Tuesday, June 12, 2012 8

Come visit the PhilippinesFulfilling our country’s great potential

United and steadfast to ideals of freedom and democracy

I AM HONORED to convey my sincerest greetings to all Filipinos in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the celebration of the 114th

Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.

In the Philippines and around the world today, the Filipino nation honors our heroes who sacrificed their lives to see a free Philippines more than a century ago.

On this day, we wish to give tribute to more than 10 million Filipinos overseas for their valuable contribu-tion to the nation and its socioeconomic development. While they work overseas to support themselves and their families, they actually provide support to the Philippine economy.

Our ancestors struggled to gain independence for our beloved homeland. In our present day, we face various challenges that require us to close our ranks, forego our differences, and work even harder than our ancestors to gain inclusive and sustainable growth that creates jobs and reduces poverty.

The Philippine government under the administra-tion of H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III is commit-ted to create more economic opportunities at home. This does not mean that we will be neglecting our compatriots abroad. On the contrary, President Aquino during his inaugural address committed to ensure that the rights of Filipino overseas are protected and their welfare promoted.

This year, the theme of the Celebration of the 114th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence is “Freedom: The Accountability of a Sovereign Nation of Responsible Citizenry”. With this theme, we ask our compatriot Filipinos in the Kingdom doubly harder to contribute to our national develop-

ment by being responsible citizens while overseas. Aside from being word class expatriates, we also can

help by promoting the Philippines as a tourist destina-tion so that our friends and colleagues here could see the origins of the beautiful people who have been working side by side with them here in the Kingdom for the past five decades.

Having spent a big part of my life in the Kingdom, I have witnessed the great leaps in economic develop-ment in the Kingdom, and I laud the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud for his wise leadership and vision.

On behalf of the Philippine government and people especially the Filipino community in the Kingdom, we thank the people of Saudi Arabia for the opportunities you have given our compatriots who come to the Kingdom to earn a living and at the same time con-tribute to the economic development of Saudi Arabia into a booming economy and stable country in the Middle East.

As ambassador of my country here in Saudi Arabia, I assure everyone that the Philippines is dedicated to take important strides to enhance relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as we move forward towards closer cooperation in the areas of tourism, trade and investments.

We are inviting you to visit the Philippines, so you can also experience not only the warm hospitality of the Filipino people but also appreciate the natural beauty of our country.

Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino sa Saudi Arabia!

Ezzedin H. Tago Ambassador

IT IS MY honor to greet my fellow Filipinos as we celebrate the 114th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.

Once again, the Filipino people are writing a significant chapter in our history.

Like all turning points in this narrative, this chapter is an out-come of collective will, manifested by our desire to fu1fill our country’s great potential, as exhibited by the ability, creativity, and fortitude of the Filipino. Our patriots embodied these qualities in all of their undertakings, particularly in their greatest enterprise – the formation of this Republic. Today we also take inspiration from our countrymen who demonstrate passion, excellence, and integrity in their chosen fields, thereby carrying on this legacy of solidarity and nationhood from our forefathers. As we celebrate our Independence, let it be our duty to reaffirm the values that have shaped and strengthened our nation, and to forge ahead in fulfillment of the destiny envisioned by our heroes.

Let us uphold the spirit of hope and confidence that comple-ments the momentum of change in our time. May we also remain proud of our heritage and diversity, the foundations that distin-guish our beloved Philippines.

Inspired by the past we now commemorate, we move forward to establish a future that accords with our rightful place in the com-munity of nations.

Benigno S. Aquino IIIPresident of the Philippines

COMMEMORATING Independence Day reminds us of the cour-age and struggle of the men and women who paved the way for the birth of our nation. Our ancestors made great sacrifices

to witness that day in 1898, when the Philippine flag was raised and the national anthem was played to mark the proclamation of our nation’s independence.

One hundred and 14 years after, we are called to remain united and steadfast to the ideals of freedom and democracy. This year’s theme, Kalayaan: Pananagutan ng Bayan para sa Tuwid na Daan, prompts us to bear in mind that every Filipino, wherever he or she may be, has a role to play in the nation’s development. Our hard-earned indepen-dence comes with responsibility to build a prosperous nation founded on truth, justice and equity.

