“In a relatively short span,” according to Abdulateef Al-Mulhim, “Filipinos have become an important part of the Saudi society.”
In a blog article he wrote for Arab News, Al-Mulhim pointed out how Pinoy workers have truly become viral for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economy. He pointed out that Filipinos started coming to the Kingdom “during the economic boom of the early 1970s.” In just several years, the flexible, hardworking Pinoys have “captured the Saudi labor market with much ease and adapted to the Saudi lifestyle very quickly.” Since then, the Filipinos can now be readily found in almost all sectors without the country.
Al-Mulhim further went on saying:
“Filipinos are hardworking people who have earned respect for their highly professional approach and skills. It is a community known for its unity and for the respect they show toward their host country and its laws and social norms.”
Actually, what prompted this Saudi native to praise Filipinos is a recent experience that he had. Al-Mulhim recalled:
“Just a few days ago, the Filipino community decided to volunteer to clean an area by the seafront in the Eastern Province. The area, known as Al-Murajan Island, is located in Dammam and is a favorite haunt of Saudis and expatriates. It was not the first time that the Filipinos voluntarily did such a noble thing in the Kingdom. The bottom line is that the Filipino community does care about the environment and like to be part of the society and help keep it clean.”
He noted that, of course, it is not uncommon to hear about locals and foreigners do such volunteer work but the Pinoys did the job in such an exceptional way.
“It is true that we have seen many Saudis and volunteers of other nationalities clean places around the Kingdom,” said Al-Mulhim, “but the professionalism of the Filipinos caught everybody’s attention and won the respect of all.”
Al-Mulhim enthusiastically shared:
“I am happy to see that the expatriates do care about the environment and care about their host country. We all need to emulate this example. It is the responsibility of Saudis and non-Saudis to help keep this country clean. Keeping public places clean and tidy is not only healthy, it also helps save a lot of money later on and increase the beauty of our cities and neighborhoods.”
via: arabnews