Message from Ambassador Amable Aguiluz III
We note with pride the achievements and success of Filipino expats extending to diverse sectors in the UAE instead of just being limited to the traditional area of employment. This is an undeniable proof of the Filipino ingenuity and resourcefulness, and the Filipino Gulf Magazine, "Pinoy Expats" by its existence highlights this strength of the Filipino character. We congratulate our Kababayans not only in the UAE but also in the rest of the GCC countries for your initiatives which not only provide you with material rewards but enhances the good name of the Filipino.

As your new Ambassador in the UAE, we assure you of our support in your different undertakings that contribute to the success of Filipino expatriates, strengthen the "Bayanihan" spirit among us and enhances the image of the Filipinos in the information sector. We are sure that "Pinoy Expats" will be an effective medium to achieve these objectives.

Under our leadership, the Philippine Embassy will always be on hand to extend the services required by our nationals not only in Abu Dhabi but also in the other Emirates through our outreach program. For this, we solicit the support and cooperation of our countrymen. We are grateful to Pinoy Expats for providing us with a forum through which we can convey to our constituents our prayers and best wishes in the coming Christmas and Ramadan seasons!



Message from Ambassador Amable Aguiluz III

Ibalik nyo ako sa Saudi !! Huling sigaw ng OFW.

Bakiiit??? Among all the people ba naman itong kaibigan komang kauna-unahang OFW na sumigaw na "Ibalik nyo ako sa Saudi" sinundan pa niya ng "parang awa nyo na!"
Itong kaibigan kong ito ay sadyang nakakaintriga, hindi ko na babanggitin pa ang pangalan at baka mag-overseas call sa akin from Saudi para ako'y sigawan (pare! pasensiya na kung minsa'y tsinitsismis kita). Matagal siyang nangarap makapag-abroad, sa agency pa lang sa Pilipinas, sabi niya "kahit saang bansa ninyo ako ipadala, kahit may giyera huwag lang sa Saudi. Sadya nga yatang mapaglaro ang tadhana, "no vacancy Sir sa Saudi lang...sa Jeddah". Walang nagawa si Mokong, tinanggap! Lumipad ng hindi buo ang kalooban na mapadpad sa Saudi. Oh what a scene! over sa boring ang lugar, first month pa lang siya feeling niya ay one year na. May kahiligan siya..sa alak lang naman mga kababayan. At talaga namang lalagnatin kapag hindi tumulak. Ano pa at nakagawa ng paraan tulad ng mga kababayang Filipino doon..batad ng pasas with matching apple juice ang pinagtitiyagaan, kulang na lang pati rubbing alcohol ay inumin. Hindi lang yoon, hindi rin puwedeng makipag-phonepal sa tsiks or makipagkita man lang. Kapag pumunta ka sa park for the boys lang, mag shopping ka naman para kang sundalo no lingon-lingon sa kaliwa or sa kanan (BAWAL). At kung may ma Spot-an ka..delikado ang lagay mo. Homesick boy talaga ang kanyang dating. Pero sa Pinas, tuwang-tuwa si Misis dahil regular ang padala at buong suweldo ay ini-intrega, nagpasalamat pa dahil sa Saudi hindi makapagloko si Mister, so buo ang perang ipinapadala.
Minsan naisipan niyang sulatan ang kaibigan niya sa Dubai, ako yoon! Sa sobrang tawagan at sulatan, napag-alaman niya na "Open City" ang Dubai, at sa sobrang kulit ko at sobrang lungkot ng buhay niya sa Saudi..nagpahanap siyan ng malilipatang trabaho dito sa Dubai. At long last, ito na si Mokong..instant migrate sa Dubai may malaking suweldo, magaan ang buhay. Hanep ang dating..gabib-gabi nasa bar, nasunod ang kanyang hilig. "Sky is the limit mga pare", ito ang palagi niyang sinasabi. At least dito, you can turn your head left and right, may mga friends na siyang babae at higit sa lahat "genuine" ang alak. Dahil mura ang bilihin at walang tax, galante ang dating at dahil din sabik sa malayang buhay habang malayo sa pamilya, walang gabing natulog ng maaga..telebababad magdamag, bola sa tsiks sabi nga. Napansin ko na lang tinatawag siyang "kuya" ng karamihan. Ganyan ang buhay dito, kung gusto mong sikat ka at maraming tumatawag sa iyong "kuya", meaning galante ka.
Teka muna, anong nangyari kay Misis? Heto punta ng punta sa bangko pero walang remittance na natatanggap. So in short, nagkaroon sila ng "Gulf War" ni Misis,   then may bombang sumabog sa bank account niya..Zero balance na pala siya..Sa kalo-loan niya sa banko, kakaunti na lang ang sinusuweldo niya.
Anong nangyari? Tsismis ito mga kababayan, minsan nagka-inuman ang grupo..biglang sumigaw ng malakas "Parang awa nyo na..Ibalik nyo ako sa Saudi", Serious ang dating with tears pa at na-realize niya na magastos pala dito sa Dubai, wa epek ang style niya dito. Nabalitaan ko na lang nag-resign. Umuwi nag Pilipinas at nag-apply uli sa Saudi. So..pare alam kong mababasa mo itong sulat ko diyan sa Saudi, huwag ka na lang maingay, hindi naman nila alam na ikaw ito..

