Profile of Accomplishments as Overseas Filipino Worker from 1993 up to present:
NOMINEE: MANUEL A. AMORA for BAGONG BAYANI AWARD 2011
The nominee MANUEL A. AMORA is an OFW for almost 18 years in Saudi Arabia from 1993 up to present. But prior employment abroad he worked in Manila from 1985-1993.
Manila: 1985 – 1993
A Boholano by blood and born in Butuan City. Grown up and graduated intermediate (Nasipit, Central Elementary School) and secondary course (Saint Michael’s Institute now, Saint Michael College of CARAGA-SMCC) in Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte.
Graduated Aircraft Maintenance Engineering course at Philippine State College of Aeronautics-PSCA formerly Phil. Air Force College of Aeronautics-PAFCA, Mactan Air Base, Lapu Lapu City, Cebu.
After graduation from college in 1985, he went to Manila. He tried his luck working on the job training as aircraft mechanic with Philippine Airlines, but unfortunately he was not able to pursue the training due to health problem.
Unemployed, he worked as a waiter, disc jockey and bartender with his cousin’s sing-a-long club in Makati Avenue. Fortunately, he was able to met a lawyer from Mindanao who gave him a break to work as a messenger in a law office in Pasong Tamo, Makati. From messenger to clerk and later on as a Para Legal Officer in a Law (Office) Firm from 1986 to 1993 prior employment abroad.
Jeddah: 1993-1997
He has been an active community leader when he arrived in Jeddah, KSA. He was the founding member of the Overseas Filipino Cooperative Council (OFWCC) in Jeddah and Board of Director of the Bohol-Leyte OFW Cooperative (BLOC) and Chairman of the Committee on Education of Boholano Community in Jeddah (BC-J). He received various citations from the mentioned organizations.
He was also designated as member of the authorized lecturers for pre-membership education seminars on cooperative by the Cooperative Development Authority.
( http://ofwempowerment.wordpress.com/about-me/ )
(http://ofwempowerment.wordpress.com/own-images/ )
1996, he married to former Minda” Vi” Baguna Corpin from Biliran, Leyte and blessed with 2 children, daughter Mary Danielle “Angel” Amora, 13 and son Manuel “Dane” Amora, age 3.
1998 to present
He transferred to Riyadh with new employer in 1998. He worked in Al Ajial Co., Ltd., at the 2nd Industrial Area of Riyadh from 1998 to 2007. Away from the city of Riyadh, he made his time worthy by organizing sports events in the company where he worked. He was also the the Liaison of the 200 plus Filipino working in the said company, such as renewal of passports, application for OECs and securing travel tickets for his co-Filipino employees. One time, he went to POLO to secure attestation of the End of Service Award received by fellow OFW who left the company for good. During his visit to POLO, he was able to met Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul, Jr. who advised him to form a group in the 2nd Industrial Area of Riyadh. Thus the Kalipunang Kaakabay ng Manggagawang Pilipino sa Saudi Arabia (KAKAMPI-KSA) was born.
In 2003 Labor Attache Jainal Rasul, Jr. invited him as one of the Resource Speaker in the“First OFW Conference on Reintegration” held in Marriot Hotel, Riyadh with his paper titled “A Chance to Make It Right“. The former OWWA Administrator Marianito “Nitoy” Roque presented him a “Certificate of Appreciation” for his significant contribution for the first ever OFW reintiegration conference in Saudi Arabia.
The Nominee w/ Former Director Fahad Bin Huraib, King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology KACST- Directorate of International Cooperation now Advisor to the President-KACST
Having experienced as a community leader in Jeddah, he was able to unite all the Filipinos working in the mentioned Industrial area of Riyadh. Filipino sports events like table tennis and Basketball tournament was introduced among many companies in the areas.
In 2004 onwards KAKAMPI-KSA through his leadership was among the organizations actively involved to promote the Overseas Absentee Voting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, more particularly in the Industrial Area. KAKAMPI-KSA Inter-company Bonafide Basketball Tournament was among tapped to promote the Overseas Absentee Voting due to its poor turnout in the registration for absentee voters.
It was also during his leadership where a mobile special registration for Filipino Absentee voters were conducted in various locations in the Industrial Area of Riyadh. It was also in his time that organized events for mobile special registration initiated by KAKAMPI-KSA under the auspices of the Philippine Embassy, POLO/OWWA was then conducted in different companies in the area for the preparation of the 2004 and 2007 Philippine Election.
The former Ambassador to the Kingdom H.E. Bahnarim Guinomla presented him a “Certificate of Appreciation” for his active involvement in the conduct of the OAV registration and absentee voting in Riyadh.
