The Filipino community in Switzerland celebrated the Filipino Migrants’ Day on Saturday, 11   October, in Ulster. The event, which was organized by the Philippine Catholic Mission (PCM) - Switzerland, was attended by around 300 people from across Switzerland. 

The event kick-started with the celebration of the Holy Mass by Filipino Chaplain Fr. Antonio Enerio, SVD. During the mass, a brief presentation on the history and evolution of Philippine migration was shown.

The mass was followed by lunch which served as an occasion for Filipino migrants across Switzerland to renew friendships and find new ones.

The day’s program revolved around the celebration of the lives, struggles and successes of the Filipino migrants in Switzerland. Representatives from a select group of Filipino migrants working in various sectors of society were given recognition by showcasing their talents. In the same way, representatives from various groups helping Filipino migrants spoke about the activities they are doing to help Filipino migrants. Representatives from the Philippine Embassy were also present during the occasion, and spoke about the activities done by the Embassy to respond to the needs of the Filipino community in Switzerland.

As part of its outreach program, the Philippine Embassy in Berne conducts regular dialogues with members of the Filipino community to identify the latter’s needs and to further improve the Embassy’s assistance to Filipino nationals under its jurisdiction. Some of the activities done by the Embassy to date include the conduct of integration seminars, seminars on intercultural marriages and on psychosocial and legal services available to migrants in Switzerland. The Embassy also conducts registration for overseas voting to enfranchise as many overseas Filipinos and enable them to exercise their right of suffrage and participate in the decision-making process in the Philippines. END