03 December 2014 – Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas met with the Consell Insular de Ibiza President Vicent Serra Ferrer at the the latter’s office in Ibiza on November 15, on the sidelines of the Annual Ambassador’s Cup basketball tournament of Filipinos in Spain and Andorra.
During their meeting, Ambassador Salinas and President Serra talked about the status of Filipinos working in Ibiza and the possible areas of cooperation between the local government of Ibiza and the Philippines. President Serra spoke very highly of Filipinos in Ibiza, even commenting that in his entire life he has never heard anything negative about Filipinos in Ibiza. On the possible areas of cooperation that the local government of Ibiza and the Philippines could explore, the two officials discussed trade and tourism, cultural and educational exchanges, and film screenings. Madame Isabelita Salinas, Philippine Consul General Emmanual R. Fernandez, and the key leaders of the Filipino community in Ibiza accompanied the Ambassador during the meeting; while President Serra was joined by his own spouse and Ms. Carmen Dominguez Arellano, the Consellera Executiva of the Departament de Participactio Ciutadona.
From the President’s office, Ambassador Salinas and company proceeded to the Convent of Santo Rosario where they met with the other leaders of the Filipino community in Ibiza. On November 16, the Ambassador graced the Annual Ambassador’s Cup basketball tournament which was participated in by teams of selected Filipino players from Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, Andorra and Palma de Mallorca. The Barcelona team garnered the top award, followed by the teams from Palma ade Mallorca and Madrid. In his remarks, the Ambassador took the opportunity to talk about the ongoing I-Rehistro pilot program of COMELEC and urged everyone to register for the national elections in 2016.
There are around 1,500 Filipinos working in Ibiza which is a world-renown tourist destination. Most of these Filipinos work in bars and restaurants which are frequented by affluent tourists and showbiz personalities from around the world, especially in summertime. A few others work as caretakers of villas own by foreign nationals. Filipinos in Ibiza are held in high esteem both by locals and the tourists for their industry, their friendly disposition and their facility with the English language. END