J.
159. CALUNSIYONG, ZORAIDA D.
160. CAMAGAN, ROBERTO S.
161. CAMBA, LAMBERT R.
162. CAMPANG, BAINGAN A.
163. CANEOUR, MARCELINA M.
164. CANLAS, CARLYN L.
165. CANLAS, MOSINO M.
166. CANSA, CADIGIA
167. CAPALUNGAN, MILAGROS C.
168. CAPINPIN, JULITA B.
169. CAPISTRANO, SALVADOR
170. CAPULONG, LORNA Q.
171. CAPUNO, EDGARDO D.
172. CARA, RUBEN G
173. CARANGAN, EMMA
174. CARAO, VICTORIA
175. CARBAJAL, GEORGE
176. CARLOS, YOLANDA S.
177. CARMELOTES, AIDA
178. CARONA, ANNABELLE R.
179. CARVAJAL, LUISA
180. CASAN, MALUNDI
181. CASANO, MYRNA P.
182. CASLANGEN, OLANG L.
183. CASTILLANO, ALFONSO
184. CASTILLANO, JOEL P.
185. CATACUTAN, LUCITA
186. CIATA, REBECCA D.
187. CINCO, MAY M.
189. CLARK, ALLEN V.
190. CLARO, ESTELITA L.
191. CLIMACO, CIPRIANO M.
192. COMPANY, ABDULGAMI G.
193. COMPETENTE, VERONICA C.
194. CONTRERAS, FRANCISCO
195. CORDERA, FATIMA I.
196. CORIAS, DIVINA H.
197. COROTHIA, FELY M.
198. CORPUZ, CORRINE JOY D.
199. CORPUZ, MILA C.
200. CORTEZ, REMEDIOS C.
201. COSTALES, GLORIA T.
202. COVARUBIAS, GRACE FE N.
203. CRUTERIO, RIZALINA L.
204. CRUZ, ANITA
205. CRUZ, GERTRUDES D.
206. CRUZ, LUZ R.
207. CULTURA, JULIANA F.
208. DACALLOS, ELENA H.
209. DACULA, SAMINA M.
210. DACULA, SORAIDA C.
211. DAGUPAN, EDRESA
212. DALIGDIG, FATIMA D.
213. DALMACIO, ACOSTA JR.
214. DAMASO, ELSA D.
215. DANGLAY, ADELAIDA V.
216. DARANG, LOURDES L.
217. DASALLA, DOLORES R.
218. DATU MOLOC, NORIDA B.
219. DATUMANGODA, BAIDIDO U.
220. DAWABI, FATIMA G.
221. DE CASTRO, JOSE J.
222. DE JESUS, DANILO D.
223. DE LEON, JOE A.
224. DE LEON, MONA B.
225. DE VERA, MELDA Y.
226. DECILLO, VIRGINIA A.
227. DEFUAR, MYRNA Y.
228. DELPOSO, MELANI P.
229. DELA CRUZ, JOSEFINA D.
230. DELA CRUZ, LYN B.
231. DELA CRUZ, TESSIE M.
232. DELA CUESTA, HONA A.
233. DELA PENA, PALMERA
234. DELA RIVA, RODELIO I.
235. DEUNA, ANTONIO A.
236. DIASEN, JOSEPHINE M.
237. DIMATINGCAL, SONIA M.
238. DIMAYUGA, AMALIA L.
239. DIODOS, EVELYN B.
240. DIZON, NENITA L.
241. DOBBREPERO, PURIFICACION T.
242. DOMANAIS, FLORENCIA ELEANOR S.
243. DOMESITO, CRISTINA P.
244. DOMINONG, MIRANDA B.
245. DONATO, CAIRON R.
246. DUMPAO, GUIARIA A.
247. DURA, JENNIFER
