United Arab Emirates (UAE)

DUBAI, UAE- During the last week, I have had an interesting, productive, and enjoyable stay in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  I was fortunate that Ambassador Grace Relucio Princesa in Abu Dhabi and Consul General Frank Cimafranca in Dubai took the time to acquaint me with the two cities and inform me of developments related to OFWs in UAE.

As a tourist, I must say that it has been a pleasant experience. The facilities are world class and the two cities are far more liberal than other parts of the Middle East. There is a dogged determination to demonstrate to the world that they can excel and be the greatest in several fields, as showcased in the seven star hotels Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Emirates Palace (with a 1.3-hectare footprint accommodating 394 rooms and stunning suites). In the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dubai, they demonstrate the most technologically advanced Mosque in the Moslem world. Additionally, we were awed by the 5,700 square meter carpet handcrafted by some 1200 craftsman in Iran. In terms of malls there is the Dubai Mall – the largest in the world – and even the Sys of the SM Group would marvel at its size and offerings. There is a first carbon free city, an F1 race track and the Ferrari Theme Park (the largest in the world). In terms of food, you can have anything you want. My whole family accompanied me to celebrate the 18th birthday of my granddaughter Bianca Olivia. I can truly recommend it, particularly in the cool season. But this is not the main purpose of my article.

An ambassador in the Middle East: Guts and commitment

I first met Grace Princesa when she was a junior officer in New York, yet her fearlessness only came out in the midst of war torn Iraq in 2003 when she volunteered to be assigned to Baghdad, to the surprise of her colleagues. Having been assigned to explore potential Iraq business opportunities upon the establishment of the Coalition Provisional Authority, I visited Baghdad despite a certain degree of trepidation. It was Grace who met and accompanied me during my very brief visit, despite the fact that the rest of the embassy staff was holed up in the Philippine office, reluctant to go anywhere. I do not recall any sign of fear from Grace nor do I recall her wearing a flak jacket, although my entire group wore them. I was impressed by how knowledgeable and conversant she was with current political and security developments.

After an assignment in the Philippine Mission to the UN in Geneva, she was appointed our ambassador to the UAE. Once again, I marveled at her grasp of the problems confronting our OFWs. While in her car, I overheard her talking to staff and then a rape victim who needed assistance and counseling, assuring the lady that she would personally meet her at the airport late that evening.  Later she explained how she was able to personally secure a job for her in Manila with comparable pay to that in UAE. During lunch, I overheard her speaking on the phone about another OFW who was about to be imprisoned for failure to pay his hospital bill.  Again, she was looking for a way to help this victim. Without skipping a beat, she proceeded to eat and converse with the guests at the table.

Today there are almost 500,000 Filipinos in the UAE.  Almost half are in Dubai.  Aside from the traditional consular services of DFA personnel, their biggest challenge is to protect household help who are tortured, raped, and otherwise abused by their employers. Ambassador Princesa informed me that there were at that very moment 50 OFWs being housed by the embassy. They ran away from their “masters”.  It is the task of the embassy to make representations with the government authorities and if necessary repatriate them to Manila. Unfortunately, funds are not readily available.

In the world today, there are approximately 10 million overseas Filipinos. Evidence clearly indicates that their remittances are a significant factor in the development of our country. The Bangko Sentral estimates that $20 billion were remitted in 2011. Regrettably, I learned that 70 percent of the OFWs are not able to save for their long-term goals to enable them to return and reintegrate.

Here again, Grace demonstrated her commitment and determination to help our fellow countrymen. She has been a staunch advocate of Atikha Overseas Workers and Communities, an NGO which receives assistance from multilateral organizations such as IOM, IFAD and in the multiple multilateral organizations. Atikha was able to successfully mobilize P10 million of investment towards agriculture enterprises of cooperatives in Region 4A.  Their success has created a mushrooming of activities in the provincial governments of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Tarlac, Agusan del Sur, Maguindanao and Antique.

Atikha is one of many NGOs that compose Pinoy WISE, a network of national and local government units, migrant and family organizations, cooperatives, and financial institutions dedicated to ensure that migration will contribute to the development of OFWs and their families and communities. Grace informed me that Pinoy WISE was launched in Abu Dhabi National Theater last November 2012. This year, efforts have been extended to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait this year. I congratulate these organizations and thank our Ambassador Grace for her personal advocacy and for bringing it to my attention and hopefully to others who read my column. 

Going back to Grace’s personal endeavors, grass never grows under her feet because now she informs me that she is studying for a masters and doctorate degree which will focus on migration and policy. Grace, you are truly a worthy representative of our country. The younger foreign service officers should emulate your commitment and guts to serve our countrymen.

DFA appointments

Secretary Albert del Rosario recently announced the appointment of nine ambassadors from the career service.  The Secretary once again kept his promise that the career service will have priority over political appointments. In turn, President Aquino must be congratulated and thanked for honoring Del Rosario’s recommendations despite political pressures to the contrary. Moreover, it should be noted that the Secretary announced the appointments even before the expiration of the incumbents’ terms. In that way, there will no longer be a long period of vacancy.  I surmise also that by doing so he has preempted those who undeservedly covet some of the embassies.