Take Me Out of the Dark

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on you own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make you paths straight." For many of us, it is easier said than done. But, I have also witnessed many who have and are succeeding in trusting the Lord with all their heart. It is hard because as we try to live the proverbs, we only depend on our “strength” and “talents”. To trust in the Lord with all our hearts, we need to humble ourselves and tell God that apart from him, we are bound to fail. It is only by submitting ourselves to God can we truly trust in him with all our heart…

Thus, I trust the Lord will take me out the darkness…

Just what is it in me?
Sometimes I just don't know
What keeps me in your love;
Why you never let me go.
And though you're in me now
I fall and hurt you still;
My Lord please show me how
To know just how you feel.

You have forgiven me
Too many times it seems;
I feel I'm not what you might call
A worthy Christian after all
And though I love you so temptation
Finds its way to me.

Teach me to trust in You
With all of my heart;
To lean not on my own understanding
Coz' I just forget
You won't give me what I can't bear;
Take me out of the dark My Lord
I don't want to be there.

You never left my side
You gave Your hand to me
To hold, oh Jesus;
I'm no longer in the cold
And yet I leave You there
When I feel satisfied
I'd like to thank You everyday
Not only when I feel that way
I've never known a man
Who'd give His life for sinners like me
And yet because He loves us so
He promised us eternity
And we can have that promise
And be His if have faith and
Just believe…

Teach us to trust in You
With all of our heart
To lean not on our own understanding
Cause we just forget
You won't give us what we can't bear
Take us out of the dark my Lord
Cause We don't want to be there
Yeah, My Lord…

God Will Make A Way

Proverbs 3:6 say that "in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

I am once again at the crossroads. I have been earnestly praying for God to direct my path. I praise him for He has never abandoned me all through the tough times. I am humbled by God's abundance and faithfulness that have kept me afloat all this time.

Don Moen has captured it in words and music. Praise God! I will not be afraid because God will make a way!

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

Amor, te quiero mucho!

How sweet! These are the very words that would certainly melt any woman's heart especially coming from a man miles away from her.

In fact, this was also my initial reaction when I first saw and heard the First Gentlemen quipped this after he let Manny Pacquiao talk to the PResident on his mobile phone.

However, my reaction changed the second time I saw the tape. By then, the euphoria of Pacquaio impressive victory has settled in and it was very obvious that the entire episode was all for the show. It was very obvious from the subtle body language of the First Gentlemen.

After Pacquiao returned he phone to him, he clearly moved to face a microphone and spoke in an unusually loud whispher (soft but loud enough to be understood by the audience!).

Certainly, it was not a simple case of an unguarded public display of affection. It was meant to create an image. It was a PR stunt.

It was all in poor taste.

Anyway, I better give my girlfriend a call instead. She expects me to tell her, "Amor, te quiero mucho!"

New rights for Filipino maids in Bahrain

The Islamic New Year brought a great news for Filipino domestic helpers. Let me share the news report from today's GDN:

New contracts sanctioned by Philippines and Bahraini authorities give housemaids the right to walk out if their employers mistreat them.

Filipino domestic workers who terminate their contracts because of abuse will no longer be deemed "runaways", said Philippine Embassy welfare officer Venus Bravo.

Contracts for Filipina housemaids now have a new clause, which states that they have every right to terminate their service if their employers in Bahrain abuse them.

The Labour Ministry is aware of the new contract and is honouring it, said Ms Bravo.

Employers of housemaids and those who are bringing in new housemaids from the Philippines are being informed of the clause, which aims to put a stop to the abuse cases of Filipino workers in Bahrain.

Workers staying at the embassy's shelter have doubled in the last two months.

More than 60 workers are currently at the shelter to date, compared to about 30 last month.

The majority of these workers are housemaids, who all want to return home, but most of their employers are keeping their passports and CPR cards.

Many complained of breach of contract, while others complained of physical and/or sexual abuse, overwork and delayed salaries.

Some were hired by their Bahraini employers straight from the Philippines and arrived on tourist visas.

Their employers are deliberately violating set rules that Filipinos must be hired through agencies, said Ms Bravo.

The largest number of workers in the embassy shelter at one time was 114, which was during Ramadan last year.

"We experienced what we thought was an increase of runaway workers during the Holy Month, but now we are finding that more workers are running away and this just shows how serious the situation is here in Bahrain," said Ms Bravo.

Housemaids' contracts now state that their employers must agree that the worker has the right to terminate the contract due to violations.

These include non-payment of salary, non-provision of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, non-provision of enough rest hours during the day and not allowing eight hours of sleep per day.

