14 October 2015 - The Filipino community in Switzerland celebrated the Filipino Migrants’ Day on October 11 in Ulster. The event, which was organized by the Philippine Catholic Mission (PCM) - Switzerland, was attended by around 300 people from across Switzerland.

The event was a celebration of the lives, struggles and successes of Filipino migrants in Switzerland. It provided an opportunity for Filipino migrants from various sectors of society to showcase their talents. Representatives of various groups helping Filipino migrants also got to present their activities and projects.

The program began with a Mass presided by Fr. Antonio Enerio, SVD, a Filipino chaplain, during which a brief presentation on the history and evolution of Philippine migration was shown. Following this was a luncheon where all guests had the opportunity to rekindle connections and friendships.

Also present were representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Berne, who spoke about the Embassy's activities catering to the needs of the Filipino community in Switzerland.

As part of its outreach program, the Embassy conducts regular dialogues with members of the Filipino community to identify the latter’s needs and to further improve the Embassy’s assistance to Filipino nationals under its jurisdiction. Thus far, it has conducted integration seminars, seminars on intercultural marriages and on psychosocial and legal services available to migrants in Switzerland, as well as other activities. The Embassy also conducts registration for overseas voting to enfranchise as many overseas Filipinos and enable them to exercise their right of suffrage and participate in the decision-making process in the Philippines. END