PH Consulate General in Dubai Hosts Town Hall Meeting with Labor Secretary Bello

Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III during the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai’s townhall meeting. (Dubai PCG photo)

 DUBAI 18 February 2018 — The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai hosted a town hall meeting with Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III at the Rizal Hall of the Consulate General on 11 February 2019.

Joining the meeting were Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard P. Olalia, Ambassador to United Arab Emirates Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, officers of the Consulate General, and the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, and the labor offices of both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Around 150 members of the Filipino community in Dubai and Northern Emirates, including members of the Dubai press, participated in the town hall.

In his address, Secretary Bello expounded on the priority programs of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, such as the “Build, Build, Build” program, the anti-drugs campaign, and the anti-corruption drive.

He also reminded the audience of President Duterte’s commitment protecting and promoting the welfare of overseas Filipinos and his mission to promote stronger economic development in the Philippines so that Filipinos would have more and better job opportunities in their home country.

Administrator Olalia meanwhile reiterated the POEA’s efforts to ensure that the rights and welfare of Filipino workers, particularly the household service workers, in the UAE are protected.

For her part, Ambassador Quintana informed that that the Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate General in Dubai are taking concrete steps to address the many concerns of overseas Filipinos in the UAE, including the growing number of illegally recruited Filipinos.

Consul General to Dubai Paul Raymund P. Cortes assured the community of the government’s commitment to engage with its constituency as a means to understand and resolve the concerns and challenges of our diaspora using a whole-of-society approach.

The audience expressed sincere appreciation for the top government officials’ efforts towards uplifting the welfare of overseas Filipinos in the UAE. END

For more information, visit www.dubaipcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinDubai/ or the Consul General's FB page @phcongendubaipaulcortes