2013 Month of Overseas Filipinos - Davao Regional Forum
Hosting the event with Ms. Nova of Pag-IBIG.
More fotos here:
MESSAGE
Ms. Mel Nuqui
President, PMRW
DAVAO REGIONAL FORUM
“BALIK PINAS: Empowering Returning Overseas
Filipinos and their Families.”
22 November 2013
Ateneo de Davo University
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen a pleasant
afternoon to all.
Today’s gathering here at the
Ateneo de Davao University marks the launching or the opening salvo for
December’s celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos. We are very happy to be with you today to
launch this event.
Let me give you some
milestones on the celebration the Month of Overseas Filipinos (MOF). It was during the administration of then
President Corazon Aquino that Proclamation No. 276 was issued in June 1988,
institutionalizing the commemoration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos every
December. Then in December 4, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly
proclaimed December 18 each year as International Migrants Day. And through
Administrative Order No. 202 issued in October 2007, the Inter-Agency Committee
for the Celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos and International
Migrants Day was created.
The Inter-Agency Committee
(IAC) for the Celebration of the MOF and the International Migrants Day chaired
by the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch and co-chaired by the Commission on
Filipinos Overseas with other government and non-government agencies as
members. Some of these government agencies are here with us and will be
speaking about our theme this year.
For 2013 our theme is “BALIK
PINAS: Empowering Returning Overseas Filipinos and their Families.” This
is a testament to the reality that there’s still so much to be done for returning
overseas Filipinos. Our aim is to discuss the programs and services by the
government and civil society to returning migrants and their families,
mainstream the concept of migration and development in the local level; and
highlight success stories and contributions of migrants in the development of
the local communities.
While
Filipinos leaving the country are increasing through the years, more overseas
Filipinos are also coming back home after almost four decades of toiling in
foreign lands. Some are retiring due to their age, health conditions, while
others are forced to come back because their contracts were short changed or
mainly because of circumstances like conflicts or wars. Reintegration is thus
the other reality that time and again migrant advocates and stakeholders have
to address aside from their constant role of protecting and promoting migrants
rights and welfare.
Although this forum is just a
half day, and the concerns and issues of our returning Filipino migrants and
their families are plenty we definitely will not be able to cover them all. So
we have a month long, this coming December to celebrate successes and gains,
discussions and figuring out solutions and alternatives to making the lives of
our reintegrating overseas Filipinos more pleasant and productive.
I hope that through our
speakers they will be able to help us to learn new ideas and learn from their
experiences. Let us all benefit from what they will be sharing to us. I hope that during the open forum we also get
to hear your voices on how we can collectively empower overseas Filipinos eager
to come back and OFWs who will soon reintegrate.
Allow me to thank all the IAC
members present and not here with us this afternoon who were so active and
engaged in bringing this forum here to Davao, then to La Union and Manila and
also the rest of activities lined up for December.
I also would like to
acknowledge the team here in Davao who helped organize this event - Ateneo,
Pag-ibig, and the indefatigable
staff and officials of CFO as well as PMRW members and all others who in one
way or the other made this event possible. And to our speakers who travelled and
be with us and to everyone who participated Daghang Salamat, Maayong Hapon sa
tanan!
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