Computer and Desk Stretches

 

Sa mga kababayan nating madaals mag-computer......sana gawin nating  i-practice ang "stretchings" na ito.

Mag-break every 15 minutes of computer use Ok?

EMBASSY ON WHEELS (EOW) in Jubail and Al Khobar

OFWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  will be visited by the EMBASSY ON WHEELS for travel documents, and Passport processing on the following dates and venues:

1. JUBAIL, December 9-10, 2010

   Venue to be announced

2. AL KHOBAR, December 16-17, 2010
    International Phlippine School

The new passport willl cost SR240. The applicant has nothing to bring. Photos will be done on the venue. When claiming, bring the applicant's old passport and receipt. If a representative will claim the passport, please provide an authorization letter signed by the applicant.

For further details, read this.

Here is the latest Press Release about EOW activities in the past.
 

Saudi Arabian equivalence of some Philippine places

Miss ko Pilipinas. Kahit ano, kahit sino na makakapagpaalala sa akin ng "touch of home"....salamat.

Sa paglabas ko,

may National Bookstore rin sila = JARIR bookstore 

may Shangrila Mall for its "sosyal" atmosphere or perhaps Mall of Asia in  size = Hayat Mall

may SM Hypermarket din sila = Panda Supermarkets

may Quiapo rin sila = Batha ...no need to have a link....when you have gone to our Quiapo, you have seen Batha...so much like it talaga...with the addition of other South Asians like Sri lankans, Indians, Celonians, Indonesians, etc. The place where we all go for Pinoy foodies :-)

More equivalence coming........ 

Sending Money from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines

Bank to Bank transactions work best for me.

I bring my "Riyals" to a bank that has a remittance center (example: Al Rahji Bank Tawheel) together with my IQAMA card and apply for a Remittance (Tawheel) account. Fill up the form making sure that remitter and beneficiary details are correct, with the correct beneficiary bank and its branch address. Oh, and don't forget to indicate if your beneficiary account is a Peso or a Dollar account.

By the way, this is on a presumption that before you left the Philippines, you opened a savings account and that bank is recognized by this Saudi bank you have gone to. 

The money arrives in the Philippines in 15 minutes. But there are many factors that may delay the arrival in your account in the Philippines. Consider the time and day you sent the money. safe to say that it will be in your beneficiary's bank account in 2 days, 3 days if over the weekend or holiday either in KSA or the Philippines.

Important to understand the following. However much RIYALS you send, there is a standard service bank fee of  SR16-18 (P184 - 207 if sr1=P11.50).

example:

1. Sending SR 1,000.

2. 1000 - 18 (service fee can be deducted or you can give it separately so your beneficiary receives full SR1000 value) = SR982 = P11,293 (SR1=P11.50)  this is the amount that will leave KSA

3. P11,293 - P200 (This is the beneficiary Bank's service fee, actually ranging from P200-250) = P11,093 this is the amount which your beneficiary will FINALLY RECEIVE.

Important for us to note that whatever amount we send there is actually about P400 - 450 service fee we pay however much we send.

What? That's not clear?

I mean, if you send SR1,000 or SR10,000.....bank service fees remain P400-450.

So what?

Better for us to send a bigger amount, like allowance for the next 2 months to save on bank fees.

Ano na ba ang nabibili ng P400-450...aba 3 kilos na rin yan na manok di ba (at P150/kilo)? hehehe  

Happy sending :-)

Hold-Up Modus Operandi in Saudi Arabia

BABALA SA ATING MGA KABABAYAN!!!
(Pauna na lang po....Ugaliing ihiwalay ang credit card at mahahalagang card tulad ng IQAMA, company ID sa wallet. Ilagay ito sa ibang lalagyan tulad ng card case. Pera lamang ang ulagay sa wallet.
Pangalawa, wag lalabas ng mag-isa.
Pangatlo, wag titigil at makiusap sa di kilala. )  

Isa po sa aming kasamahan ay na hold‐up kahapon , Friday, Aug. 6, 2010 mga bandang 6:00pm, sa Al‐Khobar area (near fish market)

