By Tony Alabastro
From left: Datin Hajjah Rosnah binti Haji Ramly,
UBD Vice Chancellor Dr. Haji Ismail, Ambassador Benavidez and
Awang Haji Rusli at the Malay language course launching
ceremony. Photos by Rudolf Portillo
The Universiti Brunei Darussalam
yesterday started "for the first time the teaching of a
Malay language course outside of the university premises"
to the Philippines Embassy personnel here, Ambassador Virginia
H. Benavidez said yesterday.
"At stake here is the
unqualifiedly reward of being able to speak, understand and
integrate with Bruneians and more than half a million of our
neighbours in the Asean region, and the certificate of
proficiency that will be given to us that will enable us to earn
high points to increase our promotability scores," she
said.
The launching ceremony
yesterday highlighted the importance of the Malay language
classes to the embassy personnel and project the significance of
this activity as a concrete manifestation of closer
people-to-people interaction between the Philippines and Brunei
Darussalam, she said.
"We were told that the
next key officers meeting will be conducted in the Malay
language," said Finance Officer Saula Payumo-Cruz
yesterday.
The opening of the Malay
language class was attended by Dato Dr. Haji Ismail bin Hj
Duraman, Vice Chancellor of UBD, Datin Hajah Rosnah binti Haji
Ramly, Director, UBD Language Centre, and Awang Haji Rusli bin
Haji Morni, UBD Language Centre.
Awang HajiRusli will be
conducting the two-and-a-half month, two-module Malay language
Course, made up of 50 hours of instructions per module.
Meanwhile, the reactivation of
Pag-ibig (home development mutual fund) local membership can now
be processed at its overseas programme office at the Philippines
Embassy.
Members can apply for a housing
loan and avail of the new interest rate as low as 6 per cent per
annum, said Pag-ibig Fund Brunei Information officer Mohammad
Hatta Latip.
The Pag-ibig Overseas Programme
(POP) is a voluntary savings programme, which aims to give
Filipino overseas workers, former Filipino citizen permanently
residing abroad, or immigrant, an opportunity to save and avail
of a housing loan, he said. Of 897 POP members in Brunei, 65 are
housing loan borrowers, Hatta said.
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