The Philippine Business Council in Dubai afforded members privileges that we appreciated and enjoyed: for example, invitations to a private luncheon in January 2008 for then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In the evening, GMA, as Filipinos affectionately nicknamed her as, spoke to the broader community.
Then-President George Bush also made a trip to the UAE earlier that month, but there was no way any of us regular citizens could've reached close to him. He was not at all a popular leader, so not many wanted to get close to him.
GMA had not only endeared herself better to her country people, but she also spent time among all of us. So I managed to shake her hand, for example, and on another trip altogether, she patiently let us and several others Filipino organizations take group photos with her.
In her speech to the community, she said that UAE officials often gave her the same feedback: Filipinos were mabait (nice and friendly), masipag (hard-working and reliable), and malines (clean).
No comments:
Post a Comment