PH Consulate General, POLO-Vancouver Spearheads First Temporary Foreign Workers Convention
PHOTO: Consul General in Vancouver Maria Andrelita S. Austria (rightmost, standing) addresses the participants at the start of the Temporary Foreign Workers Convention. Inspired by comments from the Filipino Community about the Consulate General’s programs and their desire for more information, the Consul General said that the Convention is part of efforts to reach out to the Filipinos and help them achieve their full potential in Canada. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Welfare Officer Lilia F. De Guzman (standing) introduces the invited speakers to the audience at the start of their respective topics. Three of the speakers are based in Kitimat, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Filipino-Canadian lawyer Vicente Asuncion (leftmost, standing) responds to questions from the audience during the open forum. Atty. Asuncion spoke on the topic of legal remedies in case of illegal termination. Other resource speakers were Immigration Consultant Maria Llamanzares-Abad (seated, 2L), who lectured on permanent residency application for TFWs, Ms. Luce Gelinas (center) of the Employment and Social Development Canada who provided a briefing on the British Columbia (BC) Migrant Workers Support Network, Mr. Jacky Leung (2R) of SUCCESS Vancouver who discussed BC workers’ rights and privileges, and Councillor Edwin Empinado (rightmost) of Kitimat B.C. who shared his struggles and triumphs as a migrant worker in Canada. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Labor Attaché Margarita Victorino-Marquez (standing) thanks the resource persons at the end of the open forum, acknowledges the generosity of MOSAIC in providing the venue, the invaluable assistance of the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, and the hard work of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Vancouver staff, as well as the participants who took time off their personal weekend schedules to join the Convention. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Some of the more than 50 participants pose with Consul General to Vancouver Maria Andrelita S. Austria (seated, 2nd row, 4L), Labor Attaché Margarita Victorino-Marquez, Welfare Officer Lilia F. De Guzman, and the resource persons at the conclusion of the TFW Convention, jointly organized by the Philippine Consulate General and Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Vancouver in partnership with MOSAIC, one of the large settlement organizations in Canada which provides community outreach services to the immigrant, newcomer and refugee communities in Greater Vancouver. (Vancouver PCG photo)