15 December 2018

OFWs in Bahrain Celebrate Family Day

Being a family-centered people, members of the Filipino Community in Bahrain

trooped to the Philippine Embassy on December 14, 2018 to join the twin celebrations of

OFW Family Day and DOLE’s 85th Anniversary.

Labor Attaché Vicente M. Cabe of

the Philippine Overseas Labor Office

(POLO) in his Welcome Remarks

underscored that the family as a basic

societal institution is the strength of any

nation. It plays the key role of laying

down the building blocks of children’s

character and society’s moral fiber but it is

under threat as labor migration

necessitates separation of families, hence, it is imperative to protect it.

In her Inspirational

Message, on the other hand,

Consul-General and Chargé

d’Affaires Maria Paz Cortes

lauded Filipinos for highly

valuing their families and the

immeasurable sacrifices they

continue to make for their sake.

She urged the OFWs to lay bare

to their family members the

realities of harsh work

conditions they face on a daily basis so that they may have realistic expectations and

together maximize the positive outcome of their work overseas.

Members of the Filipino Community together celebrate Family Day

The celebration was

spearheaded by the Overseas Workers

Welfare Administration-Bahrain

(OWWA-Bahrain) with Fil-Am

Association, Traveler’s Tribe, and

Hagod Towelless Group as the major

partners. Highlights of the celebration

included games, flower arrangement

contest, massage services and

intermission numbers by various

individuals showcasing the diverse

talents of Filipinos. Fourteen (14)

distressed OFWs who are temporarily

sheltered in the Migrant Workers and

Other Filipinos Resource Center

(MWOFRC) awaiting resolution of their cases and repatriation, received various gifts from

charitable Filipino organizations.

Welfare Officer Redina C. Manlapaz concluded the program by highlighting that

Family Day is celebrated yearly across posts to remind OFWs that family is the

fundamental reason they work abroad and should therefore exhaust all means to keep

and strengthen their families despite the many odds and challenges of living apart.

Officers and staff of POLO-OWWA Bahrain headed by Labor Attaché Vicente

M. Cabe and Welfare Officer Redina C. Manlapaz are the forces behind the

twin celebrations of Family Day and DOLE 85th Anniversary

15 December 2018

69 OFWs in Bahrain Take Oath as Licensed Professionals

Sixty-seven (67) OFW-examinees in Bahrain who successfully passed the Special

Professional Licensure Examination (SPLE) held on August 24-26, 2018 including two

passers of the PRC Upgrading

Technical Evaluation for

Professional Electronics Engineer

took their oath as licensed

professionals in a symbolic Oath-

Taking Ceremony led by

Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver on

December 15, 2018 at the Ramada

Hotel and Suites, Amwaj Islands in

the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The 2018 SPLE Passers were led by two

topnotchers, Meriel Joyce C. Capunihan and

Armando T. Tayoba II, who placed 3rd in Nursing

and 10th in Architecture, respectively.

Overall, the SPLE passing rate in

Manama, Bahrain stood at 29%. Among the

fifteen (15) professional fields covered by the

examination, Registered Master Electrician

showed the highest passing rate of 82% followed

by Electronics Technician at 71% and

Architecture at 67%.

Passing Rate Per Profession 2018 SPLE, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Profession Total

Takers Total Passers

Passing Rate

Architecture 27 18 67% Accountancy 4 1 25% Civil Engineer 16 2 12% Dentist 1 0 0 Electrical Engineer 9 2 22% Electronics Engineer 13 0 0 Electronics Technician 7 5 71% Environmental Planner 7 0 0 Geodetic Engineer 5 0 0 Master Electrician 11 9 82% Master Plumber 39 9 23% Mechanical Engineer 14 5 36% Nurse 40 14 35% Teacher-Elementary 22 0 0 Teacher - Secondary 16 2 12% 231 67 29%

*PRC Upgrading Technical Evaluation Passers for Professional Electronics Engineer 2

HE Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver administers oath to the 2018 SPLE passers

The first to be held in the Kingdom, the SPLE is a joint effort of the Philippine Embassy

and POLO-Bahrain, in response to the increasing demand of many professional groups

under the umbrella of PPO-Bahrain, to establish a testing center in the country for the

benefit of their non-licensed members.

Ambassador Ver, in his

inspirational message,

shared that labor migration is

a reality of the times and

while nations including the

Philippines are united to

institute measures to protect

workers through the Global

Compact for Migration,

acquiring a license as a

professional is a protection

in itself.

He also shared that being a licensed professional opens many doors to better job

opportunities. He cited the many ongoing and emerging labor markets in the fields of

medical & hospitality services and infrastructure which will boost demand for various

skills. Addressed especially to those in the engineering field, he floated the possibility of

them becoming project contractors and not just employees, of setting up their own groups

or companies and become a major player in the infrastructure development of the

Kingdom. The new professionals were also urged to always challenge themselves to be

better workers and persons that Filipinos are widely known for.

The event also witnessed the turn-over of leadership in the Philippine Professional

Organization. The incoming set of officers led by Engr. Manolo I. Lacuata were sworn-

in by Labor Attaché Vicente M. Cabe. Michael D. Lapeña, the out-going PPO

Chairperson, recounted the achievements of the group which included the formation of

the Philippine Teachers Association in Bahrain, the conduct of numerous professional

Ambassador Alfonso A.Ver urged the new professionals to aim big and be the best

workers and persons they could be in his Inspirational Message

trainings and conferences to upgrade the competences of their members, hosting of

sports activities to foster camaraderie and build a network of support among the members

and the holding of the first SPLE in Bahrain, among others.

PPO-Bahrain,

being the umbrella

organization of all

professional groups,

is a valuable partner

of the Post especially

in massive

information

dissemination, online

registration of the

prospective

examinees and

conduct of review classes. As the SPLE initiative in Bahrain saves Filipino professionals

time and expense in the acquisition of a license that makes them better positioned in the

labor market, the PPO targets to mobilize at least 300 prospective examinees for 2019,

which is the minimum number required per PRC guidelines, in order for the country to

remain as a testing center for SPLE.

Ambassador Alfonso A. Ver and Labor Attaché Vicente M. Cabe pose with the newly

inducted PPO Officers headed by Engr. Manolo I. Lacuata as the incoming Chairperson.

Also in the photo is Engr. Michael Lapeña who, as the outgoing Chairperson, successfully

managed the 2018 SPLE, among many other projects of the PPO.