Filipinos urged to learn Arabic

Filipinos here must learn new languages, especially Arabic, and continue to brush up their skills to become more competitive in the globalised labour marketplace.

"The ultimate protection to all migrant workers is the possession of skills," said Consul General Jose Athur Ampeso, recently cross-posted from Singapore to head the Philippine diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi. The envoy also urged his countrymen to learn to read and write the enduring language of the Holy Quran.

"Learning the language in itself would help our people get along with their sponsors and colleagues. They could better relate to other people and respond more appropriately to different situations," said Ampeso.

Arabic is important, he added, because it is the enduring language of one of the three monotheistic religions and an official language of the UN. Ampeso revealed that he has recently joined a crash course on Arabic offered during weekends at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi.

"When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do. When you're in the UAE, try to learn the correct Arabic language, not the street version," said Ampeso.

Speaking over the weekend on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Philippine Medical Centre, a new polyclinic at Al Attar Centre in Karama, Ampeso stressed that an overwhelming majority of Filipinos going overseas to work are skilled and law-abiding.

"We have to continue along this track. Authorities in Manila, through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, are trying to make sure that Filipinos going abroad are equipped with the necessary skills, which is the best guarantee of work and protection to them," he said.

He also echoed calls on the Phil-ippine government to allow the deployment of only skilled workers.

"Not everyone should be allowed to leave home and work overseas just because he or she wants to earn a few quick bucks," he said. "This hole, the unskilled OFWs, should be plugged," said Ampeso.

The diplomat, meanwhile, encouraged OFWs in the UAE to sign up with a dozen skills-upgrade and self-help courses being offered in the different emirates in cooperation with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Labour Office.

Volunteer groups and professionals offer tuition-free instruction on courses ranging from auto mechanic and AutoCAD to photography and programming.

Ampeso is also encouraging the introduction of Arabic language by a qualified teacher as a regular weekend class for OFWs here.

"I encourage the Filipino community to sponsor projects towards a better understanding of the culture and language. We shall work out the course, time and venue for this effort," said Ampeso.

The soft-spoken diplomat, whose career spans 32 years, also called for increased commercial, cultural and tourism ties between the UAE and the Philippines.

He also reiterated calls for a more flexible and "win-win" air agreement between the two countries.

At the Global Village, where Ampeso visited a 41-stall Philippine Pavilion under construction, the diplomat said that the increased participation this year (there were 31 stalls last year) is a testimony to the growing interest among Filipinos in Dubai's status as the re-export capital of the Middle East.