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- EDD K. USMAN | X (Twitter): @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 |Facebook: SDN – SciTech & Digital News
(SDN) — As Hajj 2025, the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, draws near, the Philippine government is intensifying its preparation for the journey of a lifetime for a projected 5,000 Filipino pilgrims.
The number “5,000” is the quota for the Philippine Hajj mission which NCMF Secretary Sabuddin N. Abdurahim requested earlier this year from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
Remember that the Saudi government grants a quota of 1,000 pilgrims for every one million Muslim population of every country joining the annual religious event.
So, it is not surprising that Muslim majority countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Turkiye, Brunei, and many others have tens of thousands of pilgrims they send annually to Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage, which is obligatory to adult Muslims who are physically, financially, and psychologically able.
In the case of the Philippines, Muslims are not too many, said to be around 10,000 million, including those dispersed in the Visayas and Luzon, driven by the Mindanao war the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and, later, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), waged to separate Southern Philippines, but later both opted for autonomy.
So, for this year, Muslim Filipinos would hopefully fill up the 5,000 pilgrims’ quota with each required to pay the Mutawiff fee for food, hotel accommodation, and transportation in Mecca and Madinah, and tents in Arafah and Mina, where the major pilgrimage rituals are held annually. Madinah, the City of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not part of the hajj rituals, but for pilgrims from around the world it is a must-place to visit to honor and pray for Islam’s prophet and messenger.
This year’s Filipino pilgrims need to pay the Mutawiff fees at US$3,160 (around Php186,000, more or less, that’s if the exchange rate use is: $1 = Php58.70). Note that the amount does not include the required two-way plane fare to Jeddah or Madinah.
And this year’s obligatory religious journey for millions of Muslims across the world is what the Bureau of Pilgrimage (NCMF-BPE) led by Director Rahmatol M. Mamukid has been working on for the past few months.
Hajj Conference in Saudi Arabia, Hajj Awareness Program (HAP) seminars in the Philippines, meetings with the pilgrimage guardians/leaders (sheikhs), and with airlines operators and travel agencies to ensure a safe, smooth, and convenient religious journey for Filipino pilgrims.
It’s well a known fact the NCMF has important partners in the pilgrimage operation, without them it would be virtually impossible for the Commission to complete the processing of the intending pilgrims.
Government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and its Office of Consular Office (OCA), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Tourism (DOT), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Quarantine (BQ), the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Management, airlines, and accredited travel agencies.
No less is the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Philippines which facilitates the issuance of hajj visas for pilgrims.
To realize the goals of the NCMF for this year’s pilgrimage, the government through the BPE signed on March 11 a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with 16 travel agencies, the first time this many IATA-accredited travel agencies have entered into a partnership with the NCMF. Past Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA, defunct) and NCMF administrations accredited only three or four travel agencies.
“This MoA signing is not merely a formality; it is a solemn pledge, a testament to the NCMF’s unwavering dedication to ensuring their (pilgrims’) journey to the Holy Land is safe, smooth, and spiritually fulfilling,” the Commission emphasizes in a statement on the MOA.
It added that Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), Oman Air, and Kuwait Airways attended the signing ceremony at the NCMF Central Office in Quezon City, Metro Manila, further amplifying the event’s significance.
One of the key goals is ensuring ‘that the Hajj proces is as smooth and successful as possible’
The 16 travel agencies’ “commitment to signing the agreement guarantees a collaborative effort to elevate the travel experience, promising better flight arrangements, competitive pricing, and enhanced services,” the BPE assures.
There would be no more “fraudulent operators,” the agency assures but only those recognized by the Commission will be able to participate in the pilgrimage operation and, hopefully, offer pilgrims a peace of mind and security.
“This unprecedented level of collaboration between the NCMF, travel agencies, and airlines promises a streamlined process, encompassing everything from visa processing to accommodation and spiritual guidance. With this MoA in place, all parties are bound to follow strict guidelines to protect the rights of Filipino pilgrims,” the Commission promises.
A day a later (March 12) the pilgrimage bureau also visited the DFA-OCA along Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City, Metro Manila.
BPE Director Mamukid requested the OCA “for a special passporting lane dedicated to intending pilgrims at all DFA Regional Consular Offices nationwide,” including at the DFA Main Office along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.
“The meeting was a crucial step in ensuring that the process of passport application for Filipino Muslims intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in 2025 would be as smooth and efficient as possible, particularly for senior citizens and others who may face additional challenges,” the BPE points out in another statement.
Mamukid said it is important to have the special lane for Hajj applicants for an organized and efficient passporting for the pilgrims’ benefit.
Further, the BPE head expressed hope the NCMF request for a special lane for intending pilgrims would result in a smoother application process.
In relation with the request, DFA Assistant Passporting Director Charlie F. Prenicolas “firmly and strongly assured the NCMF that the Office of Consular Affairs is more than willing to support the application process for the intending pilgrims,” the BPE citing the DFA’s position.
Prenicolas also assured that the DFA knows “the yearly nature of the Hajj pilgrimage and emphasized that the DFA is very familiar with the specific needs of Hajj applicants.”
In response, Mamukid cited the priorities of the NCMF head, Secretary Abdurahim, that one of his key goals is ensuring “that the Hajj proces is as smooth and successful as possible,” and that collaboration with OCA is essential in meeting these goals.”
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with Shahada (Declaration of Faith), Salah (Five Daily Prayers), Sawm (Ramadan Fasting), and Zakat (Obligatory Charity). (♡)
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The author
EDD K. Usman of Sub-Saharan Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (@)