Imagine a world without Filipinos
Abdullah Al-Maghlooth | Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa
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. 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.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Catubay, ay Catuday gayam.
This was a popular song during the late 60s. I especially like it because it sounds like my beautiful family name. Ehem!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Pinoys Dying From Lack Of Doctors
Pinoys dying from lack of doctors
Philippine Star
Monday, August 11, 2008
With the growing global demand for physicians and other health workers, medical doctors in the country continue to dwindle in number and are fast becoming a rare breed. In fact, seven out of 10 sick Filipinos die untreated due to the acute lack of doctors in the country, former health secretary Jaime Galvez-Tan disclosed yesterday. Tan said the country’s health care delivery system is now nearing collapse as the shortage of doctors has persisted for decades. “Our health care system is collapsing and in some areas, particularly in urban communities, has collapsed,” Tan told The STAR.
He noted that 21 municipalities and seven government hospitals in Western Samar as well as all the five municipalities of Sulu have no doctors. “There are 120 municipalities nationwide at this time without doctors. The figure was down from the 271 doctorless municipalities but just the same that’s 120 municipalities and many people are living there,” he pointed out.
In 1992, Tan said the Department of Health (DOH) launched the “Doctors to the Barrio” program in an effort to fill up the 271 municipalities. Sixteen years later, Tan said, the DOH’s program hardly succeeded in deploying health care professionals to the country’s doctorless municipalities.
He admitted that the widening demand for doctors in various developed countries is further worsening the doctors’ shortage. “Foreign countries like Finland and France that were not recruiting doctors before are now offering $6,000 salaries for physicians and we cannot match that,” Tan said.
A growing number of Filipino doctors are also studying again to become nurses so they could easily go abroad. Citing data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), Tan said that 10,000 doctors have become nurses and 99 percent passed the licensure examination.
“Of the 10,000 doctors who became nurses, 6,000 have already left for abroad,” he said.
To further compound the situation, Tan said that fewer young Filipinos are now taking up medicine due to high cost of education. “From 30,000 two years ago, the number of medical students are now down to 1,500. So we could just imagine how many will remain by 2012,” he said.
According to Tan, many Filipino would actually choose to stay in the country over the lure of high-paying jobs but the lack of support from the government drives them away. “They would want to stay and treat people here, but government hospitals do not have the necessary facilities and it’s very frustrating for them,” he explained.
For this year, Tan said, the government allocated 50 centavos for every Filipino’s health care, which is not even enough to buy a tablet of painkiller. He urged the government to come out with appropriate measures that would require Filipino doctors to stay in the country. “While other countries are in need of doctors, the Philippines should not suffer for it. Thus, if developed countries would hire Filipino doctors, they should replenish them by providing training to those who are here,” Tan said. He added that medical graduates of state universities should also be required to serve in the country before going abroad. “Starting next year, those who are entering medical course at the University of the Philippines and are set to graduate in 2018 are required to stay and serve here for three years,” Tan said.
He also expressed confidence that with programs honoring the few patriotic doctors, more medical experts would opt to stay and serve in remote areas. To celebrate its 75th foundation year, UP’s Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity is mounting the first search for hero doctors. Dubbed “Diamonds in the Rough,” the national search for young doctors in community setting aims to highlight the heroism of Filipino doctors amid the lure of overseas employment and recent scandals that tainted the medical sector.
Speaking before the launching of the Search, Sen. Richard Gordon doctors serving in far-flung communities must be given recognition. “There are less and less doctors in the field and they have become a rare breed,” Gordon said, adding that as mayor he had difficulty filling up vacancies in government hospitals. He also pledged to work on a proposed measure that would provide higher financial benefits and bring doctors back in communities.
Fraternity alumni association president Dr. Manuel Chiaco said that with the project they hope to give exemplary model for today’s youth. “On our 75th year, we felt not just celebrating, but also honor those who are working in distant communities that are so remote that their works are practically unheard of,” Chiaco said.
With Philippine STAR as one of the partners, Phi Kappa Mu superior exemplar Vincent Varilla said the search would have three major award categories - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Qualified to join are licensed doctors below 40 years who have actively served the community for five years and have not been recognized by other award giving bodies.
