SAIPAN, Northern Marianas—Philippine Consul General in Guam Rosario P. Lemque said that a Migrant Workers Office will soon be opened in Guam, a development expected to bring Philippine labor services closer to Filipino workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
Lemque said a labor officer and an assistant are expected to arrive in Guam within the month.
Labor documents involving Filipino workers in the CNMI are currently handled through the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., whose labor office has jurisdiction over the Commonwealth.
Once operational, the Guam Migrant Workers Office is expected to handle labor documents for jurisdictions covered by the Philippine Consulate General in Guam.
“So that means from Guam, CNMI, Palau, FSM, and RMI,” Lemque said.
The new office would bring labor-related services closer to Filipino migrant workers in the CNMI and elsewhere in Micronesia.
Lemque also addressed calls for a Philippine honorary consul to be appointed in the CNMI, saying no one has applied for the position.
“It's sad to say there's no application. The consulate has not received any application,” she said.
She encouraged qualified individuals interested in representing the Philippines as honorary consul in the Commonwealth to contact the Philippine Consulate General in Guam.
The consul general thanked Filipinos for their contributions to the CNMI and urged them to continue maintaining the reputation Filipino workers have built overseas.
“The Filipino worker is valued and very well respected all over the world,” Lemque said.
“So just keep on doing your best and contributing to the community here. Not just to the Filipino community, but to the general CNMI community,” she added.
The development was discussed during a recent town hall meeting in Saipan, where the plight of undocumented Filipinos was raised.
Lemque told The Manila Times in an interview that the concern shown by Filipino community leaders for undocumented compatriots was among the issues that stood out during her visit.
“I suppose I am amazed at how they care about the fellow Filipinos here, especially those who are undocumented and are really in need of help,” Lemque said.
A Filipino community leader said some Filipinos overstay because of economic circumstances rather than choice.
“For me, sir, the take of the Filipinos who overstay, it's not by choice. It's necessity,” the community leader said.
He also raised concerns about the assistance that can be granted to Filipinos who have lived and worked in the CNMI for years but later become injured, seriously ill, or otherwise find themselves needing help.
The discussion highlighted the difficulties faced by undocumented Filipinos who may have limited options for assistance because of their immigration status.
Lemque credited members of the Filipino community who have used their own resources and time to assist compatriots facing difficulties.
“I'm so thankful for many of the fellow Filipinos who have over the years been helping on their own, sharing their financial resources and their time to help the fellow Filipinos who are in need of help,” she said.
She said those efforts complement assistance extended by the Philippine government to Filipinos in need in the Commonwealth.
