Heroism among Filipinos in Israel!


Sister Regina, from the Divine Mercy Filipino community in Tel Aviv reports on an award to two heroic Filipina women.

bhea heroism

The UGAT Foundation of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network have joined forces to search for Filipinos who are working in foreign countries and have committed themselves to assist their co-Filipinos in their various needs such as medical assistance for the sick, human rights, employment related problems, projects for the poor in their home country, community organizing and strengthening and deepening the faith and in many other fields.

The search for these heroes was conducted in Japan and Asia-Pacific countries since 2004. For the first time this year, two hard-working Filipinas employed as caregivers in Israel, have proven that in Israel, heroism is alive! From several nominees in Israel, Ms. Bhea Tabuso and Ms. Lourdes Levi were awarded as finalists for the Bayaning Pilipino Gene Lopez, Jr. Award and UGAT Foundation for the year 2015-2016.

Bhea Tabuso, a wife and a mother of two children, was recognized for her active work in organizing the parents and Hebrew-speaking children for catechetical instruction at Our Lady, Woman of Valor Pastoral Center. She is also active in assisting Filipino patients in the hospital or in their flats. Moreover, she is an active volunteer in the various ministries of the Divine Mercy Filipino community.

Lourdes Levi, is a registered nurse in the Philippines and works at a home for the elderly in Israel, caring for an elderly Jewish woman. Over and above her regular employment, she is involved in many medical-dental missions, coordinating with a pool of Israeli physicians and dentists for the Filipino communities in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel-Aviv. She also champions the claims of Filipinos who have cases regarding their employment, with the assistance of a pool of Israeli lawyers who support her advocacy. The Philippine Embassy often requests her to follow-up cases that need assistance in terms of deportation and other needs. Des, as she is popularly known, is a "brain cancer survivor." When she got healed from this sickness, she vowed to spend her time for the service of God in serving her needy countrymen and women.

These two Filipina women are models of courage, strength of faith and dedicated service for the good of the community. They are both heroes in their own right!

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