Serving the Filipinos in the Middle East via TFC’s “Lingkod Kabayan”

Be informed. Be connected. Be empowered. Visit Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com), the community site for every overseas Filipino in the Middle East

In the past few years, overseas Filipinos are facing different challenges in the Middle East driven by the region’s unique economic and socio-political landscape. Since 2017, some overseas Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and UAE were back to the Philippines after being unable to renew their labor contracts, while some opted to remain and search for new employers. Most of the Filipino service workers continue to thrive but not without the daily risks they face against possible abuses, both psychological and physical.

These are just some of the challenges that overseas Filipinos face in the Middle East and most of them need a platform that could somehow address these pressing concerns. Thus, TFC Middle East launches Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com), a free community site that provides the empowerment they need by linking them to the right government agencies, providing reliable sources of information, and connecting them to their fellow overseas Filipinos to address the different issues they are facing abroad.

“True to our core of serving the Filipinos worldwide, TFC launches the community site Lingkod Kabayan to look after the welfare of the overseas Filipinos in the Middle East. We hope through this community site, more overseas Filipinos will be empowered as they have within their grasp the knowledge and information that they need for their life overseas,” said ABS-CBN Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Managing Director Joseph Arnie Garcia.

Recently, the implementation of the Saudization intensified as more jobs were banned from the expats to give way to the Saudi nationals. Outside Saudi Arabia, the current economic state of other countries under the Gulf Cooperation Council pushes overseas Filipinos to seek better opportunities within their host countries. To assist the competent Filipino workforce in connecting with local employers, Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) in partnership with Bayt.com launches Trabahanap, a feature in the site with various current job listings to help the overseas Filipinos explore job opportunities in other countries around the Middle East, so they continue to thrive and support their families back home.

In addition, knowing their rights which varies in the different countries in the Middle East and understanding the important provisions in their contracts will help empower the overseas Filipinos. Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) in partnership with Gulf Law make this information easily available to them through the articles found in the Information Center feature of the site. For similar concerns, Lingkod Kabayan’s (me.mytfc.com) Kabayan Helpline is one chat away and will gladly link them to the appropriate government agencies that will help them with their concerns.

Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) is also forging a partnership with Salve Duplito of ANC’s “On the Money” to help the overseas Filipinos have financial freedom by answering questions regarding their finances, investments and other money matters through the site’s message portal.

To help ease the homesickness, Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) connects the different Filipino communities around the Middle East through the site’s Suggest Topic feature, where they can talk about anything under the sun—from the Filipino food they miss back home, to the newest hang-out spots they could try around the Middle East.

Making the decision to live away from their loved ones is challenging enough for the overseas Filipinos. It will mean a lot to them to know that even they are away from home, through the Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) community site, they have their fellow Filipinos abroad to turn to in the most challenging times in their lives.

Be informed, be connected, be empowered--visit Lingkod Kabayan (me.mytfc.com) today.