Ito po ang kanyang salaysay:

Naglalakad po sya along 6th St. galing sa fish market pa‐uwi sa kanilang bahay na nasa Prince Bader St. between 6th & 7th St. ng lapitan sya ng isang maitim at malaking arabo (bado) at pagbintangan ang aming kasamahan na sya daw ang nakapulot nung nalaglag na pera ng arabo (bado). Sa kanilang pag‐uusap, pinagbintangan po ng arabo (bado) ang aming    kasa mahan na sya ang nakapulot ng nalaglag na pera at inilagay pa daw ng aming kasamahan sa kanyang bulsa. Hanggang sa na‐uwi na po sa pagtatalo ang usapan.

Kasunod po noon ay may isang sasakyan na humarang at huminto sa kanilang harapan at nagpakilalang pulis, agad na bumaba nagpakilalang pulis at nagpatunay sa arabo (bado) na ang aming kasamahan nga ang naka pulot ng pera at inilagay sa kanyang wallet (ito po siguro ang paraan ng mga arabo upang sya ay takutin at upang maipakita nya ang laman ng kanyang wallet).

Sa puntong ito ang kinabahan na ang aming kasamahan at wala na syang magawa kundi ipakita na ang kanyang wallet upang patunayan na wala ang perang hinahanap ng mga arabo (ang hinahanap pong pera ng mga arabo ay nagkakahalaga ng SR10,000.00, ngunit ang laman po ng kanyang wallet ay SR700.00 lang). Nang ipinakita po ng aming kasamahan ang kanyang wallet upang patunayan na wala sa kanya ang hinahanap na pera ay agad itong inagaw sa kanya ng arabo (bado), kasabay noon ay sapilitang ipinalabas ng nagpakilalang pulis ang kanyang cellfone at idinahilan ng pulis na tatawagan nya ang aming kumpanya upang ipaalam na hindi sya makakapasok kinabukasan (Saturday) dahil isasaama nila sa Police Station upang ikulong. At dala na po siguro ng takot, napilitan na din po ang aming kasamahan na ibigay ang kanyang cellfone, sa puntong ito po ay sabay ng pumasok ang mga aarabo sa kanilang sasakyan dala ang kanyang wallet at cellfone, wala na pong nagawa ang aming kasamahan hanggang sa umalis na ang mga arabo. Makalipas ang ilang segundo at mga ilang metro pa lang ang natatakbo ng naturang sasakyan; napansin po ng aming kasamahan na ibinato po sa labas ng bintana and kanyang wallet, at ng ito po ay kanyang suriin, napagalaman

nya na nakuha na ng mga arabo ang kanyang pera (SR700), blackberry na cellfone at ang kanyang SHB Credit Card nya. Sa kabutihang palad po ay nakuha pa nya ang kanyang Iqama, Saudi Aramco ID at ibang mahahalagang laman ng kanyang wallet.

Sa madaling salita po, isang modus din ng mga arabo yan s al khobar area sa mga panahong ito.

 

PALALA PONG MULI; MAGING MAINGAT PO SANA TAYO SA PAGLALAKAD SA AL KHOBAR AREA, MARAMI NA PONG MASASAMANG ELEMENTO ANG NAGLIPANA SA MGA PANAHONG ITO. IPAKALAT PO NATIN ITO SA LAHAT NG MGA KABABAYANG PILIPINO DITO SA AL‐KHOBAR AT SA IBANG LUGAR NG SAUDI ARABIA .

 

MARAMING SALAMAT PO

---

Eric R Imperial

Planner Engineer, Maintenance Support

Eastern Petrochemical Company

A SABIC Affiliate

P.O. Box 10035

Jubail 31961

SAUDI ARABIA

T +966 (3) 357-5000 x 5599

F +966 (3) 357 5064

E Imperialer@sharq. sabic.com
  

Saudi Cleric Calls for Muslim Maids ONLY

Saudi cleric calls for Muslim maids only

Agence France-Presse First Posted 08:35:00 07/27/2010


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—A Saudi cleric said only Muslim housemaids should be allowed in the oil-rich country and they should be kept segregated from men in the home, an online news site reported on Tuesday.