A screening committee will select nine finalists from all the nominees and elevate them to the final evaluation committee, who will select winners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The three winners will receive P100,000 worth of prizes to be given during the awarding rites in December. – Mayen Jaymalin
Philippine Star
Monday, August 11, 2008
With the growing global demand for physicians and other health workers, medical doctors in the country continue to dwindle in number and are fast becoming a rare breed. In fact, seven out of 10 sick Filipinos die untreated due to the acute lack of doctors in the country, former health secretary Jaime Galvez-Tan disclosed yesterday. Tan said the country’s health care delivery system is now nearing collapse as the shortage of doctors has persisted for decades. “Our health care system is collapsing and in some areas, particularly in urban communities, has collapsed,” Tan told The STAR.
He noted that 21 municipalities and seven government hospitals in Western Samar as well as all the five municipalities of Sulu have no doctors. “There are 120 municipalities nationwide at this time without doctors. The figure was down from the 271 doctorless municipalities but just the same that’s 120 municipalities and many people are living there,” he pointed out.
In 1992, Tan said the Department of Health (DOH) launched the “Doctors to the Barrio” program in an effort to fill up the 271 municipalities. Sixteen years later, Tan said, the DOH’s program hardly succeeded in deploying health care professionals to the country’s doctorless municipalities.
He admitted that the widening demand for doctors in various developed countries is further worsening the doctors’ shortage. “Foreign countries like Finland and France that were not recruiting doctors before are now offering $6,000 salaries for physicians and we cannot match that,” Tan said.
A growing number of Filipino doctors are also studying again to become nurses so they could easily go abroad. Citing data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), Tan said that 10,000 doctors have become nurses and 99 percent passed the licensure examination.
“Of the 10,000 doctors who became nurses, 6,000 have already left for abroad,” he said.
To further compound the situation, Tan said that fewer young Filipinos are now taking up medicine due to high cost of education. “From 30,000 two years ago, the number of medical students are now down to 1,500. So we could just imagine how many will remain by 2012,” he said.
According to Tan, many Filipino would actually choose to stay in the country over the lure of high-paying jobs but the lack of support from the government drives them away. “They would want to stay and treat people here, but government hospitals do not have the necessary facilities and it’s very frustrating for them,” he explained.
For this year, Tan said, the government allocated 50 centavos for every Filipino’s health care, which is not even enough to buy a tablet of painkiller. He urged the government to come out with appropriate measures that would require Filipino doctors to stay in the country. “While other countries are in need of doctors, the Philippines should not suffer for it. Thus, if developed countries would hire Filipino doctors, they should replenish them by providing training to those who are here,” Tan said. He added that medical graduates of state universities should also be required to serve in the country before going abroad. “Starting next year, those who are entering medical course at the University of the Philippines and are set to graduate in 2018 are required to stay and serve here for three years,” Tan said.
He also expressed confidence that with programs honoring the few patriotic doctors, more medical experts would opt to stay and serve in remote areas. To celebrate its 75th foundation year, UP’s Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity is mounting the first search for hero doctors. Dubbed “Diamonds in the Rough,” the national search for young doctors in community setting aims to highlight the heroism of Filipino doctors amid the lure of overseas employment and recent scandals that tainted the medical sector.
Speaking before the launching of the Search, Sen. Richard Gordon doctors serving in far-flung communities must be given recognition. “There are less and less doctors in the field and they have become a rare breed,” Gordon said, adding that as mayor he had difficulty filling up vacancies in government hospitals. He also pledged to work on a proposed measure that would provide higher financial benefits and bring doctors back in communities.
Fraternity alumni association president Dr. Manuel Chiaco said that with the project they hope to give exemplary model for today’s youth. “On our 75th year, we felt not just celebrating, but also honor those who are working in distant communities that are so remote that their works are practically unheard of,” Chiaco said.
With Philippine STAR as one of the partners, Phi Kappa Mu superior exemplar Vincent Varilla said the search would have three major award categories - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Qualified to join are licensed doctors below 40 years who have actively served the community for five years and have not been recognized by other award giving bodies.
A screening committee will select nine finalists from all the nominees and elevate them to the final evaluation committee, who will select winners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The three winners will receive P100,000 worth of prizes to be given during the awarding rites in December. – Mayen Jaymalin
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Old Manila
Wow! I chanced upon these three videos of pre-war Manila and what gems they are. I had to watch them several times because there are many details worth discovering and enjoying. Some of these are the native costumes, the cars, the gypsy boats on the Pasig river, the pre-war Intramuros, the caromatas (two passengers) and caretelas (up to six passengers), the Tranvia (streetcar), the famed Escolta and the colonial buildings.
In the second video, I found the piece on the Hospicio de San Jose's revolving crib very interesting. The narrator tells of the Philippines Constabulary Band which won the grand prize in a competition in the St. Louis Expo and still then one of the world's bests. Then and now, Filipinos are the best musicians. The Manila Bilibid Prison's 'cadet' formations then make me think the present day Cebu Prison phenomenon a poor copycat.
The third video shows the very beautiful Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Blvd. And there's a shot of a very clean beach and a nice pier! Listen to the very beautiful soundtrack of video #3.
Wow, wow, wow. And more wow.
Click the Play buttons only once to watch videos.
In the second video, I found the piece on the Hospicio de San Jose's revolving crib very interesting. The narrator tells of the Philippines Constabulary Band which won the grand prize in a competition in the St. Louis Expo and still then one of the world's bests. Then and now, Filipinos are the best musicians. The Manila Bilibid Prison's 'cadet' formations then make me think the present day Cebu Prison phenomenon a poor copycat.
The third video shows the very beautiful Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Blvd. And there's a shot of a very clean beach and a nice pier! Listen to the very beautiful soundtrack of video #3.
Wow, wow, wow. And more wow.
Click the Play buttons only once to watch videos.
The Ring by Jun Lana
The Ring
JunLana,blogspot.com
Sabi ng friends ko magpalit na raw ako ng cellphone. Bakit kaya?
Hahaha. Cellphone ko yan 5 years ago. Sobrang favorite ko kaya tago-tago ko pa. Yung gamit ko ngayon, medyo jurassic na rin. Hindi talaga ako mahilig magpalit ng model. Hindi rin ako mahilig mag text. O mag-check ng text. Bilib nga ako sa mga taong pag tinext mo, nakakasagot agad. Eh ako madalas nasa bag ang cellphone, naka-silent pa.
Dati, gigil na gigil sa akin si Mother Lily pag hindi ko nasasagot agad ang tawag niya. Eto yung panahon na lima-lima ata ang cellphones ni Mother. Minsan sa gitna ng meeting namin, sabay-sabay na magri-ring lahat. Sabay-sabay niya ring kakausapin. Yung isang kausap, maririnig mo, minumura niya. Yung isa, kinakantahan ng happy birthday. Siyempre meron din siyang ini-Instik. Tapos minsan magri-ring din yung landline, at sasagutin niya rin yun. Mamaya gulung-gulo na siya kung sino ang kausap niya. Yung may birthday minumura na niya, at yung kaaway kanina bigla na niyang kinakantahan.
Nung bata ako, sobrang traumatic sa akin ang paggamit ng telephono. Hiwalay ang parents ko, at araw-araw pag bakasyon, Lunes hanggang Biyernes, ako ang inuutusan ng mommy kong tawagan ang daddy ko sa office para humingi ng pera. Sasabihin ng daddy ko, walang pera. Pagbalik ko sa mommy ko, magagalit siya. Tawagan mo uli ang daddy mo at sabihin mo sa kanya, ang dami niyang kotse tapos wala siyang pera? Gago siya, gago, gago! At para eksakto ang sasabihin ko, isusulat pa ng mommy ko sa papel lahat ng pagmumura niya sa daddy ko para basahin ko sa telepono. Alangan namang hindi ka sumunod. Eh di babasahin ko yun sa daddy ko. Papa, sabi ni mama gago ka raw. Gago, gago, gago… po. At least magalang di ba? Saka walang emotion para maintindihan ng daddy ko na hindi ako ang kaaway niya.
Kaya isa sa favorite actresses ko si Jacklyn Jose. Nakaka-relate ako sa underacting technique niya. 8 years old pa lang ako na-master ko na yun. Pa, hayup ka raw. Magsama daw kayo ng kabit n’yo sa impiyerno… po. Siyempre kahit anong galang ko, magagalit din ang daddy ko. At mumurahin niya rin ang mommy ko. Ma, sabi ni Papa gaga ka rin daw. Gaga, gaga, gaga… po. Eh di lalong titindi ang away. Talo pa nila ang nagpi-pingpong. Ako yung bola.
