Pinoys in UAE set up group for needy

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Organizing isn't a department in which the Filipino people excel. And the Filipino expat community (OFW) in general has been weak in organizing despite the fact that we could actually contribute to positive changes we want for the country by our sheer numbers. It's good news to me then that Pinoy expats in the UAE have come together to set up a foundation to help Filipinos in that part of the world during their time of need. (Let's just hope not too many Filipinos there get affected by the wave of job cuts in Dubai.)

I'm not very knowledgable on the mechanisms by which the group could reach out to their needy brethren, but this is something that most Pinoy expats who really care about their own country should aspire to do. Many of us talk endlessly, even bitch, about how rotten the Philippines has become and yet we don't lift a finger to do anything constructive. (No, I'm not about to gather my fellow Pinoy expats where I live now for a meeting. I'm good at thinking aloud, not leading others.) Everytime we hear about a fellow Pinoy being abused while working in the same country where we are based, we simply mumble a few words of sympathy and the air around us hears them. Other than that, we don't do anything.

We don't actively participate in some kind of outreach or a simple activity to gather funds so the abused could buy a plane ticket or take home some money to help tie the loose knots. Okay, fine, it's the Philippine government's job. Why create something that might encourage those bastards in the bureaucrazy to renege on their job in the knowledge that some other charitable group will anyway take care of the mess?

(Honestly, while I was justifying my opinion, I actually asked myself: Why should I lift a finger for the abused and unfortunate when it is, indeed, the Philippine government's job?)

We need to do our bit. That's all I'm saying. Meanwhile, I go back to my own comfortable world with big dreams. :)

::: THE PICTURE: Wala lang. New Year feast.

::: First time to visit this blog? Have a quick look at my library for a list of articles.

::: My site-hopping tracks: ellen, the no-nonsense journalist dissects a recent attempt by malacanang's spinmeisters to paint a good picture of the philippine economy. she calls it a desperate attempt; another in-depth look at us OFWs. if reading stuff that looks at the innards of our scattered community is your cup of tea, then check it out; there's nothing new on jfrancisco's blog. it's not been updated for quite a while now.