Ang buhay OFW nga naman......

Mahirap ang buhay ng isang OFW na mahiwalay sa pamilya sa mahabang panahon para mabigyan ng kunting kaginhawaan ang naiwang pamilya sa Pinas. Sa hirap ba naman ng buhay ngayon kailangan mo pang makipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa para matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng pamilya. Madaling sabihin pero ang proseso at pag aayos ng mga papeles ay matagal. Pag minalas pa ay maloloko ka pa ng agency na pinag aplayan mo. Madami sa atin ang magsasangla ng lupa o bahay o di kaya mangungutang sa kamaganak  para sa placement fee.

Pero hindi ibig sabihin na nasa ibang bansa ka na ay puro pasarap na lang ang buhay. May mga kasong mababa ang sahod o iba ang trabaho sa pinirmahang kontrata sa Pinas. Nandyan din ang problema sa accomodation, problema sa mabangis na amo, OTy (thank you na OT) at mahabang oras ng trabaho na walang restday. Hindi maiiwasan ang mga kasong rape, nabuntis at pambubogbog at kung ano ano pa.

Dito sa Dubai, dahil sa nangyaring recession, may mga kababayan tayong delay ang sahod, baon sa utang sa credit card at personal loan at minsan pa ay nakakulong dahil sa talbog na tseke. Marami ang tinamaan ng crisis at napauwi na galing sa mga construction at engineering na mga kompanya.

Isa sa matinding kalaban ng isang OFW ay ang pangungulila sa asawa at pamilya. Dahil sa mahal ang overseas call, sulat at voice tape ang pinagpipiyestahan ng mga naiwang pamilya sa Pinas noon. Mabuti na nga ngayon at may YM web chat, skype, friendster, facebook at kung ano anong pang mga paraan na madaling makausap ang pamilya.

Last week naimbitahan ko si Fr. Serge (unang paring pinoy sa St. Michael Church) para mag bless sa bagong apartment na nilipatan namin sa Sharjah. Nabanggit nya sa akin na ang pangunahing problema daw ng mga Pinoy ngayon ay live-in. Kahit may asawa sa Pinas. Mapa babae man o lalake. Kahit binata o dalaga. Oo. Bawal na bawal yan dito sa UAE. Latigo, kulong, deportation at benteng sidekick ng camel ang parusa. (of course joke lang ito!) Yan ay kung mahuli o ma report sa Pulis. Pag hindi tuloy ang ligaya.

Naranasan mo rin bang madaling araw ay nakita mong may miscol ka galing sa Pinas? Syempre kakabahan ka dahil baka may namatay o naaksidente sa pamilya. Yon pala naman ay pinafollow up lang ang buwanan mong sustento dahil katapusan na at tambak na ang mga bayarin. Hindi mo rin naman masabi na minsan delay ang sahod mo. Kaya mapipilitan kang mag cash advance sa credit card.

Sa pagsapit ng mga mahahalang okasyon tulad ng pasko, binyagan, kasalan, piyesta, family reunion, wedding anniversary, fathers day, mothers day, valentines day wala ka. Hindi mo matitikman ang masasarap na pagkain tulad ng crispy balat ng lechon. Tapos magpapadala ng group picture. Lahat sila nakangiti. Ang saya saya nila. Parang hindi ka nila namimiss. At napansin mo ikaw lang ang kulang. Gustuhin mo mang umuwi kahit saglit hindi pwede dahil hindi pa tapos ang kontrata mo.

Hay! Buhay OFW nga naman. Feeling ko minsan hindi ako umaasenso dahil tamang tama lang ang sahod ko sa panggastos sa pamilya. Para ring hindi  nag abroad.

Sa ngayon kasama ko ang asawa ko at dalawa kong anak sa UAE. Aaminin ko minsan kinakabahan din ako dahil mahina ang pasok ng business sa kompanya namin. Baka dumating ang araw na pauwiin ko rin sila. Pero habang nandito pa sila at kasama ko mageenjoy muna kaming mag bonding buong pamilya. 

World Records in UAE

Dubai is not only known as the location of Burj Khalifa, the highest skycraper at 828 meters but is also known for setting fascinating world records especially during Dubai Shopping Festival. I have compiled records from 1996. Some records may been surpassed already as of this writing, but it only shows Dubai penchant for the best, the longest, the biggest, the highest, the largest to promote tourism in the region. Other world records are not notable but still a world record nevertheless.

The world's longest cake: The massive cake, stretching 2.53kms weighed 74,000kgs, was baked as a tribute to the UAE President H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The cake cost $82,000.

