11 June 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina conducted its first consular outreach and mobile overseas voters registration in Paraguay from June 3 to 4.
On June 3, Philippine Honorary Consul General in Asunción, Dr. Carlos Darío Ruffinelli, together with the Embassy’s Consular Assistant, Ms. Marleth G. Cruz, visited the 47 Filipino workers at Astillero Tsuneishi Paraguay in Villeta, which is about 36 kilometers from Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital.
Tsuneishi is a shipbuilding company which develops and builds a variety of bulk carriers, tankers and containers carriers that meet the market needs of the Asian and South American region. It has facilities in Japan, China, Paraguay and Cebu Province in the Philippines for building new ships and repairing ships.
Aside from looking into their condition at the work site, Ms. Cruz also took the opportunity to encourage them to participate in the upcoming elections. During the visit, 23 Filipino workers registered as overseas voters for the 2016 Philippine presidential election.
Majority of the Filipino workers in Astillero Tsuneishi Paraguay come from Tsuneishi Cebu, while others come from Tsuneishi Japan. They are technical workers specializing in welding. Currently, they train Paraguayans in the construction of river barges destined for the South American market.
The Embassy said that it is proud of the Filipino workers in Tsuneishi Paraguay. They have been commended by no other than the company’s president for their impeccable work ethic and dedication.
On June 4, Vice Consul Ria Gorospe and Consular Assistant Marleth Cruz conducted the Embassy’s first consular outreach in Paraguay.
Through the assistance of Philippine Honorary Consul General in Paraguay Carlos Ruffinelli, the consular team was able to process passport renewal applications of Filipinos in Asunción and Ciudad del Este as well as register them as overseas voters.
Philippine Ambassador Ma. Amelita C. Aquino, who was in Asuncion to attend the 44th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, was also present during the consular outreach and she hosted a dinner for the Filipino community in Paraguay. END