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Newly elected United Filipino Organizations in Qatar (UFOQ) Chairman Henry Dimaano is keen on pushing for more programmes that would directly benefit and empower Filipino expatriates in Qatar particularly those in dire need.
Engineer Dimaano along with three colleagues from the Coalition Party enjoyed a landslide victory in the UFOQ elections for executive officers for the term 2017-2018, held at the Philippine Embassy recently.
"It was a privilege to be chosen as the standard bearer of the Coalition Party this year as we are all proud of the accomplishments and legacy of the outgoing administration led by Chairman Ressie Fos who are also from our group. I am equally grateful for the trust of the Filipino community in my capacity to lead them for the next one year. We are committed to implementing necessary reforms that would complement the programmes of the embassy for the nationals. We are also keen on continuing with the pioneering initiatives and efforts to spread professionalism within the community, which had a positive impact on our community," Dimaano told Qatar Tribune.
Around 135 community groups were represented in the elections where two parties vied to lead them for the next one year. The voters this year were among the highest in the history of UFOQ.
The elections proper were led by officials of the Embassy including Vice Consul Benjamin Celedio and Cultural Attache John Jiao. The counting of ballots was witnessed by Philippine Ambassador to Qatar HE Alan Timbayan and Consul General Atty. Roussel Reyes.
Dimaano is a senior planning engineer and the founding chairman of HERO Qatar, one of the biggest and most active community groups in the country. He serves as adviser to Bayanihan ng mga Manggawa sa Konstruction sa Qatar (BMKQ) and adviser in the outgoing UFOQ Council (2016-2017) representing the community. He is a member of the Alliance of Filipino Journalists in Qatar Board of Directors and one of the anchors and resource persons in the weekly online programme of the media group.
Besides Dimaano, the roster of newly elected office-bearers of UFOQ include Jafar Abdulhamid from the Filipino Muslim community as Vice Chairman, Mildred Ngoaban from Guardians Legion Qatar as Secretary and Layla Bernal al Lenjawi from the Filipino business sector as Treasurer.
Talking about his plans for UFOQ, Dimaano underscored his intentions of lodging a formal request with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to assign a permanent lawyer and translator to the Embassy and Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO-OWWA). Dimaano said having an in-house lawyer and translator at the said government agencies would greatly enhance efficiency of the institutions in attending to concerns and cases of their nationals. Should this not be realised, he will seek for other ways to offer free consultation service to his compatriots through local lawyers, he said.
"I believe this kind of service is what our kababayans need the most. Small cases will not pile up if only there is someone available to attend to their needs immediately," the UFOQ Chairman-elect added.
Dimaano, who would formally assume his post in UFOQ next month, will also be focusing on further strengthening the relationship of the community with the Embassy. As the umbrella organisation leading a pool of more than 200-strong community groups, Dimaano said there is a need for UFOQ to serve as credible bridge connecting the community and the authorities, while at the same time being an effective arm of the embassy that reaches out to Filipinos and groups across Qatar.
"I have the support of a very competent line-up of executive officers. We are in the process of planning programmes and projects, which we wish to hold during our term. These will be announced once we officially assume office. We are also identifying community leaders to join us in the UFOQ Council. I look forward to the continuous support of Filipinos in Qatar to UFOQ as well as their participation in our upcoming initiatives and activities," said Dimaano.
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17/09/2017
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