19 December 2016 — Almost 100 Filipino individuals and organizations were honored during the appreciation Night hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in Milan (Milan PCG) on December 15 at the Grand Caffè e Tre Marie Ristorante in Milan. Filipinos from as far as Trieste in the Veneto region to Rimini in the Emilia Romagna region attended the occasion, a landmark event to honor Filipino individuals and organizations who have given their invaluable support to the projects and programs of the Consulate General this year.

Consul General Marichu Mauro expressed her gratitude to all the individuals and organizations in attendance by awarding each and every one of them with a Certificate of Appreciation handed out during the event.

“All of you that we are honoring at this simple gathering have demonstrated the great Filipino spirit of bayanihan,” Consul General Mauro said.  “You have all demonstrated a strong spirit of communal unity, work and cooperation with Milan PCG to allow us all to achieve our goals this year,” she added.

Acting Labor Attaché and OWWA Officer Ms. Jocelyn Hapal also expressed her gratitude to the members of the Filipino community present for supporting the Consulate’s activities – from the conduct of overseas voting in April and May, to the implementation of OWWA projects, including the new OEC Online system and various training programs.

Guest of Honor of the event was the City of Milan’s Councilor for Safety and Civil Protection, Mrs. Maria Carmela Rozza, who spoke about the importance of Filipinos integrating into Italian society and how Filipinos and Italians should treat each other as family.

Other speakers included Msgr. Luigi Ramazzotti, Chaplain of the Filipino Community in Venice and Mestre and Fr. Graziano Gavioli of the Parish Church of St. Augustine in Modena.

The event also served as a launching pad for Milan PCG’s new initiative Action Group Against Drugs or AGAD which is the Consulate’s contribution to President Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign. END