Culminating Activity:
“Basic Skills Training: PACCI, CFSI, and VOICE, Paving Ways For Career Enhancement For Rightsholders”
August 22, 2024
August 22, 2024, marked a momentous occasion for twenty-three rightsholders, guests and stakeholders as they celebrated the culmination of their basic skills training at the United International Maritime Training and Assessment Center (UIMTAC). The graduation ceremony, held at the SEA Tower Building, 2332 Roxas Blvd. Cor Arnaiz Avenue, Pasay, 1300, Metro Manila, began at 10:00 AM and concluded at 1:00 PM.
Esteemed guests from our partner organizations and the Arab community began arriving at the venue either wearing formal or traditional Filipino attire. Meanwhile, many graduating rightsholders, exuding pride and cultural heritage, also showcased their own traditional garments. A total of 44 individuals attended this joyous occasion.
The hosts of the event, Ms. Josette Nimbona & Mr. Yasir Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, opened the program by calling Ms. Hawa Janice Cooper Tarlue who led the Prayer of Thanks for Christians followed by Mr. Elsir A Mohamed Elhassan for Prayer for Muslims. Everyone then remained standing to give respect as the Philippine National Anthem was played.
Afterwards, the President of UIMTAC, Mr. Wilhermino S. Maniego gave the Welcome Remarks. He was pleased to see the partner organizations, guests and twenty-three graduating rightsholders with their family gather in their training center to celebrate this special day. UIMTAC helped in the preparation of this culminating activity and looks forward to having more graduation ceremony with PACCI in the future.
The next speakers were UIMTAC instructors, Mr. Jievic Tobiano, who handled Food and Beverage and Housekeeping, and Mr. Melvin T. Tayao, who taught Cookery and Bartending classes. The instructors shared that they are very happy for the opportunity to impart their skills and knowledge to the rightsholders and hopes that what they have learned will somehow help get employment in the hospitality industry.
On behalf of the rightsholders, the group leaders - Mr. Emmanuel Kalu Ukaha, Mr. Oumaru Sillah, Mr. Elsir A Mohamed Elhassan, Ms. Hawa Janice Cooper Tarlue and Ms. Tepekem Winifred Ngwepekem were called to speak on stage one by one. All of them expressed how deeply grateful they are to CFSI, PACCI and VOICE for organizing the basic skill training in UIMTAC. A lot of lessons learned not only about the subject matter but also lessons in socializing with each other as members of one community.
The next part of the program was the distribution of certificates. UIMTAC President, Mr. Wilhermino S. Maniego and PACCI President, Mr. Rafea Salem El-Hawi together with Ms. Daisy Dawn Macahilo, VOICE Project Manager and Mr. Rufino Seva, CFSI URP Coordinator handed out the certificates of completion to twenty three rightsholders; thirteen rightsholders completed the Bread and Pastry class, four from Cookery, one from Housekeeping, three from Bartending, and two from Food and Beverage.
Afterwards, the rightsholders proudly highlighted their talents by presenting cultural dance and song numbers.
Moving on, Keynote Speaker, Mr. Basem Ghanem Vice President of Middle East and North Africa Chamber of Commerce took the stage to congratulate the rightsholders and PACCI for the successful project with CFSI and VOICE. He encouraged the rightsholders to continue working hard with determination and always be truthful to be able to achieve their goals. According to Mr. Ghanem the Middle East and North Africa Chamber of Commerce supports the future endeavors of PACCI and rightsholders.
Mr. Rufino Seva conveyed a heartfelt message of solidarity, emphasizing the importance of discussing the next steps for PACCI and CFSI. He expressed his eagerness to continue collaborating beyond this training and assured that CFSI will always be available to support and work alongside PACCI. To reiterate the message of solidarity, Ms. Ma. Theresa Limpin, CFSI Project Coordinator with the special participation of Ms. Liza Marie Acasio, Mr. Rufino Seva and Ms. May Plenum Pelle, delivered a special song performance.
Mr. Rafea Salem El-Hawi President of PACCI during his speech said that he has mixed emotions that day. He thanked most Ms. Ma. Theresa J. Limpin, CFSI Project Coordinator, for organizing the culminating project from screening of the rightsholders till the arrangement of the final program. While he felt sadness at the culmination of the project, he was also excited about the opportunities that future projects would bring. He emphasized that PACCI is doing its utmost to secure new donors to sustain the training and other activities. He took immense pride in noting that PACCI is “the only training program for refugees and asylum seekers in all of Southeast Asia.” For the refugees and asylum seekers, Mr. El-Hawi reminded them to keep moving forward by either applying for jobs or opening a small business, “I hope that they will take positive actions, after this graduation they will start looking forward. PACCI will always be there for you. PACCI can always be there for any consultation or guidance for now until the fundings for the next project.”
Based on the feedback of rightsholders the spirit of service and compassion was evident throughout the entire training period thus Mr. El-Hawi expressed his gratitude to UIMTAC for being an excellent service provider. Also, Mr. El-Hawi thanked VOICE for providing PACCI with the opportunity, making them the pioneering grantee of VOICE that focuses on the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the Philippines. Lastly, he thanked CFSI for all their untiring assistance since day one up to the end of the project.
Ms. Daisy Dawn Macahilo, VOICE Project Manager, delivered the Closing Remarks by first congratulating the rightsholders for completing the training despite the challenges they may have faced. She then commended PACCI for their tireless efforts and sacrifices that contributed to the project’s success. Two years ago, VOICE recognized the urgent need to support refugees and asylum seekers in the Philippines, and now as the shared journey of the project has come to an end, Ms Macahilo, was happy to hear how the learning experiences shared by the team leaders positively impacted their lives.
Finally, Ms. Macahilo gave some advice on how to answer the big question at the moment, what’s next? She said, “What’s next for you is something that you need to reflect on after you leave this place. After you go back to your respective homes and you know this is something that even funders could not really lean forward to cause at some level we have done our part in the mission of PACCI. But what we want you to ask was what can you do for yourself? Sometimes, that is the question that we need to really work on. Of course, we should demand from the authorities but at the same time what would be your commitment? what would be the next steps for you? Raffy will be around, Sir Pinoy will be around, “Ate Thess” will be around to assist you to provide you guidance, but I think it’s really important that you know where you’re heading.”
At the end of the program, group photo sessions were held to commemorate this joyous occasion. Lunch prepared by the rightsholders was then served highlighting the skills they had honed during their training.
The project’s primary goal was to help refugees become empowered, self-sufficient and independent members of the community. The basic skills training was one of the ways to enhance their capabilities to secure future employment or set up their own small businesses, ultimately improving their quality of life in the Philippines. This goal will hopefully soon be realized as many of the rightsholders especially the women plans to sell bread and pastries in their neighborhood. Ms. Hawa Janice Cooper Tarlue, one of the women rightsholders who completed the Bread & Pastry training enthusiastically shared her future goals, “My plans after the skills training program, I want to start a business by the grace of God. Yes, I will really love to pursue a baking business.” As new roads open for the rightsholders, we hope that they are ready and initially equipped to reach better destinations.