"If there is a need to import workers as female domestics, they should be Muslims," Sheikh Yusef al-Ahmad, a strong opponent of men and women mixing in the ultra-conservative kingdom, told the sabq.org website.

He also said female domestics should cover themselves in the home, and that, following Islamic requirements for Saudi women, they should also be required to have a male relative guardian, or mahram, with them in Saudi Arabia.

"They should be required to work in the home covered with the hijab (veil), and not mix with men in the home, not enter their rooms or the hall or serve them," he said.

Sheikh Ahmad is a lecturer at Riyadh's Imam Mohammed bin Saudi University, the country's leading Islamic education institution.

He gained notoriety earlier this year when he called for the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Islam's holiest site, to be torn down and rebuilt with separate entrances and areas for men and women.

His latest comments are directed at the huge foreign labor pool in the country, accounting for an estimated eight to 10 million of a population of about 25 million people. An estimated 1.5 million Filipinos are among the foreign workers.

Saudi families employ millions of foreign cooks, maids and drivers, many of whom already come from large Muslim states like Indonesia and countries in Africa.

Most of the more than one million Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia are female household workers. But they are not required to be in the country with male guardians.

Under Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic rules, unrelated men and women are not supposed to mix.

However, the rule is never enforced on families with foreign maids and drivers, or on the many foreign men who work as waiters in the family sections of restaurants

List of Authorized Employment Agencies in the Philippines accredited by the Saudi Embassy

Authorized Employment Agencies in the Philippines Accredited to the Embassy

قائمه باسماء المكاتب المعتمدة

الحصول على قائمة اسماء وعناوين مكاتب الاستقدام العاملة في الفلبين والمعتمدة لدى السفارة Updated every end of the month Subject for any agency to be un accredited for consulate process with no further notice يتم تحديث القائمة كل نهاية الشهر في خلال السنة ، كما يمكن ان يتم الغاء اعتماد المكتب لدى التنفيذ من قبل القنصلية بدون سابق اشعار Click on the link for the list of agencies قائمة اسماء المكاتب اضغط على الرابط التالي Saudi Embassy Accredited Agency Refer to the POEA site for more details on agency information by typing the first name and search the status and contact matters كما يمكنك ان تبحث عن تفاصيل المكتب عن طريق موقع مكتب العمل والعمال الفلبيني من عناوين وارقام الاتصال بهم من خلال الرابط التالي : كتابة الاسم الاول ثم بحث تظهر لك المعلومات http://www.poea.gov.ph/cgi-bin/agSearch.asp

VISA Requirements for Saudi Arabia

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia - Manila website

WORKING VISA

     Visa application form

     Valid passport at least two years.

     Two pictures (4x6 cm. with white background)

     A certified & notarized copy of the university degree/diploma & transcript of record certified by the CHED, (Commission on Higher Education), DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and Consulate of Saudi Embassy or PRC License for all professional work.

     NBI Clearance

     Medical Certificate sealed by a hospital accredited by Saudi Embassy.

     Training Certificate for the skilled workers

     OMA Certificate for all Muslim workers

     Valid Driving License for all Drivers

     Original Copy of visa authority & a copy visa

     If the applicant has previously worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a release letter.

     Payments are made to be cash through Equitable PCI Bank in Paseo de Roxas Branch, which cost P850.00 for every working visa stamped.

 BUSINESS VISA

        Visa application form

     Valid passport at least 6 months.

     Two pictures (4x6 cm. with white background)

     An original covering letter from a registered company indicating the name of Saudi Arabian company, the nature of applicants visit & length of stay . The letter must bear the company’s stamp or seal.

     An application from the sponsor in the Kingdom on the applicant’s behalf to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or an Original invitation from the company in Saudi Arabia. This letter must be signed & sealed by the company & stamped by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce.