During his 9 years working in the Industrial Area, he was able to organized many OFW Forums in the vicinity of the area. One in the Old Islamic Center, 2nd Industrial Area where officials from Philippine Embassy, POLO/OWWA were there to answer questions and provide assistance to those OFWs with problems at site. The SSS, Pagibig, Philhealth, Philippine banking representatives were also invited.
OFW Forums were also conducted in the accommodation of Al Sharq Plastic Factory, Saudi Ceramics, Saudi Lightning and even restaurants and other locations where there were large concentrations of OFWs. All the forums was under the auspices of the Philippine Embassy and POLO/OWWA.
In 2010, despite of having a new place and a new employer, the nominee still remember his fellow OFWs and KAKAMPI-KSA members in the Industrial Area where he stayed for many years. Last year, January of 2010, KAKAMPI-KSA organized The “OFW Forum”. It was held at New Islamic Center, 2nd industrial Area, Riyadh dubbed as “Know your Rights and Obligations as OFW in the Kingdom.” The forum was initiated under the on-site Labor Education Program of the Philippine Embassy, POLO & OWWA under the supervision of the then POLO Labor Attache Rustico Dela Fuente and Welfare Officer Atty. Cesar Chavez.
He was also one of the officers of OFW Congress who was instrumental and work hard for the collection of P 204,740.00 cash money donations for the survivors of the Feb. 17, 2006 landslide in the central Philippine village of Guinsaugon, Leyte.
OFWEmpowerment BLog
But his love of organizing doesn’t end up there, the nominee also loves to write. In 2005, the nominee created a blog named “OFWEMPOWERMENT” for the purpose of disseminating or by posting important information for the benefit and welfare of the OFWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (http://ofwempowerment.wordpress.com )
His first entry was on 13 December of 2005 titled “Tax Exemption a Token Gift” questioning the Government “Why Government keeps an eye to OFW’s whose life is already miserable away from home”. It was followed by “OFWs the Best Political Electorate” that was published online at Inquirer 7 supplement under Network Highlights INQ7 @ 5, the entry was inspired from his previous posting “OFW Representation”.
( http://ofwempowerment.wordpress.com/2006/04/23/personal-glimpse/ )
He was then on the receiving end of encouragement from colleagues in the Industrial Areas in Riyadh and community leaders in Saudi Arabia and so with his many readers at home and from fellow bloggers, OFW Advocates, friends, relatives and loved ones.
Important OFW information campaigns from OWWA, POEA and even NGO’s who are OFW advocates were given space in OFWempowerment blog, especially when it comes to OFW Issues and Concerns. The blog became a home of and for OFWs, not only in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but to other countries as well that there are OFWs.
In December 13, 2007 exactly two (2) years, OFWEmpowerment blog 2nd Anniversary, A Closer Look at the Filipino Diaspora was published at Global Nation, Inquirer.net, it was posted in the nominee’s blog December 12, 2007. The article was cited by various authors writing about Filipino Diaspora. (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/mindfeeds/mindfeeds/view/20071212-106376/A_Closer_Look_at_the_Filipino_Diaspora )
He was also vocal in the campaign of OAV Postal Voting and the creation of an OFW Bank.
He is currently involved in soliciting help from Filipino organizations to give donations such as medicines, grocery items and other personal needs intended for the less fortunate and runaway OFWs housed at the Filipino Workers Resource Center or FWRC.
Today, the OFWempowerment blog is considered a home for many OFWs asking for his advice in their problem may it personal and problem at site. You can read OFW woes and concerns in so many different angles in which the nominee provides relief to someone who is asking for his guidance. Taking appropriate action under the circumstances, he even approach in person the managers and even owners of companies where the distressed OFWs are employed to mediate their grievances without regard for his own personal safety. The nominee have performed heroic deeds above and beyond the call of his duty as a Filipino community leader and therefore deserved to be recognized.
The nominee is still an active Filipino community leader in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is currently the Secretary General of the OFW Congress-Riyadh and the Founding President of both KAKAMPI-KSA and Nasipitnon-KSA International. He is an Honorary Member and Advisor of All-Filipino Table Tennis Association in Riyadh (AFTTA). He is also a recognized member of the OFW International organizations whose members are Overseas Filipinos worldwide, to name a few: OFCI-Overseas Filipino Council, International and United Filipinos Worldwide for Community Development-UFWCD.
He is currently working with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, a Saudi Science government agency (counterpart of the Department of Science and Technology in the Philippines) as Administrative Officer assigned in the Directorate of International Cooperation reporting directly to the Director and the President of KACST.
The nominee is a family of professionals and of good standing in their respective community.
