Drinking Alcohol In UAE: Why Intoxication Is A Serious Crime

Drinking Alcohol in the UAE: Why Intoxication Is A Serious Crime from Illustrado

By Atty. Barney Almazar

Photo from cdn.c.photoshelter.com

Alcohol intoxication is a serious offense in Muslim jurisdictions as evidenced by the gravity of penalty associated to it. A person guilty of illicit sexual relation will be given 100 lashes while alcohol drinking warrants 80 lashes. This is because drinking is considered a crime against the rights of God.

Different Penalties for Muslims and Non-Muslims

The UAE Penal Code, particularly Article 313 of Book 2, Part 5 on Crimes against Religious Faith and Rites provides the penalties for alcohol consumption:

“Article 313...

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Credit Cards and Loans: Your Rights and Responsibilities from Illustrado

By Atty. Barney Almazar


Did you know that banks are not allowed to take blank cheques as a condition for your loan approval? This is provided for under Article 15 (b) of the UAE Central Bank Regulations No 29/2011 regarding bank loans and services offered to individual customers.

Learn about the regulations of the UAE Central Bank pertaining to credit cards, personal loans, top-up loans, car loans and overdraft facilities, as well as the rights and responsibilities of banks and their customers.

Your debts could land you in jail! Learn how to avoid it here.

 Credit Cards

Article 5 (a) of the Regulations defines credit cards as plastic cards linked to an electronic network, containing details and credit limit of the card holder. Value of a customer’s purchases and cash withdrawals are paid on his behalf by the issuing bank or the finance company, and the customer pays the value at the beginning of the month following the transactions’ month, or by installments as per agreement with the issuing bank or finance company, after end of the period allowed for full payment of the balance.

Banks and Finance Companies issuing such cards must abide by the following:

- Provide these cards to persons whose annual income equal or exceeds AED60,000.

- These cards may be provided against a pledged deposit of value not less than AED60,000.

- Banks or finance companies should provide their credit card customers with a monthly statement of expenses, showing values of purchases and cash withdrawals, and they should immediately investigate if a customer challenges any expense item.

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Food Philippines at Gulf Food 2015

Food Philippines at Gulf Food 2015 from Illustrado

Food Philippines brings natural and halal­ products at the 20^th Gulfood 

Food Philippines will once again generate more trade opportunities for the country when it brings halal, natural, and organic products to the 20^th “Gulfood: The Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire” slated at the Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE on Feb. 8-12, 2015. 

Spearheaded by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Food Philippines will highlight the country’s halal-certified food products and “power” fruits in its participation in the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality show. 

“Favorable feedback and results from Gulfood’s last edition inspired us to continue bringing our healthy and natural food products to the world. Buyers and visitors who will troop to the 20^th Gulfood can expect more from the Food Philippines since we are ready to bring our halal­-certified products and tropical fruits in the UAE region,” said CITEM executive director Rosvi Gaetos.

The global halal trade is estimated to be worth USD2.3 trillion.  While halal food products have a ready market among the world’s Muslim population estimated at around 2 billion, halal food is consumed by even non-Muslim consumers because it has become synonymous with the highest standards of food safety. The increasing demand for halal-certified products in UAE and in the international market poses a huge opportunity for Philippine exporters.  The Philippine Export Development Plan identifies halal food exports as one of the growth areas that could trigger a 30 percent increase in export figures for food by 2016.

Food Philippines’ power fruits such as banana, coconut, mango, and pineapple will also take the spotlight at Gulfood, promoting well-being and quality lifestyle with their numerous health benefits.

Food Philippines is the industry brand for the food sector which unifies the overseas promotional efforts of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Under this national brand, the Philippines is positioned as Asia’s most exciting sourcing destination for food exports, being one of the world’s top exporters of fresh fruits and marine products.

The Food Philippines Pavilion in the 19th edition of Gulfood in Dubai.

 

The fruit products of food manufacturer Agrinurture Inc.

 

A foreign buyer making inquiries at the Food Philippines Pavilion in the 19th edition of Gulfood.

Food Philippines will once again generate more trade opportunities for the country when it brings halal, natural, and organic products to the 20^th “Gulfood: The Gulf Food Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire” slated at the Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE in Feb. 2015.

content source: http://goo.gl/H3GPQ5

Filipinos Abroad: What Every Filipino Needs to Know When Moving to Another Country

Filipinos Abroad: What Every Filipino Needs to Know When Moving to Another Country from Illustrado

By Quay Evano

Photo – Dreamstime.com

Filipinos have been widely known as citizens of the world. The Pinoy diaspora dates back to the early 1900s when thousands of Filipinos migrated to the USA and ended up starting generations upon generations of Filipino-Americans.  According to AC Nielsen, Filipinos, after the Chinese and the Indians, are the third largest expatriate population scattered around the globe, with 12% of our population outside the homeland.  Our kababayans can be found working and living virtually anywhere in the world – on oil tankers and cruise ships in remote oceans from pole to pole; in unforgiving deserts in the Middle East and Africa; in the coldest places in the world, and even in jungles untouched by man in South America.

