THE Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has explored a partnership with the Goethe-Institut (GI) to develop an integration program for Filipinos migrating to Germany.
Officials of the CFO and GI recently met to enhance pre-migration and cultural integration programs, including the possible integration of specialized pre-departure orientation seminars for Filipinos bound for Germany.
CFO Secretary Dante Ang II met with GI representatives Jens Rösler and Erika Lei Dacurawat to discuss collaboration that would help Filipinos adopt German culture.
The GI, as Germany’s global cultural arm, offers the expertise in German language and cultural promotion necessary to bridge the integration gap, the agency said.
The CFO on Wednesday said that there are more than 60,000 Filipinos residing in Germany, some of whom are married to Germans.
“Successful migration is the foundation of effective diaspora engagement,” Ang said during the meeting.
“When our emigrants are well-integrated, they are better positioned to maintain strong economic, cultural and political ties with the motherland,” he said.
The CFO in a statement said that historically, the Filipino community in Germany is dominated by nursing and health care professionals.
But the demographic “has expanded to include a growing number of spouses of foreign nationals and highly skilled workers under Germany’s modernized immigration laws,” it added.
Ang said that the CFO’s mission extends beyond mere documentation.
“It is rooted in the mandate to ensure that every Filipino moving abroad is equipped to succeed,” he said.
The CFO said the partnership with GI is aligned with its role as the “premier government agency tasked with managing the welfare of permanent emigrants.”
The agency said it focuses on the “permanent diaspora,” ensuring that Filipinos moving to Germany can navigate the transition from Philippine citizens to active members of the global Filipino community.
By strengthening the “pre-departure” phase, the CFO fulfills its mandate to protect the interests of Filipinos overseas while fostering a sense of national identity that persists across borders, it added.
