TOGETHER: Ambassador Santos joins FFHQ members during their early morning session over the weekend. Photo: Randy Frogosa
By Joey Aguilar
Dressed in their yellow uniforms, officers and members of the Filipino Fitness and Health in Qatar (FFHQ) welcomed Ambassador of Philippines to Qatar Wilfredo Santos at their regular Friday session along the Corniche over the weekend.
Speaking at the activity, Ambassador Santos said he was pleased to see his compatriots doing healthy activities such as zumba and aerobics.
“I am looking forward to regularly attend these kinds of events soon [to improve my fitness as well],” he added.
Ambassador Santos, who came to Qatar last month, met the group for the first time and urged them to continue with their endeavours. He was joined by cultural attaché John Danilo Jiao Jr, who also recently joined the Embassy of the Philippines in Doha.
The envoy praised the group for initiating an activity that encouraged and attracted not only Filipinos but also other nationalities as well to stay fit.
Led by its chairman Jonathan Bacanto, FFHQ has been advocating unity among Filipino expatriates in Qatar with the staging of regular fitness sessions on hip hop, zumba, aerobics, pop dance and taebo, among others.
A large number of people have been attending the early morning sessions near the Sheraton park on the Corniche led by volunteer zumba and aerobics instructors.
Besides Filipinos, other nationalities also join the group including Americans, Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, Indonesians, Palestinians, and Egyptians.
Echoing the sentiments of Ambassador Santos, FFHQ adviser Randy Frogosa reiterated the importance of exercising regularly to stay healthy.
While the group has nearly 1,500 members on Facebook, he said an average of 200 people attend the activity every week.
The new ambassador had been attending a number of Filipino and Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) activities and events since his arrival on April 28.
ASEAN Committee in Doha Chair and Indonesian Ambassador Deddy Saiful Hadi also welcomed Ambassador Santos in a simple ceremony at the Indonesian embassy recently.
Various Filipino sports groups are also planning to welcome the new envoy in their events and competitions.
