RIYADH, 20 June 2004 — Rumors circulating that Filipinos are being killed daily in various parts of the Kingdom have caused a significant drop in sales of businesses in Batha, where most Filipinos in Riyadh go for shopping and dining.
“There has been 20 percent drop in sales during the week and it’s no longer a joke,” complained Nero Brosas, manager of Ner’s Batchoyan and Ihawan at the 3rd level of the Manila Plaza.
He said that it was the first time he experienced such considerable drop in sales since the business opened a year ago.
Brosas said that cashiers in nearby supermarkets who are among his regular customers have also observed a drop in their sales.
In Jeddah’s Balad, the equivalent of Bat’ha, business establishments favored by Filipinos also complained of a decline in customers.
“These rumors are very bad for business. Everyone is affected,” the owner of a popular Chinese restaurant told a group of media workers.
Since the Alkhobar killing spree by terrorists, in which several expats including three Filipinos were killed, rumors flew out of control as panic-stricken expatriates helped spread them via e-mail and mobile phones.
Many Filipinos were affected by alleged warnings that they were included in the hit list of the terrorists because of the Philippine government’s support of the United States occupation in Iraq.
“This baseless information is spread through text messages which send chills and anxiety among the recipients,” said one Filipino community leader, who suggested that similar scare warnings should not be passed around so that they won’t cause panic.
Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla has said the embassy has no information of any confirmed killings of Filipinos since the attacks in Alkhobar.
He reiterated, though, that everyone should “be more vigilant and on the alert at all times.”
On Friday, the ambassador was at the embassy grounds and joined by hundreds of Filipinos who celebrated the 106th Philippine Independence Day. The whole-day affair wound up at around 7 p.m.
Also at the embassy, the Crisis Management Committee met Friday night, the fourth of a series of meetings among Filipino community leaders, Accredited Community Partners (ACPs) and embassy officials to recap the meetings held earlier during the week.
A community leader said that the committee aims to help the community prevent panic by engaging in an awareness campaign, in which all kinds of news and rumors would be put through a validation process rather than passed around with wild abandon.
Community members who have questions, suggestion or receive rumors are encouraged to call the following Coordinators Hotline numbers:
• Riyadh — 0504490471, 0509823303 or 0504262240;
• Jeddah — 0502217271 or 0503348278;
• Hofuf and Al-Hassa — 050-9541406, 050-9086637;
• Alkhobar and Dammam — 050-8019866 or 050-9143210.
Despite the panic that has gripped the community over the past days, a Saudi hospital owner in Olaya said not one of his 300 Filipino employees has applied for exit visa or have resigned out of fear.
Asked whether his Filipino employees are in any form of danger, he said: “No, nobody is in danger. And I haven’t heard of anybody considering (leaving). The Filipinos are very much accepted here. Historically, we never had a conflict with the Philippines. So, I don’t think Filipinos are going to be targeted.”
In an e-mail, one Joseph Espiritu cited the coordination being done by the embassy, labor office, and community leaders in Riyadh to address the near hysteria that gripped Pinoys.
He likened the latest incident to his experience in high school, when he and fellow pranksters circulated the story that they have seen a manananggal (a fabled legless vampire that hovers around at night to suck blood from victims) within the community.
He said the persistent rumor that circulated had almost caused a hysteria that even they who were behind it began to be affected by the resulting hysteria.
Another OFW, who asked not to be identified, said it is always a good idea for each community member to keep calm when hit by the rumor virus. “Aren’t we becoming the laughing stock instead of the targets?” he said.