"The preparations have been thorough and elaborate so that the Haj performance this year for all the pilgrims, including Filipino Muslims, could be as comfortable as could be," Tago told Arab News by phone from Makkah.Tago said that after Thursday Filipino pilgrims will begin their return to the Philippines."Most of the pilgrims, if not all of them, will be attending a reception that the Consulate General in Jeddah will host for them before they leave for the Philippines," Tago said.He added that everything went smoothly for the Filipino pilgrims except for the two who died just after arrival in the Kingdom to perform Haj. The two fatalities were identified as Zalika Usman Ali, who died in Madinah, and Talusan Badpil, who died in Makkah. The causes of death were not provided. Both fatalities were from the province of Maguindanao. "There are approximately 4,100 Filipino pilgrims this year. President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III designated Dr. Hamid A. Barra as 'Amirul Haj' this year," said Abdurrahheym Macud, administrative officer of the Consulate General in Jeddah.Aquino gave him the authority to travel to fulfill his duties in "coordination with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and to submit a post-Haj report.Barra, who is also the co-chairman of the Ulema-Bishops Council of the Philippines, is also the dean of Islamic Studies at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City.
