PH Envoys Assured of Support in Efforts to Assist Filipinos Abroad

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano with Philippine ambassadors and consuls general from the Asia-Pacific who attended the two-day command conference at the Bonifacio Global City organized by the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs from 5-6 April 2018.

07 APRIL  2018, MANILA --“We would like to assure our embassies and consulates abroad that they shall have all the support and resources they need to allow them to serve our people quicker and better," Secretary Cayetano said.

In his remarks, the Secretary emphasized the need for Philippine foreign service posts to continue improving the delivery of consular services and in extending assistance to nationals in distress abroad. 

This, he said, is in line with the President’s explicit directive to ensure that all government agencies are able to provide quick, efficient and enhanced services to Filipinos all over the world.

“With the holding of this Command Conference, all our heads of posts now know the direction we’re headed on how we would want our embassies and consulates to more effectively serve our kababayans abroad,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Concerns Sarah Lou Arriola said. 

Undersecretary Arriola said the conference also tackled a number of other issues, including migration, security, extremism and terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region during the two-day consultations that began on Thursday.

Undersecretary Arriola said the envoys were also briefed on passport and consular-related issues, the implementation of new rules on the Assistance to Nationals and Legal Assistance Funds for Overseas Filipinos, and maximizing the use of social media in advancing Philippine interests in the region.    

The conference is the latest of several regional consultations organized by the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs to update Filipino diplomats on the efforts to protect the rights and promote the welfare of Filipinos abroad. 

A similar regional conference was conducted in Milan for Middle East, African, and European Posts in January. END