25 October 2013 - The Philippine Consulate General in Milan reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that a public talk on the “Health of Chinese and Filipino Migrants in Milan” was organized by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Italy’s Fondazione ISMU (Iniziative E Studi Sulla Multietniceta), with the support of the Comune di Milano on October 09. The Japanese government provided funding support for the research project.
The event was opened by the Director for Public Health of the Comune di Milano and remarks were given by representatives from the Consulates of Japan, China and the Philippines. Consul General Lourdes S. Tabamo represented the Philippines in the talk.
The public talk discussed the findings of the research proposal submitted to ASEF by the Yuchengco Center (YC) in the Philippines in partnership with Fondazione ISMU. Present during the discussions were policy-makers in government, non-government officials involved in health, medical practitioners, interested groups and individuals. The research proposal was submitted in September 2011 by the YC and ISMU with the objective of arriving at meaningful recommendations for the incorporation of Asian migrants’ health concerns in European public health policies and programs. The research was conducted among Filipino and Chinese migrants in Madrid, Spain and Milan, Italy—places where a large concentration of Asian migrants exists. Dr. Trinidad Osteria, President of YC, was responsible for the Madrid component of the study and Dr. Annavittoria Sarli of ISMU was responsible for the Milan portion.
In her remarks, Consul General Tabamo expressed appreciation to the organizers for the research project which brings to the fore a key issue of concern among Filipino migrants in Milan, with particular thanks to the Yuchengco Center in the Philippines for initiating the project proposal. The inclusion of health in the key policies of Italy was very significant due to the large number of Filipinos living and working in the country. Filipinos are the fifth largest population in the whole of Italy and number one in Milan. During the presentation, Filipinos were mentioned as “the ideal migrants" because they work a lot, they save their earnings, are closely attached to their country, and are practicing Catholics, among others. END