The Makiav3llian Enchantment…

Gulf News has finally come out with news about the visas for under 25 Filipinas and well, another twist of the rumor of number of visit visas to be issued before being sent home. Read on:

Visit Visa Runs Only Twice in a Row

Dubai: A visitor to the UAE will only be allowed to make two visa runs at a stretch after which he/she must leave the country, Ministry of Interior officials said.

A visitor can stay for two months and extend it by another month.

If the visitor wishes to stay longer, he/she will have to obtain a new visit visa, exit the country and return.

The two-month stay again can be extended by a month. The visitor will then only be allowed another visa run. The total duration of stay will be nine months.

A ministry official said after the two runs, the person must leave the country for a full month and then return if he/she wishes.

In another decision, companies will not be allowed to sponsor Filipinas under the age of 25.

They have to be sponsored by their blood relatives if they wish to enter the UAE on a visit visa, but will not be allowed to work if they are under 25.

Well, I think this is brilliant idea, sad to say. I wasn’t seeing this when I actually arrived here 2 1/2 years ago but all I can say now is that Dubai is becoming saturated with Filipinos. Ok, you may get mad at me for it but if you see the situation where there are Filipinos here roaming around aimlessly without work and struggling to get by, you may think twice. Yes, you can lend a helping hand but it does not work every time. Dubai is not for everybody and when one sees the opportunity that it isn’t for you, all I can say is go home. With this new rule, it will actually encourage future OFWs to plan ahead. As I mentioned before, coming here with 50000PhP at hand is suicide, you must have around 100000PhP to properly move around comfortably, get your international license, and prepare your trip here instead of taking a risk.
Back to the issue, well, it will be quite difficult, people I know here who make a living as part timers and often exit will have big issues. Another thing is that I have "under-age" friends (yes ladies) who are on visit visa and don’t know anything about this, they are going to get desperate or exit the country and most probably are wondering why they’ve been stuck in Kish for so long.

Rajesh my colleague has gone to India for six days and lucky me, I was sent out to do the dirty work, actually, my previous job, to be a technical executive. Activities involved updating the software we provided and check if there are technical issues with our clients. This is a job I actually hate during the summer since I don’t have a car to go around the Northern UAE in those high arid temperatures. My budget is also so tight that it’s beginning to suffocate, the good thing was that I wasn’t too far off but I may have lost around 50AED of unaccounted receipts as Northern Emirate taxis use paper for wiping their cracks instead of issuing receipts. Anyways, I got back to my merry ways for this week including pluses of being home early. I miss those days; of course it wasn’t all peaches as I get home very exhausted from all the walkin’ and talkin’. At least I got to see the people who provide me my salary. They may not know it but I may not see them again since I’m seeking my fortunes elsewhere.

New things are coming up and one of the worse things is not being informed. Rhea, a friend of mine, just recently went to Kish for her exit. She went with her adventure trotting buddy Michelle, whom I assisted both in getting in Dubai. Much to our expectation, the exit was going to be smooth sailing when things got out of control during the release of the visa. Michelle’s visa was released on the same day and though we expected simultaneous release of Rhea’s visa, this did not happen. We did not know what was actually going on till the end of the second day. There were instructions to the immigration office not to release visas for Filipinas under the age of 24, Rhea just turned 23 last February.
As of 23 April 2007, Rhea’s still stuck in Kish while Michelle, JC, Gelli and myself try to find a solution. The story behind this event was that the Philippine Consulate has sent instructions to the Immigration of the UAE to stop issuance of visit visas for under 24 Filipinas whether coming from Kish or the Philippines. The reason was the ever growing problem of prostitution happening in Dubai involving Filipinas. I think this is nuts because prostitution has no age, whether you are 24 or 44, the world’s oldest profession couldn’t care less when you start. Yes, its true, foreigners, I am not implying to Filipinas only, come to the UAE on visit visa and well actually resort to this type of living. They don’t get permanent visas since they do not have official employers to supply them with visas but they buy their visas from travel agencies or tourism companies. Once back, they go back to their ways and it’s a vicious cycle that can actually provide proper living of sorts. Yes, the consulate means well, but the type of action involved is hilariously stupid. This is a rumor I picked up from one of the friends I have that issue visit visas, if this isn’t true, would you mind telling me what is, the general Filipino public in the UAE have the right to know…

Under 23 Pinays can only come to the UAE on the following visas:
a. Father or Husband visa
b. Tourist / Hotel visa
c. Residence / Tourist visa sponsored by a company

There are other rumors circulating that this is applicable to females only, others claim that it is due to prostitution as well as the age bracket defined is 25 or for people born before 1983.
This new rule has taken me by surprise and this is an issue which has stranded many under 23 Pinays in Kish. I feel bad for them, they don’t know what to do, they may not even have the budget to last more than three days. Kish or Qeshm isn’t that bad of a place but when the elements are up against you, it’s like a storm front waiting to break into a tempest. Who knows what could be happening to any if them there. Philippine Consulate of the Philippines to the UAE, here’s a heads up, do something about it!
* Just an update, Rhea finally got her visa on the eve of the 23rd and was able to return. They left on the 16th of April and only returned after 7 grueling days. Rhea, my apologies but this thing was out of my hands.

Two days ago, Dubai was in a shock as two Audi’s crashed into the Wafi Shopping Mall drove through a Bin Hendi jewelry shop and conducted the most elaborate heist known to date in Dubai. As jotted down by Gulf News, it was unbelievable, almost taking the name of the movie title down, Gone in 60 Seconds, it only took 1 minute and 45 seconds to steal more than 50M AED worth of jewelry. Of course, its a jewelry store, anything you can grab your hands on to is worth a fortune, but the scary part is that, was this a well hatched plan? An elaborate scheme of a organized crime which is slowly developing in this part of the world where the crime rate is virtually unknown? The cars used were rumored to be stolen and after the heist, they were trying to burn them down. One burned, the other didn’t… Do I see CSI coming into the picture? The local law enforcement agencies have already started to take action but I hope this incident will be solved, solved as in completely solved and not scapegoat rumors of a cover up. It’s just scary to think that this will be the first of many. I believe a month or two ago, a bank robbery in broad daylight was done in Ajman, I don’t even know if it was solved.
The population in Dubai has increased to unimaginable levels, crime and offenses increase proportionally. Issues with racism and women related offenses have yet to taken up seriously. Does the Dubai Police have what it takes to take the challenge? I believe they do and this would seem the perfect wake up call for the men in green.

My very good friend from Japan, Mrs. Maysville Kawakami has just told me the most wonderful news. Her husband, Mr. Yoshio-san and Maysville are to be expectant parents in the next 8 months. I’m glad that despite not seeing each other for a long time, I was actually one of the first to hear it, what an honor! I’d like to congratulate both of them, from my family and I, we pray for Maysville’s safety during the course of her pregnancy and yes… You can name Baby-pot after ME. I wouldn’t mind one bit.