Filipinos of Dubai and the Northern Emirates Gear Up for their Future

Migrant Forum Asia's Rex Varona lectures on reintegration

18 February 2018 DUBAI — The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai linked up with Migrants Forum in Asia (MFA) to organize the Preparedness Seminar on Migration, Development and Reintegration for the Filipino community in Dubai and Northern Emirates on 17 February 2018 at the Consulate’s Rizal Hall. Some 35 select members of the Community participated in this first ever collaboration between the Consulate and Migrant Forum Asia.

The objectives of the seminar are to heighten migrants’ awareness of their rights and their role in development; and to build capacity towards better reintegration into their home country after years of working abroad. The seminar is in line with the Duterte Administration’s AmBisyon Natin 2040 – Long-Term Vision for the Philippines where migration is no longer a necessity for a large number of Filipinos but a choice.

In his keynote message, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes highlighted the positive contribution of the Filipino diaspora in the country’s development. He noted as well the need for a more intelligent and critical approach on migration among Filipino migrant workers.

MFA Executive Director, Mr Rex Varona, who is an Ilonggo and a former migrant worker himself, conducted the seminar. He underscored the need for Filipino migrants to plan ahead, organize among themselves, and strategize in order to make the most of their savings and live a comfortable life when they return to the Philippines.

Established in 1994, MFA is a network of grassroots organizations, trade unions, faith-based groups, migrants and their families and individual advocates in Asia working together for social justice for migrant workers and members of their families. It is represented in 26 countries in the Asia – Pacific region and has become a leading voice in migrants' rights advocacy in Asia and internationally. It is actively engaged in organizing community-level projects and activities in different regions in the Philippines and actively participates in regional and international fora, including in the drafting of the United Nations’ Global Compact on Migration. END

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