KUWAIT CITY, April 3

"Expect a lot of openness from our government, that's what our Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario wants, for us to be open and transparent and help our people in achieving their goals and of course the sincerity that we have to project and develop," disclosed the newly assigned Philippine Consul General to Kuwait Attorney Raul H Dado during the inauguration of the Jollibee Restaurant in Farwaniya on Wednesday evening. Dado was accompanied by Philippine Labour Attache David Des Dicang, Philippine Welfare Officer Norlita Lugtu and Jollibee Owner Yacoub Al-Hajery during the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon.

Dado who arrived in Kuwait last week told the Arab Times that he finds his assignment in Kuwait very challenging as he has to be responsible for the welfare of over 170,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Kuwait. "I have been going around and have met some Filipinos in my one-week stay here and this has given me enough resolve to do my job," he stated.

Dado was assigned in Macau for three years as a Consul General before being posted to Kuwait. He also served as a diplomat in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Laos. He is now the Charge d' Affaires in the absence of Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan Primavera who is facing investigation in the Philippines on the alleged sexual harassment complaint filed against him by his former household service worker in Kuwait.

Dado, a lawyer and an alumnus of the University of the Philippines, vowed to help OFWs in Kuwait and institute reforms amid the recent issues of corruption and controversies that rocked the Philippine embassy in Kuwait.

"To all my kababayans, do not to worry about so many things, we know that you have some problems and we're here to find solutions with the help of the Philippine government. As what our Vice President, President and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs want, it's their desire to make all Filipinos safe in their homes, in their jobs, lives and families and this is our primary objective for now," he stressed. He also called on the Filipino community to be united. "We hope to develop harmonious relations with the Filipino community and hopefully with their cooperation, we can achieve all our goals," he said.

Meanwhile, Filipino community leaders welcomed the arrival of Dado to Kuwait. "It's about time that we have a new leader to fill in the vacuum at the embassy. We need someone with a strong resolve but with a soft heart for OFWs with an untarnished record of public service. We hope that Consul General Dado can help bring back the trust and confidence of the OFWs in the embassy," pointed out Eljan Embrado, the founder of the Pilipino sa Kuwait.

On the other hand, newly re-elected President of FIL-ASEAK Maripol Abdalla was happy to meet Dado during the event. "He is very approachable and down-to-earth. Hopefully, he stays that way so OFWs can easily reach out to him whenever they need his help," she stated. Filipino Cultural President Mildred Lacson also shared Abdalla's first impression of Dado. "He has a nice aura and hopefully in the coming days, we get to see the reforms that we have been waiting for in the embassy," stated Lacson.

© Arab Times 2013