Through good governance, the President is steering the Philippines towards rapid and sustainable economic growth, coupled with an improving quality of life for every Filipino. The Department of Foreign Affairs is one with the President in his pursuit to achieve inclusive growth for the country. In deepening our relations with other coun-tries and engaging regional powers, the Department endeavors to advance national security and secure our territorial integrity, effec-tively address the needs and welfare of overseas Filipinos, and engage in a vigorous campaign to enhance economic diplomacy.

Love for country and deep faith in the Filipino people gave our heroes strength to fight for independence. As we celebrate Independence Day, may their patriotism inspire Filipinos, here and abroad, to become willing partners and dedicated collaborators of the govern-ment in attaining sustained growth and development.

Mabuhay at Maligayang Pagdiriwang ng ating Kalayaan! Albert F. Del Rosario

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 9

Economic diplomacy important task for Consulate

ASSALAMU Allaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.On the occasion of the 114th anniversary of the

Proclamation of Philippine Independence, I join our Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario, His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III and the Filipino people in celebrating this glorious occasion.

As we pay tribute to our founding fathers, we also salute our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during this occasion. OFWs play an important role in promoting development both in the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the Western Region of the Kingdom, OFWs provide needed services in almost all sectors and industries. Regarded as modern-day heroes, OFWs are vital contributors to the Philippine economy.

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah strives to uphold the interests of OFWs as law-abiding and productive guests of the Kingdom. We are working closely with the Filipino community as partners in promoting OFW concerns.

An equally important task for the Consulate is economic diplo-macy -- increasing trade and investments between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. We established the Saudi-Philippines Business Club as a vehicle to enhance Saudi-Philippines interaction in investment, trade and tourism. Our major programs include orga-nizing tourism and trade exhibitions to showcase Philippine products and encourage Saudis and other nationals to visit the Philippines. Visitors will discover that indeed “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

I am confident that through the contributions of OFWs and our active promotion of economic diplomacy, bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Kingdom will continue to expand to promote mutual interests and objectives.

Mabuhay!Uriel Norman R. Garibay

Consul General

Top destinations aplentyBanaue Rice Terraces — Painterly Dreams

Because of its high altitude, Banaue is often described as “where land merges with the clouds to meet the heavens” with the rice terraces as “the stairway to the sky.”

Banaue is a place for nature adventures and cultural immersion. Days are for indulging in such activities as strolling, biking, and trekking. Evenings are for campfire chats at a village or warm indoor cosseting at the lodges and inns.

A leading tourism destination in Asia, the Banaue rice terraces start from the base of the Cordilleras and reach up to several thousand feet high. Its length, if stretched from end to end, could encircle half of the globe.

The rice paddies are fed by mountain springs and streams that are channeled into an irriga-tion canal that runs downhill through the ter-races.

Shopping takes a different twist in Banaue. While souvenir items are offered by curio stores, the more exciting way to shop, however, is to go on a village visit, watch a family demonstrate their native craft and then haggle for a better price on their product.

Bohol Chocolate Hills

Chocolate Hills is a series of 1,268 perfectly sym-metrical, haycock-shaped hills that rise some 30 meters above the ground. A National Geologic Monument, these unique, rock formations were cast after million years of evolution.

Spread out in the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, the hills are so-called because they resemble chocolate bonbons when their grass cover turns to brown at the onset of sum-mer. Two of the hills have been developed and provided with facilities, including a viewdeck, a

youth hostel and a restaurant.Other hills with a commanding view of the

surrounding islands include Banat-I and Elly in the capital city of Tagbilaran, Himontagon in the town of Loay, Sampoangan in Calape and Ilihan in Jagna.

Boracay — Barefoot in the BeachThe code in Boracay is strictly informal.

There is an undeniable easy atmosphere in Boracay where walking barefoot than shod is the rule rather than the exception. White Beach is so, soooo fine, it feels like treading on miles of baby powder! No wonder, even swinging discos have the beach for a floor, giving dance a new twist.

There are no hang-ups either in this island. At daytime, tourists having a soothing massage under the shade of a coconut tree beside the shoreline is a common sight. And from dusk to dawn, Boracay turns into one big party place where everyone is wel-come to join in…But first, let’s toast that sun-set cocktail!

Diversions are certainly no problem in this tropical eden with leisure activities calendared throughout the year and amenities offered by some 350 tourist establishments.

Cebu — The Isle of Your Tropical DreamsCebu is the traveler’s fantasy of a tropical island come true - balmy weather, pristine beaches, crystalline waters, and luxurious resorts with all the frills of modern living.

