ALKHOBAR, 3 July — The “Hatid Tulong Para Kay Kabayan Program” was formally launched last weekend at the Park Hotel by the POLO-OWWA in cooperation with the Accredited Community Partners in the Eastern Province.
The launching was held in commemoration of the 104th Philippine Independence Day Celebration by the community organizations in the region.
Bags of rice, can goods, medicines, detergents and used clothings were distributed to the stranded OFWs in Alkhobar who are facing labor-related problems and awaiting their repatriation to the Philippines.
Gracing the occasion were Ambassador Rafael Seguis, Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul, Assistant Labor Attaché Jalilo dela Torre, Supervising Welfare Officer Sotero Tornea, and other embassy personnel from the Riyadh office.
In support of the program, the ACPs donated in cash and in kind. Sponsors like the Philippine National Bank, the Social Security System, and the PERT-CPM also donated a refrigerator, VCD component, and an aircon unit, respectively.
The Filipino Channel and Showtime also contributed to the event together with Filipino employees of the Basic Chemical Industries.
During the occasion, POLO-OWWA accredited three more community groups to join the ACPs in the region. The new accredited groups are the Filipino Computer Society, OFW Net Foundation, and the Volleyball Enthusiasts of the Eastern Province (VEEP).
Rasul and Tornea signed the memorandum of agreement together with the presidents of the three organizations.
There are now a total of 26 ACPs in the Eastern Region led by two umbrella organizations — the OFW Congress and the All Filipino Community and Sports Commission (Afscomm).
These ACPs are tasked to work as partners of the POLO-OWWA in reaching out the embassy’s programs here.
Adding musical entertainment to the affair were the Prime Note Ensemble and the Awit Sayaw Group.
Individual performances were also made by Lady Kimberly Molina, Medard Obida, George Palencia, Ferdie Neuda, and the Catanus couple Flor and Liza, who were introduced as the new talents this year.
