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Blood on FIFA World Cup
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Proverbs 1:16, KJV
FROM A VANTAGE POINT
Tito S. Venida
FOUNDING FATHER
Tito S. Venida is a product of the University of the Philippines. He used to be a student-leader during his college days and became one of the founders of the Tau Gamna Phi, one of the world leading Philippine-produced fraternities. His immensurable love for the human race has brought him to the conviction of translating his mission from fraternity into Divinity--from a mere brotherhood into sainthood. Tito authored a book entitled Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, which means, wherever you throw, it will stand.
Fools And Sinners.
Fools cannot quit folly. Sinners cannot stop sinning. They run with haste to more wickedness rather than walk. They greedily rush to satisfy their evil lusts (Ephesians 4:17-19). Because of this trait, young men should stay as far from fools and sinners as possible.
A Warning From A Loving Father.
After introducing the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1:1-9), Solomon wrote a parable warning his son about the grave danger of evil associations (Proverbs 1:10-19). Foolish friends destroy more young men than any other factor. The parable describes a band of cutthroats seeking to entice a young man to join them, and Solomon told his son where such fools are headed.
Being asked to join a band of cutthroats is extreme, but consider the temptation for young men to join gangs in high schools or city ghettos, immoral college fraternities, subversive military or political organizations, the KKK, the Masonic Lodge, the Communist Party, labor unions, and other societies of men pursuing a wide variety of equally evil goals.
The Danger Of Association With Wicked Men.
The danger of association with wicked men is their mad rush to more and more evil. No matter your desire to avoid sin and wickedness, their enticing invitations and the power of peer pressure will be too much to resist. You will go down with them, and go down they certainly will. Solomon made this clear before ending the parable (Proverbs 1:17-19).
The Consequences Of Sin.
Sin does not know contentment. One sin is not enough. After breaking a commandment of God and tasting the fruit of forbidden pleasures, it must have more. The heart becomes hardened, the conscience is seared, the lusts are inflamed, and the mind cannot forget the stolen thrills. The downhill rush to destruction has begun. What will stop the sinners?
You cannot reform wicked friends. Instead, the wicked friends will corrupt your good manners (I Corinthians 15:33). The safety of wisdom is simple: do not even start friendships with fools (Proverbs 1:10; 4:14-17; Psalms 1:1-3). If you have foolish friends, forsake them immediately (Proverbs 9:6; 13:20; 14:7). This rule is crucial for survival and success (Proverbs 2:10-22).
Conclusion.
Only God can change fools, which He did gloriously in the case of Saul of Tarsus (Titus 3:3-5). If you think you can change them, you are gravely mistaken. Be not deceived (I Corinthians 15:33)! Another proverb concludes, “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22). Even Paul avoided those without faith and the fear of God (II Thessalonians 3:1-2; II Timothy 3:1-5).
The lesson is simple and weighty. Foolish friends will destroy any man. Therefore, reject all worldly friends for the friends of the King of Zion (Psalms 101:1-8; 119:63, 79; 144:1115; Titus 1:8). You can find them in the local church that exalts apostolic doctrine and practice, where you can exhort and help each other to greater faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blood on FIFA World Cup
In my visit to Bangkok and the Philippines, bars are filled with football fans watching their favorite teams. As we get closer to the end of World Cup football with four teams remaining to compete for the coveted World Cup, many do not know that the stadium in Qatar was built by migrant workers over ten years when Qatar won their bid to hold the soccer competition there. And over the years thousands of migrants die of exhaustion and heat. Below is the statement of the International Migrants Alliance on the issue. I had a privilege to attend the Alliance’s 5th Assembly in Bangkok on November 30th to December 4th.
FIFA 2022 and the tragedy of fallen migrant workers in Qatar
Statement of the International Migrants Alliance on worsening situation of migrant workers in Qatar
Years after the deaths of more than 6,500 migrant workers between 2010 and 2020 in Qatar, FIFA continues to fail in its promise to bring justice to victims’ families.
Since Qatar clinched its bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010, FIFA and the Qatar government have employed thousands of migrant workers for the construction of state-of-the-art stadiums and infrastructure for the event. Qatar is reported to have spent more than $200 billion and increased the recruitment of migrant workers by 65% in the years leading to the 2022 World Cup.
Migrant workers now constitute at least 77% of the Qatari population and 90% of its labor force, per the 2022 International Organization for Migration report. Migrant workers come mostly from South Asia.
In the last 12 years, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been mired with controversy and faced with outrage as migrant workers and their families decried inhumane labor conditions, wage theft, slave-like labor conditions and mysterious deaths. Recently, FIFA drew flak anew as its promised “Legacy Fund” for migrant workers failed to materialise. “FIFA’s goal is profits, at the expense of migrant workers’ lives. We condemn in strongest terms the FIFA and the Qatari government for their continued criminal neglect over the worsening living and working conditions of migrant workers in the country,” said Eni Lestari, chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance (IMA), a global alliance of more than 150 organisations of grassroots migrants, refugees, displaced peoples and advocates.
Lestari said that despite and in spite of global indignation, the Qatari government has not advanced any measures to uphold rights and wellbeing of migrant workers, ensure their access to justice, nor compensate the families of those who have died. Some have even denied the workers’ death as work-related. She blamed the slave-like conditions of migrant workers in Qatar to the government’s refusal to scrap policies that make migrants vulnerable to abuses and exploitation such as the Kafala System. The Kafala system is a repressive and exploitative “sponsor system” that legitimizes modern-day slavery of migrant workers. In 2015, the Qatari government had promised to introduce new legislation
MIGRANTS' VOICES
Marco Luciano
mluciano2@gmail.com
Marco Luciano is the Global Council Representative of Philippine based Migrante International. He is also the current Secretary General of its chapter Migrante Canada.
that would “amend” the antiquated and inhumane Kafala system. Despite this, abuses against and deaths of migrant workers remained on the rise.