Buti sana kung may sarili kaming telepono. Kinse minutos ang nilalakad ko papuntang palengke para lang makitawag. Hindi ako pwedeng mag-tricycle kasi sakto lang sa pambayad sa telepono ang dala kong pera. Imagine, trenta minutos ang roundtrip. Nakakailang balik ako, at minsan tinatakbo ko pa pag tanghali para maabutan ang daddy ko bago mag-lunch break. Minsan gusto ko nang mag-collapse sa sobrang pagod at ngarag. Kaya hate ko ang bakasyon nung elementary ako.
Pero in fairness, dahil sa training na yun, tuwing may sportsfest sa school, ako ang laging pambato pag may marathon.
Ambilis ko kayang tumakbo.
JunLana,blogspot.com
Sabi ng friends ko magpalit na raw ako ng cellphone. Bakit kaya?
Hahaha. Cellphone ko yan 5 years ago. Sobrang favorite ko kaya tago-tago ko pa. Yung gamit ko ngayon, medyo jurassic na rin. Hindi talaga ako mahilig magpalit ng model. Hindi rin ako mahilig mag text. O mag-check ng text. Bilib nga ako sa mga taong pag tinext mo, nakakasagot agad. Eh ako madalas nasa bag ang cellphone, naka-silent pa.
Dati, gigil na gigil sa akin si Mother Lily pag hindi ko nasasagot agad ang tawag niya. Eto yung panahon na lima-lima ata ang cellphones ni Mother. Minsan sa gitna ng meeting namin, sabay-sabay na magri-ring lahat. Sabay-sabay niya ring kakausapin. Yung isang kausap, maririnig mo, minumura niya. Yung isa, kinakantahan ng happy birthday. Siyempre meron din siyang ini-Instik. Tapos minsan magri-ring din yung landline, at sasagutin niya rin yun. Mamaya gulung-gulo na siya kung sino ang kausap niya. Yung may birthday minumura na niya, at yung kaaway kanina bigla na niyang kinakantahan.
Nung bata ako, sobrang traumatic sa akin ang paggamit ng telephono. Hiwalay ang parents ko, at araw-araw pag bakasyon, Lunes hanggang Biyernes, ako ang inuutusan ng mommy kong tawagan ang daddy ko sa office para humingi ng pera. Sasabihin ng daddy ko, walang pera. Pagbalik ko sa mommy ko, magagalit siya. Tawagan mo uli ang daddy mo at sabihin mo sa kanya, ang dami niyang kotse tapos wala siyang pera? Gago siya, gago, gago! At para eksakto ang sasabihin ko, isusulat pa ng mommy ko sa papel lahat ng pagmumura niya sa daddy ko para basahin ko sa telepono. Alangan namang hindi ka sumunod. Eh di babasahin ko yun sa daddy ko. Papa, sabi ni mama gago ka raw. Gago, gago, gago… po. At least magalang di ba? Saka walang emotion para maintindihan ng daddy ko na hindi ako ang kaaway niya.
Kaya isa sa favorite actresses ko si Jacklyn Jose. Nakaka-relate ako sa underacting technique niya. 8 years old pa lang ako na-master ko na yun. Pa, hayup ka raw. Magsama daw kayo ng kabit n’yo sa impiyerno… po. Siyempre kahit anong galang ko, magagalit din ang daddy ko. At mumurahin niya rin ang mommy ko. Ma, sabi ni Papa gaga ka rin daw. Gaga, gaga, gaga… po. Eh di lalong titindi ang away. Talo pa nila ang nagpi-pingpong. Ako yung bola.
Buti sana kung may sarili kaming telepono. Kinse minutos ang nilalakad ko papuntang palengke para lang makitawag. Hindi ako pwedeng mag-tricycle kasi sakto lang sa pambayad sa telepono ang dala kong pera. Imagine, trenta minutos ang roundtrip. Nakakailang balik ako, at minsan tinatakbo ko pa pag tanghali para maabutan ang daddy ko bago mag-lunch break. Minsan gusto ko nang mag-collapse sa sobrang pagod at ngarag. Kaya hate ko ang bakasyon nung elementary ako.
Pero in fairness, dahil sa training na yun, tuwing may sportsfest sa school, ako ang laging pambato pag may marathon.
Ambilis ko kayang tumakbo.
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