Other violations are requiring the maid to work for other people, transferring her to other employers, or maltreating, beating or physically or sexually assaulting her.

The agreement also states the employer must indemnify the worker for terminating the contract period, meaning the employer must pay for the maid's air ticket to go back to the Philippines and provide her outstanding wage. "If any employer refuses to sign the agreement once it is introduced at the embassy then we will tell them to please not hire Filipinos," said Ms Bravo.

Maajurin Mathabin...

Remittance tax?

The proposal of Democratic Bloc Deputy Abdulnabi Salman to tax remittances by expatriates may have been borne out of a good intention. The proposal is seen to eliminate the adverse effects of money transfer by expatriates on Bahraini economy.

Fine.

What the good lawmaker failed to consider, however, are the adverse effects of imposing remittance taxes on expatriates. He needs to immerse himself in more rigorous study. Does he seriously believe a remittance tax would be beneficial to Bahrain in the long run? Expatriates, especially the low-income majority, will be forced to tap black market means of sending their money home in order to spare themselves from paying the remittance tax since they are already paying pretty steep service charges. Only unscrupulous businesses stand to gain from this ill-thought proposal.

I second GDN’s Les Horton’s proposal that if there should be a tax on money going out of the country, then it should be across the board especially that it is common knowledge that many wealthy Bahrainis are actually investing their money elsewhere.
These honorable lawmakers are turning a blind eye on the contributions of expatriates to every facet of life in Bahrain but are quick to point an accusing finger to them to exonerate themselves of their crimes of misgovernment.

Well, a consolation is published today in the Tribune where it was noted that a number of lawmakers spoke against the proposal fearing it would affect the national economy and the government’s initiative to attract foreign capital.

Kuwait not a DH-friendly nation

Camille Balagtas wrote in People's Journal, Monday, January 30, 2006 that Kuwait is not an ideal country for Filipinos to work as domestic help. I agree. But what scandalizes me is that government will go as far as banning the deployment of Filipino domestic helpers in Kuwait. Apparently and unfortunately, the dollar equivalent of potential domestic helpers in Kuwait is more important than ensuring our people will not be abused. I am not surprised, this is at the core of the "sound economic program" of the government!

Kuwait accounted for two out of five Filipina runaways who sought refuge in the country's 82 missions overseas in the second half of 2004, Senator Ralph Recto said, quoting a Department of Foreign Affairs report.

Of the 5,583 "Filipinos in distress" cases handled by Philippine consulates worldwide from July to December that year, 2122 were Filipinas who ran to Filipino diplomats in Kuwait for help.

The DFA situationer on Kuwait is contained in the 430-page "Report to Congress" which surveys working conditions in every country where Filipinos are currently working.

During that period, 1043 Filipinos, again all females were repatriated to the Philippines after they had a run-in with Kuwaiti authorities or a falling out with their employers.

One in every 12 cases of OFW repatriation last year was also from Kuwait, Recto said. In the same report, DFA said it handled 12,613 repatriation cases worldwide during the said period.

At present, an estimated 73,000 Filipinos of whom 60,000 are women and mostly domestic helpers are working in Kuwait.

The DFA report said "domestic helpers are most vulnerable to exploitation and abuse as they are not covered by Kuwait Labor Law."

"They are not allowed to use their cell phones. They usually work from early morning until late in the evening and majority do not have rest days," the report said.

Since they are not permitted to go out of their houses, their only recourse if they want to complain of the abuses of their employers is to escape. Their employer is turn files an absconding case against the DHs in the police station having jurisdiction of the residence," the report added.

During the six-month period covered by the report, the Philippine embassy in Kuwait received complaints of verbal abuse (239), "inhumane treatment" (165), "overworked" (230), "lack of food" (159), "physical maltreatment" (100), "unpaid salaries" (89), "no rest day" (72).

Seven Filipinas alleged they were sexually harassed and six complained of being raped.

"It's really a catalogue of misfortune. Eight complained of not being given quarters or bed to sleep in. There was a case of white slavery. A dozen or so were not given return tickets by their employers," he said.

According to the report, Kuwait belongs to the top three hotspots.

"Clearly, the place could be a paradise for some, especially skilled workers, and hell for others," he said.

"Diplomacy requires us to take the view that abuses are done by individuals and not sanctioned by the Kuwaiti government," Recto said.

He said problems encountered by Filipinos in Kuwait who have contributed to that country's progress should be solved through close coordination between officials of the two countries.

Recto said a study must be made by Filipino diplomatic and labor authorities "as to the peculiarities of Kuwaiti society and labor market" not just to "pinpoint and remedy any problem areas" but also to "forewarn and forearm" Filipinos who are being recruited to work there.

Make some noise!