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wellington4a

27 June 2014 – The Philippine Embassy in Wellington and the office of the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Auckland held an Orientation Seminar for Filipinos in Wellington on June 20 at the Sentro Rizal in the Embassy’s Chancery, as one of the 116th Independence Day commemorative activities. 

 

The day started with one-on-one sessions which enabled the Filipinos to raise their specific concerns and issues with Philippine Honorary Consul General Paulo Garcia in private. The seminar proper commenced after these sessions. In her welcome remarks, Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Virginia H. Benavidez reiterated the importance of being informed of the prevailing laws, regulations and systems in New Zealand, as well as the various pathways of seeking assistance from appropriate agencies and authorities in the country.

 wellington4b

Before his talk, Consul General Garcia introduced Honorary Vice Consul Virginia Russell who welcomed the participants and provided them with a brief background about the services extended by their office in Auckland.

 

Aiming to provide Filipinos with useful, relevant and up-to-date information on several aspects about living in New Zealand, Consul General Garcia discussed legal matters of interest to Filipino migrants, including immigration, wills, enduring powers of attorney, relationship property, dealing with the police and courts, marriage, civil union and divorce. Specific scenarios were discussed to provide a clear picture of common cases encountered by Filipinos in New Zealand. A lively and enlightening open forum followed the seminar.

 

A fellowship dinner was held at the Chancery after the seminar.

 

Participants were unanimous in saying that the seminar was an enriching experience.  With this positive feedback and recurring requests from the participants and other Filipinos to hold a similar event, another orientation seminar is being planned to be held in Wellington in the coming months.

 

 

The Philippine Embassy in Wellington and the Philippine Consulate General in Auckland have so far conducted four Orientation Seminars for the benefit and well-being of Filipinos in New Zealand. END