11 May 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Singapore on participated in the Philippine Labor Day celebration on May 01 which was jointly organized by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration Office (OWWA) in Singapore and the Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore (FOWS) at the Philippine Bayanihan Centre in Pasir Panjang, Singapore.
The event was held in conjunction with the 103rd anniversary of the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 33rd anniversary of OWWA and also the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore (FOWS).
Representatives of the Philippine Embassy, POLO and OWWA Singapore and members of the Filipino community in Singapore attended the celebration. Some Filipino household service workers (HSWs) came with their employers and friends.
During the morning program, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio A. Morales gave an inspirational message to the audience following the reading of the Labor Day messages of President Benigno S. Aquino III by Consul General Victorio Mario M. Dimagiba Jr, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz by Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe, and the OWWA Administrator by Welfare Officer Rosanna Siray. This was followed by the awarding of certificates of appreciation to the volunteers of the FOWS Skills Training Program headed by Ms. Rose Canonizado and the traditional candle blowing of the birthday cake to symbolize the triple celebrations.
In the afternoon, FOWS held its annual Miss FOWS beauty contest. Raffle draws were also conducted to the delight of the crowd. Meanwhile, the Embassy conducted overseas voters registration.
FOWS, one of the pioneers in the implementation of Skills Training Programs (STPs) for Filipino HSWs in Singapore, was established in 1992. Mrs. Encarnacion Montales, who now works at the OWWA office in Singapore, served as the first President.
FOWS offers a number of courses for HSWs including, among others, dressmaking, human resource management, culinary arts, nursing aid and computer programming. FOWS has held its courses at the Philippine Bayanihan Centre since 2002. END