DFA Holds Inaugural Regional Assistance-to-Nationals, Contingency Planning, and Consular Caucus of Foreign Service Posts in Europe
Participants of the regional consultation from the Foreign Service Posts and from the Home Office.
LISBON 24 September 2024 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of the Undersecretary for Migration Affairs (OUMA), the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs (OUCSCA), and the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, held the inaugural regional consultation on Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN), Contingency Planning, and Consular Caucus of Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the Europe region from 09 to 10 September 2024 at the Altis Grand Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.
The consultation meeting provided DFA officers and personnel with the latest developments in the country’s migration policy as led by the Office of Migration Affairs (DFA-OUMA). The present geo-political situation in the region and the proactive role of the Filipino diaspora and Filipino Communities were likewise underscored, vis-a-vis contingency planning and the adherence to the One-Country Team Approach (OCTA).
Under consular matters, the New Philippine Passport Act and its implementing rules and regulations were discussed, as well as the updated procedures for civil registration, visas, and authentication.
DFA Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo José A. de Vega, convener of the Caucus, further emphasized the continued commitment of the Department to protect the rights and promote the welfare of overseas Filipinos, after having transferred some ATN functions to the Department of Migrant Workers and its Migrant Worker Offices (MWOs) initially in 34 Foreign Service Posts, out of a total of 98. He highlighted the DFA’s broader mandate to assist and leverage the contributions of the Filipino diaspora through ATN and consular services and as guided by the Filipinas Ultramar vision.
Forty-five (45) participants from 24 Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Europe, including Ambassadors, including Ambassadors, Consuls General, Foreign Service Officers, and ATN assistants attended the two-day regional consultation meeting. This will be the first of a series of regional meetings to be conducted by OUMA, OUCSCA, and OCA as part of its continuing efforts to deliver relevant, efficient and effective services to overseas Filipinos. This was the first ever regional meeting hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon. END
Discussion of DFA Undersecretary Eduardo José A. de Vega on the status of the Philippine migration policy
L-R: DFA OCA Deputy Assistant Secretary Arman R. Talbo, DFA OMA Assistant Secretary Robert O. Ferrer, Jr., and Philippine Ambassador to Portugal H.E. Paul Raymund P. Cortes, with DFA Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo José A. de Vega (on-screen) as virtual Convener.