Filipinos urged to monitor regional developments
The One Philippines Team in the UAE has warned the nearly one million Filipinos across the seven emirates to closely monitor developments on regional events by way of legitimate sources of news and information.
Posted through the Philippine Embassy-Abu Dhabi official Facebook Page which is linked to the official pages of the Philippine Consulate General-Dubai and Ambassador Ferdinand Alfonso Ver, Gulf Today was also alerted regarding the advisory at 9:50am on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Gulf Today received three enquiries on the legitimacy of the 'Emergency Prepping Guide for Filipino OFWs in Dubai' wherein among other 'to-do's,' and under the 'Where To Go' section, the concerned are directed to seek security at the Philippine Consulate General in Al Qusais (landlines not mentioned) and other 'safe places' namely 'public parks and Civil Defence-designated shelters,' considering the volatility of the crisis.
The post had been forwarded many times over and had caused jitters.
On Tuesday and from the One Philippines Team: 'In light of recent developments, and, surge of unverified and conflicting social media posts, reports and other online information, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai encourage all Filipinos to closely monitor the news through reputable and credible sources and check for advisories issued by the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulate General and UAE authorities. We urge all Filipinos to remain vigilant and alert.'
Both missions 'stand ready to provide the necessary assistance to all Filipinos in the UAE.'
Following are the official contact details for assistance: For Filipinos in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: By Email -
[email protected]
and
[email protected]
By SMS, call or WhatsApp Assistance-To-Nationals at +971504438003; Consular and Other Concerns at +971508137836 and Migrant Workers Office (formerly the Philippine Overseas Labour Office - Polo) at +971562709157. For Filipinos in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: By SMS, Call or WhatsApp Assistance-To-Nationals at +971565015756; Consular and Other Concerns at +97142207100; Migrant Workers Office at +971506526626 and +971563525558.
In a related news sourced from various Metro Manila-based media outlets, as the Philippines' flag carrier, Philippine Air Lines (PAL) cancelled its June 24 Manila-Dubai-Manila (PR658/PR659), Manila-Doha (PR684), and Manila-Riyadh-Manila (PR654/PR655), as well as the June 25 Doha-bound (PR685), the early Tuesday morning advisory stated: 'We are in constant coordination with international aviation authorities, our network partners, and government agencies to assess any potential impact on our flight operations, particularly those that transit or fly near affected airspace.'
'We advise you not to proceed to the airport if your flight is cancelled,' it further said.
Management said the best 'is to regularly check on flight updates by way of the PAL Facebook official page, through www.philippineairlines.com and https://www.philippineairlines.com/em'flight-status. The affected clients may rebook within 60 days from the original flight date, 'convert the ticket to travel tickets or refund it without penalty,' according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Cebu Pacific which regularly flies the Manila-Dubai-Manila route shall continue its services.
'Our route does not fly over conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, allowing us to operate safely. We continue to actively monitor the situation and will share further updates as necessary,' according to the official management statement. Passengers may check their flights status over cebupacific.com/flight-status.
Meanwhile, from the Philippine News Agency report, repatriation of at least 361 Filipinos in Israel and Qatar are ongoing.
This was from the Tuesday press conference of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Undersecretary Felicitas Bay, Assistant Secretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Chief Patricia Caunan in Metro Manila wherein discussed also are the reintegration programmes for all the returnees. According to Bay, former labour attache in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, scheduled to land in Metro Manila on Tuesday evening were 26 from Israel who walked until they reached Amman, Jordan, 'another additional three from Amman, and one from the West Bank.'
With them were DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac and Assistant Secretary Venecio Legaspi. Another 50 are expected to be in the Philippines either on June 26 or 27. Both Bay and Caunan noted that many overseas Filipino workers are still weighing their options whether to avail of the Philippine Government's voluntary repatriation programme due to safety concerns or personal and employment considerations. 'There are those who have second thoughts because of land travel risks or strong ties with their employers. We respect their decision and continue to reach out,' Bay said.
