PRESS RELEASE
5 December 2016
Organizations of patriotic Filipinos in Europe are set to convene the first-ever alliance of Filipino migrant organizations in Europe that not only fights for the rights and welfare of Filipinos overseas but also for genuine and lasting social change in the Philippines, in Rome, Italy on December 10-11, 2016. The founding assembly is timed during the celebration of International Human Rights Day and International Migrants Day, whose theme ‘Stand up for someone’s rights today!’, would be echoed in the assembly.
The founding assembly of Migrante International Europe will be attended and participated in by affiliate member organizations of Migrante International in Europe such as the different Migrante formations in Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, France and Italy, as well as many other Filipino migrant organizations. Filipino migrant formations of women, youth, professionals, cultural workers and church-based migrant advocates are also expected to join the alliance.
According to Fr. Herbert Fadriquela Jr., Filipino chaplain of St. Andrews Church in Leicester, UK, and one of the convenors of the founding assembly, the event which will gather patriotic and democratic organizations and formations of Filipinos working and living in Europe is a historical breakthrough in the history of Filipinos in Europe.
“Finally, the long-felt need and dream of linking together and forging unity in a formal Europewide alliance to promote Filipino migrants’ and refugees’ rights and genuine freedom and democracy in our Motherland is going to be realized,”
“As we consolidate our ranks and discuss and thresh out the issues we face as migrants and refugees”, Fr. Herbert stressed, “we will also vigorously reach out to numerous other Filipinos in Europe who feel the impact of anti-migrant policies of the European Union and non-member states, and the racism among the local population that these policies engender.”
Ann Brusola of Umangat-Migrante Rome, and also a co-convenor, explained that deep-seated poverty, underdevelopment and political repression continue to force hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to seek employment and political refuge abroad. There are over 950,000 Filipinos living and working in Europe. They desire a homecoming to an independent, self-reliant and
developed Philippines where social equity and justice prevail and where no one is forced to leave their family, community and country for economic or political reasons, she said.
Migrante International Europe will serve as a regional campaign center to address issues of Filipino migrants and Filipino and non-Filipino refugees, and address major Philippine issues, especially those directly affecting Filipinos in Europe and their families in the homefront.
Convenor organizations of Migrante International Europe earlier led a delegation of Filipino migrant organizations during the resumption of formal peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Oslo, Norway last August 21, 2016. They submitted the agenda of Filipinos in Europe and several petitions to address urgent rights and welfare issues that have long-besieged Filipinos in Europe, among others, the situation of a significant number of undocumented compatriots in the continent.#
Reference:
Ann Brusola
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+39 327 8825544
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