GOVPH

Presidential Award conferred on advertising exec and entrepreneur Caroline B. Ong

On behalf of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Consul General Josel F. Ignacio conferred on 19 November on Ms. CAROLINE B. ONG, the PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR FILIPINO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS OVERSEAS (PAFIOO), Pamana ng Pilipino Category.

Ms. Ong is a multi-awarded advertising executive, entrepreneur, and one of the movers of Shanghai’s Filipino community.

Established under Executive Order No. 498 of 1991, the PAFIOO honors Filipino individuals and organizations overseas who have rendered services, shared actionable ideas, and performed other acts that have contributed to the Philippines’ prestige and growth and advanced the cause and welfare of migrant Filipino communities.

The Pamana ng Pilipino Category recognizes Filipinos who have brought honor to the Philippines through excellence in their profession.

Travel restrictions hindered Ms. Ong from attending the main PAFIOO awards ceremony in Manila on 29 June this year. The CFO requested the Philippine Consulate General to present the Award to the Shanghai-based awardee.

The conferment rites were attended by Ms. Ong’s family, close friends and personal guests, as well as leaders of the Filipino community.

Ms. Ong was recognized for her many standout achievements and contributions. Her advertising work has been the honored with advertising awards from the Cannes Lions, International Festival of Creativity and has been listed multiple timed in 1998-2020 in Asia’s Hottest Creatives List.

Active in the Filipino Community, she co-founded and helped lead the Philippine Chamber of Business and Professionals-Shanghai (PHILCHAMSH), a group that brings together and supports Filipino professionals and entrepreneurs in this sprawling metropolis and financial center.

She currently runs her own business, BebeBalm Inc., which manufactures and markets her self-developed line of plant-based skin salves. Initially developed as a safer alternative home remedy for her children’s sensitive skin, Bebebalm products are gaining a growing and loyal following in China, and is also being marketed in the Philippines and the US.

In her response following the conferment, Ms. Ong extolled Filipino creativity, and expressed her fervent hope that more doors be opened for Filipino creatives and artists. END

PH Consulate General-Shanghai inaugurates new, expanded consular area

The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Shanghai inaugurated its new, expanded Consular Area on 19 November 2022, in rites led by Consul General Josel F. Ignacio leading the rites.

The new Consular Area, in full operations since 01 November 2022, supplants and substantially improves on the former frontline service space dating back to 2010, located on the far end of the Chancery.

Consul General Ignacio, assisted by Deputy Consul General Marlowe A. Miranda, unveiled the commemorative plaque and entryway to the new Consular Area. Sharing the honors were Aspac Land Development (Shanghai) Co. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mr. Hector Ty, and Dai-Ichi Electronics Shanghai Co. Ltd. General Manager Ms. Lee Mie Yee.

ASPAC Land, which owns the Metrobank Plaza Building that houses the Consulate General, undertook the improvement of the Consular Area. Philippine audio speaker exporter Dai-ichi, for its part, provided and installed PA systems.

Members of the Filipino community, PCG personnel and other guests were on hand to witness the milestone.

It was the first major renovation of the PCG premises since it moved to its present location in March 2010. Taking up the space of a former office wing by the Chancery entrance, the new Consular Area is modern, open, airy, and substantially larger. It sets aside 36.84 sq.m. (396.54 sq. ft.)  of floor space just for clients, with comfortable seating, compared to the previous site’s meager 25.40 sq.m. (273.40 sq.ft.).

The new Consular Area also doubled the number of service counters, from just four windows in the original location, to eight new, well-partitioned counters, each equipped with two-way intercom system. A new consular service queuing management system was also installed.

“The PCG is a service institution, and the Consular Area is the beating heart of the Mission”, said Consul General Ignacio. “through this larger, better planned space with improved amenities, we hope to improve the experience of the people we serve.”

The larger area also anticipates higher client traffic, with travel to the Philippines normalized and with China finetuning its own travel policies.

Invited to go through the new site, Filipino Community leaders and guests applauded the improved consular facilities and thanked PCG for this initiative.

Their reaction echoes feedback received since the commencement of operations at the new Consular Area almost three weeks prior. Filipino and foreign clients availing themselves of PCG’s services have voiced unequivocal praise and approval.

The Philippine Consulate General covers Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei, with an estimated Filipino population of over 7,000. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the PCG was among the Philippine Foreign Service Posts with the highest number of visa applications. END

18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women

PCG Hybrid Forum Surveys, Elaborates on Key Chinese Statutes to Combat Violence Against Women (VAW)
Immigration and Visa Rules Also Clarified

SHANGHAI –  In observance of the coming 18-Day Campaign to End Violence against Women (VAW) the Philippine Consulate General organized and hosted a hybrid (online/in-person) “Forum on Chinese Law relating to VAW” on 12 November.

The 18-Day Campaign takes place on 25 November to 12 December of every year, as mandated by Proclamation 1172 s. 2006 and Republic Act 10398.

Deputy Consul General Marlowe A. Miranda keynoted the event. Lawyers ZHANG Wenxian and XU Junjie of the Shanghai office of internationally the renowned Beijing Yingke Law Firm served as guest resource persons.

Atty. ZHANG gave a presentation on VAW as addressed by the PRC’s Civil Code, Criminal Law, and the Law of the PRC on the Protection of the Rights of Women (1999, amended 2005).

She touched on legal definitions, relevant and relevant provisions of law on physical, sexual and domestic abuse, and notable cases. Crucially, she also explained mechanisms for recourse to law and seeking financial compensation via civil litigation or “criminal incidental civil litigation”, application for a personal safety protection such as through restraining orders.

Recognizing the vulnerability of women migrants and the nexus between VAW and migration, Atty. XU delivered a presentation on China’s visa and immigration rules, and residence permit applications and renewal.

“In China as in the Philippines, there is a need to systematically address social and cultural norms that perpetuate VAW,” emphasized Deputy CG Miranda as he opened the event. Later, during the Open Forum, he assured the audience of the Consulate General’s readiness to extend assistance to Filipinos suffering from gender-based violence and seeking help, and to coordinate with local authorities as warranted.

Individuals seeking assistance from VAW and other forms of gender-based violence may dial hotline 021-962525; 110 for criminal act reporting/handling; 120 for injury or medical emergency; or 12345 (government services hotline).

The Consulate General, for its part, may be reached via its WeChat account (ID: PhinShanghai) or emergency hotline: (+86-21) 139-1747-7112. END