December 16 - 31 , 2016 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY A11 Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver holds Community Forum on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver held a community forum on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics , with top officials of the Philippine Statistics Authority ( PSA ) in attendance on 18 December 2016 at the St . Patrick ’ s Parish along Main Street .
Deputy Consul General Anthony Achilles Mandap was joined by Dr . Lisa Grace S . Bersales , PSA National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippines , and Ms . Edith R . Orcilla , PSA Assistant National Statistician .
DCG Mandap , in his remarks , thanked the PSA officials for visiting Vancouver to address the civil registry concerns of the Filipino-Canadian community . He also urged the forum attendees to take advantage of the presence of the PSA officials and ask all the questions and concerns regarding their vital events documents such as birth certificates , marriage certificates , death certificates and other related issues .
Dr . Bersales informed the audience of PSA and its functions , as well as the services offered by the agency . Participants at the forum sought clarification and advice from Dr . Bersales and Ms . Orcilla on the various questions and problems plaguing them with regard to their documents .
Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver celebrates International Migrants Day and December as Month of Overseas Filipinos
The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver celebrated the 2016 International Migrants Day and December as Month of Overseas Filipinos on 16 December 2016 .
Consul General Neil Frank R . Ferrer , in his welcome remarks , underlined the Consulate ’ s recognition of the Filipino community ’ s contributions to the Filipino diaspora in Canada , highlighting the fact that Filipinos are now the third largest visible minority in Canada and the fastest growing ethnic immigrant group in the past three years . Consul General Ferrer also emphasized the role of Filipino migrants and overseas Filipinos in helping shape the image and standing of the Philippines and the Filipino people as a whole , not just in Canada , but all over the world .
To commemorate these events , Post invited settlement and social services agencies , MOSAIC B . C . and Options Community Services Society , to impart to the attendees the information , resources and various services that they can avail to allow them to fully participate in the community and society .
Mosaic B . C ., represented by Ms . Maria Aleli Poe , Mr . Reynaldo Blasco , Ms . Joy Jhocson and Ms . Girlly Cumberland , presented their various programs and services that include the following : settlement assistance ;
English language training ; employment programs ; interpretation and translation ; counselling services ; and community outreach for families and individuals , including children , youth and seniors . Ms . Poe also mentioned that MOSAIC ’ s
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services are not just limited to immigrant-newcomers and refugees , but also to LGBTQ and temporary foreign workers .
Ms . Cynthia Tamondong and Ms . Malou Sibbaluca of Options Community Services Society , also informed the audience of its various programs for abused women and their children , and elderly : availability of crisis lines , counselling services , youth shelters and transportation for seniors and the disabled . END
TFWs and Advocates Mount Campaign Against Unjust Recruitment Fees
Vancouver - A group of Temporary Foreign Workers and their advocates held a press conference today to launch a new campaign that will address the widespread problem of illegal recruitment fees being charged to TFWs for jobs in BC .
The campaign , “ Rising Up Against Recruitment ”, aims to protect and promote the rights of TFWs by raising awareness about the problem and offering recommendations to the BC government .
“ TFWs provide care for families and they help the economy grow . Yet many are routinely charged exorbitant fees for jobs in BC that sometimes do not exist . The fees violate the Employment Standards Act and to pay them , TFWs and their families often incur debts with high interest rates from money lenders ,” says the West Coast Domestic Workers Association ’ s Resochita Arma .
She added that despite laws prohibiting these fees , inadequate oversight and enforcement along with a 6 month limitation period to file a complaint with the Employment Standards
Branch ( ESB ) means that many TFWs are unable to recover the fees they paid .
In response , the Rising Up Against Recruitment campaign calls on the provincial government to : enact new legislation to protect foreign workers ; implement a pro-active enforcement regime ; and provide access to information and advocacy .
A lawyer working with TFWs who has filed a class-action suit against their recruitment agencies and Mac ’ s Convenience Stores says the “ changes advocated by the campaign are urgently needed .”
Kirby Smith says that the ESB ’ s “ current complaintdriven model does not empower active investigation of suspect recruiters and employers ” and that “ without increased penalties and shared liability between employer and recruiters , exploitative employer and recruiter behaviour is unlikely to change .”
MLA Mable Elmore , the Opposition Spokesperson for TFWs and Immigration agrees that more has to be done provincially to help protect TFWs and all workers .
“ For too long , Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government have failed to take action on this issue . And their inaction has allowed for the continuation of this unjust practice . TFWs are often bound to their employers and are vulnerable to exploitation . Most provinces have already enacted legislation to address this issue ,” she said .
More information about the campaign , including their petition , is at risingup . ca .