Domestic workers in Qatar spend their day-off for more productive activities. An association of domestic workers in Qatar (Bayanihan ng Domestic Workers sa Qatar or BDWQ) organized a ‘Bowling for a Cause’ on June 24, 2022 at Qatar Bowling Center (QBC) to extend assistance to Filipino cancer patients in the country as major beneficiaries. BDWQ which is primarily composed of household service workers in Qatar, believes that aside from getting regular rest day, domestic workers must also spend their day-off productively by attending skills training and participating in sports and other activities aimed at helping one another and others. “I am overwhelmed to see my fellow domestic workers and other migrant workers from the Filipino and Kenyan communities gather together, not only for camaraderie but also for a cause”, said Ms. Rosario S. Daño, president of BDWQ. She added that without the support of these organizations and communities, this event would not have been materialized successfully. The event was supported and participated by many Filipino community organizations such as HERO Qatar, BMKQ, Bantay at Kasanga (BAK), Buklod and Buklod Coop, Kabayan 101, Guardians Socialite Society Incorporated (GSSI), OFW Advocates, The Guardians Brotherhood Incorporated, The Original TGBI, Grupo Pilipino OFW, Advancement of Guardians Worldwide (AGWI), Tambayan sa Doha Qatar (TSDQ), and Kenyan Household Workers. HERO Qatar bagged the championship trophy, while Buklod Coop got the 1st Place, TGBI-TO the 2nd Place, and BMKQ the 3rd Place. The event was also supported by LBC Express Qatar and EO Optical.

Charity and Volunteering advocates Mega Cervantes and his friends gathered for a “Mega Wish” - a segment run in social media platforms to give inspirations and memorable pampered days to legit beneficiaries. Mega Cervantes started the Mega Wish from himself along with with his supportive friends last June 24, 2022 by distributing a total of 1,050 bottled water in various locations such as Al Mansoura, Al Saad, Bin Omran, Bin Mahmoud, Madinat Khalifa and Souq areas from 9am-11am. The main objective is to hand out water to those people they will encounter in the streets especially the construction workers, sweepers, food online riders, public cars drivers and bystanders waiting for public transportation. This summer campaign was made possible with the generous assistance from Family Food Centre and McDonalds. “Mega Wish” can be watched-out monthly in YouTube channels of @DtProduqtionOfficial and @SimplyMegabyheart as well as in @Mega_byheart Instagram account.

By: Engr. Emmanuel German Boceta The 2nd Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Community Outreach for Distressed Kababayans was successfully conducted last June 24, 2022, 9:00-11:00 AM at the POLO-OWWA Shelter in Doha, State of Qatar, by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. Qatar Chapter (PICE Qatar) through its Committee on PICE Qatar Affairs (COPA). PICE Qatar 2022 President Rolan Nevado successfully led the activity and remarked that the organization's 3,500+ members continuously support the delivery of community outreach initiatives like these as a part of its community social responsibility. Hon. Adam Musa, the POLO-OWWA Labor Attaché in Qatar, and his team were grateful for the kind gifts and ongoing assistance from the Philippine Professional Organization Qatar (PPOQ), notably for the PICE Qatar Community support and response to the plight of the distressed Kababayans migrant worker-households experiencing these conditions in the shelter. Since PICE Qatar's founding, the organization has organized an annual continuous program and a quarterly activity called the Community Outreach Program for Distressed Kababayans to promote civil engineers' social responsibility and community involvement, which is one of the PICE Core Values.

