Philippine Embassy in Madrid Holds 5th Overseas Filipino Congress

: Published: 18 November 2024

Philippine Embassy in Madrid Holds 5th Overseas Filipino Congress

Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier delivered his welcome remarks at the 5th Overseas Filipino Congress in Madrid on 11 November 2024.

MADRID 18 November 2024 – The Embassy of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain hosted the 5th Overseas Filipino (OF) Congress held at the Colegio La Salle Maravillas in Madrid on 09 November 2024.

More than 300 Filipinos registered for the event, with more than 200 more availing of the onsite facility for frontline services and programs offered by PagIBIG and SSS as well as consular and MWO/OWWA services.

Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier, in his welcome remarks, reminded the attendees that the idea of the Congress began more than ten years ago as an effort to unite all overseas Filipinos as one community and as one amazing force of good. He added that he is rooting for all of them to succeed in their endeavors in Spain.

The guest of honor, Congresswoman Geraldine Roman gave an inspiring message to the attendees, urging them to continue to learn and improve themselves.

There were three panel discussions at the 5th OF Congress which explored various topics affecting overseas Filipinos.

The panel on “Political and Social Participation in a Global Context”, touched on leadership, the Filipino cultural identity, effective strategies in fostering constructive engagement with local government and host communities, and the best practices of Filipino organizations and associations in other countries.

The panel on “Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship”, discussed the different government programs on financial management and investment from PagIBIG and SSS, the Kanegosyo Center of Cebuana Lhuillier as well as online financial scams tackled by Metrobank.

The panel on “Digital Literacy and Up-skilling” discussed the basic and advanced skills required to complete digital transformation, the advent of artificial intelligence, the issue of misinformation and how to counter it and the challenge of upgrading workforce technology literacy.

The distinguished speakers of the Congress were experts in their respective fields, namely Col. Joseph Jeremias C. Dator, Defense and Armed Forces Attaché; Commercial Counsellor Althea Karen Antonio, Head of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Madrid; Labor Attache Angela Librado-Trinidad, Head of Migrant Workers Office-Madrid; Ms. Lydia E. Cabagnot, European Regional Head of SSS; Mr. Walter Lim, Vice President Europe Region Head of Metrobank; Ms. Olivia V. Zerrudo, Vice President of Pag-IBIG NCR, Mr. Yosu Andoni de Erquiaga, EU Business Development Lead of Cebuana Lhuillier, Mr. Carlo Velasco, CEO of Videogaga; Ms. Mischa Balazo, Partner Engineering Program Manager, Google and Ms. Samantha Tan, Partner, Viajar Hoy.

Post also provided Certificates of Recognition to Filipinos and Filipino organizations that extended help to their community or assisted the Embassy in community and cultural programs. Among the awardees were the Emergency Response Team, which assisted in the relief efforts in Valencia; Ms. Carlos Alfonso Bernardo and Danielle Arcegono of Bright Corner Academy who is a partner of the Sentro Rizal-Madrid´s Malikhaing Bata program; Dr. Sharon Dumo, who provides the Embassy's regular free medical clinic to Filipinos; and the Madrid Spain Conquerors Eagles Club, which maintains the Jose Rizal Monument in Avenida de Filipinas in Madrid.

Jollibee sponsored the lunch for the Congress, donating 400 packs of Jolly spaghetti, Chickenjoy and Yumburgers while other local companies and shops donated various gift certificates for the event´s raffle draw.

The 5th Overseas Filipino Congress is a biennial gathering of Filipino community leaders in Spain and Andorra organized by Post in collaboration with the Migrant Workers Office in Madrid. This year's theme for the Congress is “Tagapagtaguyod ng Pagbabago at Tagumpay sa Bagong Pilipinas” (Advocates of Change and Success in the New Philippines), highlighting the role of overseas Filipinos as agents of change in the host country and as global Ambassadors of the Philippines abroad.

The purpose of the OF Congress is to create a platform for overseas Filipinos to congregate, network and interact with one another as well as enable them to learn from various resource persons on diverse issues and subject matter affecting their interest and welfare.

The event was very successful and received very positive feedback from the participants coming from various parts of Spain such as Malaga, Tenerife, Las Palmas, Marbella, Sotogrande, Canary Islands, Cadiz and Madrid. END