“FIFA, for its failure to give just compensation to the migrant workers and their families and for keeping silent on the ongoing modern-day slavery happening in Qatar, is complicit in all these atrocities. Behind all the grandiose celebrations are the grief and agony of migrant workers who have made the 2022 World Cup possible. FIFA’s tagline ‘Now is All’ does not include migrants because for them migrants are invisible, disposable.”
IMA calls on the FIFA and the Qatari government to heed the demands for comprehensive change in migration and labor policies in Qatar to uphold and protect their rights and welfare. Likewise, IMA calls on governments of migrant-sending countries to stand by their nationals, demand decent living wages for them and condemn the slave-like conditions of their migrant workers in Qatar.
“No migrant worker is a slave, a commodity or a disposable good. Celebrate us, protect us, uphold us. The conditions of migrant workers in Qatar deserve a much, much bigger arena than the World Cup.”
Suite 920, 517 10th Ave SW, Calgary AB, T2R 0A8 ▪ Tel: 403-455-9346; 403-455-9457 Philippine Consulate General, Calgary www.philcongencalgary.org
PCG Calgary Leads Webinar on Franchising Opportunities for Filipino Canadians in Alberta and Saskatchewan
Calgary, 23 November 2022– As part of its economic diplomacy program, the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary successfully organized the webinar “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan: Franchising Opportunities for Filipino Canadians” on 18 November 2022.
The PCG held the webinar in partnership with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Toronto and the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA).
The PCG also collaborated with the following business groups which assisted in promoting the webinar among their members: Philippine Business Society of Alberta (PBSA), United Filipino Entrepreneurs Association (UFEA), Philippine Business Council of Calgary (PBCC), Philippine Entrepreneurs Society of Saskatchewan (PESOS), and Saskatoon Association of Filipino Entrepreneurs, Inc. (SAFE Inc).
“We would like to open another door of opportunity for our Filipino Canadian entrepreneurs by providing them with information on franchising Philippine brands, so they will have more options for expanding or starting a business,” said Consul General Zaldy Patron in his remarks during the webinar.
Ms. Sherill Quintana, PFA Chairperson, talked about the PFA and explained why franchising Philippine brands could be a viable and better option for Filipino Canadian entrepreneurs. She highlighted that the expansion of Philippine franchises could also serve as a powerful tool for Philippine economic development and nation building.
Mr. Joph Tan of Francorp Philippines shared some pointers on how to invest wisely in the right franchise.
Mr. Hipolito Alibin then gave a testimonial about his company’s positive experience in franchising Max’s Restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Four Philippine companies, namely Caffe La Tea, Famous Belgian Waffles, Nail.Glow, and Oryspa, gave presentations about their respective businesses.
These firms are among the Philippine franchisors looking for franchisees in Canada.
The public can view the webinar from this link - https://fb.watch/g_ k19vM8hx/?mibextid=qC1gEa.
This latest webinar was a follow up to the Webinar on Setting Up Businesses in Canada that the PCG organized on 19 October 2022.
Consul General Zaldy Patron (top left), Ms. Sherrill Quintana, Chairperson of the Philippine Franchising Association (top right), and Trade Commissioner Benedict Uy during the webinar “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan: Franchising Opportunities for Filipino Canadians” held on 18 November 2022. (Calgary PCG)
Speakers and panel members during the webinar (Calgary PCG).
Learning for Interdependence & Global Awareness of the Philippines & Canada LINGAP Canada Commemorates Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is observed every year on the 10th of December, the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. For this year, the 2022 slogan for Human Rights Day is “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.” and the call to action is #StandUp4HumanRights.
One of the annual activities of LINGAPCanada is the celebration of Human Rights Day. In 2020, we held an online Forum featuring over 30 Canadians in diverse fields who presented their perspectives and experience of human rights. In 2021, we presented a Human Rights Monologues to dramatize human rights violations and protection of many marginalized groups or communities in Global North and South contexts.
For this year, 2022, we provided a compilation describing the inspirational vision and work of 13 Human Rights Defenders in Canada and 10 in the Philippines. The human rights protected by these defenders included the right to live in a nonviolent world free from weapons of mass destruction and Gender-based Violence; the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Moros, women, children, internally displaced persons, refugees, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, LBGTQ and other gender identities; right of non-discrimination and anti-racism; civil and political rights; freedom of expression and information; right to religious belief and respect; right to economic and social development based on justice, dignity and non-exploitation; right to health; right to environmental sustainability and climate justice.
These Human Rights Defenders are honoured for their contributions to social action to help overcome human rights violations and protect human rights of peoples and humanity in local, national, and global contexts. We have uploaded the PowerPoint presentation as a YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=o9dUDft7P5o).
LINGAP Canada is hopeful that the vision and work of these defenders will inspire people who view this video to be active local and global citizens in building a culture of human rights toward a culture of peace not only in Canada and the Philippines, but also in the wider world community.
Canadian Human Rights Defenders
Left to Right: John P. Humphrey; Leroy Little Bear; Huberte Gautreau; Stephanie Elickus; Doug Roche; Marie Roberson; Marco Luciano; Catherine Coumans; David Suzuki; Roxanne Ulanicki; Michel Chikwanine; Irfan Chaudhry; Sandy Houston.
Philippine Human Rights Defenders
