06 May 2014 - While all roads led to Rome during the last weekend of April 2014 for the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, the Philippine Embassy in Rome dispatched from April 26 to 27 a mobile consular team to Empoli in the Tuscan region to render services to the Filipinos based in the area.

Empoli is located 315 kilometres away from Rome. 

The consular team, led by Consul Enrique V. Pingol and joined by Labor Attaché Atty. Viveca Catalig and Welfare Officer Loreta Vergara, and composed of POLO, OWWA, Pag-IBIG and SSS representatives, processed more than 700 consular applications. There was also a constant stream of queries and from Filipinos dealt with by the team.

Consular services rendered include passport renewals, civil registrations, passport validity extensions, applications for NBI clearance, applications for dual citizenship, annotations/corrections in civil registry reports, PAG-IBIG-SSS-OWWA memberships and Overseas Empployment Certificate issuances. 

Consular team officials also had an hour-long consultation meeting with Filipino leaders and community members on the last day of the mission.  The two-day consular mission was capped with the turn-over of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s bust to the Knights of Rizal-Florence Chapter in the presence of other Filipino leaders and community members.  Filipinos conveyed their delight over the turnover of Rizal’s bust as it is a tangible reminder to continue to live up to the ideals and values of the country’s national hero.

The outreach mission was organized in cooperation with the Filipino European Association (FEA), headed by Mr. Dennis Reyes and with the support of the Confederation of Filipino Community in Tuscany, under the guidance of its  President and Vice President, Ms. Divinia Capalad and Mr. Carlos Simbillo, respectively.

The Filipino community in Empoli expressed great appreciation to the Embassy’s consular mobile services.  END