Preparing for Independence Day in Kuwait

The Labor Attaché at the helm

The Kuwait Filipino community, composed of 125,000 OFW’s and about 10,000 family members, is girding up to celebrate the Philippine Independence anniversary with a bang, that is hopefully, with a strong impact on others who are not too familiar with our history and culture. The President has issued AU No. 259 designating the DOLE as the lead agency to plan, manage and implement the l celebration of our Freedom Day, and declaring that this year’s theme should be Kagitingan, Kagalingan at Kasipagan Tungo sa Tunay na Kalayaan. Following the President’s directive, our Ambassador to Kuwait, Ricardo M. Endaya has designated the Labor Attaché (who happens to be this writer), to lead, the Independence Day Organizing Committee. This is, of course, on top of our responsibilities as the protector of the OFWs in Kuwait. Quite a formidable task but we have the Filcom (Filipino Community) backing us up.

“Kagitingan” of OFWs

Our Freedom Day celebration shall pay tribute to the nobility and heroism of our forefathers, national statesmen and heroes. We shall present a tableau that shall showcase the best in our history, the values that our leaders stood for and died for. We shall invite Kuwait political and business leaders so that they will learn to respect the Filipinos as coming from a land of honor, valor and integrity, and not just a “nation of servants.”

“Kagalingan” of Filipinos abroad

Our celebration shall also highlight the global excellence of Filipinos abroad. We shall tell the Kuwaiti’s that there are Filipino doctors in the White House, Filipino professors in Harvard and Oxford, Filipino scientists in European laboratories, Filipino pilots flying American planes, Filipino ship captains sailing all kinds of ocean liners, Filipino doctors all over the world, nurses, engineers and technicians because we are a nation of gifted, hard-working and well-educated people and not only domestic servants.

“Kasipagan” of migrant workers

But even our domestic servants can be heroic in being hardworking and persevering. We have DH who serve in the noble houses of kings, sultans, emirs and queens, from UK to Malaysia, from Brunei to Kuwait, taking care of young nobilities who shall soon rule the world. We have OFWs working in the deserts laying down giant pipes for oil refineries. We have Filipinos serving customers in all sorts of hotels and restaurants. We have musicians and artists, singers and dancers who provide joy and entertainment to tourists all over Europe, Asia and America. We are a nation of talented, passionate and honest people. We shall tell the world that the Philippines is a pearl of the Orient and the cradle of noble heroes, and that our country is worth dying for.

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