RAO Davao City

NOTICE ON PASSPORT APPLICATIONS

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL IN CHICAGO TO ISSUE

MACHINE READABLE PASSPORTS

IN JUNE 2008

The Philippine Consulate General Chicago would like to inform Filipinos in its consular jurisdiction that effective Monday, 2 June 2008, applications for the new Machine Readable Passports (MRP) will be processed by the Consulate. The new MRPs will provide improved security features at no additional cost. The new MRP will still cost US$50.00.

A Machine Readable Passport (MRP) is a passport where the personal details of the applicant is printed in such a way that it can be read by the naked eye and at the same time, it contains a “machine readable zone” containing the personal data of the passport holder that can be read by a machine or computer.

The MRP allows faster entry and exit of the traveler at airports, as the data and biometrics in the MRP can be read by a machine and stored automatically in the database of immigration officers. This means greater convenience and security for traveler.

The new MRP, which is maroon in color, consists of 44 pages. The data in the MRP is now fully printed. The MRP has superior security features compared to the old green passports, which virtually eliminates the possibility of identity theft and acts of fraud.

Only the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila prints the MRP. Applications received by the Consulate General will be sent to DFA via diplomatic pouch. In view of the transit time, it will now take SIX (6) WEEKS for a passport to be released to the applicant, from the time the application is processed.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE IS REQUIRED. All applicants, whether for the renewal of a passport, or those applying for the first time must appear personally at the Consulate General for data verification, thumb mark/finger-printing and signing of the application form. Application by mail will not be accepted.

Current holders of valid Philippine passports (green passport that has not expired), need not worry as the green passports will still be honored as a bonafide travel document issued by the Government of the Philippines until its date of expiry, even after the roll out of the new machine readable passports.

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Overseas American citizens are eligible to participate in presidential and state primary elections, run-off elections and special elections that occur throughout the year, as well as the general elections in November 2008. You are strongly encouraged to register to vote and request your absentee ballot early! The official U.S. Government website for overseas absentee voting assistance is the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at www.fvap.gov. It has a wealth of information about absentee voting including: downloadable absentee ballot applications and write-in ballots, state specific instructions for completing the form, links to state and local officials, and a downloadable emergency ballot to use when requested materials fail to arrive in time. The Basic Absentee Voting Process procedure is:

1.) Complete an application form and send it to local election officials in the U.S.

2.) The local official approves your request or contacts you for further information.

3.) The local official sends you an absentee ballot.

4.) You vote the ballot and send it back in time to meet your state’s deadline.

To register to vote and request an absentee ballot you can fill out the paper form available at the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the U.S. Embassy, or download the Federal Post Card Application at http://fvap.gov/pubs/fpca.html. Fill it out and send it in, following the guidelines for your state. Each state establishes voting procedures, and so requirements across the country vary. It is important to be aware of your state’s deadlines for registration. Specific information about your state’s procedures and a complete 2008 election calendar are available at http://fvap.gov. There may be last minute changes to your state’s voting calendar, procedures or deadlines. When these occur, the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) will issue a News Release. To add your name to the distribution list for News Releases, send an e-mail to vote@fvap.ncr.go For further information you can also contact the FVAP via Email: vote@fvap.ncr.gov. [Source: ACS Manila Newsletter Jul 08 ++]

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WARDEN NOTICE

July 10, 2008

THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES IS TRANSMITTING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION THROUGH THE EMBASSY WARDEN SYSTEM AS A PUBLIC SERVICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN THE PHILIPPINES. PLEASE DISSEMINATE THIS MESSAGE TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION OR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU.

Need for Caution in Mindanao

The Embassy is monitoring recent bombings in Mindanao against electrical power lines, as well as the defusing of improvised explosive devices on July 4 and 5. These acts may indicate a planned escalation of attacks, which could include shopping malls, commercial centers and other public gathering places.  U.S. citizens should exercise extreme caution in Mindanao, particularly over the next several weeks. 
U.S. citizens living and working in Mindanao are urged to reassess their personal security, keep a low profile, and avoid public gathering places. Americans living or traveling in the Philippines are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department s travel registration website, http://travelregistration.state.gov so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within the Philippines.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warning for the Philippines, and Country Specific Information for the Philippines can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The American Citizen Services section at the U.S. Embassy in Manila can be reached at (02) 301-2000, ext. 2246; the after hours emergency number is (02) 301-2000; the fax number is (02) 301-2017.  The Embassy s web site, which includes consular information and the most recent messages to the American community in the Philippines, is at http://manila.usembassy.gov.

