UAE | General
Gesture of generosity helps ailing man return home
Filipino jailed twice in Dubai for a bounced cheque to be free today as landlord withdraws case
- By Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 October 26, 2011
- Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
- Angelito Broas at Rashid Hospital. He is due to be discharged from hospital today and fly back to his family in the Philippines.
Dubai: A Filipino who had been jailed twice in Dubai for a bounced cheque will leave Rashid Hospital today a free man.
Angelito Broas lost more than half of his right foot due to diabetes four months ago. Supported by crutches and a wheel chair, the partially blind Filipino wanted to leave a message to his compatriots in Dubai.
Before he leaves today, he wanted to warn people from the Philippines to be careful when handling their loans and not to misuse the facility to avoid landing in trouble.
"The main problem of Filipinos here in Dubai is the lack of control of credit card use and having so many loans. As much as possible, if you can do away with these two, please do." Broas told Gulf News.
"Bear in mind that if you owe someone money, you have to pay him back. Otherwise, there's only one place for you — prison."
Broas, 49, served two terms in prison in Dubai in 2001 and in 2010. He sought shelter with friends, moving from one to the other, and worked part-time to be able to earn money to pay for his bounced cheque — a condition of his temporary release from prison in 2010.
He was admitted to the Rashid Hospital in June this year.
Lease of life
Broas, who first arrived in Dubai in 1999, used to work as a logistics coordinator in Jebel Ali. With a monthly salary of Dh4,000, he earned extra money by subletting five apartments in Karama.
When his cheque bounced in 2001, his landlord filed a case against him. He was imprisoned for six months. He was left with no choice but to go home.
Broas returned to Dubai eight years later ready for a new lease of life, only to be detained by the police once again. To his surprise, his name was still on the immigration watch list.
"I asked the immigration why there was a case against me as I had already been cleared of my case in 2001. The immigration official said I was only cleared for my criminal case. My landlord filed a civil case against me in 2004," he said.
For Broas, losing his foot changed his life. As he had no family in Dubai, he was left to take care of his personal needs on his own. When he was transferred to the wound management section in July, he learned what physical pain meant.
"The doctor would cut off parts of the bones in my right foot and would sometimes remove some infected flesh," he said. "My screams would echo in the room. Even the nurses went away at the sight and smell of the wound in my foot." But losing his foot only meant regaining himself through the support of his Born Again Christian friends.
Broas said he is reaping blessings after blessings. The Rashid Hospital waived his medical fees which included two surgeries and more than a hundred days in hospital.
But the one thing he is most grateful for is his former landlord's withdrawal of the case against him.
Grateful to landlord
The decision came after an official from the Philippine consulate spoke to the lawyer of his landlord to reconsider his case.
"I am very grateful to my landlord for his gracious heart. He is a father just like me, and I know that he knows how difficult it is for a father to be away from his family," Broas said.
Broas, father of four, will board his flight today to reunite with his family for good.
Comments (1)
|
More from UAE General
More from UAE
Latest news
- Tracks to be laid on recycled material
- Golden Hour crucial to a patient's survival
- Opening show worthy of UAE
- Sun is shining on prospects for solar power
- Artists focus on craftsmanship
- World leaders committed to supporting civilians
- Schools open a new page in teaching English
- Special parking to help disabled tourists
- Helping hand surgeons have long sought
- Blind woman lights up corridors of power
- In Mind
- At times, I think of committing suicide
- Designer of a creative haven
- Fund to help Dubai taxi drivers' families
- New life-saving fleet of vehicles
Community Reports
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists
-
Supporting the needy with food supplies
Group of families engaged in serving isolated labour community hopes to motivate more people to help underprivileged and hungry
-
Leukaemia boy granted wish to meet footballer
Emirati meets hero Al Qahtani, Al Ain team