Parents:
Father : Daniel Gultiano Amora Sr. (Deceased) From Anda, Bohol, World War II Veteran, United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE), (Corporal), Filipino American
Mother : Margarita Amad (Deceased) – From: Moalbual, Cebu (Housewife)
Sister : Mila Amora Bacho Registered Nurse, FilAm, California, United States
Brothers:
Juanito “Ado” :(Electronics Communication Engineer-EcE) at hometown, Visayan short story writer & poet
Dominico “Doods” :(Professional Electrical Engineer-PEE) Businessman, Consultancy Firm in Mandaue, Cebu
Daniel Jr. “Bebot” :(Industrial Management Engineer-IE) Businessman, Construction-General Contractor in Laguna & Manila
- Letter of Endorsement from Employer
NOTE:
The Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI), in coordination with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the private sector.
The Bagong Bayani Awards (BBA) pay tribute to the country’s outstanding Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as the new heroes of our time. It gives due recognition to their significant efforts in fostering goodwill among peoples of the world, enhancing the image of the Filipino as a competent and responsible worker and contributing to the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
The general pre-qualifying criteria for the nomination of any Filipino working overseas, landbased or sea-based are as follows:
Must be or has been an OFW for at least two (2) years;
Has no past or present criminal or derogatory record;
Must be of good moral standing or has received recognition from past or present employer for exemplary behavior or outstanding service; and
The employment contract must have been processed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
The following are the awards categories:
1. Bagong Bayani Award for Outstanding Employee
2. Bagong Bayani Award for Community and Social Service
3. Bagong Bayni Award for Culture and Arts
4. Capt. Gregorio S. Oca Award
5. Blas F. Ople Award para sa Natatanging Bagong Bayani
Salamat po sa impormasyon magaling po ang inyong serbisyo……
natapos ko na po kontrata ko dito sa mga amo ko last year oct 17,2011 and then umuwi po ako sa atin nung january 10..tnwagan nila akong bumalik dto as a cook n lng..at me friday off daw actually ang prob ko dalawang mag asawang matanda lang talaga amo ko s akontrata kaso nakikitira now un manugang nya dito s kanila pati mga anak nya lahat dito pa nakain…papanu ho ba ito..kng tutuusin hnde ko sila mga amo..pero mas demnding pa sila sa mga amo ko…tas nagkaroon ho ako ng eczema at ang medical bills ako nasagot ultimo gamot..sa paglabas ko naman sa friday they want me to work muna sa umaga and paglabas ko inoorasan nila ako kase after dw mw work pa ako pag uwi…papanu naman un arw ng pahinga ko mnsan ayw ko lumabas like ko lang s kwarto kaso hnd enangyyre kse me work pa din…sana ho mabgyan nyo ako ng linaw about this at ang sahod ayw nilang pumayag sa nakalagay s kontrata.. thank you..
May mga nakalagay ba sa kontrata mo na silang dalawa lang ang pagsisilbihan mo? KAsi, alam naman po natin na isang bubong maski sa atin ay hindi lamang po iisa or iisang tao nag pagsisilbihan ng isang kasamabahay or cook. Kung nakasaad po doon na dalawa lang ang tuka mo, ibig saibhin puwede po kayong magreklamo.
Tungkol sa pahinga, dapat pong ang buong isang araw ay wala pong trabaho ang isang kasambahay. Ito po ay malinaw sa polisiya na nakapaloob sa isang worker na nasa bahay.
Kung sakali man po na gusto ninyong mag-reklamo puwede po ninyo itong gawin at ang hurisdiksyon po ay ang Saudi
Welfare Office, “Maktabut Tasawul”, (or Office for Domestic Workers Affairs).
sir bong pag resign ba pweding hindi ka papayagan ng employer?
Puwede po, depende po sa iyong employer.
Sir Bong,
Kung may exit re-entry ka ba sa Saudi pwede bang lumipat sa Qatar?
Mary
Puwede po pero depende po ng QAtar Embassy sa atin. Kung ma istampahan ang iyong pasaporte ng working visa ng QAtar Embassy, bakit hindi?
HI SIR,
tanung ko lang po panu ko malalaman kung pwd na erelease ang passport ko?tnx
Paki lcick lang po ang link na ito: http://www.philembassy-riyadh.org/index.php/help-for-filipinos/passports/passports-for-release
thank you for your advice sir. i really appreciated it..
Hi Sir Bong,
nag work po ako ng dent. tech sa isang polyclinic na kahit pang dentistry po ang papel ko for 11 years ngaun po gusto ng umuwi at hinihingi ko po ang ESB ko kaso ayaw ibigay dahil dw sa papel kong pang dentista hindi dent. tech. tama po ba yun? makukuha ko po ba ang ESB ko po? Salamat po..
