Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal hosts a successful meet and greet event between DFA officials and members of the Filipino community

Lisbon, 12 September 2024 - The Philippine Embassy in Lisbon successfully hosted a meet-and-greet event between visiting officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) led by Assistant Secretary Robert O. Ferrer Jr. from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMA) and Deputy Assistant Secretary Arman R. Talbo from the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) and the members of the Filipino community in Portugal on Sunday, 8 September 2024.  The event was part of the Embassy's ongoing efforts to strengthen ties and provide direct assistance to Filipinos abroad.

In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Paul Raymund P. Cortes gave a brief overview of the transition of the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) functions of the DFA to the newly established Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Assistant Secretary Ferrer reaffirmed the DFA’s unwavering commitment to serving and protecting the welfare of overseas Filipinos in Portugal, highlighting the collaborative efforts of the Embassy, DFA, and DMW under the One-Country-Team approach to streamline services and improve the delivery of assistance to Filipino nationals abroad. He also underscored the invaluable contributions of the Filipino diaspora in strengthening diplomatic, economic, and social relations between the Philippines and other nations.

The event provided an opportunity for members of the Filipino community to engage in discussions concerning various issues, including social security, legal and repatriation assistance, consular and passport concerns, immigration laws, among many others.

Approximately 50 Filipinos and their spouses attended the event representing various cities in Portugal, including Lisbon, Cascais, Oeiras, Algarve, and Porto. END