4th OFW Congress in Madrid Gathers 700 Filipinos Throughout Spain
MADRID, 10 June 2022 – After a two-year hiatus, the Philippine Embassy in Madrid and the Consulate General in Barcelona held the 4th Overseas Filipinos Workers´ Congress on 05 June 2022 at the Colegio Salesiano San Juan Bautista, which was attended by 700 Filipinos from all over Spain.
The Congress, traditionally held every other year, is one of the events that the Community looks forward to, which brought about a high attendance from the Community after being derailed by the pandemic.
The event brought together all the officers and staff of the Embassy and Consulate, allowing the team to introduce themselves to the Filipino Community. The program consisted of sessions on Employment and Immigration laws of Spain relevant to Filipinos, the Philippines´ Contingency Plan for Filipinos in Spain and Andorra, the new Department of Migrant Workers, as well as services offered by the Philippine Overseas Labor Organization (POLO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Alongside the program, a One-Stop Shop was made available to the Community, with Social Security System (SSS) flown in from Milan, LTO from the Philippines, as well as POLO and OWWA services. While waiting, the Community browsed through a mercadillo composed of Filipino vendors and entrepreneurs selling Filipino food and Filipiniana items.
The Filipino Community went home with an OFW Guidebook containing consular services that the Embassy and Consulate provide, a directory of Filipino organizations and Filipino businesses in Spain and Andorra, and other important contact details and information useful to the Community.
Ms. Rossel Besana won the grand prize during the raffle, winning a roundtrip ticket to the Philippines and an overnight staycation for two at the Manila Hotel.
The program ended with Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier expressing his gratitude to the Community for their partnership and service through Special Citations and recognitions of persons who promoted culture and the arts and trade, who acted as Resource Speakers in various webinars, and assisted the Embassy in conducting cultural activities to promote the Philippines.
The 3rd Gawad Philippe J. Lhuillier, a recognition bestowed by the Ambassador to individuals and organizations for their service, and for their length of stay in Spain or Andorra, was conferred on twelve (12) individuals/organizations.
The Filipino Community took the opportunity to pay tribute to Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier, who will be ending his tour-of-duty in Madrid in June, thanking him for being a ¨working Ambassador¨, and one who is easily approached by the Community. END
For more information, visit https://www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philembassymadrid.com, https://www.facebook.com/PHinSpain/, or https://www.instagram.com/phinspain/.