Filipino expats celebrate Migrant Workers Day
by Lani Rose R. Dizon, Qatar Tribune
DOHA The Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) under the aegis of the Philippine embassy will soon hold an orientation programme for Filipino expatriates to make them aware about the recent developments in Qatar’s labour law.
The forum will be held as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Labour, said Hector Cruz, welfare officer at POLO.
He was speaking on the occasion of Philippine Migrant Workers Day held at the POLO compound on Friday.
According to Cruz, the Qatari government has recently revised its labour law.
So, it is important for Filipino expatriates to be oriented with their newly established rights and privileges in the country.
“We now have more than 189,000 Filipino residents in Doha and the number is increasing with more Filipino workers coming from our neighbouring countries.
We’re seeing several Dubai-based companies sending their Filipino employees to their Qatar-based offices, instead of sending them back home in the Philippines,” Cruz told Qatar Tribune.
Consul General of the Philippine embassy in Qatar, Rosario P Lemque, reiterated that the celebration was being held to highlight the importance of Filipino workers.
Addressing the Filipino community members, he said, “It is our role and our responsibility to help develop and improve the image of Filipinos and the Philippines in Qatar,” she added.
The day’s programme was filled with revelry and camaraderie with fellow kabayans, and fun-filled activities such as parlor games, Videoke contests, and an array of food.
An earlier celebration was also held at the Fanar Stadium where about 200 members of the Filipino community here formed a giant Philippine flag.
In the morning, more than 300 members of the Filipino community also participated in a beach clean-up drive held at the Sealine Beach Resort to mark this year’s World Environment Day.
Armed with bins and trash bags, the team gathered at the Old Club Reef to collect leftover trash and garbage dumped on the sealine.
This is the second year in-arow that the team organised a clean-up drive at the beach to raise the issue of environment protection among residents here.
http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/20090606/content.asp?section=nation1_4
