27 July 2015 - Several Filipino community settlement leaders and workers met with the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto on July 17 to strengthen their partnership in providing service to Filipinos and Filipino-Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Ms. Flordeliz Dandal, Executive Director of the Kababayan Community Centre and Multicultural Services (one of the bigger non-profit organizations receiving funding from the federal, provincial and municipal levels), Ms. Liezl Chavez of the Catholic Community Services of York Region, Mr. Benjamin Bongolan of the 519, Ms. Melanie Canlas-Widermann of the Parkdale Intercultural Association and Ms. Ella Tan of the North York Community House came together with some of their counselors to discuss the various programs their respective organizations provide to Filipinos in the GTA to help them settle in and adjust to their new lives in Canada.

Philippine Consul General to Toronto Rosalita S. Prospero, who was joined by Deputy Consul General J. Susana V. Paez, Consul Bolivar L. Bao, and Labor Attaché Leonida V. Romulo, conveyed her appreciation to the settlement workers for the effort they are exerting on behalf of the burgeoning Filipino population in the GTA and assured them of the Consulate General’s continued support in their undertakings.

During the meeting, Consul General Prospero also expressed her willingness to explore partnership in programs that will engage the interests of second-generation Filipino-Canadians to bolster consciousness and appreciation of their heritage, as well as bridge whatever identity gap they may experience between their own household and their adopted country.

For their part, the community settlement workers lauded their convivial working relationship with the PCG and POLO, underscoring the benefits of partnering with the latter due to their extensive network and wide reach in the Filipino and Fil-Canadian community.  At the close of the meeting, the community settlement workers reiterated their commitment to work hand-in-hand with the Philippine Consulate General and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) for a more inclusive delivery of services to their clientele. END