Rome, 08 March 2004 – Charito Basa was formally  conferred today with Italy’s most distinguished award,
 the Order to the Merit of the Italian Republic, and  was named Knight of the Republic by Italian President
 Carlo Ciampi for her contributions in social  development as well as in the promotion of the rights  of women and migrants.

 On the occasion of International Women’s Day,  President Ciampi presented medals to all the women
 recipients of the award from the past years, among  them artists, academicians, civil servants, soldiers  and even from a religious congregation, during a  solemn ceremony held at the Quirinale Presidential  Palace.

 “Ms. Basa brings much honor to our country and her  hard-earned feat is a shining example for Filipino
 migrants all over the world to emulate,” said Charge  d’Affaires Teresita Berner, who represented the
 Philippine Embassy to the Italian State at the  awarding ceremonies.

 Charito Basa, who had been conferred the award on 30  May 2002, is the only Filipina to have been bestowed the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana and  named Cavaliere della Repubblica, which to date had  only been awarded to Italians; it being the first time  for four non-Italian women, Basa being one of them.

 “It is Charito’s true commitment, her hard work and  her compassion towards her fellow Filipino migrants,
 and even migrants (in Italy) from other countries,  that have yielded her the respect and trust of the  migrant communities and the Italian government,” said  Philippine Ambassador to Italy, Ambassador Philippe  Lhuillier.

 For the past 18 years, Basa has worked in Italy with  international non-government organizations (NGOs) such
 as Isis International, the Society for International  Development as well as other Italian development and
 cooperation NGOs, such as Centro Internazionale  Crocevia.

 As part of her revolutionary work for women and  migrants, she founded and chairs the Filipino Women’s
 Council, a migrant organization in Rome that assists  Filipinas and other women working as domestic helpers, as well as organizes leadership training seminars,  promotes economic empowerment programmes, facilitates  network building and develops programmes for  institutions and communities.

 A native of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, Basa holds  key positions in the boards of migrant organizations,
 Italian women’s associations and European networks and  has also collaborated with United Nations agencies,  the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the  International Fund for Agricultural Development and  the International Organization for Migration on issues  concerning migrants, human rights, citizenship,  suffrage, remittances and policy reform.

 Basa has dedicated her award to her foremost “knight”  and husband, Massimo Cortellessa, to the Filipino
 migrant worker, and to her beloved country, the  Philippines.  END.