PHL Embassy in Ankara Conducts Consular Missions and Holds Meetings in Baku, Azerbiajan

Incoming Consul a.h., Mr. Ceyhun Osmanli, Labor Attaché, Ms. Violeta D. Illescas and Third Secretary and Vice Consul, Mr. Marc Benigno engage members of the Filipino Community in candid discussions. (Photo courtesy of Cris Baguya)

22 November 2017 BAKU — A three-member team from the Philippine Embassy in Ankara conducted a consular mission and held meetings with the Filipino Community, the International Organization for Migration and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 14. The team was joined by the non-resident Labor Attaché covering Azerbaijan based in Lebanon, Ms. Violeta D. Illescas.

The team’s consular mission in Tbilisi was held at the Premier Old Gates Hotel in Baku. The team provided consular services to over 30 Filipinos including processing 9 e-passport applications, 18 overseas voter registrations, 22 Embassy identification cards, 4 SPA/acknowledgements and 1 report of birth. Post also released 9 e-passports and 1 Embassy ID.

The team, along with Labor Attaché Illescas met with around 20 members of the Filipino community in Azerbaijan to discuss labor-related concerns and issues. Ms. Illescas gave the community a briefing of the Philippine government’s programs for OFWs including the PHP2billion Reintegration Program designed to support enterprise development among OFWs and their families. She also provided updates on the status of government projects in the pipeline such as the iDOLE card, the OFW Bank and the OFW Hospital.

The team and Ms. Illescas also met with representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ms. Shareen Tuladhar, Head of Migrant Assistance Unit, and Mr. Ilyas Nabiyev, Project Coordinator at the IOM’s headquarters in Baku. IOM informed Ms. Illescas of the assistance they have extended to Filipinos over the course of the year under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Program, which is designed to help migrants return to their countries of origin and provide them with both technical and financial assistance, vocational training and psychological counseling.

A meeting with Mr. Mr. Fuad Jabbarov, Head of the Labor Migration Section of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Azerbaijan was also held. The two sides discussed the entry of highly-skilled Filipino labor to Azerbaijan in the fields of construction, oil, mining and education. Mr. Jabbarov said that academic institutions in Azerbaijan are hiring more Filipino teachers for their competence in teaching English to elementary, high school and university students. END

The team providing consular services to Filipinos at the Premier Old Gates Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo courtesy of Cris Baguya)

Meeting with Mr. Fuad Jabbarov (extreme left), Head of the Labor Migration Section of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Azerbaijan, Labor Attaché covering Azerbaijan based in Lebanon, Ms. Violeta D. Illescas (third from left) and Third Secretary and Vice Consul, Mr. Marc Benigno of the Philippine Embassy in Ankara at the MLSPP headquarters in Baku. (Photo courtesy of MLSPP)

For more information, visit www.ankarape.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinTurkey.