MANILA: When Fatmah Tanggol Guiling learned that she had been selected for this year’s Hajj, she could not hold back her tears. The moment she had waited almost 40 years for had arrived.
Guiling is one of around 7,500 Filipinos who will perform the pilgrimage this year, but for her the journey is not only the fulfillment of one of the five obligations of Islam — it is also a return to a place that played a significant role in her childhood.
“My mom and dad lived in Jeddah for more than 10 years. My dad worked there. When I was 12 — around 1986 — I was able to visit them there,” Guiling, a government worker from Marawi, told Arab News.
Guiling actually visited during Hajj that year, but she was too young to perform the pilgrimage, and since then the journey has always been too expensive — at least until Guiling’s relatives stepped in.
“Although me and my husband have stable jobs, we have four kids and there are other expenses, so it’s not easy for us to raise funds for the Hajj,” she said. “I cried when some of my family offered to help, because they know it’s my dream to do the Hajj ... This is one of the things that will fulfill my life — it’s a realization of my dream. And I’m now one step closer to it.”
Guiling said she was eager to return to Makkah — a place she has been unable to forget since she saw it as a child.
“When you’re there, it feels like you’re talking to God, face-to-face — especially when you are at the Grand Mosque,” she said. “When you pray and ask for forgiveness, you feel like He’s right there listening to you. I can’t explain exactly how it feels, but it’s overwhelming and you’re overjoyed, and you just feel like you can talk to Allah and tell Him everything and He is listening.”
Like most of the Philippine pilgrims, Guiling comes from the southern Philippines.
Muslims constitute roughly 5 percent of the country’s 110 million population, which is predominantly Catholic. The majority of Muslims in the country live on the southern island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago or the central-western province of Palawan.
The last of the special Hajj flights carrying Philippine Muslims to Saudi Arabia departed on Friday. The annual pilgrimage is expected to begin on June 26.
For some of them, including Jabber Lasang from Sapu Masla, a remote village in Sarangani province, the pilgrimage is also the first time they have traveled abroad.
“This (will be) my first time on an airplane. It has been my dream ever since I was a child to ride in one,” he told Arab News ahead of his Hajj flight.
Lasang, 24, converted to Islam eight years ago, and said he has memorized the Qur’an. His trip was sponsored by community members who were moved by his recitation of Islam’s holy book. He said he never imagined that, coming from a poor family of farmers in a mountain village, he would be able to perform the pilgrimage at his age.
“During last Ramadan, I was invited by an imam from one of the mosques who told me they were impressed by the way I read the Qur’an and that I have a good voice,” Lasang said.
“I was moved to tears. I am a poor man, and I really couldn’t afford it on my own.
“I feel so blessed,” he continued. “I have always prayed to Allah that I could finish studying the Qur’an and (that I would) be able to go to Makkah.”
Nomaya Guiling, 42, a pilgrim from Marawi, said she was prepared for trials during the pilgrimage. “These will test your faith and your love for Allah ... your patience, your focus, and your determination to complete the Hajj,” she said.
While she is nervous, and afraid to disappoint all those who have helped her to afford the journey, her strongest feeling is gratitude.
“Not all Muslims are blessed to go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj,” she told Arab News. “If I can finish this, it will complete me, even though I know I am not perfect as a person. But I can say I have done one of the most important things (that God asks of) us.”
Tears of joy and hope as Filipino pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
https://arab.news/zbtv8
Tears of joy and hope as Filipino pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj

- Nearly 7,500 Filipino Muslims will perform the pilgrimage this year
- Last special Hajj flight from the Philippines reached Saudi Arabia on Friday
Riyadh man faces prosecution for selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals

- SFDA said that violations pose a great risk to the health and safety of consumers
- SFDA also requested the public’s cooperation by reporting any observable violations
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority has referred the representative of a commercial establishment in Riyadh to the Public Prosecution after he was found to be involved in the sale of a counterfeit pharmaceutical product.
The act is a direct violation of the Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Products Law in the Kingdom, which mandates a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of SR10 million ($2.6 million), the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The SFDA highlighted the importance of strictly adhering to the laws and regulations put in place to ensure the safety and quality of products circulating in the Saudi market.
The authority said that violations pose a great risk to the health and safety of consumers, warranting the enforcement of legal penalties against offenders.
The SFDA also requested the public’s cooperation by reporting any observable violations in establishments under its supervision to the toll-free line 19999, in an effort to strengthen oversight and safeguard public health.
Saudi students display robotic inventions at Robocon 2025

