05 August 2014 - Philippine Consul General Marichu Mauro met with the Filipino association leaders in Genoa (Italian: Genova). Genoa is the capital of the Region of Liguria and the 6th largest city in Italy. It is one of Europe's largest cities on the Mediterranean Sea and the biggest seaport in Italy. There are an estimated 2,000 Filipinos in Genoa.
The members of the Filipino community were very pleased to receive the Philippine Consul General and expressed their appreciation to the Consulate General’s policy of bringing its services closer to the Filipinos.
The forum opened with Consul General Mauro updating the community on consular and labor-related matters. She informed them of a scheduled consular mobile service in Genoa in November this year. She also encouraged them to register early for the 2016 national elections.
Various questions on consular concerns were raised during the Q&A portion of the forum. Consul General Mauro proposed to the community the conduct of financial literacy workshops, leadership seminars and youth development activities that would empower them and contribute more to Philippine development.
Aside from working in private houses, hotels, restaurants and factories, many Filipinos also work in repairing and cleaning yachts and small ships. Cruise ships docking regularly in Genoa such as MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, employ thousands of Filipinos as maintenance engineers, chefs, waiting staff and cleaning crews. END