If only she knew how things would be, Lina Basal, a 36-year-old mother of five, would have advised her husband, Ronaldo not to push through with his Middle East employment, given how tension had built up months into the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iraq.

But family finances dictated the turn of events and now Ronaldo finds himself caught in the middle of a war while trying to earn something for Lina and their five children whom he left in Manila four months ago to work as a printing press operator in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Left with no choice, Lina and Ronaldo had to bear the pain of separation and had to content themselves with communicating through phone calls and text messages.

Over the weekend, when war in the Gulf intensified, Lina, with her two sons aged five and two in tow, found themselves among several relatives of overseas Filipino workers availing themselves of the free phone calls at the Oplan Kalinga Call Center near Harrison Plaza in Malate, Manila.

The 24-hour call center was set up by the Office of the Press Secretary and the Presidential Action Center in partnership with other government agencies and telecommunication companies following the outbreak of war in Iraq.

It also provides free internet communication to allow relatives of OFWs in the Middle East to send free e-mail messages to their loved ones.

Press Secretary Hernani Braganza said the call center is part of efforts exerted by government to allay fears of the public on the danger posed by the Iraq war on OFWs working in the Middle East.

"President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has instructed us to exert all efforts to ensure that all our OFWs are accounted for and their families here taken cared of," he said.

Mrs. Basal, who called from the booth of new telecommunications company Sun Cellular, lauded the project as a big help to those who are worrying about the safety of their loved ones in the Middle East.

"At least mararamdaman mo ang concern ng ating gobyerno para sa mga OFW. Malaking tulong ito sa amin," she said.

Hadji Helwa Sumael, a 34-year-old Muslim mother of two, concurred with Mrs. Balsa, saying "kahit anong oras, Muslim man o Kristiyano, puwedeng tumawag dito."

Mrs. Sumael, a native of Zamboanga now residing in Manila called her two cousins working as domestic helpers in Kuwait City from the PLDT booth while her two daughters--Myka, 7, and Jenika, 3--played around the spacious call center which also houses information and assistance desk manned by government agencies.

These agencies include the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Middle East Preparedness Team.

Providing private sector support are the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Globe, Smart, Sun Cellular, Destiny Cable and the AMA Group of Companies.

Perhaps, the most consoling sight to organizers of the project is the sight of children like 9-year-old Sarah Estrella beaming with joy as they talked to their parents in the Middle East.

Sarah was with her father Orlando when she talked to her mother Aurora, an OFW working in Kuwait City.

"Mabuti na lang nakausap namin siya," beamed Sarah. "Kung hindi, hindi kami mapapakali ng tatay ko. Bakit naman kasi may giyera, giyera pa, eh."

The President is pleased that Petron has heeded her call to be more sensitive to the needs of our people, especially during these critical times.

Big business have a huge corporate social responsibility.