Pinoy Xtra, which comes as a free eight-page tabloid every Sunday with the regular issue of Arab News, came on stream at a time when there was already a captive readership and that made it the Tagalog newspaper to read for Filipinos in the Middle East.

Interest in Pinoy Xtra has spread like wildfire. “Ask Filipinos in the Kingdom about Pinoy Xtra, and they’ll say that they find it interesting,” said Alkhobar-based Alberto Layag, area commander for the Middle East and Africa of the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKOR).

Such popularity has been demonstrated when Filipino expatriates seek out old copies.

“When I get my copy of Arab News on Sundays, staff at the hospital immediately make a beeline for my copy of Pinoy Xtra. At the end of the day, my copy sometimes does not come back to me,” said Dr. Mohd. Ali Carlito L. Astillero, laboratory services director at the Al-Mishari Hospital in Riyadh.

Aside from increasing circulation figures, well-known companies have also placed their ads in Pinoy Xtra. For advertisers, such as Western Union, Sony, Singapore Airlines, Bossini and small companies advertising their manpower needs, Pinoy Xtra has been a great way to reach the Filipino community. At present, copies of Pinoy Xtra reach other GCC countries like Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

With the first issue hitting the newsstands on June 12, 2004, Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena said in a message on the front page of Pinoy Xtra that it was a gift on the occasion of the Philippine Independence Day to all overseas Filipinos for having patronized Arab News all these years.

Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla in Riyadh, Consul General Mohd, Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot in Jeddah, Ambassador Eduardo Pablo Maglaya in Bahrain and Charge d’Affaires Generoso Calonge in Abu Dhabi also had their messages included in the first issue.

Almaeena’s heartwarming announcement struck a responsive chord in the heart of every overseas Filipino. They have since responded by dutifully visiting newsstands every Sunday to buy their copies of Arab News and Pinoy Xtra. Encouraged by the Filipinos community’s overwhelming support, the management has striven to improve Pinoy Xtra, recruiting as many contributors as possible while being selective in the kind of stories that would see print. The result is that only news items or feature articles of genuine interest to readers are published.

“They not only chronicle the Filipino experience abroad but also their way of life, their dreams and aspirations as well as their roots and cultural heritage,” said Eric P. Asi of Nardeen Lighting in Riyadh. Indeed, what could be more interesting reading fare for Filipinos than what concerns them?

At present, Pinoy Xtra features different articles, including “Batas sa Paggawa ng Saudi Arabia at Iba Pang Alituntunin” (Labor Law of Saudi Arabia and Other Regulations), Showbuzz, which used to be Buhay sa Pilipinas, Trivia ni Ninia and lately Bakit Sila Naiiba? that features people (Filipinos and other expatriates) who have touched the lives of others. Pinoy Xtra experimented with different layouts and content before settling on its present format. There were pages for Balitang Gitnang Silangan (Middle East News), Pangkabuhayan (Livelihood), Panitikan (Literature), Aliwan, Libangan (Entertainment), and Palakasan (Sports).

But what makes Pinoy Xtra click with the community? The answer is that it offers what other publications in Tagalog do not. It carries fiction (a short story and poetry) and uses a polished form of Tagalog, both formal and colloquial.

And it has the huge advantage of coming free when you buy the Sunday Arab News.