Tutay gave the assurance that DMW and OWWA are coordinating closely with various agencies to support their re-mainstreaming or reintegration. 'Reintegration is not just about finding a job. There are also opportunities for livelihood and entrepreneurship. We are taking a whole-of-government approach to help our kababayans (countrymen) transition successfully,' said the public servant for 28 years who currently advises on the protection of workers' welfare, ensuring just and humane working conditions and labour employment which include labour standards, safety and health.
From Caunan: 'There is enough funding for repatriation. These are from the OWWA Emergency Repatriation and DMW Action Fund.' She added that over 470 in Israel already received assistance on the ground as the first batch of returnees are set to receive Php150,000.00 (Dhs9,698.54) each aside from 'food, hygiene kits, counseling and temporary shelter upon arrival.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Gulf Today
Six million donkeys slaughtered for Chinese medicine: Charity
Almost six million donkeys are slaughtered annually for Chinese medicine, with severe knock-on effects for African villagers who rely on the animals, a UK-based charity said on Thursday. It is driven by an increase in China's production of ejiao — a product marketed as a health supplement that uses collagen from donkey skins — which is a $6.8-billion industry, according to China-based research firm Qianzhan. China, whose donkey population has plummeted from 11 million in 1992 to 1.5 million in 2023, has turned to Africa to meet its demand. With donkey populations falling, the African Union issued a 15-year moratorium on donkey slaughter last year. UK-based charity The Donkey Sanctuary said "the ejiao industry drives a massive global trade in donkey skins, much of it illegal." It said around 5.9 million donkeys were killed worldwide last year. The ejiao trade is expected to require at least 6.8 million donkey skins by 2027. The rising value of donkeys means they have increasingly become targets for criminals. A man rides a donkey-pulled cart carrying corn husks along the banks of the Rio Bravo after heavy rains, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Reuters "Traders exploit vulnerable people using large and sophisticated networks of agents to pressure donkey owners into selling their animals," the charity said. "Illegal networks operate across the continent, often without consequence, stealing and slaughtering donkeys in the night," it added. "Donkeys die in often unregulated, inhumane, and unsanitary conditions, and large numbers perish on their way to slaughterhouses," it continued. The impact on humans is particularly felt by women and children, who rely on donkeys for farming activities such as ploughing and for carrying goods to market. The criminal operations also generated health risks, The Donkey Sanctuary said. "The transportation of untreated skins and improper disposal of donkey carcasses risk triggering the spread of infectious diseases and damaging local ecosystems." Agence France-Presse
Gulf Today
6 days ago
- Gulf Today
Filipinos urged to monitor regional developments
The One Philippines Team in the UAE has warned the nearly one million Filipinos across the seven emirates to closely monitor developments on regional events by way of legitimate sources of news and information. Posted through the Philippine Embassy-Abu Dhabi official Facebook Page which is linked to the official pages of the Philippine Consulate General-Dubai and Ambassador Ferdinand Alfonso Ver, Gulf Today was also alerted regarding the advisory at 9:50am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, on Monday, Gulf Today received three enquiries on the legitimacy of the 'Emergency Prepping Guide for Filipino OFWs in Dubai' wherein among other 'to-do's,' and under the 'Where To Go' section, the concerned are directed to seek security at the Philippine Consulate General in Al Qusais (landlines not mentioned) and other 'safe places' namely 'public parks and Civil Defence-designated shelters,' considering the volatility of the crisis. The post had been forwarded many times over and had caused jitters. On Tuesday and from the One Philippines Team: 'In light of recent developments, and, surge of unverified and conflicting social media posts, reports and other online information, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai encourage all Filipinos to closely monitor the news through reputable and credible sources and check for advisories issued by the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulate General and UAE authorities. We urge all Filipinos to remain vigilant and alert.' Both missions 'stand ready to provide the necessary assistance to all Filipinos in the UAE.' Following are the official contact details for assistance: For Filipinos in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: By Email - [email protected] and [email protected] By SMS, call or WhatsApp Assistance-To-Nationals at +971504438003; Consular and Other Concerns at +971508137836 and Migrant Workers Office (formerly the Philippine Overseas Labour Office - Polo) at +971562709157. For Filipinos in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: By SMS, Call or WhatsApp Assistance-To-Nationals at +971565015756; Consular and Other Concerns at +97142207100; Migrant Workers Office at +971506526626 and +971563525558. In a related news sourced from various Metro Manila-based media outlets, as the Philippines' flag carrier, Philippine Air Lines (PAL) cancelled its June 24 Manila-Dubai-Manila (PR658/PR659), Manila-Doha (PR684), and Manila-Riyadh-Manila (PR654/PR655), as well as the June 25 Doha-bound (PR685), the early Tuesday morning advisory stated: 'We are in constant coordination with international aviation authorities, our network partners, and government agencies to assess any potential impact on our flight operations, particularly those that transit or fly near affected airspace.' 