CALIFORNIA, USA — People showed up to protest government spending, bailouts, taxes, and the economic crisis in the United States.
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INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Maria Cecilia Flores-Oebanda has been awarded the first Iqbal Masih award for the elimination of exploitative child labor, according to the United States Department of Labor.
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Charlotte M. Ponticelli said the US agency is giving this award to acknowledge Flores-Oebanda’s lifetime battle against the use of child domestic workers and the trafficking of women and children for domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation in the Philippines and internationally.
By Quay Evano
Dubai, UAE — For a devout Catholic Filipino like Cristy Atendido, Christmas won’t be complete without attending the traditional “simbang gabi” or midnight mass and completing all nine days of it.
So, when she left the Philippines to work as an Overseas Filipino Worker in the Middle East last year, it was one of the things she thought she won’t be able to do since she was going to the world’s region of the Islamic religion.
But last December she was able to go to the midnight mass although wasn’t able to complete it. This year, she is focused on completing it and last night she was able to attend the first celebration of the simbang gabi. By the way, she’s still in the Middle East.
By Quay Evano
FOR the first time in the history of overseas employment for Filipinos and perhaps a first in the Middle East and the rest of the world, a foundation has been created by the OFWs (in the UAE) for the OFWs (in the Middle East) — to aid them during harsh financial times.
The foundation was also created to promote entrepreneurship, to engage in fundraising activities, to give scholarships to children of low-income Filipino families and provide money to Filipinos stricken with life-threatening illnesses or who are victims of calamities and natural disasters.
“The Filipino Expatriates in the UAE Foundation Inc., also known as FILEX Foundation was established so that in our own moments of personal need, we have a foundation we Filipino expats can easily go to for help. No one else can really help the OFWs but the OFWs themselves, so it is high time we start preparing ourselves for our future and supporting ourselves. Even if we are abroad, or back home in the Philippines, the foundation will become the common interest we will work for, to gather and to sustain and proudly say that it is our own charitable organization. There are so many charitable organizations in the Philippines but there is really none for the OFWs. Finally, there is one now,” Dick Orense, Chairman of the Interim Board of Trustees, said.
By Quay Evano
Bayanihan is one of the most powerful, strongest and nationalistic word in the Filipino language. It is one of those words that define the Filipino — a must for his “Filipino-ness” to be complete. It has no literal counterpart in the English language but it can be defined as “working together towards a common goal for a compatriot or for the country.” The word evokes the image of camaraderie, responsibility, unity and sacrifice all done in the spirit of fun and nationalistic pride.
And this imagery is precisely what was seen during the first-ever Bayanihan Festival organized by the leaders of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates headed by Engineer Orandantes Delizo, who has lived and worked in the UAE for more than two decades.
It was held on December 6, 2008 at the Megabowl Amphitheater, Zabeel Park in Dubai with around 5,000 Filipinos from all over the UAE taking part including Filipino clubs and organizations, Filipino schools, and Filipino companies who helped the organizers in many aspects of the event.
The whole day and evening affair started with a grand entrance of the national flags of the Philippines and the UAE and singing of the two country’s national anthems and followed by a parade of banners of the participating Filipino clubs and organizations, opening of the tiangge, and military, giving out of the Bayanihan Festival souvenir program, cheering squad, military silent drill and majorette exhibition performances.
By afternoon several competitions were held, such as the kids chess, kite flying, lantern-making, group tent, kids ballroom and Palarong Pinoy contests. By nightfall onwards, there were a lot of song and dance performances such as cultural dances, Latin dance numbers by two Filipino dance clubs and a Christmas carol performance by the Christian Voices Chorale. Much-awaited also was the appearance of Filipino celebrities Mark Herras, Jennylyn Mercado and Mang Mike who were the invited guest stars near the end of the show.
One of the highlights of the festival was the second job fair organized by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association UAE Chapter (UPAA UAE) for Filipinos who are looking for jobs, especially for those who have just arrived in the country on visit visas.
Thousands of Filipinos arrived in Dubai everyday looking for greener pastures, one that they cannot find back home in the Philippines. But with the global recession happening in the world right now, many OFWs in the UAE were also affected with the downsizing of manpower in several construction companies, thus losing their jobs. So, several Filipinos who have been laid off from their companies headed to the job fair to be able to transfer to a new company before their work visa runs out, forcing them to return to the Philippines.
Five Dubai-based companies participated in the job fair and these are Careertunity, Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance, Modern Freight, Wilbursmith Associates and Staff United.
The Bayanihan festival opened at 9 a.m. but even as early as 6 am, people were already lining up for the job fair with around a total of 400 people handing out their CVs and applying to these companies at the end of the event.
The first-ever Bayanihan Festival in the UAE proved that the Filipinos abroad can be one. Is a true testament to the Filipino expatriates’ resilience in the most trying of times and the never-ending belief that there is strength in national unity.
The festival was supported and attended by Philippine Embassy officials in the UAE headed by Ambassador Libran Cabactulan and Consul General Benito Valeriano along with former Caloocan City Mayor Rey Malonzo who visited Dubai to talk about Philhealth.
The proceeds of the festival will be going to the distressed wards at the POLO-OWWA in Dubai, the Filipino Expatriates in the UAE Foundation (FILEX), Gawad Kalinga 777, and the conflict-affected people in Mindanao.
The festival was also held in celebration of the Muslim celebration Eid Al Fitr (December 7 to 9) and Christmas Day and New Year’s Day which are all celebrated in this liberal Islamic country.
(Photos taken by Quay Evano. For more info and photos, you may visit www.bayanihanuae.org or http://quaynova.multiply.com/photos/album/17/UPAA_UAE_Job_Fair)
By Marjorie Gorospe
Whatever is happening in America affects everyone. This is a bitter sweet reality of the globalization. This is also the reason why the world stopped to watch the US elections and subsequent victory of President-elect Barack Obama.
Benjamin Pimentel, a reporter and Filipino immigrant in America, is one of the millions of Filipinos who got interested in the US elections. Seeing the possibility that for the first time in history an African American would be ruling the America, Pimentel wrote a book aptly titled, “Pareng Barack, Filipinos in Obama’ America.”
Pareng Barack is a book about the reactions of Filipinos residing in America. The book is also a collection of stories Pimentel gathered from fellow Filipinos in America during the US Presidential campaign.
By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net
TAGUIG CITY, Philippines – A group composed of children of Filipino war veterans continue to fight for the benefits due them.
Joining the celebration of Veteran’s Day at American Cemetery, the Philippine Veterans Legion (Sons and Daughters) (PLV) Laguna Chapter said they will persist on helping beneficiaries of the veterans during the World War II.
The group was established in the 1980s but was only formally recognized last January 30, 2008.
By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net
TAGUIG City, Philippines — United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney together with some American and Filipino military dignitaries celebrated the Veteran’s Day at American Cemetery.
“If not for their sacrifices, our nations will never be free. They are the reason why we can vote peacefully, freely and with excitement actually,” said Kenney who joined the honoring of the war veterans.
Kenney said she appreciated the enduring friendship between Filipino and Americans, as she acknowledged Filipinos who served the Americans during the World War II.