248. ELEJORDE, VIANNIE Z.
249. ELNORA, FELY A.
250. EMONDO, OFELIA S.
251. ENSANUL, HUSIYAN D.
252. ESCUADRO, HELEN B.
253. ESGUERRA, RODRIGO R.
254. ESLETA, ANGELITA
255. ESMAEL, AISA
256. ESPINOSA, JORGE D.
257. ESPINOSA, MELCHOR C.
258. ESPIRITU, GLORIA R.
259. ESTRELLA, EDMUNDO S.
260. ESTRELLA, SONIA C.
261. EUFRONIO, ROGELIO M.
262. EUGENIO, MYRNA T.
263. EUGENIO, PACITA C.
264. EVANGELISTA, LUZVIMINDA D.
265. EVANGELISTA, LUZVIMINDA T.
266. FABAAN, VERONICA F.
267. FABROS, FEDELINA G.
268. FADAAN, GENERAL T.
269. FADULLO, JACQUELINE N.
270. FALLARCO, GLORIA S.
271. FARIDA, BONITA C.
272. FARINAS, MARSUSIE F.
273. FATIMA AKID
274. FERNANDEZ, BEBOT
275. FERNANDEZ, JUANITA M.
276. FERNANDEZ, EVANGELINE P.
278. FERNIDA, EMILIA R.
279. FIDER, EMELITA G.
280. FIGURACION, LETICIA T.
281. FLETCHERO, ARSENIA F.
282. FLORENDO, LAARNI P.
283. FLORES, MIRLA D.
284. FLORES, VIRGINIA L.
285. FLORES, YOLANDA F.
286. FOGMA, TERESITA J.
287. FORNILLO, ANTONIA S.
288. FRANCISCO, MARIANO JR.C.
289. FRILAS, PERLITA S.
290. GABION, JOCELYN U.
291. GABION, MARIETA O.
292. GABOYO, CRESENCIA R.
293. GABRIEL, ANGELINA B.
294. GABRIEL, MILAGROS D.
295. GACO, MELLIE L.
296. GALANG, SOLIDAD C.
297. GALEGO, HELEN G.
298. GALLOS, GINA E.
299. GAMIAO, MERIBEL D.
300. GAMOSO, BONIFACIO G.
301. GAOAT, ROSE P.
302. GAPIZ, HERMINIA G.
303. GARCIA, CARINA
304. GARCIA, CARMENCITA M.
305. GARCIA, EMERENCIA A.
306. GARCIA, EMITINA M.
307. GARCIA, PURITA B.
308. GARCIA, ROSA B.
309. GARCIA, YOLANDA P.
310. GATIL, RACMA C.
311. GATUS, JOSE A.
312. GAVID, MILAGROS P.
313. GAYAK, PATIMA S.
314. GAZARRA, JOCELZA T.
315. GAZO, RAMON A.
316. GENARO, ELIAS T.
317. GLORIA, ROSEMARIE C.
318. GOMEZ, ZARAH
319. GONZALES, MARIA ANA S.
320. GONZALES, VIRGINIA P.
321. GONZALES, ANGELITA A.
322. GRAGASIN, MARILYN S.
323. GRANA, NARJI V.
324. GUERRERO, FERNANDO D.
325. GUEVARRA, EDWIN C.
326. GUEVARRA, OLIVER V.
327. GUIA, SOLIS
328. GUIBON, HALIMA M.
329. GUILIVAN, MARIAM DJ
330. GUITAMEL, AMINA A.
331. GUMAGEZ, ZENAIDA
332. GUMAL, EDITHA D.
333. GUTIEREZ, LUCIA P.
334. GUTIERREZ, ROMEO
335. HABER, TEODORA M.
336. HABON, FLORA C.
337. HADJARA, LADJAN B.