The longest and heaviest gold chain: Measuring 4,382 metres, weighing 238kg. Sponsored by AngloGold, coordinated by World Gold Council and made by Siroya Jewellers.

The world's largest mattress: Measuring 10 metres long and eight metres wide with a thickness of 60 cms and weighing 2.5 tonnes. About 45 people made this over a 10 days period. It took over 700 man hours to make and four hours to move the crane.

The world's longest sofa: The 100-feet-long sofa beat the previous world record of a 24-feet sofa, made in England.

The world's largest stationery bicycle: The bicycle was 7.5 metres high with a six-metre diameter front wheel and 1.7 metre diametre back wheel. Six persons took six months to complete the bicycle.

The world's largest chair: The wrought-iron chair was 7.56 metres high and 3.2 metres wide.

The world's largest shawarma: Consisted of 1,850kg of boneless chicken; cooked in a specially fabricated grill of six metres on March 24, 2000.

The world's biggest raffle of Rolls Royce cars: During DSF 2000, Dubai raffled off 31 Rolls Royce silver seraph cars, in addition to 31 Nissan Patrol 4-wheel-drive vehicles and 57 kilos of gold. This was the biggest single order the UK-headquartered company has received in its 98-year-history.


The world's largest greeting card/message board: Measuring 157.5 metres in length and 2.5 metres in width, it was spread out in an area of 393 square metres.

The world's longest taxi parade: Dubai Transport Corp. rallied 1,100 taxis from its fleet to create the new world record, on March 24, 2000. The taxis drove through Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Seef Street.

The world's biggest craddle: Measuring 24 ft in length, 18 ft in height and 12 ft in width, enough to accommodate upto 50 babies.

The world's biggest spaghetti bowl: The 703 kgs of spaghetti was cooked in 500kg of sauce and was consumed in an hour's time by 5,000 people at Al Shindagha.

The world's largest Madkhan (incense burner): Weighing about 1,000kgs and created by Ajmal Perfumes.

The highest number of candles lit on a cake: A total of 2100 candles, each measuring 18 cm in height, were lit. The 2,100 number represented the number of rooms then available with the Rotana group of hotels in the UAE.

The world's biggest bowl of biryani: Breaking the previous world record of 1,500 kg, the world's biggest bowl of biryani weighed 1,885.4kg. More than 8,000 bowls of biryani were distributed at the Shindagha heritage site.

The world's tallest Croquembouche ( French Cake): It took 2,600 hours of labour and was made from 140,000 choux buns, 10,800 eggs, 360kg of flour and 240kg of butter.


The world's largest shopping bag: Measuring 71 inches in height, 47 inches in width and 9 inches in circumference, it was made by Paris Gallery.


The world's largest collection of photographs on a single theme: A record 10,610 photographs were gathered, under the Kodak DSF Wall of Fame, on a single theme ­ One World, One Family, One Festival.

The world's largest chocolate bar: Weighing 370 kgs and measuring a mammoth 2.25 metres in circumference and 82 cms in height was made in July 2001.

The world's biggest babaganoush dish ( Arab eggplant dish): Weighing 700 kgs, enough for 7,000 servings, Dubai created a new world record for the Lebanese dish.

The largest awareness ribbon made of flowers was 28.71 m (94 ft 2 in) long and was made of 105,000 pink carnations. Unveiled on 16 November 2007, in Dubai, UAE, it was created on behalf of the Dubai Healthcare City to raise awareness for breast cancer research.

The largest parade of Mercedes Benz consisted of 153 vehicles and was organised by Gargash Enterprises with the support of their customers. The convoy started in Dubai and ended at Endurance City, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, UAE, on 21 April 2007.

The most clothes pegs clipped on one hand in a minute is 48 and was achieved by Mohammed Ahmed Elkhouly (UAE) at Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai, UAE, on 21 April 2007.

Largest Human Mattress Dominoes



World’s largest Yolah dance

The world's largest Kandoora – a traditional tunic-style garment – was unveiled at Dubai’s Winter Shopping Festival. A local garment maker and his fabric cutter collaborated to produce the giant piece of clothing, which measured a massive 82 feet 1 inch in length, in just 12 days. When you consider that many of the Yolah performers’ Kandooras are typically less than 2 metres long, the skill necessary to create the scaled-up version is obvious.

Marco Polo Hotels of Dubai unveiled a 22 foot pair of world-class, record-breaking chopsticks.

The Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi has an 18-degree slope, prompting the Guinness World Records to name it the "furthest leaning man-made tower." The leaning tower of Pisa, by comparison, tilts just 4 degrees. The 35-story structure, designed by the British architecture firm Robert Matthew Johnson Marshall, will hold office space and a 5-star Hyatt hotel.

World’s richest horse race (the Dubai World Cup). Held at Meydanracecourse with a purse of 10 Million USD. 


The World's tallest Hotel (previously held by Burj Al Arab also in Dubai)  The Rose Rayhaan by Rotana (also known as Rose Tower) is a 72-story hotel located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest building used exclusively as a hotel.

Worlds Largest Airport. Al Maktoum International Airport, under construction in Jebel Ali when become operational will include 6 4.5 kilometer-runways, 3 passenger terminals and 16 cargo terminals.

Most Expensive Vehicle Plate.  Abu Dhabi plate "1" -  Sterling 9.6 Million  (14.2 Million USD)

Largest Seashell Mosaic. In the form of Dubai Police logo

World's Largets Digital Photograph.

World's Largest Backpack.


Largest Display of hanging Basket.


Largest House key.


Most can crushed by a vehicle in 3 minutes. A total of 61, 106 Burn Energy drink can crushed.

Worlds's Tallest Fountain.

The largest basket is round in shape and has a handle. Made of palm leaves, it measures 20 x 20 x 8 metres. It is completely hand-made and will surely be an interesting world record.

The largest newspaper ball will feature a copy of every newspaper issued every day of last year. All the pages will be used.

The world's largest shopping trolley, 639 centimetres in length, 250 centimetres in breadth and 900 centimetres in height has been constructed by Century Mall and is parked in front of the mall, as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).

World Largest Shopping Mall. The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall based on total area and sixth largest by gross leasable area. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of the Burj Khalifa complex, the 20-billion-dollar project has 1,200 shops.Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on November 4, 2008, with about 600 retailers, marking the world's largest-ever mall opening in retail history. However it is not the largest in gross leasable space, and is surpassed in that category by several malls including the South China Mall, which is the world's largest, Golden Resources Mall, SM City North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia.


Largest Acrylic Panel. Measuring 32.88 metres wide x 8.3 metres high x 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg, the viewing panel at Dubai Aquarium surpasses the current Guinness World Record holder, Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, at 22.5 metres wide x 8.2 metres high and 600 mm thick.

Ali Baba

"Nine-year-old burglar arrested in Ajman"

Nagulat ako sa isang balita sa Gulfnews. Hindi ko akalain na sa murang edad na batang ito ay kung ano anong kalukuhan na ang pumasok sa kokoti nya. Biruin mo ang style nitong batang taga-afghanistan ay mag-mamanman kung anong flat ang may bukas na bintana sa kusina o banyo saka aakyat galing sa airvent o fire exit. Dahil nga sa magaan at maliit ang katawan nya, kayang nyang pumasok sa mallit na lagusan at saka nakawan ang napagtripang flat. Laptop, camera, cellphone, relo o pera. Pawang maliliit lang na mga gamit na kayang bitbitin ang kanyang mga ninanakaw. Mayron na ring syang suking Pakistano na bumibili  sa murang halaga. Naimagine ko na para syang little brother ni Spiderman, kasi kahit sa 15th floor ng building ay walang takot na maglambitin sa mga tubo habang pilit na pumasok sa pagnanakawang flat. 

Buti na lang at nahuli sya ng mga pulis-Ajman last week. Pero hindi naman nakulong dahil minor-de-edad. Yon nga lang, ang mga magulang nya magbabayad sa mga naibentang nang gamit.

Ilang reaksyon galing sa mga readers:


"A parent’s responsibility is to teach children good things, bring them closer to religion. Let us remember that our children are our future."

"If the parents of this boy were aware of his thieving, then they should be held accountable. The fact that his mother merely said they will pay the victims back now that he has been caught is unacceptable."

Pero hindi talaga yon ang gusto kong ikwento. Intro ko lang yon.

Sa paraan ng pagnanakaw ay bigla kong naalala ang nangyari sa amin noong February 13, 2010. Friday non. Alas-9 ng gabi.  Galing kami sa pamamasyal sa Dubai. Nakagawian na ni misis pagdating sa bahay na magbukas ng kanyang Vaio laptop para mag check ng Facebook at mag farming sa Farmville. Pero hindi nya makita ang laptop na nakapatong lang study table. Hindi naman ako kinabahan. Hinanap ko naman ang HP laptop ko. Nawawala rin. Saka ko lang na realize na napasok na nga kami ng magnanakaw dahil yong alkansiya na may lamang perang nagpagbentahan namin sa Flea market ay nakapatong sa sofa at wala ng laman. Pati yong digital camera ay nawawala na rin. 

