Ducky Paredes

“We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.”

by Ducky Paredes

 

What follows is from the June 16, 2008 issue of Arab News which was sent to us by Virgilio Sales entitled “Imagine a world without Filipinos”:

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”

Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.

Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.

So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.

What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.

When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.

Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.

This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.

The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.

We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.

We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.

We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

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I am not quite sure but the writer seems to be Abdullah Al-Maghlooth | Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa since that is the name under the headline,

At any rate, it is a nice feeling and wonderful to realize that there are people who think so well of the Filipino that he thinks that without Pinoys, this would be a less interesting world. I have to agree with that.

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The Federation of Philippine Amateur Senior Golfers, Inc. (FPASGI) will hold its third fun tournament for the year with a game at Fernando Air Base Golf Course in Lipa City, Batangas tomorrow, Friday, June 20, 2008. Tee-off is sequential beginning at 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

The Fernando Air Base Golf Course is built on mostly flat land since the base was built around a landing strip. This is among the interesting Philippine courses since it was built by Filipino golfers using only native grasses, mostly Carabao grass, like the Del Monte Course in Bukidnon, the Veterans Course and the Villamor and Navy Courses.

The main feature of the FAB course is the 18th Hole Par 6, which is 666 yards long,

All FPASGI members and their guests are welcome. Unlike the San Mig Sugar Free Tournaments which are exclusive for FPASGI members only, fun tournaments accept guests of FPASGI members, th better to attract almost seniors (under 55) who may later want to join the FPASGI. Tournament fee is only P1,000 which includes the Green Fee, Caddy, Registration Fee, Mulligan and Raffle Prizes. Food is for the players’ own account.

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hvp 06.18.08)

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