     Payments are made to be cash through Equitable PCI Bank in Paseo de Roxas Branch, which cost of P3, 500.00 for every Business visit visa stamped.

 TRANSIT VISA

       A visa application form and valid passport

     Two pictures (4x6 cm. with white background)

     A confirmed ticket reserved in and out of Saudi Arabia for at most 48 hours.

     A valid visa for the next destination.

     Transit visa gratis.

 UMRAH VISA

     Submit an Umrah visa application form accompanied by a recent standard colored passport size photograph.

     Passport must be valid for a minimum period of six months.

     Medical Certificate. Children age three months to twelve years old, parents should consult their primary care doctors.

     A round trip ticket to and from Saudi Arabia with confirmed reservation must also accompany the application.

     A married couple applying for Umrah visas but who have different last names or whose children bear last name from that of their father, should attach copies of their marriage certificate and copy of their children’s birth certificate.

     Umrah visas are granted gratis.

     For those recently embraced Islam and have not previously performed Umrah or Hajj, a Certificate of Conversion to Islam is required.

 HAJJ VISA

      Passport   Passport or legal travel documents valid for at least 6 months and acceptable both for entry to Saudi Arabia and entry to nest destination. Passport of legal travel documents must have minimum of two blank pages.

     Photos  Two recent passport photographs with white background.

     Visa application form for Hajj visas signed & stamped by the travel agency. Original or legible photocopies of the visa application forms are acceptable.

     Airline ticket  Each applicant must be in possession of a non-refundable roundtrip ticket with confirmed reservations.

     Medical Certificate  Children from the age of 3 months to 2 years and above must take a dose of the A/C vaccine.

     Mahram all ladies are required to travel for Hajj with a Mahram. Proof of Mahram must be submitted.  Ladies over the age of 45 can travel without Mahram with an organized group.  She must, however, submit no objection letter from her husband, son or brother, authorizing her travel for Hajj with the named group.  Such letter should be notarized with the notary public.  The Mahram should write his complete information on the application of wife and children, or any other relative whom he is traveling with.  Marriage and birth certificates issued outside of the Philippines should be translated and notarized from a certified translations office.  Male under the legal age will not be granted a Hajj visa if not accompanied by their family.

     Hajj visa is granted gratis.

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila - location map and contact details

Para sa ating mga kababayan na may kamag anak sa Saudi Arabia. Mainam na malaman.

 

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

Manila - Philippines

Chancery	128 H.V. Dela Costa St . Corner Sanchez St. Salcedo Village, Makati City, Philippines
Tel.	+63 (2) 856 4444
Fax	+63 (2) 856 5366
Working Hours	Monday to Friday 0900 to 1600 H
E-Mail WebSite	phemb@mofa.gov.sa www.saudiembassy.com.ph

Guidebok for Expatriates Recruited for Work In Saudi Arabia

This book is provided for by the ROYAL EMBASSY OF SAUDI ARABIA MANILA  in their website, under the link GUIDELINES FOR OFW IN KSA .

It will be helpful for us to share this to our kababayans intending to leave for Saudi Arabia.

Please share it with them by clicking this. A page will cme out asking if you wish the guidebook to be presented in english or in tagalog.

Click on link below

For English

Guidebook for expatriates recruited

for work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Click on link below

For Tagalog

Gabay na Aklat para sa mga (OFW)

Manggagawa sa Kaharian ng Saudi Arabia

On my part, I would gladly share and comment on  items which I deem worthy of a second look or scrutinization. 

Nais ko pong makatulong base sa mga napagdaanan ko sa pagtatrabaho sa Saudi Arabia, kaya't atin pong pagtulungan kung may importante mga puntos ang dapat pang malaman ng ating mga kababayan.

Tinatawagan ko po ang ating mga kabayan na magkwento at makibahagi sa mga usapang ito.

Salamat po.

Airport Restrictions in Saudi Arabia

A fellow kabayan was nice enough to share a memo from their company.

Hope this helps all our kababayans :-)