Awareness is key to do something out of the ordinary which the PIEP International Cluster (Qatar and KSA) advocated during the first informational campaign for environmental/urban planners held on June 24, 2022, in partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) – Faculty of Management and Development Studies Alumni foundation Inc. Respected planners, experts, leaders, and participants from various organizations across the world have met with the sole objective of enhancing their competencies and pursuing careers in environmental planning. It was a highly informative webinar entitled, "Build a Career in Environmental Planning: Upgrading our Competencies" conducted through the kind assistance of POLO-OWWA Labor Attaché’ Hon. Adam Musa, Hon. Antonio M. Mutuc Jr., PPOQ Chairman Engr. Mark Abendan, PPO CRSA Chairman Engr. Mories R. Galuso, the National Board of Trustees, Enp Maria Ana Pulido and EnP Levy Espinas who also delivered their inspirational messages and media partners Qabayan Radio 94.3 and KSA’ I-Radio who supported the announcement of the event. The objective of this webinar is to raise awareness of environmental planners and to inspire participants to enrol in and finish the Diploma in Land Use Planning (DLUP) offered by the UPOU as a gateway to become an environmental planner. Around 700 professionals from diverse fields registered of which more than 150 have joined via Zoom while the rest connected thru facebook live broadcast. President of PIEP KSA, Enp Eldrid Refil, officially opened the webinar and motivated the attendees to become full-pledged environmental planners. The enthusiastic masters of ceremonies in the persons of EnP Virgilio Jak Cañete and EnP Dennis Mota moderated the event with such ease and gusto which catapulted the success of the event. A moment of silence was observed in honor of the late EnP Virgo Ibarra, one of the charter members of PIEP Qatar during the opening ceremony followed by a video montage on environmental planning courtesy of the graphics design team. All of the participants were very keen on the presentations by the honored speakers. The professional and personal experiences of EnP Jeantte-Elevado Cruz – Director of Environment, Land Use & Urban Development Bureau under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), have shown the difficulties of being EnP. She shared her life's most challenging yet inspiring story on deciding against attending NPA and pursued her academic pursuits which eventually earned her a BS in environmental planning and passed the board exam, worked her way up from an environmental planner to director of DHSUD. She also spoke on important occurrences and laws pertaining to environmental planning practice in the Philippines, the significance of RA 10587 for 2013 environmental planning and provided information about the EnPs' practice area, to name a few. She even went over the requirements for taking the board exam and advised taking a diploma program to qualify. She outlined the job opportunities in government, pay scale, from division chief down to entry-level posts in the government. Meanwhile, Dr. Dina Magnaye, the current dean of University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP), presented the results of research entitled “Equal opportunity for aspiring environmental planners through open and distance learning.” The study was conducted with Ms. Jichele Urma, a research assistant from the UP Open University Faculty of Management and Development Studies, for an international conference on open and distance learning (ODL) in October 2021. She spoke on the objectives and principles of open and distance learning, its features, and the roles of higher education stakeholders. She also discussed ODL RA 10650, the enabling law (Open Distance Learning Act), the goals of the Diploma in Land Use Planning (DLUP), and the characteristics of the ODL program that are considered the anchor of opportunities for aspiring environmental planners. She emphasized that learning is for all, considering that the opportunities to learn are vast in the midst of a global learning crisis. Finally, Ms. Jichele Urma, UPOU Project staff, provided an overview of DLUP. The overall goal of the initiative is to broaden and decentralize access to planning education while also enhancing the ability of regional training institutions to support a comprehensive education program in land use planning. The curriculum, consisting of a total of 21 units or 7 courses, can be finished in one and a half to two years. Additionally, provided were information on the subjects and tuition for DLUP. More importantly, DLUP graduates are qualified to sit for the environmental planning licensing examination. The PIEP International cluster members who have graduated, are expecting to graduate, and have enrolled were introduced by Engr. Anselmo Alarilla of UPOU-AFI. Six DLUP graduates, four future graduates, and two enrollees from the PIEP International Cluster are currently in the program. Enp Mary Grace P. Hermosa-Pineda, President of PIEP-Qatar Chapter, closed the first part of the event and emphasized the need for environmental planners to be equipped in order to support the community wherever they are. After which a separate GMM for the PIEP Qatar and KSA chapters ensued. Each chapter updates its members of its plans and other chapter activities in this segment. If you are an aspiring EnP or would like to know more about the profession join us and jumpstart your environmental planning career through DLUP. If you're interested in joining or hosting the same event one of your own in collaboration with PIEP International Cluster – you may reach out via email to piepqatar@gmail.com or piepksa2018@gmail.com. Missed the event? You can still catch up by clicking the link to view the event's Facebook Live recording: https://fb.watch/e1BXv8Xutk/

In cooperation with Committee on Continuing Professional Advancement (COCPA), PICE-Qatar Chapter held its 9th webinar entitled “Quantity Surveyor’s Contribution to Successful Project Delivery” last 18 June 2022. Successful project delivery requires several factors for complex projects and even small ones, including the role and importance of Quantity Surveyors in every project which was covered by Engr. Chavez during the seminar. Part of his presentation includes numerous knowledge areas for Integration Management, Scope Management, Cost Management, Human Resource Management, Risk Management, Procurement Management, Communication Management, and Quality and Time Management. The webinar was successfully delivered by Engr. Enrico John G. Chavez, a Civil Engineer, and member of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor (RICS). He was introduced by Engr. Meliza M. Ortiguerra and welcomed by 1VP Elvin D. Fajutagana to the committee and the attendees. The awarding of a certificate to the resource speaker by COCPA Director, Engr. Angelo Eda, brought the program to a close with 37 attendees. With a closing remark, 2nd VP Loraine Radan praised the resource speaker for sharing his experience and thanked everyone who helped make the program a success, especially the Board of Directors and Committee Officers.

