- A tagalized reminder on Dubai patrol cars, “Manatili sa bahay”, drew attention to Filipinos working in the city
- This made Filipinos wonder why they had a special translation than other nationalities
- AN OFW described how the top tourist destination prepares to combat COVID-19
Every country has its own action plans to control the further spread of COVID-19. Others do mass testing to detect positive cases and isolate and treat them the soonest. Some impose travel bans across borders.
Social distancing is incorporated into activities that are allowed to continue. The implementation of community quarantine is common among protocols to limit the movement of people and prevent local transmission. Alongside this, people are constantly reminded to stay at home especially for nonmedical workers, senior citizens and those who do not have an essential business outside their homes.
In Dubai, where many Filipino workers are present, that reminder catches special attention. Why? That message is tagalized. Yes. And is it found printed at the back of Dubai police cars. roaming around the city.
“Manatili sa bahay. [Stay at home,]” Words are written in capslock.
Some Filipinos were quick to take a snapshot of these cars. Donaville Cepe shared a photo of an XUV bearing those words. While another image of a BMW circulated online. Netizens began speculating why there is a translation. Maybe it’s also due to a considerable population of Filipinos in the region. Or “Siguro alam nila ang ibang Pinoy ay [Maybe they know that other Filipinos are] __fill in the bllank___,” the original uploader stated. Lol. Obviously, the answer is happening in our country.
Aside from printed reminders, another uploader shared a video of these patrol cars playing audio announcements in Tagalog. Maybe we are that special too. Haha
Buzz Definitely Filipino asked one OFW, Jsam Villa, who works as an admin assistant about the situation in Dubai. According to her, commercial centers, malls, fish, meat and vegetable markets are advised to close. The metro train has strictly implemented social distancing limiting the passengers every trip. Some employees like her were instructed to work from home. Generally, things are still running smoothly but the government is already preparing and taking measures to impose a lockdown.
