Filipinos in Kuwait Launch Donation Drive for PHL Typhoon Victims

A massive donation drive to help the victims of the two horrendous typhoons that hit the Philippines in recent days has been launched by the Filipino community in Kuwait.

Nearly 70 people have been confirmed dead in the typhoons, while many are still missing and over 160,000 people remain at evacuation centres awaiting immediate assistance.
The drive in Kuwait is being spearheaded by the Filipino Badminton Committee (FBC) in coordination with the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) and the Filipino Cultural Club, the Bicolanos in Kuwait, Fil Aseak, the Philippine Amateur Basketball Association in Kuwait and the Beta Sigma Fraternity (Kuwait Chapter).

“What we launched is collecting donations from our members but all in kind,” Dr Chie Umandap, the FBC Chairman, said. “We would like to discourage donations in cash because we are not from government agencies and cannot process such donations. What we are accepting are token donations of canned goods, noodles and medicines, maybe clothes and something to keep bodies warm amidst massive flooding,” Umandap said, quoted by Kuwait Times daily on Tuesday.

Continue reading at Gulf News

Filipino Community in UAE Urged to Join Two Eco Events

Philippine Consul-General Benito Valeriano is encouraging all 101 community groups and organisations registered with the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, to participate in two twin environmental activities spearheaded by the Lightform International Photographers Guild (LIPG) this October.

One of these is a clean-up drive from 7am to 11am at the Al Mamzar Beach in Dubai on Oct. 28 and the other, the “10th Environmental Awareness Photo Competition,” the winners of which will be announced on Nov. 4 at Arabian Centre-Mirdiff.

Dubai Municipality supports both activities.

Valeriano stated in his letter addressed to all Filipino community leaders in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: “I urge all Filipino organisations to send participants to this major activity in Dubai which is geared towards cleaning our environment for the benefit of future generations.”

Continue reading at Gulf Today

Aquino to Visit Tsunami-hit Area in Japan Trip

President Aquino is putting a sentimental touch on his official working visit here by visiting Sendai, the place worst hit by the tsunami following the powerful earthquake rocked this country last March.

Aquino arrives here today on the first day of his visit and tomorrow, he will make time to visit residents who are currently taking refuge at an evacuation center in Ishinomaki City at Miyagi Prefecture.

Aquino will also attend a gathering of the Filipino community there and have a brief meeting with Miyagi Prefecture and city officials.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro said Aquino would be bringing a “gift” for the people of Japan.

Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tohoku region.

In his interview with Japanese media in Manila as a prelude for this visit, Aquino said he would like to visit the Filipinos who were affected by the tragedies and “demonstrate solidarity with the Japanese people.”

“There is also another package of assistance, the exact form is still being handled by the (Philippine) embassy, it’s something we decided to give. There’s an amount that we have set aside that is quite substantial by our standards but not too substantial as far as Japan is concerned, but basically it’s a significant indication of the expression of our solidarity with the Japanese people,” Aquino said.

Continue reading at Philippine Star

Filipinos in UAE Want Support Affidavit Scrapped

Several groups under the umbrella of the Filipino Community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates have clamoured for the abolition of the affidavit of support and guarantee requirement imposed by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration Department (BID) for Dubai-bound Filipinos on visit visa, since July 2010.

These groups under the Filipino Community (FILCOM), which comprises over a hundred Filipino organisations in Dubai and other emirates like Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, have been circulating emails seeking signatures of Filipino expatriates in the UAE demanding for the abolition of the said BID requirement.

Their campaign is anchored on the allegations that the immigration officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila are not keen on checking the documents their departing loved ones are carrying with them.

The same email campaign also made allegations of ‘under the table’ and ‘escort’ systems going on at NAIA involving unspecified immigration officials who decide if they should or should not allow UAE-bound passengers to take their flights. “In many cases, passengers who have refused to engage in the ‘escort system’ and pay under the table, have been off-loaded,” they claimed.

Continue reading at Khaleej Times