JEDDAH — Participants in the recently concluded Haj pilgrimage want the Philippines to require first-time pilgrims through a seminar on Haj “dos and don’ts” to avoid hassles when they are in Saudi Arabia.
They said such a briefing or orientation has become imperative in view of the persistent problems encountered by pilgrims, some of which are beyond the control of Philippine officials.
One such case involved a couple from Datu Piang town of Maguindanao province who were arrested by the police in Makkah on Jan. 5 on suspicion that they were beggars.
Solaiman Mutya, the Haj attaché at the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, identified the couple as Amin A. Abdulmaula and Halima Tahir Abdulmaula.
“It’s good that the consul general was immediately informed of what happened to them,” said Mutya, who was sent with other consulate officials to get the couple out of jail before they could be charged in court.
Another case involved an unnamed woman pilgrim who was held at the airport in Jeddah upon her arrival before the start of Haj last month. The woman was believed to have been holding a passport that did not belong to her and she was believe to have been summarily deported.
Before the Abdulmaula couple were deported last week, Arab News managed to talk with them.
A dismayed Halima narrated that she and her husband just finished attending prayers at a mosque in Makkah on Jan. 5 and their uncle let them keep his money worth 1,250 riyals while he took his turn to pray. “All of a sudden, some women cops came and took us to a precinct and locked up in jail,” she said.
Lenga Tumagantang, the couple’s 72-year-old uncle, said he could not understand what the fuzz was all about.
“I was surprised because in the Philippines, you don’t get arrested for holding a big amount of money. Here, I just let my niece and nephew keep my money and they were accused of begging),” Tumagantang said.
Mutya said Consul General Ezzedin Tago immediately sent him and other consulate staff to look into the case, but the police refused to release them.
Commenting on the case, community member Ashnawi Alonto said it only shows the need for Philippine officials to do more than just issuing Haj visas and arranging transportation and accommodations for pilgrims.
“They should not just keep accepting applicants without briefing them what to),” said Alonto, adding that in Malaysia and Indonesia, officials in charge of the Haj activities conduct house-to-house seminars six months ahead of the annual pilgrimage.
Ensure the success of the annual Hajj to Mecca and maintain ethnographic research centers and museums on the culture and institutions of Muslim Filipinos.
Another pilgrim who gave his name only as Alico said that even Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., who was designated as presidential special envoy during the recent pilgrimage, was known to have expressed support to the idea of getting first-time pilgrims undergo an orientation session.
“I hope the governor will pursue this suggestion,” he said, noting that it has been a favorite topic of many pilgrims who have encountered trouble or inconveniences that could have been avoided if they have enough information.
Haj Attaché Mutya said he was also open to the suggestion.
”It will be a big help if our pilgrims get the appropriate information on what they should do and should not do when in Saudi Arabia, especially in Makkah and Madinah,” he said. “I hope these cases will serve as a wake-up call for all of us to fine-tune the system and make the annual Haj hassle-free,” he said.
In the Philippines, the agency in charge of Haj activities is the Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), an agency attached to the Office of the President. It is currently headed by Executive Director Sangki, who holds the rank of undersecretary.
For year 2007, the Philippines was given by the Saudi government a quota of 5,000 pilgrims, but around 500 were unable to make it to the Kingdom last December due to the unavailability of flights.
Some prominent personalities were among the members of the delegation, including former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste and her more famous equestrienne daughter Toni; Reps. Mujib Hataman of the Anak Mindanao party-list group and Yusuf H. Jikiri of the 1st district of Sulu; Govs. Andal Ampatuan of Maguindanao, Sakur Tan of Sulu, and Sadikul A. Sahali of Tawi-Tawi; Bureau of Immigration intelligence chief Faisal Hussein, Executive Director Sangki, and other government officials.
The Philippines’ head of pilgrims was Commissioner Salic B. Dumarpa of the National Labor Relations Commission.
According to consulate general, three of the pilgrims died of natural causes.
