London, 17 April 2004 – In a well-attended meeting with the Filipino community in the United Kingdom last night, held at the Philippine Embassy in London, Secretary Delia Domingo Albert spoke about her recent visit to Ireland, the three pillars of Philippine foreign policy, and current issues such as terrorism, the peace process in the Philippines, and recent measures promoting the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos.

Secretary Albert went to the meeting straight from the airport to the embassy, where she was welcomed by more than a hundred and fifty guests who included community leaders, members of organizations, nurses and other migrant workers. A group came all the way from Wales to attend the dialogue.

The Secretary discussed the three main foreign policy directives, or “three pillars”, of Philippine diplomacy: protecting the country’s national security, working for economic growth and development, promoting the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos. “The third reflects the reality that there are now some seven to eight million Filipinos abroad, and if we consider our total population, this means about one in ten Filipinos lives overseas.” She cited thegrowing importance of the Filipino presence around the world, such as the fact that a great number of the world’s seafarers are now supplied by the Philippines. Because of this, the Secretary said the Philippine government must establish its presence where it is most needed for the protection of the rights of Filipino citizens. She mentioned that she recently inaugurated a Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, which will look after the welfare of some 180,000 Filipinos working in the United Arab Emirates.

Citing the increasing problem of violence against women and the international trafficking in women and children, she reported that in recent meetings she attended in Geneva and New York, she advocated stricter measures for the protection of women and children, an area where the Philippines has been cooperating with international organizations such as the UN.

The Secretary discussed at length the linkages between foreign policy, economic development, and the peace process. She said that in her next stop which will be Oslo, she will be discussing with Norwegian officials the peace process in the Philippines. Norway has been mediating in the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the CPP-NDF-NPA dissident group whose leaders are based in the Netherlands. In Mindanao, she said, economic development is being pursued with the help of our “national and international resources” as a necessary component of the peace process.

“By creating economic opportunities,” she said, “we can spur growth and thus  remove the basis or breeding ground of resistance against the government.” She described the twin process as the “right-hand and left-hand policy” of President Macapagal Arroyo, which means improving the country’s economic situation on one hand, and seeking a negotiated settlement of the internal armed conflict with the CPP-NDF-NPA and the MILF through the peace process,on the other. “Peace can be achieved through development, with economic activities happening on the community level, such as the microfinancing of rural livelihood projects for women with development funds sourced from donor countries. This is what makes our approach to the peace process unique,” the Secretary said.

She said that the Philippines has been making a creditable impression in the international community, as evidenced by the fact that the country was elected into the Security Council as a non-permanent member having garnered ninety-percent of the total votes. She said that the Philippines will be facing specific challenges when it chairs the Security Council in June.

Asked during the open forum what the Philippine government proposes to do about the requirement for medical workers other than nurses to take up further studies so they could qualify to work in the UK, Secretary Albert said that the comparability of educational qualifications could be resolved by continually upgrading the standards of Philippine education. The Secretary concluded her talk by acknowledging the achievements of the Filipino community in the United Kingdom. She later briefly met one of the guests, Consuelo V. Farochilen – a former chambermaid turned millionaire businesswoman – and congratulated her for being featured by the Daily Mail of London as one of the UK’s top women achievers.

Secretary Albert had just come from Dublin, Ireland, where she attended the 6th  ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting, and met with President Mary MacAleese, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, and Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney. She said that during her meeting with President MacAleese, the Irish leader expressed her countrymen’s praise and gratitude for the invaluable service being rendered by the thousands of Filipino nurses now working in Ireland’s hospitals.  END.