06 December 2016 — The Philippine Embassy in Athens conducted a seminar and consular outreach for the Filipino Community at the Atrion Hotel in Heraklion, Crete, Greece on November 27.

The consular outreach was conducted with the support of Mr. Alexandros Fasoulakis, Honorary Consul of the Philippines in Crete and the Filipino community in Crete.

The Philippine Embassy also conducted a briefing with lectures on civil registration, Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) services and benefits, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) services, and combating human trafficking and smuggling.

During the seminar, Labor Attaché Adam A. Musa informed the Filipino Community in Crete about the services of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Athens, including new information about Balik Manggagawa Online.

In compliance with Proclamation No. 1106, declaring 2015-2024 as Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Decade in the Philippines, Mrs. Jo Grace Kau, Consular Assistant and Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Assistant, and Attaché, conducted a lecture on Civil Registration, with specific emphasis on Reports of Birth (ROB), Reports of Marriage (ROM), and Reports of Death (ROD).

Mrs. Rosalia Susana Bahia-Catapang, Welfare Officer, gave a presentation on the services and benefits provided by OWWA to its members.

Lastly, Ms. Sheila Marie C. Tario, Second Secretary and Consul, delivered a lecture on Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling. She encouraged the Filipino Community to remain cautious when they receive job offers in order to avoid becoming victims of human trafficking. END