23 October 2014 – Yesterday, more than one hundred fifty people gathered to attend the inauguration of the Philippine Consulate in Palermo, the capital of the region of Sicily in the south of Italy. The Philippine Embassy in Rome, represented by Minister and Consul General Leila Lora-Santos, Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Candy Cypres, warmly welcomed the opening of the Philippine Consulate under the leadership of Philippine Honorary Consul Antonino di Liberto, a.h. Also present during the launch were officials from the region, members of the consular corps and members of the various Filipino communities in Sicily.

In the Embassy's efforts to bring its services nearer to the Filipino community, Minister Lora Santos expressed satisfaction in the inauguration of the Consulate. She stated that the event is very important as the Consulate will not only provide services to the Filipino communities in Palermo and the rest of Sicily (excluding Messina which is under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate of Reggio Calabria), but will also ensure stronger engagement with local authorities to further Philippine interests in the political, economic and social fields.

Consul a.h. di Liberto enthusiastically welcomed his new role as the head of the Philippine Consulate in Palermo. He assured the Filipino community that the Consulate is ready and eager to provide assistance and support to the more than 1,700 Filipinos under its jurisdiction.

Acknowledging that the Filipinos were one of the first migrants in Sicily, Mr. Giuseppe Bruno, official from the Regional Government of Sicily, underscored that Filipinos greatly contribute to the Italian economy and the Italian society. He commended the Filipinos for being hardworking and persevering.

Ms. Fara Linda Mejia, one of the Filipino community leaders in Palermo, stated that the opening of the Philippine Consulate is a dream come true for the Filipinos in Sicily. She narrated that the first Filipinos arrived in Palermo in the ‘70s, armed with a lot of courage, determination and immense hope to find a better life for themselves and their families back in the Philippines. She shared that at present Filipinos in Palermo are second generation Filipinos who are already born, raised and educated in Italy.

The launch also provided an opportunity to showcase the rich and diverse culture of the Philippines. A group of Filipinos awed the audience with the performance of Singkil.

The Consulate in Palermo is the fifth Honorary Consulate of the Philippines in Italy.  END