Naglibot ako sa bahay. Napansin ko na binaklas ang mga aparador namin at magulo ang loob. Sa kusina, may footprints galing sa maliit na bintana papunta sa living room. Hindi kasi naka lock ang bintana sa kusina namin dahil doon dumadaan ang cable ng TFC galing sa rooftop. At sino ba naman magaakala na doon dadaan ang magnanakaw eh nasa 6th floor kami nakatira. Kinalma ko na si misis na non ay nagpapanick at paiyak na. Sumugod agad ang mga friends namin ng mabalitaan ang nangyari.

Una kong pinaalam sa nator (watchman) ang nangyari. Tinawag ko na rin sa pulis para maimbistigahan. 

Ganito ang usapan namin:

Ako: hello. good evening sir.

Pulis: Good evening to you.

Ako: I would like to report a burglarly in my flat!

Pulis: uhhh what burglarly?! 

Ako: someone open my flat. laptop is missing, camera and money...

Pulis: ..one minute.. uhh.. Ali Baba?? Pilipini?

Ako: (isip ako kung sino nga ba si Ali Baba..) yes.. yes. Ali Baba!

Pulis: okey.okey give me your location...

Maya maya may dumating na dalawang pulis at nag imbestiga. (in fariness, mabilis ang response time ng pulis dito) Sumunod na ring dumating ang dalawa pang CID. Matapos ang imbestigasyon, binigyan ako ng insruction na may darating na forensic para kumuha ng fingerprints. Sumunod na rin ako sa Ajman Police Station para mag file ng case.

Fast forward: 

Hindi na ako nag aksaya ng panahon at sumugod na ako sa Ajman police station para ifollow up ang case ko. Malakas ang kutob ko na itong batang rin ang nanloob sa flat namin. Wala naman akong balak na pahabain pa ang kaso. Nagbakasakali lang ako na marecover ko pa ang mga gamit ko kahit apat na buwan na ang nakaraan. Pagdating sa police station tinuro ako na pumunta sa CID office dahil wala pa daw update ang kaso ko. Sa CID office nakausap ko ang isang police na hirap mag ingles na sa korte daw dapat ako magpunta.

Pagdating sa korte wala naman daw silang makita sa computer. Pinabalik ako pulis at saka daw ako bumalik sa korte. Wala namang sinabi kung ano ang gagawin ko sa pulis. Umusok ang tenga at ilong ko. Mukha ba akong ping pong ball? Nainis ako dahil mukhang malabo ata na marecover ko pa ang mga nanakaw ko na mga gamit.

Nawalan na ako ng gana pang ifollow up ulit ang kaso ko. Inisip ko na lang na sana kung naibenta ang mga gamit ko ay nakatulong ako kung anong mayrong pangangailangan ang pamilya nya. Sa isang siyam na taong gulang na bata na magnakaw at umakyat sa napakataas na building, sa tingin ko ay may malaking pagkukulang ang mga magulang. Hindi naman siguro dahil dala ng kahirapan sa buhay kundi kulang sa gabay at tamang pag aaruga sa mga bata.

Kaya ako kahit sa murang edad pa lang sinisimulan ko nang turuan ng magandang asal ang mga anak ko. Lalo na yong bunso kong lalake. Ayaw ko kasi syang lumaking "mandurukot".

makati ba talaga anak?

How to reduce jail term in Dubai?

Lets say you were sentenced by Dubai court for 20 years imprisonment. I am not expert in law but I think, one thing that comes first in your mind is to ask for clemency or pardon from court (which might mean admission of guilt). But that would not very easy. Here's one way out of the hole:

"In an unprecedented humanitarian gesture, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a decree stating that sentences of prisoners in Dubai jails be reduced for anyone who memorises the Quran or parts of it regardless of the severity or motive of the crime.

The decree listed the norms for reducing sentences. Inmates who memorise the entire Quran (30 parts) could get a reduction of 20 years.

— memorising 20 parts will help reduce 15 years.
— memorising 15 parts will help reduce 10 years.
— memorising 10 parts will help reduce five years of the term.
— memorising five parts will help reduce one year.
— memorising three parts will help reduce six months of the term.

Inmates on death row, or those who killed intentionally and those whose terms are less than six months cannot participate in this programme."


I assume one will have to memorize Quran in Arabic and that will be very difficult especially to those people who are don't speak Arabic at all.