JEDDAH, 7 December — Filipinos in Jeddah and nearby places who have plans of going into business are invited to attend the Usapang Negosyo scheduled for today.

Organized by the OFW Cooperative Council (OFWCC), the forum will be held starting 7 p.m. at the Social Hall of El-Kherieji Housing Compound in Rowdah District, near Madinah Road and Sari St.

Lined up as resource persons are engineers Omar Chip Tiozon, who will discuss "Business Insights;" Dawood Engay, "Goal Setting;" Rudy Carillo, "Success Factors;" and Ed Rufino, "Money Management or Budgeting."

The forum is part of a wider program meant to prepare Filipino migrant workers for "re-integration" when they return home "for good," said Rufino, who heads the OFWCC’s Inter-Cooperative Committee.

Hundreds of OFWs in Jeddah and other parts of the region have already participated in seminar-workshops organized by the OFWCC in cooperation with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Today’s forum was coordinated by community leaders Willy Lomboy and Rod Manansala as a way of bringing the "experts" to those who need them most.

"By holding these Usapang Negosyo forums, we hope to spark interest among our compatriots so that they will attend our seminars and learn something before engaging in business," said Council Chairman Jibreel de Vera.

De Vera noted that the seminars are free of charge because the lecturers are sharing their talents without pay.

Dawood Engay, who will succeed de Vera, said the Council will soon come out with a program of acitivies to serve more OFWs in the coming year. It’s also the turn of Wenfred Castolome, being the incoming vice chairman, to head the Education/Training Committee, which is in charge of the seminars.

Apart from business and livelihood seminars, the OFWCC had also been conducting hands-on computer literacy trainings and special courses on fish farming.

To avoid the "all work, no play" peril, it also holds its own sports activities, the latest of which is the Inter-Cooperative Women’s Volleyball tournament held at the Philippine Consulate.

This year’s champion is King Faisal Specialist Hospital captained by Carol Capones. Dr. Erfan Hospital, last year’s champion, is the runner-up.