The island-province of Cebu was where the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan planted the Cross of Christianity in the name of Spain in 1521. But even before Cebu became the Occidental gateway to the Orient, it was already a popular entry point among Asian merchants.

Cebu has since blossomed into a choice tour-ist destination, with many leisure establish-ments taking full advantage of its sea-valley-and-mountain location.

Metropolitan Cebu, the country’s second big-gest metropolis, is the political, economic, edu-

cational and cultural center of the Visayas. Hotels, shopping malls, entertainment halls, casinos and golf fairways are ever present in the metro to cater to every tourist’s whim.

Davao -— Land of Plenty“Kadayawan sa Dabaw” is Davao City’s pre-mier festival and showcases the natural and cultural bounty of the land.

A movable feast in August, the week-long merrymaking highlights the manifold tribal cultures of the region which are vividly expressed in traditional songs, dances, games and crafts. It is also on this occasion when a lively trade fair, capped by a flower-and-fruit float parade, takes place. Street dancing and popular entertainment complete the celebra-tion.

Agriculture-based industries thrive in the Davao region. A major exporter of bananas, citrus, mangosteen and other tropical fruits, it is also the biggest pro-ducer of cultured flow-ers in the country. Its

surrounding waters are rich sources for com-mercial fishing.

The world’s largest city in terms of land area, Davao covers all of 244,000 hectares.

ManilaThe capital of the Philippines — its heart and soul — is Manila. It sets the rhythm of life in this archipelago and is a pulsating hub that blends the Oriental with the Occidental, the quaint with the modern, the mundane with the extraordinary.

Manila was born out of the ashes of a once flourishing Malay settlement by the banks of the Pasig River. In 1571, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established the Ever Loyal City of Manila which, until 1898, was the seat of Spanish colonial rule in Asia. He built the city within walls and called it Intramuros.

An anchor tourist destination, Manila is the very core of the 7,000 plus islands that make up the Philippines. It is a center for the performing arts in Asia.

Palawan — The Last FrontierUnique to Palawan is its megadiversity.

For a long time, Palawan’s bountiful resources, abundant wildlife and extraordi-nary natural beauty are known only to the many ethnic communities that thrive in these islands and a few other daring settlers who wanted to live in unpolluted surround-ings.

The island-province first attracted foreign attention in the 1970’s when it became a United Nations Vietnamese Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in Kenya also saw the transport of endangered animals from its savannas to the plains of Calauit Island.

However, it was only a sea accident in 1979 that eventually led to the opening of Palawan into tourism big time.

As the story goes, a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling water and, rising above it, a series of magnificently sculpted jade islands. And thus was how El Nido was discovered.

Ecology awareness is at a high level throughout the province. Puerto Princesa prides itself as the cleanest city in the Philippines. To protect its megadiversity, only eco-friendly programs are adhered to by tourist establishments. And there are strict ordinances against dynamite fishing, with only net and line fishing allowed.

Palawan may have opened itself to tourism but it has also taken serious efforts to pre-serve this last frontier.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 10

Philippine Selling Mission to Middle East boosts food exports by $ 32 million

LEVERAGING on the viable trade opportunities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Philippine Selling Mission to the Middle East generated over US$ 32 million food

export sales from Nov. 18 to Dec. 2, 2011. The success of the selling mission was due to

the business deals established with big hotel, restaurant, catering companies, institutional buyers, and Kingdomwide distributors in Saudi Arabia; the emerging market for Philippine food and beverage in Qatar, and Kuwait’s increased mass grocery retail sector.

During the trade mission, Philippine food companies were able to have one-on-one busi-ness meetings with Middle Eastern buyers and explore business opportunities with companies such as Qatar’s Al Meera Consumer Goods Company and Carrefour Hypermarket, and Abu Dhabi’s The Market, among others.

“We want to further establish the Philippines as a reliable source of high market value food products for the Middle Eastern market by showcasing our manufacturing and supply capabilities that can address huge market demands in the Middle East as well as in the neighboring African region and Europe. We are optimistic that through strengthened trade relations in the Middle East, we will be able to further access the Global Halal Market and explore more sustainable trade opportunities in the region,” says Rosvi C. Gaetos, Executive Director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.

With over two billion consumers in the GCC states, the trade mission’s goal was

to further penetrate the region’s market and

establish the Philippines as a reliable supplier of fresh and processed food commodities. The UAE alone imports 90% of its food products overseas and is the world’s third largest re-exporter with an average of US$ 5.1 billion worth of food products. It also has minimal trade barriers that make the UAE market worth exploring.

