19 April 2016 - Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Joselito A. Jimeno presided over a meeting and dialogue with the leaders and members of the Filipino community, which was attended by around 150 people from across Switzerland and Liechtenstein on April 16 in Zurich.
Ambassador Jimeno called on the 2,381 registered Filipino overseas voters under the Embassy’s jurisdiction to exercise their right to vote stating, “It is time to let your voices be heard no matter how far, to have a say in the governance of your country.” He also highlighted the importance of voting in the ongoing elections and explained the procedures for the postal voting conducted by the Philippine Embassy in Berne.
Overseas voting started on April 09 and will run until May 09, 11:00 AM (Swiss local time). As of end-of-day April 17, the Embassy has received 675 votes cast for the 2016 elections.
Other Embassy Services and Projects
The event brought together the Filipino communities from the German and French speaking parts of the country. They were apprised by Ambassador Jimeno of the various projects of the Embassy, foremost of which shall be the celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Switzerland beginning January 2017.
Ambassador Jimeno and Embassy officials listened to the concerns of the community and assured them that the Embassy is always ready, willing and able to assist all Filipinos in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
As part of its consular service to the Filipinos in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Embassy information booths were set up at the venue to facilitate dual citizenship, notarial and visa applications, verification of registration as overseas voter and release of COMELEC Voters IDs.
The Embassy team was joined by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) Attaché Ms. Maria Criselda Sy based in Geneva, the Social Security System (SSS) Representative Ms. Wilma Ortiz and Pag-IBIG Representative Bridgette Mahor, who are both based in Milan.
The event was an opportune time for the POLO, SSS and Pag-IBIG officials as they gave briefings on their agencies’ respective services and benefits. They also setup information desks to provide membership consultation, registration, and reactivation services to the Filipino community. END
