SFA-AGR-267-08

AMBASSADOR BRILLANTES’ VISIT ENHANCES CONNECTIONS WITH FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN KINGSTON

18 April 2008 – Philippine Ambassador to Canada Jose S. Brillantes, Minister and Consul General Joseph Gerard B. Angeles and Consul Rhenita B. Rodriguez visited the Filipino community in Kingston, Ontario - Canada’s first capital - on 11-12 April for an outreach mission.

The Kingston visit was part of the Embassy’s outreach program which is aimed at building networks with the Filipino communities and OFWs; disseminating information on the Philippine Government’s programs for overseas nationals; and exploring opportunities in trade and investment, labor and employment, immigration and other areas for Filipino businesses and nationals.  The outreach mission in Kingston was the first to be conducted by the Embassy in the area.

Some 150 members of the community were at the information session at the Seniors’ Regional Centre on Francis St., where the Embassy delegation conducted a briefing on services, programs and projects for Filipinos in Canada. Minister and Consul General Angeles presented the functions and services of the Embassy and the Consulate, as well as the different government programs for Filipinos and former Filipinos, such as the Balikbayan program, the Ambassadors and Consuls General Tour of the Philippines, the Classroom Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad program, dual citizenship and overseas absentee voting.

The Embassy also invited Mr. Hal Schipper of Kingston Employment & Youth Services Inc. (KEYS), a non-profit community organization offering information, referrals and support to immigrant communities. Mr. Schipper discussed the services available for the Filipino community through KEYS, which is directly funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Ambassador Brillantes thanked the Filipino community for its earnest participation in the Embassy’s outreach program. He said that, judging from the sizable attendance, the outreach mission has more than fulfilled its goal of fostering direct interaction between the Embassy and the Filipino community. The Ambassador spoke on the recent economic gains of the Philippines and the numerous contributions of overseas Filipinos to the Philippines, such as through remittances.

During the open forum, the Ambassador and the members of the team took turns replying to queries on the various government programs for overseas Filipinos, the present state of the economy and business opportunities in the Philippines.

A highlight of the program was the awarding of the plaque of appreciation from the Classroom Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad (CGMA) to the Filipino Canadian Association of Kingston (FCAK) for its classroom donation to Kiloloron Elementary School in Real, Quezon under the CGMA program.  FCAK president Nena Garfit received the plaque for the association from Ambassador Brillantes.  Ms. Garfit thanked the CGMA, through the Ambassador, for the recognition and took the opportunity to thank the Kingston community for pooling their resources together to share their blessings with kababayans back home.

Earlier, Ambassador Brillantes, Consul General Angeles and Consul Rodriguez met with the Mayor of Kingston, His Worship Harvey Rosen at the City Hall.  The meeting was joined by Mr. Bill Gray of the Kingston Economic Development Corp. (KEDCO). During the courtesy visit with the Mayor, Mayor Rosen praised the Filipino community in Kingston for their admirable work ethic and for their valuable contributions to Kingston society. Mayor Rosen said that, since Kingston is the hub of eastern Ontario, with immediate and easy access to the major population centres of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and even Syracuse, New York, the city needs hardworking immigrants such as Filipinos who could competently fill the jobs generated by businesses choosing to locate or expand in Kingston. Mayor Rosen and Mr. Gray said that Kingston’s strategic location has made it attractive for such industries as transportation and logistics, business outsourcing, warehousing and distribution, information technology and knowledge-based innovation in biotechnology, health sciences and fuel cells. With Kingston considered as one of the top 25 cities in Canada, the Mayor said he hopes for Kingston to be a major immigrant destination, particularly for Filipinos.

The Embassy delegation also visited Queen’s University, one of the premier universities in Canada, and met with Dr. Ronald Watts, Principal Emeritus, Professor Emeritus of Political Studies and Fellow of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen’s University. A former President and Vice Chancellor of Queen’s, Dr. Watts has worked for more than 40 years on the comparative study of federal systems and Canadian federalism. He has visited the Philippines, among many countries, as a government consultant on federalism. END

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