Accents
'Imagine a world without Filipinos'
This is one forwarded e-mail that escaped my delete key. Sent by my friend Dr. Delia Aguilar, the article that I quoted above comes from the June 16, 2008 issue of Arab News, the Middle East's leading English language daily. In a special feature, author Abdullah Al-Maghlooth has captured the indispensability of Filipino labor in the world. Read on:
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 workers to 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.
What else can I say but "Amen" to all that. Former Pres. Fidel Ramos gave the highest accolade to the OFWs when he called them our country's "Bagong Bayani." Philippine economy would flop without the $12 billion or so remitted annually by overseas Filipino workers. To them, our praise and gratitude.
(E-mail: lagoc@hargray.com)