Ronaldo Z. Concha Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Jeddah donated 15 benches to the Philippine Consulate General last week. Atoy Esguerra, Project Director of Kaagapay Mo Advocacy group that initiated the donation, said the benches were intended to provide comfortable seating to Filipinos and people of other nationalities who come to the consulate for official purposes. “We noticed the shortage of chairs in the consulate particularly in the consular section where Filipinos and other nationals come for a variety of services including renewal of passports, processing of visit visas and other legal documents,” Esguerra explained. Esguerra said his group's chairman talked to Consul General Uriel Norman Garibay and offered to donate additional chairs to alleviate the inconvenience visitors face while waiting to be served. Reymon Martinez and Orly Portugal, other officials of Kaagapay ng Bawat OFW, said the benches would not have been donated had it not been for the help of the Filipino community. Those responding to the request of Kaagapay ng Bawat OFW were: Pinoy Photographers Club (PPC), Raffy Abesamis of Archway Recruitment Agency, KASAPI Congress, Pinoy Expatriates for Social Organization and Sports (PESOS), Filipino Salesman and Merchandisers Association (FILSAMA), Filipino Artiste Migrant Ensemble (FAME), Lowell Plameras of The Media Brokers Btl-Solutions, Mar Par and the Astig Group in Jeddah, Joey Guhit of PICPA-WRKSA, Eli Sarmiento and the www.epsangels.org, Overseas Filipino Workers Cooperative Council (OFWCC) and the Kaagapay Mo ang Kaagapay ng Bawat OFW. Consul General Garibay thanked all donors who participated in Kaagapay's project, and praised OFWs for their support. Kaagapay Mo thanked Red Bull for assisting the group in preparing the donated benches for use.
