Imagine a World without Filipinos… (Im proud to be Pinoy)

AS PART OF MY SUPPORT TO PEBA (Pinoys Expats/OFW Blog Awards)’s theme, Im sharing this article written by a non-Filipino published in Saudi Arabia in June 2008. His name is Abdullah Al-Maghlooth (Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa ) of ArabNews.Com.

I read first the article from the website of a Filipino blogger who also reposted the article which I will do the same now. The article is really inspirational and uplifting for us Filipinos, thus it is indeed a perfect answer to PEBA’s theme: “Filipinos Abroad – Hope of the Nation, Gift to the World.”

I want to have it written completely (in verbatim)  in my blogsite, so I asked permission from the ArabNews.Com which Im still waiting for their reply. For the meantime, this is it… Hope you are also inspired by the article and be proud to be a Filipino! This is my first time to read something like this written by a foreigner about “us” – highlighting our qualities and attitudes towards work and family.

Imagine a World without Filipinos by Abdullah Al-Maghlooth / email:  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.

UPDATES: Since I posted the original article in my blog, I contacted the writer and the publisher to avoid any “plagiarism and copyright” issues. Gladly, the Editor in Chief of Arab News, Khaled Almaeena allowed me to share this to all my readers, especially to my kababayan abroad. Keep up the good work and be proud to be Pinoy – sharing our talents and hospitality to everyone around the world!

~ by reymos on July 30, 2009.