PH Embassy in Moscow Continues to Serve Filipinos Amidst COVID-19 Lockdown
The Philippine Embassy in Mosocw in action amidst COVID-19 pandemic. (Moscow PE photo)
MOSCOW 18 June 2020 – Amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Russia where the country had 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day (subsequently this has gone down to about 8,000 new cases a day), the Philippine Embassy in Moscow remained open to Filipinos with urgent Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN), Passport, Notarial and food assistance needs, albeit made with prior appointments. An Embassy staff skeletal force was always on duty everyday and on weekends, packing and distributing food, and responding to urgent requests for assistance.
“We never closed”, according to Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta.
“Bilateral engagements continued even in the midst of the restrictions on movements imposed by the Moscow City Administration starting on 30 March 2020. Notes verbale were exchanged between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy on various issues such as possible assistance from the Russian Federation on supply of COVID-19 personal protection equipment, repatriation through a bilateral cooperation using a Philippine-bound Russian Government-chartered flight on March 25, 2020, and exchanges of information on rent relaxation for Filipino workers during the pandemic and on food assistance for Filipinos in need”, the Ambassador added.
On 30 March 2020 the Embassy temporarily suspended walk-in consular services, (except ATN), visa applications, non-urgent consular services, and Overseas Voting registration. “We also instituted strict health checks and protocols and received clients in a separate receiving room before they entered the Embassy Consular Section”, said Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Robert O. Ferrer, Jr.
Rotating physical duties at the Embassy Chancery, Embassy officers and staff mostly continued working from home using available technology to draft reports and Notes Verbale, meet among themselves online, and continued engagements with fellow ASEAN missions in Moscow electronically.
The Embassy Officers continued to engage the Filipino community and stakeholders through a series of ‘E-Kapihan’ forums, without a live audience (a total of six, held on 15 and 29 March, 12 and 30 April, 08 May, and 14 June 2020 on the following topics: legal issues for Filipino migrant women, mental health and coping mechanisms during the pandemic, a three-part series titled “Your Embassy and the Current COVID-19 situation”, requests for emergency repatriation, status of Filipinos whose visas expired during the pandemic, the availability of government assistance in the form of food packs and cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment, and individual requests for temporary emergency accommodation and support during the pandemic. These are still ongoing activities. As of 15 June, for instance, the Embassy distributed 1,182 food packages to Filipinos in need. For DOLE-AKAP, the Embassy partnered with the non-resident Office of the Labor Attaché (based in Berlin) to provide emergency USD 200 in cash assistance to Filipinos experiencing job displacement during the crisis.
For assistance to nationals, the Embassy consular section assisted Filipino citizens requiring medical assistance due to COVID-19 situations, and facilitated the arrangements for repatriation of Filipinos from Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan (awaiting reopening of flights), and assisted in the arrangement of shipment of remains of one Filipino in Kazakhstan.
The Embassy also held a virtual Zoom meeting with leaders of Filipino community organizations in Russia on 09 May 2020 to discuss the current pandemic and implementation of the President’s call for Filipinos to engage in ‘bayanihan’.
The pandemic also brought out the best in the Filipinos living in Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Stories of Filipinos helping Filipinos served as proof of their resiliency. Food was shared, rents were equally divided, money was pooled to tide Filipinos over. Organizations organized food relief packages of their own. Churches quietly ministered to their members and reached out to their fellow Filipinos. Non-government organizations accommodated Filipinos seeking shelter in Kazakhstan. Stranded Filipinos in Armenia helped each other out in practical ways.
Lastly, the Ambassador regularly answered questions from media on the COVID-19 situation in Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. END
Philippine Embassy in Moscow officers and staff at their virtual flag raising ceremony. (Moscow PE photo)
Interactive and responsive ‘E-Kapihans’
Philippine Embassy staff prepare food packs. (Moscow PE photo)
Whether they receive food packs from the Embassy or from churches or Filipino community organizations, Filipinos share what they have, in the spirit of ‘Bayanihan’.
For more information, visit https://www.moscowpe.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinRussia/ or https://twitter.com/phlinrussia