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ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF RIZAL ESTABLISHES ABU DHABI CHAPTER

06 August 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi is pleased to announce that the Order of Knights of Rizal held the Chartering of Emarat Abu Dhabi Chapter at the Maharlika House (Ambassador’s Residence) last July 31.

Mr. Zane M. Thirlwall, Regional Commander for Middle East and Africa Region of the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKR), based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led the knighting, exaltation, and conferment ceremonies. Seventeen overseas Filipinos based in Abu Dhabi were inducted into the Emarat Abu Dhabi Chapter of the OKR during the knighting ceremony. Engr. Ernesto Refugio, long-time resident of Abu Dhabi and a well-known community leader was selected as the Chapter Commander.

Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Grace Relucio Princesa, in her inspirational message, expressed her joy and excitement that finally, a chapter of the Order of Knights of Rizal has been established in UAE where more than 500,000 Filipinos work and reside. She added that it is imperative that the ideas propagated by Rizal spread to the younger generation, particularly to the children of OFWs, who are deemed the future of the nation. She commended the members of the newly-established Emarat Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Order of the Knights, who are already community leaders and are role models themselves. She enjoined them to continue the bayanihan spirit and challenged them to effect change among Filipinos who are facing the 5 I’s namely indebtedness, immorality, intoxication, illegal recruitment, and improper documents.

Dr. Consolacion Alaras, who has done several works on God-centered governance or Pamathalaan, was also present during the ceremonies due to her instrumental role in bringing the Knights of Rizal to UAE.

In his remarks, Mr. Zane Thirlwall commended both Ambassador Princesa and Dr. Alaras for their roles in the realization of Emarat Abu Dhabi. He also shared the work that the Order of the Knights of Rizal does all over the Middle East and African region. He also emphasized that Rizal, the country’s national hero is not only for the Philippines but for the world.

During the event, Philippine Consul General to Dubai Paul Raymund Cortes, a member of the Order of Knights of Rizal since he was Deputy Consul General in Honolulu, Hawaii, was elevated as Knight Officer of the OKR. Induction of officers of Emarat Abu Dhabi and officers of the Lady Auxiliary Group (Kababaihang Rizalista) with Ambassador Princesa as Commander was also conducted.

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PHL EMBASSY VOWS TO HELP ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT VICTIMS IN IRAQ

07 August 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Baghdad urged on August 06 members of the Filipino community in Kurdistan and other parts of Iraq to come forward so that it could assist them in taking the necessary action against the illegal recruiters who have victimized many of them.

The Embassy, at the same time, warned jobseekers in the Philippines against recruiters promising them jobs in Kurdistan, saying a government ban on the deployment of workers to Iraq remains in effect.

Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato told members of the Filipino community here in Kurdistan’s regional capital that the Embassy is ready to assist them in going after illegal recruiters both in Iraq and in the Philippines.

“We call on our kababayan here in Iraq and in the Philippines who have been victimized by illegal recruiters to come forward and tell us their story,” Cato said. “We are here to help them. They should not be afraid.”

Members of the Filipino community raised the issue during a townhall meeting at the Mar Elias Church that was attended by some of the more than 1,000 Filipinos working in Kurdistan.

Cato was told by some of the victims that they paid huge amounts to cover processing fees for jobs in Kurdistan that turned out to be different from what they were promised. They said the illegal recruiters further exploited them by “selling” them from one employer to another.

Some remain undocumented and have been doing odd jobs in Erbil while others ended up as domestic helpers in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Other victims were never able to leave the Philippines despite paying huge deployment fees.

Cato requested the complainants to provide the Embassy with information that could be presented by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Interagency Committee Against Trafficking chaired by the Department of Justice.

Cato said Filipino jobseekers should be wary of recruiters offering them employment in Kurdistan as there continues to be a ban on the deployment of workers because of the prevailing security situation in Iraq.

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OVERSEAS VOTERS REGISTRATION CONDUCTED IN NAZARETH

07 August 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv conducted an overseas voters registration at Mensa Christi Church, in the city of Nazareth on August 01. There were 19 Filipinos who registered as overseas voters during the mission.

The overseas voters outreach was conducted with the Embassy’s Labor office. Besides the overseas voters registration, the outreach mission provided Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) membership services and a seminar on Financial Literacy for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Nazareth city is one of the largest cities in northern Israel, and is home to a small community of at least 50 OFWs.