PH Ambassador Meets with Officials, Filipino Community in Norway for Kalayaan 2023 Celebrations
Philippine Ambassador to Norway Enrico T. Fos (fifth from left), Stord municipality mayor Gaute Staume Epland (third from left), and FILNOR Sunnhordland group head Cyrelle Dagadan Fylkesnes during the Barrio Fiesta 2023 in Stord held on 17 June 2023. Also in photo is Madame Myla Fos (fourth from right). (Oslo PE photo)
OSLO 30 June 2023 — Philippine Ambassador to Norway Enrico T. Fos visited the kommunes (municipalities) of Stord, Fitjar, Bømlo and Haugesund in Norway’s Sunnhordland district on 16-19 June 2023, where he was able to meet with government officials, members of the business community and the Filipino community members in those areas.
He also attended several events organized by the Filipino community in those areas for the 125th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence and the 75th anniversary of Philippine-Norway bilateral relations.
Ambassador Fos have had separate meetings with Bømlo Mayor Sammy Olsen on 16 June 2023 and Stord Mayor Gaute Staume Epland on 19 June 2023. Both mayors were all praises to the Filipino community for their positive work ethics and contribution to economic development and cultural diversity.
Discussed with the mayors were possible areas of cooperation to facilitate entry and employment of more engineers and health care workers as well as support for those nurses for their complementary education for them to obtain authorization to work as registered nurses in Norway. A possible sister city agreement between Stord and a city in the Philippines was also discussed with Mayor Epland.
Together with Mayor Olsen, Ambassador Fos also undertook a tour of the Bremnes Seashore facility, the largest salmon farming and processing facility in Norway. The company is a pioneer in salmon farming in Norway and supplies six percent of the world’s demand of salmon with its well-known brands Salma and Bömlo.
Mr. Bjørnar Michaelsen-Svendsen, Media and Communications Head and one of the owners of Bremnes Seashore, informed the Ambassador that the company employs 11 Filipino nationals, and expressed his desire to employ more Filipinos as it is expanding its facility and will require additional staff by the end of 2023. Ambassador Fos welcomes this development and is willing to assist in the company’s labor requirements.
The company also honored the Ambassador’s visit by flying the Philippine flag during his stay there.
At Stord municipality, he visited the Kaværner Shipyard of Aker Solutions group of companies. It is a construction yard for large steel constructions and substructures for offshore oil platforms. Also on the shipyard is a decommissioned oil platform rig being dismantled and for recycling.
Mr. Raphael Paolo Villalon, one of the Filipino engineers of the shipyard said that a number of Filipino engineers are employed by Aker Solutions and indicated that the company has a high potential employment opportunity for Filipino engineers. Ambassador Fos had an opportunity to meet the Filipino engineers working in the company, and was able to learn about their experiences there.
The Embassy also met with several Filipino groups such those engineers and designers working at Aker Solutions in Stord and in Aibel in Haugesund, and members of Filipino organizations such as the Philippine Women’s Organization in Bømlo and the FILNOR Sunnhordland leaders and volunteers headed by Cyrelle Dagadan Fylkesnes.
FILNOR Sunnhordland is the organizer of the highly successful and well attended Barrio Fiesta event in Stord celebrating the 125th Philippine Independence Day and 75th anniversary of Philippine-Norway Bilateral Relations on 17 June 2023. Present during the event were around 600 Filipinos and their guests, an amazing feat as there are only 150 registered Filipinos in Stord.
During his remarks during the event, Ambassdor Fos highlighted that Filipinos in Norway should band together and practice dugnad or bayanihan. He also threw the challenge to those present to take leadership roles in their communities.
The Barrio Fiesta event also made it in the local news, as it is the first time that a high-level Filipino official visited Stord.
The Ambassador visited the shops two local Filipina entrepreneurs, Crislyn Johnsen who runs with her husband Brandasund Kysttun, a supply and cafe in an old trading post in Brandasund; and Stephanie Innvær, who runs with her husband Best Marin, a marine and motor boat supply shop and repair yard in Rubbestadneset.
The Sunnhordland district is in Norway’s western region and part of the Vestland county. Most of the Filipinos in the Sunnhordland area are professionals working in the oil and gas, fisheries and health sectors. END
Left photo: Ambassador Fos poses with Bømlo municipality mayor Sammy Olsen. Right photo: Mayor Epland together with Ambassador Fos after the courtesy calls on the mayors. (Oslo PE photo)
Left photo: Mr. Bjørnar Michaelsen-Svendsen, Media and Communications Head and one of the owners of Bremnes Seashore, explains to Ambassador Fos the company’s operations. Right photo: Ambassador and Madame Fos flank Filipino engineer Raphael Paolo Villalon at Aker Solutions’ Kaværner Shipyard. (Oslo PE photo)
Ambassador Fos meets with the Filipino community in Stord. (Oslo PE photo)
Ambassador Fos visiting Filipino businesses in the region: (left photo) with Crislyn and Emil Johnsen of Brandasund Kysttun convenience store, and (right photo) Stephanie Innvær of Best Marin marine and motor boat supply shop. (Oslo PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.oslope.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinNorway/ or https://www.instagram.com/phinnorway/.