06 May 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Singapore joined in the Philippine Labor Day celebration jointly organized by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Office (POLO/OWWA) in Singapore and the Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore (FOWS) at the Philippine Bayanihan Centre on May 04 in Pasir Panjang, Singapore.
The event was held in conjunction with the 32nd anniversary of OWWA and also the 22nd anniversary of the founding of the Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore (FOWS).
Representatives of the Philippine Embassy, POLO/OWWA Singapore, Philippine Trade and Investment Center Singapore, members of the Filipino community in Singapore, mainly household services workers (HSWs) and skilled professionals attended the celebration. Some HSWs came with their employers and friends.
During the morning program, the Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Minister and Consul General Alan L. Deniega, gave an inspirational message to the audience following the reading of the Labor Day messages of President Benigno S. Aquino III, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz and OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon.
In the afternoon, FOWS held its annual Miss FOWS beauty contest. Raffle draws sponsored by PNB, Iremit, Metrobank and SingTel were also conducted to the delight of the crowd. Meanwhile, the Embassy’s Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) Section conducted its regular “free legal clinic.”
FOWS, one of the pioneers in the implementation of Skills Training Programs (STPs) for Filipino HSWs in Singapore, was established in 1992. Mrs. Encarnacion Montales, who now works at the OWWA office in Singapore, served as the first President. FOWS is currently headed by Ms. Rose Canonizado.
FOWS offers a number of courses for HSWs including, among others, dressmaking, human resource management, culinary arts, nursing aid and computer programming. FOWS has held its courses at the Philippine Bayanihan Centre since 2002. END