By Felix J Pintado, a.h.
A team from the Philippine Embassy in Canberra was in Melbourne from 16th to 20th January 2017 to attend to the biometric capture of 640 passport applicants, to administer the oath of allegiance to 140 petitioners for dual citizenship, to register applicants as overseas voters and to hold consultations with overseas Filipino workers on labour-related issues.
My sincere thanks to the team from the Embassy for their meticulous hard work and patience which saw the Mission, and a new system of registration, proceed without any glitch. My thanks also to our kababayans and their families who attended the mobile service.
Our deepest gratitude to the amazing people who helped us deliver the best possible service during the Mission, including:
- Ms Sharma Saunders (Coordinator) and everyone at the St. Francis Pastoral Centre.
- Ms Marissa Misolas of Marhis Café for providing catering for the whole week.
- Mrs Nini Jover, Mrs Virginia Del Rosario and Ms Di Jamieson who ensured that the Consulate office remained open and operational while the Mission was in town, and then helped out at the Mission on the other days.
- Mr Fred Jover, who assisted with crowd control and way finding at the venue.
Those who attended the Mission saved themselves a trip to the Embassy in Canberra or to the Consulate General in Sydney – the only two places in Australia, apart from mobile missions, where applications for new or renewal of Philippine passports can be processed.
Pamana Australia
In January, I had the pleasure of attending the official launch of Pamana Australia – the new Australian Filipino Heritage Foundation established in Melbourne.
The plan for such a Foundation commenced in 2014 as an initiative of Sandok Production, to preserve, promote and develop Filipino-Australian history, arts and culture. In September 2016, the Foundation was registered as a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-political, non-sectarian organisation.
The Foundation aims to provide an opportunity for multicultural Australia to discover and experience the rich, colourful and vibrant Filipino way of life.
Our heritage is an especially important and valuable part of our national identity – as Filipinos and as Australians. Groups like Panama Australia play an important cultural and social role in promoting an understanding and appreciation of our diverse multicultural heritage, acting as cultural anchors that keep us connected to our Filipino way of life as we adapt to an Australian environment.
The new foundation promises to bring together in one place all the richness of the different aspects of our history – cultural, artistic, political, military, and horticultural to name a few – and help foster an understanding of the Filipinos in Australia.
The foundation also promises to tell the stories of the various Filipino communities in Victoria. These stories deserve our attention. These stories help add a new dimension to the understanding and appreciation of our collective heritage. These stories exemplify our cultural and racial harmony, providing platforms for the exchange of ideas, thoughts and feelings.
The launch of Pamana Australia is testament to the commitment of the Filipino community in Victoria to further invest in our multicultural heritage with a new framework and focus of support.
I join the Foundation’s acting Executive Director, George Gregorio, in inviting all Filipino community organisations and individuals to join Pamana Australia in the celebration and appreciation of our heritage and together, let us help preserve and promote our culture, identity and pride as Filipino-Australians.