The Maharlikans Vocal Ensemble Philippines, an all-Filipino community choral group, gives its audiences a treat by rendering 2 Filipino repertoire: "Maligayang Bati" and "Isang Dugo, Isang Lahi at Musika" in time to commemorate the 124th Philippine Independence Day. According to MVEP Core Group officers, “Our group’s advocacy is to promote Filipino excellence in choral music and it is just right that we celebrate our Independence Day by doing this flash mob for our kababayans.” MVEP was founded in 2016 and has performed in various concerts and musical events in Doha. In 2020, they organized the 1st Philippine Choral Music Festival entitled “Why We Sing” participated in by various choral groups based in Doha. MVEP is also the very first recipient of Music for Peace award by Dutch Embassy and the First Prize Winner in Choral Competition for Adult Category during the 2017 Qatar National Music Competition.

As Bayanihan ng Manggagawa sa Konstruksiyon ng Qatar (BMKQ) pushes through its skills training programs among migrant workers in Qatar to upscale their competence and acquire new skillsets, the Education and Training Committee (E&TC) of BMKQ, through the support of Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) organized and conducted a one-day seminar on Basic Accounting and Bookkeeping. The seminar, which was attended by 41 workers from various job sectors and organizations, also included an introduction to Feasibility Study preparation and a pre-membership orientation intended to those who wanted to join the organization. "We have designed this seminar to be in layman's terms and therefore comprehendible by beginners in accounting or bookkeeping tasks. The target is for the participants to learn the basics of Accounting and Bookkeeping so they may be able to use in their own organization, personal livelihood endeavors, and even add-up to their career's qualifications', said Mr. Eliseo S. Bermido - Chair of BMKQ's Education and Training Committee. The basic accounting and bookkeeping seminar outlines topics and workshops such as accounting and its importance, definition and scope of accounting and bookkeeping, accounting reports, accounting elements, recording transactions, general journal, general ledger, trial balance, cash flow management, and budgeting. Mr. Elmer Hilario Espiritu, CPA, CMA, who is also a former president of PICPA-Doha was the resource lecturer on these topics. Engr. Meliza M. Ortiguerra - BMKQ President also highlighted that this seminar is important in preparation for migrant's workers reintegration, which is of course unavoidable, as migrant workers are bound to go home for good in due time. Hence, introductory topics on writing a Feasibility Study were included in the seminar for the participants to have an overview of the importance of studying and documenting the feasibility of a business that migrant workers may engage into. Engr. Ortiguerra added that there are more skills training BMKQ is set to conduct in the coming months until the first quarter of next year and continues to encourage migrant workers to join the BMKQ. Engr. Ressie Fos, PMP, PMI-RMP - a project and risk management professional tackled on feasibility study introductory topics. Engr. Fos who also serves as BMKQ's adviser, told the participants that BMKQ is looking at the possibility of conducting a more comprehensive and focused session on writing a Feasibility Study in the coming months, most-likely after majority of BMKQ's livelihood programs have been concluded. The seminar was concluded with a pre-membership orientation session facilitated and presented by Ms. Cheryl Marielou V. Cayaban - faculty member of BMKQ E&TC and the current President of HERO-Qatar; oath-taking of new BMKQ members before Engr. Belinda E. Dela Cruz - Chair of BMKQ Membership Committee, and lastly distribution of certificates of completion to participants.

The Welfare and Outreach Committee of BMKQ in collaboration with BMKQ Women concluded the basic dressmaking course for women workers in various trades. This is in line with BMKQ’s livelihood programs intended for women migrant workers in Qatar. The course. attended by eleven women workers completed in eight (8) weeks, from April 8 to May 27, 2022 which culminated with a graduation ceremony held on June 03, 2022 at DusitD2 Hotel Salwa. Ms. Agnes M. Taller was the trainer in this course. The graduation ceremony was graced by both Labor Hon. Attaché Adam A. Musa of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Third Secretary and Vice-Consul – Hon. Monica Remsey S. Calañgian of the Philippine Embassy in Doha. In their keynote speeches, they emphasized on the significance of BMKQ’s programs as extension of their offices in reaching out overseas Filipinos in the country. “Our office is limited in manpower and resources, hence we are really thankful for the initiatives of community organizations which benefit our overseas Filipinos. We appreciate and recognize the efforts of these organizations, such as BMKQ and we consider them as our partners”, said Labor Attaché Musa. Meanwhile, Vice-Consul Monica Remsey Calañgian stressed on women empowerment and the importance of skills upscaling among women in various trades. “We are launching the same training for another batch of women workers. Also, we are considering other programs that can be alternative livelihood activities for overseas workers in the country, or when they leave the country for good and reintegrate back in their home country,” said Engr. Meliza M. Ortiguerra – BMKQ President. Prior to the graduation ceremony, a BMKQ Pre-Membership Orientation Seminar (PMOS) was facilitated by Ms. Cheryl Marielou V. Cayaban, faculty member of BMKQ Education and Training Committee, where all of the graduates also joined in and took their oath of membership.