338. HAIRA, NUR P
339. HALIL JALMA
340. HALIM, CARLINA F.
341. HAMIN AMINA
342. HAMMAD, AMAL S.
343. HAMULOC, AMILA S.
344. HANARA BURAR M.
345. HANNA, JAUKAL V.
346. HARA ANISA S.
347. HARUN NADIMA
348. HASILANG, JALING D.
349. HERNADEZ, MARIO C.
350. HERNANDEZ, NINIE B.
351. HERNANDY, ERLINDA O.
352. HERRAS, RANDA A.
353. HERRERA, ANGELYN D.
354. HERRERA, MARCELOA.
355. HILARIO, REMEDIOS D.
356. HUDJAIMA, HADJIRUL
357. IBARRA, GLORY A.
358. IBAY, PACITA T.
359. IBRAHIM, KARMAH A.
360. IDA, RHEA T.
361. IGAYA, RODRIGO S.
362. IKI ALIFIRA V.
363. ILAGAN, LOLITA L.
364. ILARENA, CELSO M.
365. IMBAG, MERCEDITA M.
366. INDUCTA, JOEL O.
367. INNOCIAAN, LEONIDA B.
368. ISKAK RAMLA K.
369. JACOP, CRISTIN P.
370. JACUZ, AVELINA A.
371. JAKARIYA, KIRIMA H.
372. JALIDI KAHAYA
373. JALIL, MARVIN
374. JAMAH, ROSELOU T.
375. JAMILA, PRISCALIN A.
376. JAPPALAL, ANNURA A.
377. JAPPALUN, NURSIYA
378. JARA, TAPIKAN T.
379. JASOLIN, ESTER B.
380. JAYSON, NOIME B.
381. JOAFAR, BADER H.
382. JOAFAR, KHALID H.
383. JOAQUIN, JESSICA C.
384. JOSE, LUCILIA A.
385. JUNTELA, NYDA M.
386. KAMSA, MONERA Z.
387. KANTONG, NORHAINA I.
388. KARIM, HAIRON S.
389. KASAN, EMMA S.
390. KHALID, DANA
391. KIDANG, VIRGINIA S.
392. KIMAN AJIMAIN
393. KISMUT DENISA O.
394. KUWAH, JAHRA T.
395. LABAO, FATIMA U.
396. LABARO, CARMELITA
397. LABLONG, LETECIA V.
398. LACANARIA, HENRY G.
399. LALOU, IMELDA A.
400. LAMPONI, ANISA S.
401. LAMSEN, GLORIA P.
402. LANANG, MARGARETH
403. LANAO, AUREA E.
404. LANDICHO, LUISIANA O.
405. LANDICHO, TERESITA N.
406. LANUZA, GEMMA N.
407. LAP LAP, MILAGROS L.
408. LAPINO, ROMEO S.
409. LAQUINDANUM, LEONORA C.
410. LASQUITE, RUFINA
411. LAURELINO, EMMA I.
412. LAURENTE, MARIAM L.
413. LAURENTINO, LEONILA D.
414. LAYA, JAIDA B.
415. LAYA, NORAIN M.
416. LEPORADO, ZENAIDA E.
417. LEQUIT, VIANNIE R.
418. LESIGUES, JULIAN C.
419. LIMBO, VILMA L.
420. LINDAWAN, ABELARDO T.
421. LIRA, MARIAM K.
422. LOPEN, GERARDO
423. LOPEZ, JOSE C.
424. LOTERTE, DELIA N.
425. LOURDES, HELEN N.
426. LOZANO, ALEJA D.
427. LOZANO, ANITA M.
428. LUBBUI, MARGARITA B.
429. LUBBUI, PERLITA B.
430. LUCAS, REBECCA M.
431. LUGA, MILA A.
