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Filipinos in Bahrain Most Law-abiding

This may be old news but it is very good that it is worth citing once more. According to immediate past Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain, Akmad Sakkam, Bahrain is the only country in the Middle East where there are no Filipinos in jail. He cited the following reasons: the "professional" attitude of Filipino workers in Bahrain, the close diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Bahrain and the accessibility of the Embassy to the Filipino community.

Without prejudice to Filipinos elsewhere in the Kingdom, the claim of Sakkam deserves praise and consideration. In fact, Bahrain nationals would express surprise at negative stories of Filipinos outside Baharain. Filipinos have etched a credible mark in the labor picture of Bahrain making them prized possessions of Bahraini companies. In fact, Filipinos have become unique selling prepositions among business transactions in the island kingdom. Filipino staffing guarantees quality and professional services.

There are some 18,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, and some of them are in the fields of engineering, medicine and banking.

The question, therefore, is why can't this be true elsewhere? On the part of the Filipino migrant workers, they ought to focus on the purpose of their migration. They came to the Middle East to earn and gain for themselves and their families better future. They must set aside whatever whims and caprices they have in the Philippnes. This is an entirely new territory. Government officials, on the other hand, should play a more visible and "big brother" role in support to our migrant workers. They must always remember they are in the Middle East only to support our migrant workers and not to gain for themselves fame and fortune. Unless both the migrant worker and our embassy personnel stick to their respective roles, we can not expect the Bahrain model to be replicated. Not in the near future.

Based on the article, "Filipinos in Bahrain most law-abiding", Bahrain Tribune, 2 March 1998


Mabuti pa sa Baharain.

Hindi naman siguro dahil sa maliit lang ang Bahrain. Nasa prinsipyo iyan ng mga sangkot. Mabuti pa nga sa Bahrain, malinaw sa mga Pilipino doon ang dahilan kung bakit sila naroroon in the first place. Ganito rin sana ang maging attitude ng iba pa nating kababayan sa iba pang bahagi ng Middle East.