28 July 2010 - As part of its public diplomacy efforts, the Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands conducted a workshop on the Philippines' migrant worker protection laws to students of the Hague Academy of International Law on July 20.
Philippine Ambassador Cardozo M. Luna opened the program by welcoming students and citing recent developments such as the Philippines' membership in the Hague Conference on Private International Law and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
He also made reference to the directive of President Benigno S. Aquino III for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and other relevant agencies to be more responsive to the needs and welfare of overseas Filipino workers.
In the first part of the program, Embassy legal adviser Ms. Paula Defensor Knack spoke about the international legal norms on migration, human rights and State responsibility.
In the second part, Minister and Consul General Frank R. Cimafranca discussed the activities of the DFA as well as its posts around the world to protect the rights and promote the welfare and interests of overseas Filipinos.
He also presented the significant Philippine laws on migrant worker protection.
The workshop was organized upon the request of the Hague Academy of International Law to help enrich their students' learning experience during their three-week study programme in the Netherlands.
The participants to the workshop, four of whom are Filipinos, included law students, academics, and practicing lawyers. END