Each person has a different way of adapting and surviving in a new country. Luckily for us Filipinos, the culture that we have grown up with has given us a built-in advantage in terms of being able to more easily integrate within new communities where we choose to reside.  Not only are we blessed with familiarity with the English language, even our easy-going and mostly open attitude, unlike more conservative expats, certainly helps us adjust to life in a foreign land.

Still, sharpening our survival skills will ease the way we can get accustomed and eventually thrive in a new place.

Here are some tips that Filipinos could benefit from while trying to make it elsewhere in the world.

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Filipinos Abroad: A Filipino Expat Guide to Settling Abroad

Filipinos Abroad: A Filipino Expat Guide to Settling Abroad from Illustrado

By Kristine Abante 

They say if you haven’t dared left your comfort zone you will only be reading one page of a great book.
 
Those of us who have been lucky enough to experience the thrill of stepping into another country will tell you that there is this priceless rush that comes from the moment you first set foot on foreign soil.

Everything seems so exotic – the air, the weather, the street signs, the food, public transportation, people talking in a language you don’t understand. You take this all in as you assess the possibilities before you. It is frightening, yes, but it is also rewarding to have that chance to be a brand new person, open to new adventures ahead.

There was a time when travel was not exactly popular among Pinoys, when the word “abroad” only brings to mind three things – a) you’re family is loaded rich, b) you have relatives abroad who petitioned for you, or c) you are an OFW bound for a tough life in the Middle East, Europe or Canada.

Times have changed, however. Nowadays with cheaper international fares and better opportunities, we see Filipinos from all walks of life, not only making their way but also planting roots across globe.

Masters at the art of adapting and integrating, Pinoy expats are proving that although there might be no place like home, there is also no limit to the places you can call home.

If you’re thinking of spreading your wings and moving to certain parts of the world, we’ve gathered some insights from our fellow Filipinos living in key places around the globe to help you plan your next big move.

Yellow taxis rides on 5th Avenue in New York, USA. Photo – Andrey Bayda

Continue reading to know more Filipino Expats who are now settling abroad... http://goo.gl/TTfW7m

Life Makeover: Declutter and make 2015 your best year ever

Life Makeover: Declutter and make 2015 your best year ever from Illustrado

By Anna de Leon

shutterstock_176601806

“I will lose weight, I will save money.” “I will do this … I will do that…” The lists of resolutions, as well as, possibilities are endless once the New Year rolls in. But no, we will not tell you to hit the gym six days a week to lose the pounds gained from eating lechon and leche flan, or start-up a savings plan – the one that you’ve been postponing for the last three years.  Instead, here are basic tips that could be the foundation of your best year yet.

The New Year gives you 365 days of new chances and possibilities to better and reinvent yourself, but sometimes unnecessary baggage – i.e. people (yes, they exist), objects and feelings, hinder these personal improvement plans.  Often, we tend to overlook these basic things that need our attention. But to properly see the great opportunities that are mostly just right under our noses, one must, first and foremost, de-clutter.  Mind you, the concept is not exclusive to your material possessions.  It applies to almost everything in your life.


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Out of the Barrio, Into the World

Out of the Barrio, Into the World from Illustrado

by Nicholo Jallores

To Juan and Maria,

You’re not in the barrio anymore.

Welcome to the world.

Photo credit: New Line Cinema (Screen Shot 2015-01-29 at 10.58.28 AM)

A whirlwind swept you off your lovely days in the village and plonked you here in the middle of the bizarre landscape that is the life of the struggling expatriate. Yours was a life of comfort and predictability in the barrio, but this gnarly province offers no such niceties. You are Frodo from the Shire and this, little sweetling, is Mordor. You will have to shed some of your innocence here, lest you be mistaken as a half-wit and thrown into the pit to be devoured alive by hungry orcs. You are in the land of giants, where everyone walks straighter and taller than you. Brace thyself, lest you be trampled underfoot.

Now mind you, it’s not all fire and brimstone. You did not come here as lamb waddles to the slaughter. You are here to push yourself beyond your limits, to test the mettle of your fortitude and find the immensity that eluded you in your days as just another wily character in your barangay. Greatness awaits, but to get to it you will have to endure a thousand pains and pass through a gauntlet of immense toil and turmoil. You will rise to greater heights, but first, you will be humbled. In your limited and insular vision, you may have thought of yourself a king in your homestead, but here you will have to play the pauper, the court jester, the warrior, or the general. You will have to rebuild your nobility from the ground up, because no one is likely to just hand you your crown.

Survive and thrive abroad! Learn how here.

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