PDA

View Full Version : Just for reading pleasure..Might be of interest.



patti1227
20th June 2008, 19:17
I received this article from my friends. This article have been creating different remarks here and abroad. What can you say about this? Please share your views.


Monday 16 June 2008 (11 Jumada al-Thani 1429)

Imagine a world without Filipinos
Abdullah Al-Maghlooth | Al-Watan,
almaghlooth@

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 workersto 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.

Prince Ahmed Bin Salman
Arab News 30th Anniversary Supplement
Copyright: Arab News (c) 2003 All rights reserved. Site
designed by:
arabix