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Notice: July 10, 2008: Change of Venue: Please be advised that the Angeles City outreach will now be held in the Hilltop Function Room at Mimosa Golf & Country Club-Monte Vista Villa. Attached is a vicinity map for your reference.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. Embassy representatives from the American Citizen Services of the Consular Section; Department of Homeland Security; Social Security Administration; Veterans Affairs; and the Joint US Military Assistance Group will be in:

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When Medicare processes a claim for health care services you received, the claim is detailed in a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). It is a summary of claims for health care services Medicare processed for you during the previous three months. They are mailed four times a year and contain information about submitted charges, the amount that Medicare paid, and the amount you are responsible for. The most important fields on your MSN explain:

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Even though it is commonly said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, Medicare has not traditionally covered preventive care. However, coverage for many preventive care services has been added in the past few years. Doctors may not realize that Medicare now covers these services, so it is important to ask your doctor about them. As long as you meet basic eligibility standards, you have the right to receive these services no matter which Medicare health plan you are enrolled in. Your costs for these services may be different if you are in a Medicare private health plan (HMO or PPO). However, private plans cannot charge you anything for the flu or pneumonia vaccine. In addition, private plans cannot require that you get a referral in order to get a screening mammogram or a flu shot. Be sure to follow the Medicare guidelines for receiving preventive care services in order to ensure that Medicare will cover them since some are covered only once every few years and others are only covered if you meet specific criteria. The following coverage guidelines are only for preventive screenings. Medicare may cover these tests more frequently if they are needed to diagnose or treat an illness or condition.

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A retroactive award for soldiers who log sea duty now includes Army National Guard and Army reserve troops. The Army Sea Duty Ribbon was approved in 2006 to include soldiers who have served aboard Army vessels since 1 AUG 52. The Army Transportation Corps recently updated the award’s qualifications to include the Guard and Reserve. To be eligible, active duty soldiers must complete two years of cumulative sea duty on a class A (such as tugs, LSVs and large landing crafts) or Class B (smaller landing craft and all amphibians) vessels. Guardsmen and reservists must have two creditable years in a U.S. Army watercraft unit, which must include at least 25 days underway each year and two annual training exercises underway on a class A or B vessel or a 90-day deployment aboard an Army vessel underway. The Army Sea Duty ribbon is the first non-campaign ribbon approved by the Army in more than 20 years. The retroactive date corresponds to the standing-up of the 1st Heavy Boat Company in the Army. Requests should be sent to: Chief, Marine Qualification Division, Attn: Career Pay Office, HRC, Bldg. 705, Rm. 231, 705 Read St., Ft. Eustis, VA 23604-5407 email: armyseapay@conus.army.mil. [Source: VFW Magazine Jun/Jul 08 ++]

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The House Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee on 12 JUN unanimously approved a $72.7 billion fiscal 2009 funding bill that would provide a large increase in spending for veterans programs for the second year in a row.

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Principal Investigator Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, Ph.D is seeking veterans who served in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm between AUG 90 and JUL 91 with Gulf War Illness to participate in a 12-month research study. Gulf War Illness includes symptoms that started during or after Gulf War participation and are present for at least six months. Symptoms may include fatigue, muscle or joint pain, sleep problems, memory problems and/or others. The research is to see if CoEnzyme Q10 can improve symptoms and benefits quality of life for affected veterans. Participants will receive CoEnzyme Q10, a nutritional supplement, and a placebo, an inactive pill, during alternate periods of their participation in the study. Monetary compensation, lab work, diet profiles, and study drugs, will be provided. Those desiring to participate should contact Study Coordinator Janis Ritchie, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0995 Tel: (858) 558-4950 ext 203 or email jbritchie@ucsd.edu. [Source: "CA VFW VSO Scott Langhoff email 16 Jun 0 ++]

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Fort Carson CO and Fort Leonard Wood MO would become test beds for predeployment counseling programs aimed at reducing the risk of combat stress under legislation sponsored by two Colorado lawmakers. Reps. Mark Udall (D-CO) and John Salazar (D-CO) are urging the creation of pilot programs at the two Army bases to try to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder in combat troops, and to provide early detection and treatment for PTSD when it happens. The bill H.R.6268they introduced 12 JUN also gives active-duty service members access to readjustment and mental health counseling from veterans centers, provide grants for nonprofit groups who provide counseling services for the survivors of service members or veterans, extends military survivor benefits to families of service members who commit suicide after a history of combat-related health problems, and creates a new scholarship program to train behavioral health specialists about mental health treatment for service members and veterans.

The wide swath of initiatives complicates passage. The bill was referred to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, but its provisions fall under the jurisdiction of two other panels — the Armed Services Committee that is responsible for military benefits, and the Ways and Means Committee that oversees grants for nonprofit groups. The bill is similar to S 3008, a measure introduced 12 MAY by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Christopher Bond (R-MO). Boxer and Bond might offer their package as an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill when the Senate takes up that measure in JUL. Senate passage of the legislation would provide a legislative shortcut that would avoid giving three House panels the chance to consider — and possibly change — the bill. Udall said Congress needs to do more. About 40,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD, with more than 600,000 reporting symptoms of PTSD or severe depression. Udall, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department are not doing enough. [Source: Marine Times Rick Maze article 17 Jun 08 ++]

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