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Members of the Filipino community in Bahrain are working hard to realise a long-cherished dream of building their own clubhouse in their adopted home, writes ANASUYA KESAVAN.
Members of the 40,000-strong community are gearing up to take part in a variety of fun-filled fund-raising events over the coming weeks that will contribute to its building project called 'Mabuhay' which means 'long live'.
The Filipino Club will be holding its 30th Pearl Anniversary Celebrations on Friday at the Andalus Garden in Gudaibiya. There are also various events lined up which will culminate with a grand coronation night of 'Miss Philippines' on December 18 at the Ramada Palace Hotel.
Club president Willy D Caprio said that the Mabuhay fundraising initiative will be spread over six years by which time the community hopes to have secured land and raised enough money to cover construction and development costs.
During her second visit to the kingdom early last year, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had initially requested Bahrain's Royal Family for a piece of land for the club premises. The request was recently reiterated by Ambassador Maria Corazon Yap-Bahjin to HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Mr Caprio said: 'We are preparing for the day when Bahrain's government will give us some land. Out target is to raise half a million dinars. Half of this will come from sponsors and partners and the rest will be raised through projects and membership. 'Walk for a cause' was the first project we organised that was attended by 1,000 supporters.
'The main purpose is to have our own clubhouse to host our cultural events and sports activities, hold our professional development classes and meet together as one community. Presently, we operate through a rented office in Ras Ruman that is good for trainings and meetings but all our big events take place in hired venues.
'We have 21 core groups such as hairdressers, fashion designers, dancers, architects and engineers and photographers, who operate separately in different spaces. We want to assimilate under one umbrella and give them one space to work within.'
The Filipino Club has played a significant role in the community over the past several years. Before the Philippines Embassy was established, it helped with arranging the renewal of passports and taking care of runaway maids.
Romero Paulo, fashion visual merchandiser at H&M and organiser of the Miss Philippines contest, said: 'A permanent home can make all the difference and create the foundation for the Filipinos on the island.
'It will be a unifying factor and give us a better identity. It will help us do things that we always wanted to do together.'
MISS PHILIPPINES SCHEDULE
December 10, 8pm
Swimsuit Competition
Poolside, Al Safir Residence, Juffair.
December 11, 8.30pm
Talent's Night
Empire Suite, Ramada Palace Hotel, Gudaibiya.
December 18, 8.30pm
Grand Coronation Night
Ramada Palace Hotel Auditorium, Gudaibiya.
