Philippine Embassy Team Meets With Minister
The Filipino Association recently hosted a meeting between the visiting team from the Philippine Embassy in Canada led by Ambassador Rodolfo D. Robles and Minister of Economy and Labour Jason Hayward at the Bermuda Sailors Home to “promote the rights and welfare of Filipino workers in Bermuda.”
A spokesperson said, “A team from the Philippine Embassy were on the island to hold a consular outreach, particularly the renewal of passports for Filipinos on the island. Also in attendance were Consul Jeffrey Salik, Labour Attache Angela Librado-Trinidad of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington DC [POLO-WDC], Labour Relations Manager Gabrielle Cann, Zarena Lindsay, Advisor to the Minister, Rowena Comber, and Net Longno of the Filipino Association.
“The Ambassador thanked Bermuda for welcoming Filipino workers on the island and emphasized that the promotion of the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers is one of the three pillars of Philippine Foreign Policy.
“Labour Attache Angela Librado-Trinidad of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Washington DC [POLO-WDC] said that as part of its protection mechanism, the Philippine government adopts policies and procedures of deployment of Filipino workers abroad to ensure that foreign employers and principals are legitimate and that existing contracts of employment entered into by the Overseas Filipino Workers are consistent with laws of the Philippines and the host country or country of destination through accreditation and verification of contracts of employment.
“Minister Hayward noted that Bermuda recently enacted new labor laws that enhance the protection of the rights of all workers in Bermuda, including foreign workers.
“Both sides agreed to identify focal persons to facilitate communication and exploration of novel partnerships pertaining to labor and immigration matters.
“Based on the latest available data, there are 1,300 Filipinos working in Bermuda. The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa has consular jurisdiction over Bermuda while the POLO-WDC has jurisdiction of labour issues of Filipino workers in Bermuda.”
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