The first batch of the 4,000 Muslim Filipinos who will perform this year's Haj pilgrimage, including 500 of them who will perform Umrah, will arrive Aug. 22 aboard a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight. “We are now ready to receive them and our consulate office in Jeddah has arranged for excellent services to provide them with ease and comfort during their religious pilgrimage,” said Rodero Mutia, Haj attache and officer-in-charge of the pilgrimage section of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. He said arrangements have been made to provide the Filipino Hajis with housing accommodation, food, and reliable transportation facilities to the holy sites in Makkah, Mina, Arafat, and Madina. Housing, food, and transportation are the three most important services Muslim Filipinos require while performing their religious obligations. During the last few years, the number of Muslim Filipinos performing the annual Haj pilgrimage has been declining. The decline is due to a lack of financial resources, according to Mutia. The largest Haj delegation was in 2002 when some 7,000 Filipino pilgrims were able to successfully perform the pilgrimage. “For many Muslim Filipinos performing the pilgrimage is very expensive, which is why most of them are quite old and first-timers,” Mutia said. He said Philippine government agencies and non-government offices (NGOs) extend support, mostly in terms of funds, to accommodate many Haj pilgrims every year. The Saudi government also provides support programs for Filipino Haj pilgrims in terms of reduction in the cost of airfare through Saudi Arabian Airlines. Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Hassan and Philippine Consulate General Ezzedin Tago in Jeddah are also cooperating and coordinating in arranging the itinerary of this year's Filipino pilgrims.