The Philippine Selling Mission also took advantage of the continuously increasing num-ber of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle Eastern region and the fast growing demand for Philippine food products. Saudi Arabia has the biggest market in the GCC eco-nomic bloc with over 1.5 million OFWs, putting demand for Filipino food in an upward trend.

Seeing the ripe opportunity to do business in the Middle East, more than 300

Filipino food companies have sought Halal certification and now offer over 10,000 Philippine products for export. Through the selling mission, these local manufacturers were given an opportunity to contribute to the global Halal market worth $ 2.1 trillion by engaging in the halal trade. The global halal market is currently dominated by non-Muslim halal importing countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States.

Aside from promoting and sustaining Philippine food exports to the region, CITEM and the commercial trade attaches and repre-sentatives in the Philippine Trade and Investments Offices in the Middle East are also working on boosting food product competitive-ness by gathering trends and acquiring updates on trade barriers, safety issues, and import reg-ulations and requirements in the Middle East.

The Philippine Selling Mission covered the

key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Qatar, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, and was held just in time for the post-holiday celebrations for the traditional Muslim holidays, the Ramadan, the feast of Mt. Arafat, and Eid Al Adha.

Among the Philippine companies that offered a wide variety of food products during the sell-ing mission were Fisherfarms, Inc. (www.fish-erfarms.ph), Foodsphere, Inc. (www.cdo.com.ph), Herbanext, Inc. (www.herbanext.com), Monde Nissin Corporation (www.mondenissin.com), Nature’s Tropical Delight,

Philippine Grocers Food Exports, Inc. (www.philippinegrocers.com), Pixcel Transglobal Foods Inc. (www.pinoysupermart.com.ph), Q-Phil Products International (www.qphil.com), Republic Biscuit Corporation (www.rebi-sco.com.ph), and Sagrex Food Incorporated (www.sagrexfoods.com).

Food offerings that the Philippine contingent showcased in the selling mission

were fresh tropical fruits such as mangoes, pineapples (Queen variety), and Cavendish bananas, dried/dehydrated fruits, mixed nuts, and tropical fruit juices and purees.

Furthermore, the selling mission also offered high-value seafood products

ranging from fresh frozen and value-added yellow fin tuna, milkfish, round scad, shrimp-based and fish-based value-added seafood prod-ucts, canned seafood, and fish meal.

Manufacturer-exhibitors participated in the selling mission through the assistance of CITEM, the Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), the Philippine Embassies, Philippine Consulates, and Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) in the Middle East.

ANB-Telemoney and OFWs: A strong long-standing relationshipRIYADH: AbDul HAnnAn TAgo

Arab National Bank — TeleMoney has congratulated the Overseas Filipino Workers in the Kingdom on the occasion of their country’s 114th Philippine Independence Day today ( June 12, 2012).

ANB-TeleMoney has developed a strong long-standing relationship with the Philippine Embassy and Filipino commu-nity in the Kingdom. It is the first choice for OFWs looking to send remittances to their loved ones back home, it says in a press release marking the Philippine Independence Day.

ANB-TeleMoney offers high speed remit-

tance services to the Philippines through the following correspondent banks – RCBC, PNB, Metrobank, and the Bank of Philippine Islands. It has recently added Banco De Oro or BDO to the list of Philippines-based part-ner banks in order to provide a better, more flexible and convenient remittance service to OFWs in the Kingdom. In partnership with ANB-TeleMoney, BDO has introduced, for the first time, Food Remittance services for Jolibee and Max’s Restaurant chains. OFWs can send food party meals to their family in the Philippines.

“At ANB-TeleMoney we offer the best ser-vices, including direct deposits to our corre-spondent bank accounts in less than one hour, direct credit to any bank accounts in

the Philippines, Door-to-Door Cash Delivery anywhere in the Philippines. We also offer Cash-Over-Counter or Cash Pick-Up services through our partner bank branches within 15 minutes, as well as at M. Lhuillier, Cebuana & Globe G-Cash outlets within 24 hours,” says the press release.

ANB-TeleMoney has one of the widest branch networks, with 85 well-located TeleMoney Centers Kingdomwide. More remittance centers will be opened by ANB-TeleMoney before the end of this year. OFWs can send their money remittances 24/7 by using a variety of ANB banking channels (Phone Banking, ATMs & on line Banking).

