Haj preparations for Filipino pilgrims stepped up

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in Manila has stepped up efforts to ensure smooth pilgrimage for Filipino Muslims who are performing Haj in the Kingdom this year, according to Consul General Uriel Norman Garibay of the Consulate General in Jeddah.
“The NCMF wants to ensure that everything will be smooth when the pilgrims come to the Kingdom to perform Haj. We expect some 6,000 pilgrims to come,” Garibay told Arab News on Wednesday. He said the number was up 50 percent from 4,000 last year.
NCMF Secretary Mehol Sadain is the head of the Philippine delegation (amirul haj) this year.
Last year, Filipino pilgrims encountered problems including unavailability of visas, overcrowding in accommodations, and the fact that accommodations were far from Haram (Grand Mosque) in Makkah.
Garibay said that NCMF Commissioner Edilwasif Baddiri is currently in the Kingdom to meet with the service provider Al-Makarem, owned by Nayef Al-Arif, to make sure that Filipino pilgrims will have sufficient food and comfortable accommodations. He arrived on Monday and is scheduled to leave on Sept. 6.
“This year we want to ensure that all pilgrims can come to perform Haj and have sufficient accommodations. Last year ten pilgrims occupied one room instead of only four,” he said.
He added that the accommodations were also far from the Grand Mosque. Last year, many of the pilgrims came for the first time, arriving one month in advance, and prayed at the Grand Mosque before the start of going to Arafat.
“Their accommodations were in the Azizia district, about eight kilometers away from the Grand Mosque. At first they took buses or limos, but as the start of going to Arafat drew near, the drivers increased their fares,” he said.
He added that this time, the accommodations were closer. “The accommodations are now in the Mizfala area, which is about two to three kilometers away from the Grand Mosque. They could walk the distance in 30 minutes,” Baddiri said.
Baddiri added that he would be going to Madinah today to inspect the buildings where the pilgrims would be staying for three to four days on their way to Makkah.
Earlier, NCMF Commissioner Ishmael Ibrahim also visited the Kingdom to make preliminary negotiations and meet with Saudi Ministry of Haj Director Hosni Duftaji as well as the service provider.
He said that NCMF’s move of sending representatives to discuss Haj preparations with concerned authorities as well as the service provider is due to the fact that there’s no Haj attaché at the consulate.