The United Citizen Crime Watch Incorporated (UCCWI) Bahrain Chapter and the Kaisahan ng mga Filipino Balik Islam sa Bahrain (KFBI-BH), in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy, organized a seminar-lecture on October 20, 2023, at the Philippine Embassy Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
The “Seminar on Embassy Services,” attended by around 30 participants, aimed to provide information on rendering consular, passport, and visa services, as well as labor and welfare assistance and the Social Security System (SSS) offered by the embassy’s attached agencies.
Vice Consul Laser Blitz B. Sumagaysay, along with the team from the embassy composed of Celia V. Cabadonga of Migrants Workers Office (MWO), Redina C. Manlapaz, Welfare Officer of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), John L. Sibbaluca of Social Security System (SSS) Foreign Representative, and Charmaine Joy L. Ramos, Consular Assistant, were the speakers during the forum where they cited experiences and best practices on how to deal with situations frequently faced by the participants.
Evangeline Mooc, UCCWI Bahrain Chapter President, expressed her appreciation to the Philippine Embassy for assisting their group to hold the forum. It paved the way to clearly explain the process and requirements of securing and renewing passport, lost passport, affidavits and labor concerns.
“We learned the benefits of respective programs from the speakers including where to address the concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), specifically labor disputes. I am thankful that MWO is strictly verifying contracts of both skilled and household workers,” she said.
Furthermore, an open forum was conducted after the lecture which provided the attendees opportunities to personally raise lingering issues related to the program.
According to Kaisahan ng mga Filipino Balik-Islam sa Bahrain (KFBIBH) President Julius Jude Pastrana Mamaclay, his group had tied up with UCCWI to launch a program that will be helpful to our fellow countrymen to increase their knowledge on the services of each branch of the embassy led by Department of Foreign Affairs.
KFBI-BH was established in 2013 with different Muslim tribes from Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausog later on had their own identity as a Balik-Islam group or “reverts to Islam.” The group has 100 registered members who participate in different civic and cultural events in the Filipino community.
Meanwhile, the UCCWI, composed of 40 members, focuses its advocacy on assisting distressed migrant workers, successfully resolving several cases.
