(MENAFN - Arab News) A total of 1,106 Filipinos in Asir and nearby areas were served during the Philippine Consulate General's first outreach mission for the year.
It was the biggest such program ever since the consulate started conducting mobile services (CSM) across the Kingdom's western region, a report by the consulate said.
Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal, the team leader, said the consular mobile services mission on Jan. 25-27 covered eight major cities in the region, particularly the twin cities of Abha and Khamis Mushayt, Al-Namas, Mahayel, Najran, Jazan, Bisha and Sharourah.
The consular mission held temporary office at the Al-Azizia Hotel in Khamis Mushayt.
"This was the biggest ever turnout that we have seen during our consular mobile services missions. We are encouraging members of our community not to miss our mobile missions because it would save them a lot of time, effort and money," she said in an interview.
Outreach missions have become a regular activity of the Philippine posts in Riyadh and Jeddah to address the distance and travel constraints faced by Filipino workers in far-flung areas.
In addition to the usual consular services, including passport processing and authentication of necessary documents, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) and Pag-IBIG also extended services.
POLO provides labor assistance to overseas Filipino workers facing labor disputes with their employers, while the OWWA is responsible for welfare assistance to workers in distress. Pag-IBIG is the government agency that provides housing assistance to its members.
Another highlight of the CMS was the consular visit of Consul General Uriel Norman R. Garibay to Jazan and Abha/Khamis Mushayt from Jan. 23-27 to meet with key local government officials, members of the local business community and the Filipino community in the region.
During his visit, Garibay graced the opening ceremony of the All-Filipino Basketball Tournament.
A community meeting in Khamis Mushayt, with representatives from 20 community organizations, gave Consul General Garibay an opportunity to meet the different area coordinators, discuss with the Filipino community their pressing concerns, entertain their queries and listen to their suggestions.