432. LUMIMBAO, PAHILAO
433. LUMUGUIN, MYRNA
434. LUNA, KUNYON M.
435. LUNA, MA.SEVILLA B.
436. MABULAC, LORETA G.
437. MACABAGO, FATIMA
438. MADINO, CONNIE S.
439. MAGABO, AYEE
440. MAGARAYA, LOURDES M.
441. MAGAT, CRISTINA R.
442. MAGAT, JOSE C.
443. MAGLOYAN, AZUCENA A.
444. MAGNO, HONDRINA S.
445. MAGSANO, OFIRINA C.
446. MAHMOD, BADRIA U.
447. MAHMOD, SARAH J.
448. MAINUM, CUYORG M.
449. MAJAD, HERPEN
450. MALADTEG, FATIMA M.
451. MALAG, MOMINA R.
452. MALIGAYA, JOSE MARI S.
453. MAMUYAC, FLORA D.
454. MANALANSAN, ESTRELLA A.
455. MANALAYSAY, ADELINA
456. MANALO, CATALINA C.
457. MANAN, MONENA A.
458. MANAN, NORABA
459. MANANSALA, HELEN P.
460. MANDAYAN, NONA K.
461. MANEJO, AMALIA C.
462. MANGASAT, DOEDELIN C.
463. MANIBAN, JAIBA K.
464. MANNAN, RALBI
465. MANSIC, ROSANNY S.
467. MANUEL, SAMUEL M.
468. MAPANAO, VIRGINIA C.
469. MAPASI, HASING
470. MARANION, SUNNY T.
471. MARCELINO, AUREA D.
472. MARCELO, ISABEL T.
473. MARIOANO, LETTY D.
474. MARQUEZ, ROBERT M.
475. MARTIERO, ALMA S.
476. MARTINEZ, BELLA C.
477. MARTINEZ, ELVIERA
478. MARTINEZ, SESINDO S.
479. MASAY, WAHIDA W.
480. MASAYBENG, LUZ D.
481. MASULOT, NORMINA S.
482. MATIN, MAHRAN
483. MATUR, MARIAM
484. MAXIMO, VIRREY A.
485. MEAIM, ARIG S.
486. MEDINA, MAGGIE Q.
487. MEJIA, ROSALINA T.
488. MEJORADA, DOMINGA M.
489. MEJORADA, LEONIDES M.
490. MELECIA, MERCADO
491. MEMBRADO, MARY O.
492. MENDOZA, CRISTINA B.
493. MENDOZA, ESTELITA N.
494. MENDOZA, VIVENCIA
495. MENO, PARIDA S.
496. MENOGA, ADORACION P.
497. MILLIONDAGA, LILIAN A.
498. MINAOTO, SOLAMBAI G.
499. MINDIT, ABDULRADIN R.
500. MINODAIN, NAZORA M.
501. MIRA, EMMA E.
502. MIRANDA, ALBERTO M.
503. MOBANTA, MELLY G.
504. MODIN, SABERA T.
505. MOHAMA, SAIDA ABI
506. MOHAMAD, SADIJA P.
507. MOHAMMED, AL MUTAIRI
508. MONAWARA, MYRA
509. MONTANO, SONIA AUREA G.
510. MONTAWAL, MOSLINA U.
511. MONTILLA, NESTOR T.
512. MORAZA, VIRGINIA D.
513. MORES, GERALDIN A.
514. MOSERAT, FELICIANA N.
515. MURIAN, ATONG K.
516. MUSA, FAHIMA A.
517. MUSA, NORAISA H.
518. MUSAT, SORAHAYDA
519. MUSING, ELILIA T.
520. MUSSAH, AMINA U.
521. NADUA, JAKE C.
522. NAFNA, JUELAN
523.NANTANG, WANTANA
524.NAPNA, GUILAN M.
