PHILIPPINE EMBASSY, ROME SENDS CONSULAR MISSION TO FLORENCE , ITALY  

21 February 2007 – Philippine Ambassador to the Italian Republic , Philippe J. Lhuillier sent a consular mission to Florence , Italy on 17-18 February 2007 to attend to passport and other consular requirements of the Filipinos in the area.  

The Villa Vogel Quartiere, along Via delte Tom, where the mission was held, was literally teeming with Filipinos who came from all over Tuscany to avail of the consular services.  

The consular mission, headed by Consul Emmanuel R. Fernandez, issued a total of 378 passports and 292 notarial documents. Representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, Social Security System and Pag-lbig, joined the mission to provide their respective services to the Filipinos.  

Consul Fernandez held a dialogue with the Filipino community to discuss relevant issues and concerns, such as its desire to have an Honorary Consulate in Florence to attend to the needs of Filipinos in the region of Tuscany .  

The mission was composed of embassy officers Jesusa Garcia-Pantoja, Cynthia A. Acaba, Ma. Nieva J. Villanueva, Maria Helen B. Operio and Salvador P. Marzo. Joining the mission were Labor Attaché Manuel Roldan, Welfare Officer Marco Antonio D. Liwag and other officials.  

Logistic and crowd-management support was provided by the Communita Filippina in Toscana (COMFIT) under the leadership of its President, Mr. Renato Berganio. The leaders of the other Filipino organizations in the Tuscan region also provided assistance to the team.  

Ambassador Lhuillier has made it a part of his policy to reach out to Filipinos outside Rome , the seat of the Philippine Embassy through consular missions. "I am here to serve our fellow Filipinos, wherever they may be," the Ambassador expressed. "If they cannot come to the Embassy for valid reasons, I will make it a point to let the Embassy go to them instead. ‘Service to the Filipino’ – that's ultimately what we're all here for."  

The conduct of consular missions to Naples , Reggio-Calabria and Palermo are scheduled in the coming months. END

/bjg

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