16 June 2016 – Six (6) new Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) currently undergoing their Basic Apprenticeship Program at the Philippine Embassy in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain visited the Bahrain Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) Shelter in Zallaq, Bahrain in the afternoon of May 23.

As part of the new FSOs Apprenticeship Program on Diplomatic and Consular Practice in the Foreign Service, the Philippine Embassy in Manama made arrangements for the FSOs to meet with Bahrain’s LMRA officials to observe firsthand the efforts of the Bahrain government to address human trafficking issues and problems of expatriate workers in Bahrain.

Accompanied by The Philippine Embassy in Manama’s Vice-Consul Joaquin Ricardo R. Aragon and Foreign Service Institute (FSI) training specialist Amarie Zaldivar, the DFA-FSOs met with the LMRA’s Head of Expat Workers Protection Center and Shelter Executive Secretary Ms. Faeza A. Khan.

The officers were briefed on the functions and role of the LRMA in the protection of the rights and welfare of expat workers including that of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The LMRA is a project of Bahrain’s Crown PrinceSalman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and is the first of its kind in the Gulf region and serves as a model to the other states. Madame Khan emphasized: “the more we spread awareness, the better the situation of the worker is... the whole game is awareness.”

Following the briefing, Madame Khan and her staff gave the officers a tour of the shelter and its facilities oriented at keeping the wards comfortable. At the end of the tour, they were given the opportunity to interact with the shelter’s four Filipina wards.

The visit ended with Madame Khan expressing her appreciation to the Philippine Embassy in Manama for its good working relations and cooperation with the LMRA and its shelter.

The new diplomats expressed their appreciation to LMRA Executive Secretary Khan for allowing them to interact with the Filipina wards and tour the facility as well as commended the LMRA for the progressive steps taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to protect the interests of all foreign workers in Bahrain. END