525. NARA, MANORA E.
526. NATO, SAIDA A.
527. NIGTE, ELIZABETH M.
528. NIRO, EDNA S.
529. NISIS, LILIA
530. NISPEROS, ELEANOR P.
531. NITURA, CONSTANCIA B.
532. NOCON, ALBERTO P.
533. NUL, DALMA B.
534. NUMAINA, KI ALIL
535. NURDAYA, IMRAJUL B.
536. OBEIDO, ABDEL MUNEM
537. OCAMPO, CORAZON B.
538. OCAMPO, EMERENCIANA A.
539. ODEN, SOLEDAD M.
540. OLIPAS, EMELIE G.
541. OLIVA, OCHIE
542. OLIVAR, ADELAIDA L.
543. OMROG, CELIA C.
544. ONIA, ELISA D.
545. ORIERO, ELMER B.
546. OROSCO, SOLEDAD M.
547. ORPIANO, EDUARDO L.
548. ORTEGA, ROSARIO D.
549. ORTIZ, RODELIO L.
550. ORUGA, ELENITA M.
551. OSSAMA, GAMMAR N.
552. OTO, SORAIDA S.
553. PADAGAS, EMERITA B.
554. PADILLA, TIRSO S.
555. PADO, NORAIDA M.
556. PAGSULINGAN, REGINA G.
557. PAILO, CONSOLACION C.
558. PAJARILLO, PRISCILLA C.
559. PALAWAN, MAIMONA A.
560. PALERACIO, NOVIE B.
561. PALLAGAO, MANUEL C.
562. PALSIR, ZENAIDA l.
563. PALUMPON, PABLITO A.
564. PANAGAS, AIDA E.
565. PANGANIBAN, TERESITA A.
566. PANTIC, CORAZON I.
567. PARAS, LOLITA A.
568. PAREDES, SHEALTIEL R.
569. PAREJA, BERNADITO A.
570. PARIZA, MANNY A.
571. PAULINO, TESSIE A.
572. PENA, ROSALINA B.
573. PERALTA, TERESITA D.
574. PEREZ, ELEONOR M.
575. PEREZ, REYNALDO C.
576. PIANDAO, DAMMANG A.
577. PIEDAD, ERLINDA C.
578. PINGA, VILMA M.
579. PINKIHAN, FRANCISCO S.
580. PLIEGO, EMELITA P.
581. PLOJO, RODRIGO
582. PODES, MIGUELA
583. POLICARPIO, MARIO R.
584. POLICARPIO, MARVINERSON
585. POLINA, NORMA R.
586. POLOYAPOY, EMMA B.
587. PRANADA, EDITHA A.
588. PULIDO, MARLYN R.
589. PUZON, CERES L.
590. QEBLANI, LINDA M.
591. QUINONES, CIRIACA C.
592. RACIMA, MUSTAPA A.
593. RAGUIDIN, ALMA S.
594. RAGUNTON, CHRISTIAN
595. RAGUNTON, HOWARD R.
596. RAGUNTON, JAN MICHAEL
597. RAMIL, DELIA A.
598. RAMINON, BALCAN S.
599. RAMIREZ, ALMEDA C.
600. RAMOS, ALICE A.
601. RAMOS, CYNTHIA D.
602. RAMOS, JANET C.
603. RAMOS, JUNTA C.
604. RAMOS, ROSANAJEN L.
605. RAMOS, VERONICA D.
606. RANING, MARCELA C.
607. RAPSING, CRISTINA E.
608. RASID, ROSA G.
609. RASULTAY, PATRICIA V.
610. RAVILAS, MODESTO
611. RAZON, ROSEMARIE S.
612. REDON, BRIGIDA C.
613. REGAL, BENEDICTA C.
614. REJANOY, CARMEN G.
615. REMEDIOS, VIDAL T.
616. REPORP, LAILA A.
617. ROSALES, MARIE T.
618. RETONDO, ELENA T
619. REYES, MINDA C.
620. REYES, AGAPITO D.
621. REYES, LUCY
