The Philippine vice president Jejomar Binay promises to help women in a Dubai women’s shelter yesterday.
The Philippine vice president Jejomar Binay promises to help women in a Dubai women’s shelter yesterday.

Women in shelter to be flown home



DUBAI //Jejomar Binay, vice president of the Philippines, told 69 women in a Dubai women's shelter yesterday that he would ask the government to buy plane tickets so they can go home.

The women are fed and counselled in the shelter, managed by Filipino labour and welfare officials.

The majority of their complaints concerned unpaid salaries, long working hours, inadequate food and sleep, and being subjected to abuse.

Mr Binay, who is also the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers' concerns, said those who are members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) and who have an "outpass", or a travel document, should not have to wait for recruitment agencies to buy their tickets.

He made the comments after arriving in Dubai from Saudi Arabia yesterday.

"You should not wait for Owwa to contact the agency to provide the tickets," he said at the Philippine consulate in Al Ghusais. "You should be given tickets at the soonest possible time."

He said he expected Owwa to pay then seek the money back from the recruitment agencies.

Allan Ignacio, welfare officer at the Philippine overseas labour office in Dubai, welcomed the comments.

"It's good because we'll have a faster turnover [at our shelter]," he said. "Sometimes, there are some who are fined for overstaying and it's an additional cost to our government."

The government, he said, needs to pay an immigration fine of Dh100 for the first day and Dh25 for the second and subsequent days workers remain in the country after their visas are cancelled.

At least two housemaids who arrived in the UAE through illegal channels asked the vice president to help them return home. Mr Binay said he would "work on it".

He also asked for understanding on the issue of Filipinos being barred by immigration officials at Manila's airport from leaving the country on tourist visas.

Mr Binay said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, of which he is honorary chairman, had refined the system of "offloading", or preventing victims of trafficking from leaving the country. Victims are often provided with tourist visas by illegal recruiters.

"We've got a new system at the airport which allows passengers to appeal," he said. "I know they need to spend more money to have their ticket rebooked."

Mr Binay told the 12-member governing council of the Filipino Community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates that his government was determined to enforce a ban on workers going to Syria. Aside from Syria, the government has deployment bans on Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.

In total, 1,531 Filipinos from Syria have been sent home by the Philippine government since December, according to Manila's labour department. .

Many overseas Filipino workers who returned home from Syria had passed through Dubai or Abu Dhabi en route to Damascus. They had been told that they would work in the UAE, but ended up in Syria.

Mr Binay asked workers not to go to Syria to look for work, or to accept any job offers in Syria. Instead, they should go through the legal recruitment channels to avoid becoming victims of trafficking and illegal recruitment syndicates.

So far, the government has filed 29 illegal recruitment cases against agencies and people who recruited Filipinos to work in Syria.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Results

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m

Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.

6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.

6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m

Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m

Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m

Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5