Once again, MABUHAY to all Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

arab news staff

Mercado brothers and IMEREX Group of Companies

THE IMEREX Group of Companies is synonymous to the success and phenomenal rise of the Mercado brothers. The two now easily stand out among the

top OFWs in Saudi Arabia. Their ascent to the top has been well planned and rapid though bumpy at times the road may be. Looking back at their career paths, these Kapampangan brothers could only shake their heads in disbelief at the trials they have surmounted. Now, the brothers are successful businessmen. In addition to this, their latest venture scheduled for roll-out in Q3 2012 is the recently licensed IMerex Group of Companies LLC, USA.

The beginningsMerex is a combination of the first three letters of the surname “Mercado” and the first two letters of the word “Express.” After much thought and visualization of their future goals, the brothers decided to prefix the name with the letter “I” which stands for “International.” So explains the name IMEREX which stands for “International Mercado Express.”

Working on a small start-up capital, they started to build their cargo business in Riyadh in 2002. The two immediately hit the ground running. One, being a strate-gist, he took care of formulating the business plan. And the other implemented the plan into operation. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, their persistence paid off. They never treated failure as a permanent setback but, rather, a part of the learning process. So they used those lessons learned, instead, as tools to bounce back. They quickly fine-tuned the identified weaknesses and finally hit the jackpot. This initial business unit is now one of the leading cargo for-warders in the Kingdom.

The growth of IMEREXOver the years, the primary cargo business has expanded to other Saudi regions and major cities.

However, in 2009, tragedy struck their business. Their branch in Jeddah was inundated with water. The ware-house was flooded and filled with mud. A number of balikbayan boxes were soaked and there weren’t much left worth salvaging. Merex suffered horrendous losses. In spite of this, the brothers declared: ”Though the incident was force majeure and beyond our control, we didn’t let our customers down. We built our business on trust. And that is the least we can give back to our customers. There comes a point when social responsibility takes precedence over other considerations.”

In addition to providing jobs and livelihood to their Filipino countrymen, the brothers have given back their dues to society by undertaking philanthropic projects through the years including the refurbishing of churches, building of classrooms and full educational scholarships for the deserving and less fortunate. The brothers strongly believe that all the blessings coming their way have been merely entrusted to them from The Almighty.

The company stayed true and dedicated to its mission to serve the Filipino in general and OFWs in particular and, by 2012, has grown into the company that it is today.

The futureNew business units have recently been launched such

as the OSN dealership and the IATA air ticketing. New products are being planned for launching in Saudi Arabia in 2012. In further support of its service mission, the group has added a new goal and global strategic direction: “Wherever the OFWs may be, we’ll be there to serve them.”

IMEREX Philippine office and warehouse.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 11

Feel friendly with Zain FRiENDi mobile packageALL OVER THE Middle East, South Asia &

Africa, millions of people of various nationalities have one thing in common

— they all have loved ones who live far from them. Expatriates have families back home they miss dearly; and their sentiment is shared by families who have a son, a brother, or a hus-band who is working or studying in another country.

Zain FRiENDi mobile is a prepaid mobile proposition targeting nationals and foreigners, and is based around empowering these people to stay connected to their friends and family, locally and internationally.

Zain FRiENDi Mobile Package your lasting choice

Zain FRiENDi Mobile Package allows customers to keep in touch with their friends and families in Saudi Arabia and abroad at competitive prices, and gives them access to a range of innovative mobile services.

With Zain FRiENDi mobile package, custom-er can enjoy attractive international rates for calls to destinations including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, Canada, the UK, Bahrain, and the UAE. They can also enjoy low international SMS prices. Also available for Zain FRiENDi mobile package customers are a range of mobile services such as international content, and much more, for instance, you can have up to 2 favorite numbers to Philippines at the rate of 0.65 Halalas, as well as you can enjoy surfing the internet with an offer of a weekly bundle for 15 riyals.

Benefits of Zain FRiENDi mobileZain FRiENDi mobile is committed to helping you enjoy great call quality at the best prices. So if you’re calling friends and loved ones abroad, surfing the web or even sending an SMS you can relax with the peace of mind that we are working hard to make sure you enjoy. Examples include:

• Easy prepaid internet - stay online with the best plans.

• Excellent network coverage in the Kingdom gives you high quality calls and SUPER FAST internet speed!.

•Speak to our friendly customer service rep-resentatives in your own language: Arabic, English, Tagalog, and Indonesian.

•Check your call history and recharge ONLINE 24/7.