622. RHADIZAH, MATAJAM R.
623. RIMORIN, LEONIDA C.
624. RIVERA, LADIA
625. RIVERA, LOBEDA B.
626. RIVERA, MARIO V.
627. ROHAMMA, IBRAHIM B.
628. ROMEO AGUILAR, TOLENTINO 629. ROMERO, ROSALINA D.
630. ROQUE, MERCEDES D.
631. ROSALES, ALMA R.
632. ROXAS, VICTORIA I.
633. RUAR, ANITA J.
634. RUMAY, WILHELMINA I.
635. ROSIANA, JUDY L.
636. SAAVERDE, FATIMA T.
637. SABAH, KATIN A.
638. SABBAI, NURFA L.
639. SABIAL, LASA H.
640. SABORDINO, MA. ELENA C.
641. SACRO, PURIFICACION C.
642. SAFARIA, JAYNA
643. SAGAO, MARYLOU MACARIA B.
644. SAGED, SAKEYA S.
645. SAGUDAQUIL, BEN A.
646. SAGUN, BRIGILDA GRAECEL R.
647. SAHACK, SAHRA P.
648. SAHI, AISA B.
649. SAHIRA NUR, DINA N.
650. SAIDAN, AHLARA SIDA A.
651. SAIPA, EDWIN L.
652. SAJOR, JULITA B.
653. SAKANDAL, BIYAH L.
654. SALANI, ARMINA K.
655. SALAS, NUNSIHA
656. SALAS, SYLVIA A.
657. SALDE, ALMA R.
658. SALEH, HAPIPA A.
659. SALIM, FATIMA B.
660. SALIM, MARIAM S.
661. SALINDING, MUSLIMA M.
662. SALONGA, ERNIE S.
663. SALVADOR, EILMA A.
664. SAN MIGUEL, SIMON L.
665. SANAANI, MELY S.
666. SANDAYAN, SALAMA P.
667. SANDIGAN, BAITAN B.
668. SANTELICES, MA. THERESA V.
669. SANTIAGO, CRISELDA B.
670. SANTIAGO, FELIPA C.
671. SANTOS, AMELIA N.
672. SANTOS, FE MALAYA C.
673. SANTOS, JUATE R.
674. SANTOS, LEONORA C.
675. SANTOS, RODMARK P.
676. SAOLUM, JULIO D.
677. SAPA, JUAN VICTORIA G.
678. SAPIA, MIRA
679. SAPPARI, AIDA J.
680. SARADA, ASAR E.
681. SARIYAN, BASARIN
682. SAROTE, MAGDALENA S.
683. SAUDA, HAMAD T.
684. SAWALI, FLORENTINA N.
685. SENDAD, PACITA M.
686. SERNA, JOSE C.
687. SERRANO, DIVINA A.
688. SEVERINO, RODEL N.
689. SEVILLA, MILAGROS R.
690. SHURAK, ABDULSAMAT
691. SIDA, OMAR A.
692. SILAMAN, SONIA
693. SILLO, JOSEPHINE A.
694. SILVERIO, AMELITA F.
695. SISCAR, JULIETA P.
696. SITTIE, MARY ANN M.
697. SOLO, LORNA M.
698. SOLOMON, AGATA L.
699. SOMADANG, ROMEO A.
700. SOMBRERO, MARIE
701. SORIANO, MARY ANTIPAZ B.
702. SORIANO, VIRGIE O.
703. STA. CRUZ, MERCEDES P.
704. SUALA, JAKARIA S.
705. SUBALA, FLORA M.
706. SUERIA, NENENG A.
707. SUHAILA, SHAIF E.
708. SUIZA, ARNOLD K.
709. SULIT, GEMMA P.
710. SUMALPONG, WILFREDO M.
711. SURAIDA, CHAMID Y.
712. TAASAHAN, BENITA A.
713. TABANTE, NORMAN G.
714. TABIA, MA. THERESA A.
715. TABINAN, RONIA M.
716. TADE, CATHERINE D.
717. TADEO, TERESITA V.
718. TAGAB, AISHA A.
