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Saudi Arabia to kick off country-level ceremonies of The Filipino Times Watchlist Awards

Saudi Arabia to kick off country-level ceremonies of The Filipino Times Watchlist Awards

Filipino Times20-06-2025

The Filipino Times is set to commence its 2025 Watchlist Awards this evening in Saudi Arabia, officially launching a series of country-level ceremonies to honor outstanding Filipino engineers, architects, and healthcare professionals across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia will open the awarding tonight, June 20, for engineers and architects from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, while healthcare professionals will be honored tomorrow evening, June 21.
For the first time, the prestigious program will spotlight top Filipino professionals in each country before they move forward to compete at the regional level, bringing well-deserved recognition closer to local communities.
Qatar will host the next leg, gathering winners from Qatar and Kuwait on August 8 for engineers and architects, and August 9 for healthcare workers.
The UAE and Oman will wrap up the country-level awarding, recognizing outstanding professionals on November 21 for engineers and architects, and November 22 for healthcare professionals.
Country winners will then advance to the regional stage, with the Middle East's top engineers and architects to be named on March 29, 2026, followed by the top healthcare professionals on March 30, 2026 — strengthening recognition of Filipino excellence worldwide.

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Filipinos urged to monitor regional developments
Filipinos urged to monitor regional developments

Gulf Today

time3 days ago

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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.

Saudi Arabia to kick off country-level ceremonies of The Filipino Times Watchlist Awards
Saudi Arabia to kick off country-level ceremonies of The Filipino Times Watchlist Awards

Filipino Times

time20-06-2025

  • Filipino Times

Saudi Arabia to kick off country-level ceremonies of The Filipino Times Watchlist Awards

The Filipino Times is set to commence its 2025 Watchlist Awards this evening in Saudi Arabia, officially launching a series of country-level ceremonies to honor outstanding Filipino engineers, architects, and healthcare professionals across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia will open the awarding tonight, June 20, for engineers and architects from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, while healthcare professionals will be honored tomorrow evening, June 21. For the first time, the prestigious program will spotlight top Filipino professionals in each country before they move forward to compete at the regional level, bringing well-deserved recognition closer to local communities. Qatar will host the next leg, gathering winners from Qatar and Kuwait on August 8 for engineers and architects, and August 9 for healthcare workers. The UAE and Oman will wrap up the country-level awarding, recognizing outstanding professionals on November 21 for engineers and architects, and November 22 for healthcare professionals. Country winners will then advance to the regional stage, with the Middle East's top engineers and architects to be named on March 29, 2026, followed by the top healthcare professionals on March 30, 2026 — strengthening recognition of Filipino excellence worldwide.

'I didn't like what you did… but I love you': OFW Nanny in UAE earns praise for emotional intelligence, calm way of disciplining a child
'I didn't like what you did… but I love you': OFW Nanny in UAE earns praise for emotional intelligence, calm way of disciplining a child

Filipino Times

time11-06-2025

  • Filipino Times

'I didn't like what you did… but I love you': OFW Nanny in UAE earns praise for emotional intelligence, calm way of disciplining a child

A touching moment between a Filipina nanny and a young child has gone viral online, drawing praise from netizens and sparking conversations about the role of OFWs in raising children abroad. Rex Bacarra, a Filipino educator based in the UAE, took to Facebook to share the story after witnessing the scene while reviewing his students' papers at a coffee shop in Abu Dhabi, UAE. According to Bacarra, a Filipina nanny was sitting beside him with a foreign child, around six years old, when the child interrupted her while she was speaking to a staff member. 'I didn't like what you did while I was talking to the staff, but I love you,' the nanny told the child, a line that showed how she was able to discipline the child with care and affection at the same time. The child, who had been taught to say ' po ' — a Filipino word used to show respect — replied, 'Sorry po,' then asked, 'But… you still love me?' With grace and patience, the nanny continued to calmly explain why interrupting was not polite. Rather than scolding the child, she guided him to understand the mistake and learn from it. 'She corrected like a parent, not a subordinate. She treated the child with full dignity, not by scolding, but by guiding. She helped him walk back through the moment, retrace the mistake, and see it for himself. No raised voice. No shame. Just clarity,' Bacarra wrote. 'That is pedagogy. That is emotional intelligence. That is the art of separating the child from the behavior, something many still fail to do,' he added. The post has since gone viral, gaining more than 14,000 reactions, nearly 5,000 shares, and hundreds of comments from netizens, many of whom said they saw themselves, their mothers, or fellow OFWs in the story. Earning praise from netizens In the comments section, netizens praised the nanny's calm and professional way of handling the situation, calling her a 'Pinoy gem,' 'the pride of the nation,' and 'a quiet educator of humanity.' 'Maybe we should also raise how we view service providers like her? She's not just a nanny, she's a nanny. A professional. Maybe even accredited. A job that can be held with dignity and, yes, pride,' one commenter wrote. Meanwhile, others reflected on the painful irony that many of the most nurturing, well-trained Filipino caregivers are raising children in foreign countries, while families in the Philippines struggle to find that same level of care at home. 'The sad part is that a lot of them, the good and educated nannies, are all over abroad. But while in the Philippines, our fellow kabayans are struggling to find with this kind of nanny guidance and sympathy to educate, nurture, and guide our Filipino kids,' a netizen commented. Despite this, the moment reminded many readers of the core values often found in Filipino households — compassion, respect, and teaching through love. 'Filipinos raising the world,' one commenter proudly declared. 'She is one who educates humanity. A Filipina like her is the pride of our nation,' another social media user said. 'One day soon, we will see movers and shakers (and most likely world leaders) who were brought up by a Pinoy nanny,' said another. Indeed, stories like this remind us that greatness doesn't always come with a title or a uniform. Sometimes, it's found in a gentle voice, a well-timed lesson, and the love of someone raising not just a child — but a future.

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