11 May 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Santiago launched a photo contest in commemoration of the 2015 International Women’s Month. The contest, which urged Filipinos in Chile to submit photos relevant to the Women’s Month theme in the Philippines, “Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!” The Filipino community in Chile responded by sending photos that depicted the role of Filipino women in their adoptive country.

The Embassy held the awarding ceremony for the winners of the contest on April 12 at the Philippine Embassy in Santiago. Philippine Ambassador to Chile Maria Consuelo Puyat-Reyes awarded the main prize to Ms. Iris Loterte, whose entry featured her embracing one of her female students from the DELTA Extension Program of the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) in Antofagasta, Chile. Ms Loterte explains that the moment in the photo was especially meaningful for her as an educator, as it was captured right after she gave the student a lengthy talk on developing confidence in her abilities.

The Embassy awarded cash prizes to the top five winners of the contest.

In her address to the Filipino community in attendance during the awarding ceremony, Ambassador Puyat-Reyes emphasized the need for Filipino women in Chile to be exemplary in their careers, and to maintain strength and dignity at all times while living in a foreign country.

The Filipino population in Chile, which makes up to more than 350 at the latest count, has been rising in the past few years, with most coming to the country as household workers while some work as teachers, engineers and IT professionals. END