The 113th Philippine Independence Day was celebrated here in Dubai last Friday, 10 June 2011 at the Al Shahab Sports Club in Deira, Dubai. It was organized by the Filcom Organizing Committee of Dubai & Northern Emirates. My husband and I attended the said event which was dubbed as "Filcom, Ang Pagsasanib Pwersa sa Pagtugon". This is the first event that we have attended in the three years that we have been here in Dubai. And I must say, we enjoyed it. Despite travelling for three hours under the Dubai summer heat of 40degrees, taking 1 cab, 3 bus rides and walking for 15 minutes! Well no one is complaining here.
I will be sharing with you what transpired that day in my next post, this time I would like to share with all my kababayans this safety awareness booklet prepared for the Filipino Expats by the Filipino Community (Filcom) Organizing Committee. I will be taking excerpts from this very informative booklet. I know this will be very helpful to all expats especially to those who are new in this part of the Middle East. This will be a four-part topic divided into: 1) Know the rules in the UAE, its customs and traditions, 2) Safety at home, 3) Safety on the road, 4) and Working safely in the heat and Emergency contact numbers that everyone should know by heart. It pays to be safe than sorry!
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| Filcom Safety Awareness Booklet |
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| Filcom Safety Awareness Booklet for Filipino Expats |
On to the 1st part of this series: KNOW THE RULES IN THE UAE, ITS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
1. Alcohol or Liquor
Non-Muslims are allowed to drink alcohol in Dubai if they are on licensed premises. Some restaurants and most hotels hold a license to serve your alcohol. Additionally, if you're a resident in the emirate you can apply for a license to buy alcohol and consume it in your own home. If you cannot present a liquor license, you will be fined. And if you're caught drunk on the street you could be arrested as well. So better secure a license and drink alcohol inside the safety of your homes and never go out drunk.
Issuing a cheque to pay for your rent, car loan, items purchased and the likes is a big problem if you don't have enough money in your bank and thus will lead to over draft. In Dubai, it is a very serious criminal offense. When you issued a bounced cheque, you will be arrested, jailed and then forced to remain in Dubai to pay your debt before being deported.
3. Dancing in Public
Dancing in public in Dubai is considered to be indecent - and it is also thought of as provocative, which can be very dangerous for women. This can attract some men to harass or be aggressive with the women and even men. You can dance in your own home behind your curtains, and you can dance at official clubs - anything else is not acceptable and dangerous.
4. Dress Code
Dress code is strictly implemented in malls and streets in the UAE. Locals dress conservatively and expect visitors and expatriates to also dress likewise in public. Make sure your clothes are of decent length, that you do not wear anything see-through, that you are not revealing too much flesh that could be considered indecent and that you also don't have anything offensive on your clothes.
There is a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drunk driving and you will be imprisoned if you break this firm law.
6. Driving Offenses
Simply follow the driving rules in the UAE. It is illegal in Dubai to tailgate, break the speed limit, street race, lane hop, or using mobile phones while driving. If you break a road law, you can be fined, imprisoned, and your car impounded. It is very important to spot immediately the speed limit in every road. Plan your trip and know the speed limits.
7. Drugs
There is a zero tolerance issue and while you think that only extends to narcotics that are illegal in our own countries, it actually extends to some prescription and over-the-counter medicines too. So this is a very serious point to understand.
Be aware! Be safe!
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