PH Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Red Crescent Undertake COVID-19 Bayanihan

The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi supports Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) in reaching out to Filipinos in need of aid amid the COVID-19  pandemic. Left photo: Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, together with ERC personnel headed by ERC Deputy Secretary General Rashid Al Mansoori, distributes boxes containing food items to Filipinos in Abu Dhabi who are affected by COVID-19. Right photo: Filipino recipients of the ERC assistance help bring up the boxes and food packs to their shared accommodations where some Filipinos are on strict quarantine. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)

ABU DHABI 29 April 2020 – The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) jointly undertook a “bayanihan” outreach activity to give aid to vulnerable Filipinos who found themselves struggling amid this period of pandemic.

Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Hjayceelyn M. Quintana and Embassy frontliners joined an ERC team on 23 April 2020 in giving food boxes to 22 Filipinos who called for urgent assistance. They are on strict quarantine due to COVID-19 and cannot go out to get food.

Ambassador Quintana said that the ERC has always been a reliable partner in times of calamities, not only in the Philippines but also in the UAE, in support of the Filipino community.  “We thank the UAE, its leaders and people, for this generous assistance from ERC. It shows how the Emirates community cares for Filipinos in the UAE as truly their own brothers and sisters, made even more significant as the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan begins.”

One of the recipients said, “Our great gratitude to the Philippine Embassy for reaching out with food assistance to us OFWs affected by COVID-19. We pray that with this assistance, our next COVID-19 test results will be negative, and that we will be on the road to recovery. We wish the Embassy staff good health so you can perform your best in serving the Filipinos in UAE.”

The ERC-Embassy partnership also saw the delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Filipino groups in Ras al Khaimah, Fujairah, as well as Dubai with logistical assistance provided by the Filipino Social Club (FilSoc)—a duly-licensed community organization—through their “FilSoc Cares” project. END

For more information, visit https://www.abudhabipe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinUAE/.