• Available in thousands of shops across the Kingdom.

Zain FRiENDi shares Philippines National Day celebrations

In a faithful note to the large expatriate Filipino community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zain FRiENDi Mobile has the pleasure to share with its strong and loyal Filipino clients their celebrations of the 114th Philippine Independence Day on June 12th. It is a day for many people, including government officials, employees, and students to participate in nationwide parades and festivities.

Many Filipinos over here spend the day cel-ebrating the independence, but opt to stay connected to their homes and loved ones via their fancied Zain FRiENDi Mobile Packages; which cares and shares their celebration spir-its and sentiments.

Nothing worth more to the nation and citi-zens than the Independence Day in bringing together peoples, friends and families to relive the event and exchange congratulatory com-ments via Zain FRiENDi Mobile Packages.

RIYADH: GHAZANFAR ALI KHANarab news staff

Wow Philippines food festival at Lulu Hypermarkets

AN EIGHT-DAY food festival as part of a massive celebra-tion dubbed Wow Philippines will be inaugu-rated today at all Lulu

Hypermarkets in Riyadh and Alkhobar to celebrate the Philippine Independence Day. The festival, which will be opened by Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago in Riyadh and Labor Attache Adam Musa in Alkhobar, will showcase a huge range of Filipino products and foodstuffs imported from the Philippines, and also a large variety of breads and confectionary items locally made in the bakeries of the Lulu Hypermarkets in the two cities.

The food festivals, according to P. K. Saleem, Lulu regional manager, will feature famous Philippine bananas and pineapples, bangus (milkfish), dried fish and noodles, among others. A range of products, which are not generally available in Saudi Arabia or even in other Gulf countries, have also

been imported by the Lulu Hypermarkets to be showcased and sold on this occasion. “Practically all Filipino products will be available in Riyadh and Alkhobar under the roof of Lulu,” said Saleem.

Of Lulu’s relations with the Filipino community, he pointed out that more than 300 Filipinos are working at Lulu outlets across the Kingdom, in posts ranging from managerial positions to cashiers and sales assistants. This is in addition to over 5,000 Filipino manag-ers and workers employed by Lulu across the region. “In fact, Saudis, Indians and Filipinos represent bulk of our workforce,” said Saleem, while referring to the recruitment of more workers in near future.

On the other hand, Lulu has also been a major importer of Filipino prod-ucts. Lulu has already signed contracts with some Filipino companies to bring in more Filipino products to all of the branches in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the festival will be showcasing the best consumer products/food products, including groceries and fresh and fro-

zen foods, as well as offering freshly prepared traditional Filipino dishes.

Shoppers will also be able to famil-iarize themselves with the country’s products and find out more about the multiple ethnicities and cultural diver-sity of the more than 7,000 islands that make up the Philippine archipelago, said Saleem. The Philippine festival is part of the Lulu Hypermarket’s initia-tive to continuously bring the best of the world to their customers by provid-ing the right products in the right place at the right time, he noted.

Catering to millions of customers per day across the region, the Lulu Hypermarket chain has grown to become the shopping center of choice among discerning customers looking for quality retailing. This popularity is also attested to by the fact that the brand enjoys close to 35 percent of the total retail market share in the GCC. With a clear focus on consolidating its retail dominance in the region, the Lulu Hypermarkets chain is rapidly expanding in both existing as well as new markets across the Gulf region.

Referring to the Filipino customers, who have always been loyal to Lulu, Saleem said that freshly made Filipino delicacies will be prepared and sold daily during the promotion week. A range of packed cooked foods will also be sold daily to cater to Filipino nation-als as well as those who would wish to taste and try the dishes from other nationalities in Saudi Arabia, he added. The traditional foods will be sold at very reasonable and affordable prices, he observed. He said that the new Lulu Hypermarket, opened in Riyadh only a few days back, was a partner in the fes-tival.

The Lulu’s new giant store will also welcome Filipino shoppers and offer hundreds of food items, fashion wears, consumer goods and foodstuffs espe-cially for Filipinos. Lulu has announced plans to open eight hypermarkets in 2013 including the existing three stores in Saudi Arabia. The Lulu’s expansion plan will continue in the Gulf region and Lulu will have “10 hypermarkets operational in the Kingdom before July 2014.”

Vice President Jejomar Binay during his visit at Lulu Hypermarket in Riyadh recently. (AN photos)

Photo shows Lulu tradition to celebrate Philippine Independence Day.