Caroling

Filipina:Merry Christmas Madam, Arbab! Pwede bang mag-request ng regalo ngayong Pasko? Pandagdag lang sa sweldo.
Arbab: (Kasam si Madam) Shuhada! Walang pasko dito, at walang regalo o dagdag na sahod, baden !
Filipina: Ang kuripot ninyo Arbab, sa tradisyon naming mga Filipino kumanta lang kami-Caroling ang tawag, eh binibigyan na kami ng papasko.
Madam: (Tuwang-Tuwa) Sige nga kumanta ka ng marinig ko. Gandahan mo ha?
Arbab: Wa epek kahit kumanta ka! Lumuha ka pa. Kaliwale!
Filipina: SIge Arbab, kapag hindi kayo nagbigay kakanta talaga ako! Arbab: Mafi mosquelah! Ako pa ang tinakot mo. Pwes kumanta ka!
Filipina: Madam, nakita ko si Arbab sa Co-op noong isang gabi may kasamang tsiks, at kagabi naman ay sa souq namimili ng Gold, same tsiks din !
(Huli..he he he)

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(Pasuguan ng Pilipinas) Embassy of the Philippines Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

He immediately went to work upon his arrival. This is how one could best characterise the manner Amable Aguiluz III assumed his post as the latest Philippine Ambassador to the UAE. No sooner had he arrived in Abu Dhabi last November 26, 1998 than he immediately called the embassy staff to a meeting. A day after, he initiated getting-to-know-you dialogs with the leaders of the Filipino communities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the other Northern Emirates.

The Filipino leaders must have sensed that they were in the presence of a "father" who is sincerely concerned with their condition as they freely expressed their concerns and expectations. They wanted to see an embassy with its doors open to all Filipinos. They said that would like to see in the future a Filipino Centre where they could hold sports competitions and social functions or where they could simply spend hours during day-off. Another major issue raised at the meeting was the proposed entitlement for a pension plan when OFWs return to the Philippines. The Filipino leaders were also united in supporting a government initiative to establish an OFW hospital.

For his part. Ambassador Aguiluz assured the Filipino leaders that the doors of the Philippine Embassy will be open to all Filipinos. He said his tenure 'will be devoted to ensuring that all services are be delivered not just in Abu Dhabi but also in the embassy extension office in Dubai, on a regular basis the whole year.

Ambassador Aguiluz comes from a culture of public service. The late Atty. Amable Aguiluz was a former Auditor General, and Budget Commissioner during the Macapagal administration. His mother. Ester Delos Reyes Aguiluz retired as a Corporate Auditor. As a career diplomat, he is familiar with the sociopolitical reality of the Middle East having served in different Philippine missions under different capacities for "18 years in this part of the world. To name a few, he opened the first honourary consulate in Amman, Jordan in 1980. He Charge D'Affaires at the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He re-opened the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait immediately after the Gulf War in 1991 and served as Counsellor and Consul General at the Philippine mission, Manama, Bahrain. Special assignments like Beirut at the height of the war in Lebanon to spearhead the evacuation of Filipino workers and overall coordination of a consolidated contingency plan during the Gulf crisis must have sharpened his sensitivity to the safety of OFWs.

Before his latest foreign assignment, Ambassador Aguiluz was Special Assistant and Head of Consular Assistance Division, Office of the Legal Assistant for Migrant Workers Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

No wonder "Amba" Aguiluz is an OFW's Ambassador.'
excerpts from the Pinoy Expats magazine Issue No. 4, December 1998

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