Doha. The Welfare and Outreach Committee of BMKQ chaired by Ms. Rosario Daño has organized an Iftar Drive which aimed at distributing Iftar packs to workers in Doha Souq areas on April 29, 2022. This drive has benefited a total of 25 people of multi-nationalities. The packs contain grocery items that would sustain at least a day meal of the worker-beneficiaries who also received personal hygienic items. "Reaching out to overseas workers is always part of BMKQ's organizational directives, which does not only cover Filipinos but other nationals as well." said BMKQ President - Engr. Meliza M. Ortiguerra. She further stressed on that BMKQ has many other programs under the Welfare and Outreach Committee which the organization will push through in the coming month, in addition to livelihood programs that are already underway. Other Filipino organizations in Qatar who collaborated with BMKQ include Republika Supremo International, BAK, and OFWAI. Iftar Drive is a yearly welfare and outreach program of BMKQ which gained popular supports from many members who also share their part and contribution to the success of this benevolent endeavor.

Leadership skills is of equal importance to technical competence required for engineering practice. It must also be nurtured and developed. This was emphasized by Engr. Nadim Bitar during the recent PICE Qatar Workshop no. 08/Webinar entitled with “Next Level of Leadership” attended by PICE Qatar members on 10 June 2022. Engr. Nadim Bitar, the Resource Speaker is currently a Chief Operating Officer of a construction company in Qatar and an accredited certified coach with an admirable passion for guiding young professionals achieve their career goals and dreams. The workshop/webinar began at 9:00 a.m., following the attendees' friendly morning greetings. PICE Qatar 1st Vice President Elvin Fajutagana led a prayer before President Rolan E. Nevado welcomed the distinguished Resource Speaker and webinar attendees. The workshop session was collaborative and highly interactive as the participants were encouraged to share their views, experiences, problems encountered and solutions applied in various project scenarios. Engr. Nadim Bitar presented simple practical formulae and solutions to achieve one’s ambition and to measure one’s success. He also encouraged everyone to search their own passion in various tasks or disciplines in order to excel and succeed personally and professionally. The participants were very engaged during the entire technical workshop program. Live questions were raised, and answers provided aptly in a lively collaborative setting. PICE Qatar 2nd Vice President Loraine Radan later awarded a “Certificate of Appreciation” to Engr. Nadim Bitar for his successful conduct as the Resource Speaker, citing his invaluable contribution in advancing the knowledge and competence of all the PICE Qatar members. The Resource Speaker on his acceptance speech expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to share his passion and relayed his willingness to conduct similar workshops in the future. The PICE Qatar Workshop no. 08/Webinar was presented under the auspices of the Committee on Continuing Professional Advancement (COCPA) headed by Director Angelo Eda and with support from the entire Committee Members.

by Emmanuel German Boceta Tropical Storm Megi, also known as Tropical Storm Agaton in the Philippines, was a weak but devastating tropical cyclone that hit the Philippines in April 2022. Floods and landslides swept across the Visayas region as a result of persistent heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and strong winds. In light of these circumstances and the humanitarian aspect, PICE Qatar immediately organized a donation drive for the victims of Typhoon Agaton, specifically from the municipalities of Baybay City and Abuyog in the province of Leyte, which were hard hit by sudden landslides caused by the storm's torrential rains. The Committee on PICE Qatar Affairs collected a total of QR 3,740 equivalent to Php 53,000.00 in personal cash voluntary gifts from its members through intensive solicitation during meet-ups and gatherings. With the data in hand, PICE Qatar COME Chairwoman Marian Ocampo coordinated with the Leyte Youth Volunteers Guild, a local volunteer organization in Leyte Province, to plan for the distribution of commodities to affected beneficiaries. From the period of May 27-29, the packing, handover and distribution of all donations were done for the Typhoon & landslide victims in Brgy. Bahay, Abuyog and Brgy. Kantagnos, Baybay City, Leyte Province by PICE Qatar’s partner and “on ground prime movers”, the 10 members from Leyte Youth Volunteers’ Guild led by Mr. Gorg Ryan Rodriguez Requiez. There were 111 beneficiaries from Brgy. Bahay, Abuyog, Leyte (evacuees staying at Gabaldon ES, Brgy. Bahay, Abuyog) & 162 beneficiaries from Brgy. Kantagnos, Baybay City, Leyte (evacuees staying at Baybay Senior High School, Baybay City), summing up to a total of 273 household beneficiaries. Clearly, the manifestation of proper communication, collaboration and teamwork moves with the spirit of volunteerism among different organization working hand in hand for the service of our fellowmen. Once again, these actions proved a clear manifestation of PICE Qatar’s commitment in achieving one of its Primary Objectives “1.2.2 Extending assistance to concerned members in time of need and to charitable Institution/s for distribution to calamity affected recipients in the Philippines.”