Hindi po tama. Ano ang status mo ngayon.
sir,
me tanong po ako, end contract napo ako last March 01,2012. nag-3 month notice p nga po ako.. but then sabi ng boss ko wait p dw ako for 2 months more.
Your sponsor has the right to extend your exit if there is a valid reason to hold your final departure. Puwedeng dahil kailangan ka sa trabaho or hintayin ang iyong kapalit. Ngunit kung hihingi pa ulit ng extension, ito ay dapat mong sang-ayonan. Kung ayaw mong pumayag, wala po silang magagawa.
Hi Sir Bong,
I have some questions regarding connecting to the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia. Would it be alright to discuss this over e-mail?
Salamat po.
Kind regards,
GP
Wala naman po sigurong problema kung dito sa balog mo e-share ang iyong questions. Pero kung makita kong personal at confidential, I will not post it in our blog.
Hello Sir,
I just want to ask about you position regarding the GAMCA practices.
thanks!
Nald,
Matagal na po ang usaping ito ng GAMCA, panahon pa ito ni “Mampor” or “kupong kupong na” ‘ika nga – think the right word to describe GAMCA practices is “ABNORMAL” and “ABERRANT”. Ngunit sa kabila ng mga panawagan na dapat ma-amend man lang ang isa or dalawa sa naturang guidelines or totally abolished the so called “medical referral decking system” – magpahanggang ngayon po, ito ay hindi matitinag sa kadahilanang karapatan daw ng mga GCC host countries na masunod ang kanilang polisiya sa usaping ito.
Bong
sir,
im dennis paras,working in middle east est.for contracting.a francise of al tazaj restaurant.sa OEC ko po sales executive ang nakalagay dahil un ang inaplayan ko pero pagdating ko d2 sa ksa last july 18 2010,nilagay po kmi sa restaurant.sa pinirmahan namin sa sa pinas na contrata ay iba sa tunay kong trabaho.natiis ko na po eto ang tanong ko lang po ay .makakauwi na ba kmi ng july 2012? sbi ng companya naminmayrona kming 3 months extension.2nd question is pwede b kming mag stop duty after july this year?d b kmi makakasuhan?
pwede ko bang kasuhan ang agency namin sa pinas.(al khaleej intl service inc) pag uwi namin?
Dennis,
Sorry for late reply.
An ibig mo bang sabihin, ang kontrata mo ay sales executive pero ang trabaho mo ay service crew ng Al Tazaj? Kung ito ang ibig mong sabihin, dapat alam po ito ng agency ninyo sa Pinas at sinabihan kayo na service crew ang work ninyo pagdating dito. Kasi related rin naman ito sa sales. It means may pagkukulang ang agency sa usaping ito.
Makakauwi kayo pagkatapos ng inyong kontrata ngunit puwedeng humingi ng extension ang inyong employer ng 90 days kung ito ay kinakailangan, katulad ng hinihintay ang inyong kapalit at other valid reasons after this extension, puwede pa rin silang humingi ng extension pero ito ay kailangan na ng inyong pag-sang ayon, kung ayaw ninyo, wala po silang magagawa.
Kung may sapat kayong rason na may nilabag ang inyong agency, karapatan po ninyo ang mag sumite ng complaint sa NLRC.
Bong
sir where can i find laws regarding domestic helpers benefits if there is one po? or any laws pertaininng to women dh employed sa saudi families,,thank u
Who are covered by the Saudi Labor Law? A: All workers except: (Art. 7, SLL)
1) The employer’s family member, namely, the spouse, the ascendants and descendants who constitute the only workers of the firm.
2) Domestic helpers and the like.
3) Sea workers working on board vessels with a load of less than 500 tons.
4) Workers of agricultural and pastoral firms that employ less than 10 workers, or do not process their own products, or do not operate or repair agricultural machineries on a permanent basis.
5) Non-Saudi workers entering the Kingdom to perform a specific task for a period not exceeding two months.
6) Players and coaches of sport clubs and federations.
Q5 Are family drivers considered as “domestic helpers”?
A: Yes. Drivers hired in the employ of a family or household are considered as domestic or household workers and hence, are not covered by Saudi Labor
Law. This holds true in the case of other workers falling under the category of household workers, such as gardeners and cook in the employ of a family.
FAQs on SAUDI LABOR LAW
(By: Atty. Cesar L. Chavez, Jr. – Welfare Officer,
Philippine Embassy POLO-OWWA)
hi sir bong, can i have your e-mail address? i am an employee of gma 7 and i have some questions po sana re: ofws in ksa. thanks!
I sent you an email message Shao yesterday and today, check your spam folder. Regards.