JEDDAH, 15 October — An ambitious project to create a database of Filipinos in the Western Region is now rolling.
Alyansa, the coalition of various Filipino community organizations in the region, formally launched the project after receiving the letter of endorsement issued by Vice Consul Jose V. Jacob, on behalf of Consul General Kadatuan P. Usop.
Jibreel De Vera, the secretary-general of the group, said the project entitled Nasaan Ka Kabayan hopes to account for and know the whereabouts of every Filipino worker in the region for emergency purposes.
De Vera said Alyansa and other community organizations who wish to help will distribute information sheets to Filipinos in companies, hospitals, camps, and villas in Jeddah, before moving out to other cities in the region.
There are an estimated 280,000 OFWs in the region.
“To be able to reach far-flung areas, we will linkup with the contacts the consulate have in these areas and ask their help to distribute and gather the information sheets,” added de Vera.
Atoy Esguerra, chairman of the coalition’s government affairs commission, said Alyansa will use the services of the Transport Cooperative headed by Joe Paduga distribute and collect the information sheets.
Once the information sheets have been distributed and filled out, the daunting task of inputting the information into a database begins. “The computer program is ready. All we need is for information to be inputted, and we are appealing to members of Alyansa who have computers at home to help in data entry,” said Rudy Carillo, a Microsoft-certified engineer, and Alyansa treasurer, who designed the program.
Esguerra said they will start working, in the meantime, on the 15,000 data sheet that the consulate has gathered last year.
Arlene Sallador, deputy secretary-general of Alyansa, and lead man of the database project, said: “We are expecting to be between 75-80 percent in our progress with information sheets by end of November.”
The passport number (of an OFW) will serve as basis for identifying and locating an OFW, whether documented or undocumented.
Once the database is completed, various reports can be easily generated from it. One of these reports is an identification or travel letter that can be authenticated by the consulate. In times of crisis, this letter serves as both an identification and travel document. In relation to this, Alyansa is suggesting that all OFWs and their dependents must keep extra ID pictures in their wallets in preparation for any event.
“By far, this is the best project launched by Alyansa ... to really find out where our kababayans are. I’m glad that this has been endorsed by the consulate so that we can go ahead with this project and finish it,” said Sam delos Santos, Alyansa president.
He said the database would also be useful when the absentee voting measure, which allows Overseas Filipinos to vote in Philippine national elections, take effect.
In line with this project, Rudy Carillo also said that Alyansa’s website will soon accommodate online registration. Carillo said that he is now working with other computer specialists in the ranks of Alyansa so that those who miss filling out the information sheet for some reasons, would be able to fill out a form online. The information will be extracted (from time to time) from the site and incorporated in the database.
A final copy of the database will be presented to Consul General Kadutuan Usop in a CD.
Those who want to help in the database project are encouraged to contact Jibreel de Vera at 636-0606 ext. 13; Sallador at 05-262-0868; Delos Santos at 682-1555 ext. 529; Atoy Esguerra at 682-0022 ext. 710; Caesar Lontok 636-0606 ext. 48; or Alan Exevea at 657-3333 ext. 443.