719. TAGAZ, HEBAH A.
720. TAGORANAO, NORMA P.
721. TAGUDAR, BENJAMEN
722. TAHA, NURA M.
723. TAHIM, FLORIDA S.
724. TAJARAN, EMELITA N.
725. TALINES, LINGCOJSENES
726. TAMAYO, GUY B.
727. TAMAYO, JUANILA P.
728. TAMBIANGAS, EVA C.
729. TAMIN, ILUMINADA
730. TAN, EUGENE E.
731. TAN, LIGAYA B.
732. TAN, RESURRECION V.
733. TAN, SYLVIA L.
734. TANALGO, MARY JEANE E.
735. TANDONG, NORAIDA D.
736. TANGINO, AMERODDIN S.
737. TANGKID, CONSUELO M.
738. TANORA, GLEZENDA
739. TATALLAIN, CONSUELO M.
740. TECSON, SANDRA S.
741. TELAD, MAIYA C.
742. TIAMSON, MERCEDITA J.
743. TICSON, AMPARA
744. TINDAAN, LINA B.
745. TIONGSON, VIOLETA D.
746. TIYUSOP, MURKIYA S.
747. TOLA, MOHAMINDA
748. TOMAS, ZORAYDA S.
749. TOMINAYA, LOURDES M.
750. TONGCALO, HERMINIA O.
751. TRANJIA, EMETERIA B.
752. TRIAS, SURAIDA
753. TUANGAN, ANITA Q.
754. TUAZON, LYDIA V.
755. TUAZON, MILAGROS G.
756. TUAZON, DOMINGO S.
757. TUBANA, VILLA B.
758. TUBON, NATIVIDAD R.
759. TUGAOIN, FIDES E.
760. TUMING, LOLITA C.
761. TUNGPALAN, TERESITA V.
762. TUWA, AMINA T.
763. UGKA, NORIA B.
764. ULAMA, PARIDA U.
765. UMAIRA, TANDARAT
766. UMOS, HADIYA M.
767. UNTIVERO, VENUS A.
768. URBANO, ESTER G.
769. URMENITA, EDNA B.
770. USMAN, NAILA
771. USMAN, SAHARA
772. USNALAN, JAMILA B.
773. USOP, NORCAYA N.
774. USOP, ZAHARA N.
775. VALDEZ, ELIZABETH L.
776. VALDEZ, JULIE M.
777. VALENCIA, MYRNA J.
778. VALENZUELA, MERBA
779. VALERA, MERLINDA B.
780. VALLE, MARIA G.
781. VELASCO, NATY M.
782. VELASQUEZ, LEONIDA C.
783. VELLESTAS, VIRGINIA E.
784. VERGARA, LUZVIMINDA Y.
785. VERGARA, GELEN R.
786. VERGARA, LEDDY D.
787. VERGARA, SIMPLICIO M.
788. VERGOLES, VILMA C.
789. VIERNES, GLORIA M.
790. VILLA, VERELYN V.
791. VILLALU, MARINA A.
792. VILLANUEVA, MARGARITA
793. VILLANUEVA, VISITSION L.
794. VILLAREAL, MARYZOR C.
795. VILLELA, AGRIPINA S.
796. VILLOSO, EUPROCINA S.
797. VIOLAN, ARSENIA S.
798. VIORES, MARINA
799. VITALICIO, ANITA E.
800. WATIN, EDNA A.
801. YACOB, MINDA J.
802. YACOB, SAGUIRA S.
803. YASIN, MARITA T.
804. YASUF, SATSA
805. YEBES, JIMMY E.
806. YUSOP, GLORIA A.
807. YUSOP, HAPJA E.
808. YUSOP, JABAIRA S.
809. YUSOP, ZALIKA M.
811. YUTUC, EDNA B.
812. ZAMORA, LYDIA C.
813. ZAPANTA, ELENA L.
814. ZAPATA, PATRICIA I.
815. ZATE, ELADIA N.
816. ZUHAIRATE, JAMDE S.
817. ZUHRA, GLANG S.