“Closing Philippine embassies and consulates abroad is like
abandoningFilipinos abroad,.” – Garry Martinez, Migrante International
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A global alliance of overseas Filipino workers express alarm
over plans of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to close 12
Philippine embassies and consulates abroad by the end of the year.
Migrante International said OFWs are up in arms against the DFA’s plan
and expressed their disappointment over the administration of President
Benigno S. Aquino III.
In a statement, Migrante International chairman Garry Martinez said,
“The DFA had announced plans to close down at least 12 Philippine
embassies and consulates last year, during budget deliberations, as part
of the Aquino administration’s so-called austerity measures. The plan
is to complete the closures by the end of 2012. They, however, refused
to disclose which embassies or consulates are in danger of closing
down.”
Philippine embassies and consulates in Saipan, Romania, Stockholm,
Frankfurt, Barcelona and Palau will be closed down this year, according
to Martinez.
Embassy in Palau
will be closed by July this year, a news report said. Daniel Infante
Tuaño, a Filipino migrant working in Barcelona, said the Philippine
consulate there will be closed by the end of July. He said no official
of the consulate consulted them about the closure.
“There was no consultation whatsoever, Ambassador Carlos Salinas
visited the Filipino community in Barcelona and he regretfully announced
that the Consulate has to be closed by the end of July. It is already
final. The Filipino community in Barcelona mobilized and petitioned for
the establishment of a full Consulate (here) but now they decided to
close it down without even consulting us. They were just informing us
because the decision has already been taken,” Tuaño said in an interview
through e-mail.
Same thing goes to the Filipino community in Palau where, according
to news reports, Filipinos were not consulted about the closure. The
Filipino Community in Palau (TFCP) was quoted as saying “We were very
surprised, worried and concerned because we do not understand the
reasons. We cannot think how our government decided without even
consulting us Filipinos in Palau.” About 5,000 Filipinos are currently
working in Palau, said the report.
Abandon
“Closing Philippine embassies and consulates abroad is like
abandoning Filipinos abroad,” said Matinez. In fact, he added, there
are shortages of Philippine embassies and consulates around the world.
Instead of adding offices the government is closing them down. .....
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Source: Bulatlat.com
URL:
http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/02/17/ofws-protest-against-planned-closure-of-philippine-embassies-consulates/