10 March 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Athens conducted a consular outreach mission to the city of Rhodes, Greece on March 1. These formed part of the official visit of Philippine Ambassador to Greece Meynardo LB. Montealegre to Rhodes from February 27 to March 02.
The Embassy team rendered consular services at the Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church (also known as Sta. Maria Church) Community Center. They were heartily welcomed by the Filipino community in Rhodes who were looking forward to a visit from the Embassy after two years.
The team processed a total of 27 e-passport applications and six other services. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) processed 48 membership renewals and 8 Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs)/exit passes, while the Pag-IBIG Fund had 23 transactions.
The consular outreach mission was conducted with the assistance and support of Honorary Consul in Rhodes Michalis Roditis, the Filipino community in Rhodes, and Fr. John Luke Gregory, Vicar General and Parish Priest of the Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church.
Ambassador Montealegre met with around 35 members of the Filipino community in Rhodes at the Sta. Maria church community center on March 1, right after the consular outreach. In his remarks, he said that in his meetings with the local and private sector officials in Rhodes, they heaped praises on the Filipinos in the city for their industry, trustworthiness and positive work attitude. He informed them of the positive developments in the Philippines. He called on the Filipinos in Rhodes to unite and to always protect the positive image of Filipinos among Greeks. He also swore into office the new officers of the Filipino Workers Association of Rhodes (FWAR).
The city of Rhodes is the capital of the island of Rhodes, part of the Dodecanese group of islands, and located approximately 18 kilometers southwest of Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is about 629 kilometers from Athens, and has an estimated population of 115,000 to 120,000. The city hosts an estimated 150 Filipinos, most of whom are household service workers, and who are members of the FWAR and the Union of Philippine Migrants. END