'We advise you not to proceed to the airport if your flight is cancelled,' it further said. Management said the best 'is to regularly check on flight updates by way of the PAL Facebook official page, through and The affected clients may rebook within 60 days from the original flight date, 'convert the ticket to travel tickets or refund it without penalty,' according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Cebu Pacific which regularly flies the Manila-Dubai-Manila route shall continue its services. 'Our route does not fly over conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, allowing us to operate safely. We continue to actively monitor the situation and will share further updates as necessary,' according to the official management statement. Passengers may check their flights status over Meanwhile, from the Philippine News Agency report, repatriation of at least 361 Filipinos in Israel and Qatar are ongoing. This was from the Tuesday press conference of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Undersecretary Felicitas Bay, Assistant Secretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Chief Patricia Caunan in Metro Manila wherein discussed also are the reintegration programmes for all the returnees. According to Bay, former labour attache in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, scheduled to land in Metro Manila on Tuesday evening were 26 from Israel who walked until they reached Amman, Jordan, 'another additional three from Amman, and one from the West Bank.' With them were DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac and Assistant Secretary Venecio Legaspi. Another 50 are expected to be in the Philippines either on June 26 or 27. Both Bay and Caunan noted that many overseas Filipino workers are still weighing their options whether to avail of the Philippine Government's voluntary repatriation programme due to safety concerns or personal and employment considerations. 'There are those who have second thoughts because of land travel risks or strong ties with their employers. We respect their decision and continue to reach out,' Bay said. Tutay gave the assurance that DMW and OWWA are coordinating closely with various agencies to support their re-mainstreaming or reintegration. 'Reintegration is not just about finding a job. There are also opportunities for livelihood and entrepreneurship. We are taking a whole-of-government approach to help our kababayans (countrymen) transition successfully,' said the public servant for 28 years who currently advises on the protection of workers' welfare, ensuring just and humane working conditions and labour employment which include labour standards, safety and health. From Caunan: 'There is enough funding for repatriation. These are from the OWWA Emergency Repatriation and DMW Action Fund.' She added that over 470 in Israel already received assistance on the ground as the first batch of returnees are set to receive Php150,000.00 (Dhs9,698.54) each aside from 'food, hygiene kits, counseling and temporary shelter upon arrival.
UAE Moments
20-06-2025
- UAE Moments
Filipino in Kuwait Finds a Hilarious Note About Frying Fish
A Filipino in Kuwait shared on TikTok (@ a humorous note addressed to fellow Filipinos, and anyone who reads it—Filipino or not—would likely have a good laugh. The note, printed in all capital letters and angrily taped to a gate, complained about Filipinos frying fish early in the morning. Some words on it are even highlighted with a marker, saying how this practice disrupts the sleep of their neighbors and warned that repeated offenses might be reported to the police. The 'fish' in question is likely 'tuyo' or 'daing'—dried fish beloved by Filipinos for breakfast, often paired with garlic rice (sinangag). While these dishes can quickly clear out a rice cooker, the cooking process is notorious for its strong, unpleasant odor. For Filipinos living abroad, the craving for familiar foods like dried fish can be intense, especially since these items are rarely available outside the Philippines. To minimize the smell, some have shared tips such as heating the pan and oil first and then frying the fish outdoors, or partially covering the pan until the fish is cooked before letting the smell dissipate outside. Regardless of the method they choose, it's a natural trait of Filipinos to be flexible and adaptable, so they will undoubtedly find a way to satisfy their cravings without causing any disturbance. The note ended with a polite request for Filipinos to avoid frying fish with a strong odor. Though simple and humorous, it brought a smile to the faces of Filipinos abroad who can relate to the situation.
