28 September 2015 – Philippine Consul General Rosalita S. Prospero, accompanied by Deputy Consul General J. Susana Paez and Labor Attaché Leonida V. Romulo, met with government officials and the business sector of Regina, Saskatchewan. The visit to Regina was scheduled to coincide with Post’s Mobile Consular Outreach Mission from September 18 to 22, which provided services to 1,321 Filipinos.
The Consul General met with Ms. Christa Ross, Acting Executive Director of Immigration Services and Director of Economic Immigration; and Ms. Richelle Bourgoin, Director, Mission Planning and Employment Engagement both of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Economy. The purpose of the meeting was to reinvigorate discussions on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Saskatchewan (SK) Executive Council on Co-operation in Human Resource Deployment and Development signed on 07 October 2013 by Philippines Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz and Saskatchewan Premiere Brad Wall with the view of seeing it move forward. The MOU aims to make the deployment process more efficient and effective.
Consul General Prospero then called on Regina Mayor Michael Fougere to express appreciation for the warmth with which Regina welcomes Filipino migrants and workers. The Mayor acknowledged the important role Filipinos play in the economic growth and labor development of Regina.
During the Consul General’s meeting with the Philippine Entrepreneurs Society of Saskatchewan, she lauded the goal of the Society to assist entrepreneurs of Filipino descent in Saskatchewan to further establish their businesses and expand their network of contacts. She offered to propose to a possible linkage between the Society and the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce to enable both groups to assist each other in areas of mutual interest.
On the last day of the visit, the group met with the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce. Having been made aware of the Philippines’ strength in the area of design, several members of the Chamber expressed interest in exploring the possibility of having the Philippines as part of the supply chain of their companies’ products. The Chamber will look seriously into joining the Winter Escapade in February 2016 and using it as a jump off point in meeting with business counterparts and relevant Philippine government agencies.
The meetings in Regina resulted in a lively exchange of views and the identification of possible areas of common interest. More importantly, the introductions effected during the visit established inroads, albeit small, in furthering economic relations with Saskatchewan. END