12 November 2014 – Around 80 Filipino community leaders and representatives of Filipino community organisations attended the biannual meeting of the Philippine Consulate General with the Filipino community leaders in New South Wales (NSW) on November 08.
Foremost in the biannual meeting’s agenda was an update on the Philippine Government’s rehabilitation efforts one year after Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan struck the Philippines. The updates presented during the meeting were based on a presentation made by Office of the Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) Undersecretary Lesley Cordero during the 13th Filipino National Conference convened by the Filipino Communities Council of Australia (FILCCA) and hosted by the Philippine Community Council of New South Wales (PCC-NSW) at the Novotel Hotel in Parramatta City, NSW, from October 24 to 26. Philippine Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis expressed her deep appreciation to the Filipino community organizations, groups and private individuals for their assistance to those affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. She emphasized that more needs to be done and encouraged the Filipino community to continue to support activities in aid of the Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan victims. She highlighted the role that Filipino migrant communities could play in helping advance the process of recovery and rehabilitation.
The Consul General updated the Filipino community leaders on developments related to the Philippine case before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The presentation generated interest and feedback from the Filipino community members present.
Consul General Louis also presented updates on the Philippine economy, including investment priority areas, and on Philippine tourism. She informed the Filipino community leaders that the Department of Tourism has launched the “Visit the Philippines Year 2015” campaign, and encouraged the leaders to help promote the Philippines as a trade, investment, tourism, and holiday destination.
The Consul General also encouraged those eligible in the Filipino community to register as overseas voters. She requested those who have registered and who have transferred residence to advise the Consulate General so that their ballots could be mailed by COMELEC to their new address.
Consul Marford Angeles announced the schedule of Consular Outreach Missions for the last quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015, and encouraged the community to take advantage of the consular services offered during these missions. He also informed the community of various monthly celebrations such as the Department of Agriculture’s “Be Riceponsible” campaign for the month of November, the designation of January as “Zero-Waste month” and August as “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa”. END