A council that will address and coordinate all community projects, support programs, and concerns of the estimated 350,000 Filipino workers and their families in the Eastern Province is now being formed, according to David Des T. Dicang, Labor Attaché, Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. Dicang announced the plan to establish the council, to be called Filipino Community Leaders Council (FCLC), during the seminar/workshop titled The Role/ Involvement of Filipino Community Organizations in Providing Support Services and Welfare Programs for Filipinos conducted by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Eastern Region (POLO-ERO) last weekend in cooperation with the Overseas Filipino Workers Congress-Eastern Province (OFWC-EP), an advocacy organization supporting Filipinos in the region. He said the council will be composed of all the presidents and chairmen of all community organizations in the province. There are over 100 Filipino associations and organizations in the region representing advocacy, sports, cultural, professional, and regional groups. A number of these organizations are accredited by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, while others operate independently. “The idea in forming the council is to coordinate and unify actions and events for the benefits and involvement of the community, and assign to specific associations or organizations the sectors of support program they (the association or organizations) are most effective in supporting the Filipino community,” Dicang said. According to Dicang, an association or organizations whose thrust is focused on sports and youth development will be assigned to handle and coordinate all sports events for the Filipino community. “Advocacy groups will take charge of advocacy projects, while support organizations will be directed to provide assistance to Filipinos in need of help,” Dicang explained.