- Event was attended by student inventors, investors and technology companies
- Several panel discussions focused on ways in which robotics can affect society
RIYADH: Saudi students displayed their robotic inventions at King Abdulaziz University Robocon 2025, which was held at the university’s King Faisal Convention Center from Tuesday to Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Organized by the university’s Deanship of Student Affairs, the event was attended by student inventors, investors and technology companies.
Saudi student Samar Awad Al-Rabi, from the Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences at King Abdulaziz University, presented a smart temperature-monitoring device, aimed at protecting sensitive environments from sudden thermal changes.
Rania Al-Mukhtar Al-Sheikh, from Taibah University, presented an innovative treatment for dry macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects vision.
The device treats and repairs damaged cells, reduces inflammation, and improves bloodflow without damaging healthy tissues with the hope of restoring or improving vision.
Exhibition activities included a range of qualitative competitions, including the “Saqr” competition, which is the first engineering competition focused on drone technologies.
In another competition — the Robocup —robots battled it out on a miniature football pitch.
The event also featured the launch of the innovtech Hackathon, a coding challenge that will include four main tracks focusing on technology in education, tourism, manufacturing and the financial sector.
Several panel discussions focused on ways in which robotics can affect society — including one titled Turning Point: Transforming Tech Ideas into Successful Projects, which explored how to market technological inventions.
The exhibition offered a range of interactive experiences, including virtual reality exhibits and practical workshops that contributed to the skill development of participants.
An interactive game invited attendees to collect stamps from different attractions to win a prize, and visitors were served Arabic coffee by robots.
The university said that the event reflects its vision of empowering students and building a generation that will lead the future of robotics and smart technologies.
KAUST researchers join Africa marine research expedition

- Mission began in Moroni, Comoros, with the team sailing south through the Indian Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa
- Researchers focused on assessing biodiversity at several seamounts — underwater mountain formations
RIYADH: Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology joined the Saudi non-profit foundation OceanQuest on its first marine expedition around Africa aboard the research vessel OceanXplorer.
The mission began in Moroni, Comoros, with the team sailing south through the Indian Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa.
Researchers focused on assessing biodiversity at several seamounts — underwater mountain formations.
A second phase, designed for early-career oceanographers, proceeded north to Walvis Bay in Namibia before concluding scientific operations in Mindelo, Cabo Verde.
The KAUST research team, comprising two PhD candidates from the Marine Microbiome Lab and one from Earth Science and Engineering, conducted research in biodiversity assessment, seamount studies and chemical analysis.
The team compared seamount formation in the Indian Ocean with similar geological phenomena in Saudi waters.
Ministry of Tourism inspects hospitality facilities ahead of Hajj

- Al-Mazyad is assessing whether preparations and procedures of multiple hospitality establishments are following the tourism law and its executive regulations
RIYADH: Deputy Minister of Licensing and Classification at the Ministry of Tourism Abdulmuhsen Al-Mazyad has been conducting field tours of hospitality facilities in Makkah to ensure readiness for receiving pilgrims during the Hajj season.
Al-Mazyad is assessing whether preparations and procedures of multiple hospitality establishments are following the tourism law and its executive regulations.
The deputy minister is especially concerned about whether these establishments have obtained the proper operational licensing from the Ministry of Tourism.
As part of its efforts to grow sustainable partnerships with the tourism sector, the ministry’s delegation has also sat with hospitality investors and operators at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce.
Enhancing the quality of service in Makkah and the rest of the Kingdom, managing hardships faced by investors and operators, and the ministry’s commitment to combating those hardships, have all been discussed during the meetings.
Thunderstorms expected across Saudi Arabia until Sunday

- Makkah province is expected to see moderate to heavy rainfall with potential flash floods, hail, and dust-stirring winds
- Riyadh province will also experience light to moderate rainfall, flash floods, hail, and dust-stirring winds
RIYADH: Thunderstorms are expected across most of Saudi Arabia throughout the weekend until Sunday, according to the General Directorate of Civil Defense.
Makkah province is expected to see moderate to heavy rainfall with potential flash floods, hail, and dust-stirring winds, affecting areas like Taif, Maysan, Al-Muwayh, Turbah, Al-Khurmah and Ranyah.
Riyadh province will also experience light to moderate rainfall, flash floods, hail, and dust-stirring winds, affecting areas including Afif, Al-Dawadmi, Al-Quwayiyah, and Shaqra.
Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in Jazan, Aseer, Al-Baha, and Madinah regions, with moderate rain in Hail and light to moderate rain in Najran and Qassim.
The directorate advised caution, avoiding flood-prone areas such as valleys, and refraining from swimming in them.
It also encouraged staying informed about the latest weather updates through official media channels and social media platforms.