HELP!

Published : Thursday, September 27, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 112

Written by : Lee Ann Ducusin

OVERSEAS Filipino workers in Italy have asked President Benigno Aquino to look into their problems with the Philippine Embassy in Rome, complaining that this post has become unresponsive and indifferent to the concerns of OFWs.

The Filipino Alliance in Italy composed of several Filipino federations and headed by Bro. Junn Felix Landicho under Task Force OFW, overseas workers complained to the President of overcharging by the embassy in Italy which charged 60 Euros for passports instead of $60 or an overprice of 10-12 Euros amounting to P600.

Consular officials in Rome have refused to answer queries by the OFWs who have been renewing their electronic passports why the price is 60 Euros instead of 50 or even lower as compared to Germany where Philippine passports cost 45 Euros.

The DFA has issued a memo circular that the new electronic passports should only cost $60.

Another matter is the issue of the “middle name” which contradicts our cultural identity. Former Philippine Ambassador to Italy Romeo Manalo issued a “note verbale” in 2010 to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that his post would comply with Circolare 29 that restricts the use of the middle name by the Filipinos.

Filipinos in Italy have protested the removal of their middle name in their identification cards, employment contracts, drivers’ licenses, work permits and other important documents.

The Filipino Alliance in Italy is seeking an audience with Aquino to personally bring to him these problems and ask him to require the Department of Foreign Affairs to address these complaints.

The House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs headed by Rep. Walden Bello (Anakbayan) is also looking into these complaints and will require DFA officials to answer them in their next meeting in October.

CREDIT: http://journal.com.ph/index.php/news/headlines/38701-help

OFWs in Italy hit exorbitant passport fee

Published : Tuesday, September 04, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 57 

FILIPINO migrant workers in Italy are protesting the alleged excessive fees charged by the consular office at the Philippine Embassy in Rome for the electronic passport implemented by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2010. 

Felix Mendoza Landicho, president of Task Force OFW, a federation of Filipino migrant groups in Italy, disclosed that while overseas Filipino workers all over the world are paying $60 for their new electronic passports, migrant workers in Italy applying for their passports while in Rome they are paying 60 Euro or 600 pesos more. 

Landicho complained to migration and recruitment expert Emmanuel Geslani that the exorbitant fees is in violation of a DFA memo instructing all embassies or consular offices all over the world to peg the passport fee at $60. 

“The Philippine Embassy refuses to compute the payment for new passports based on the $60 instructed by the DFA Consular Office to Philippine embassies or consular offices world-wide,” he said. 

The federation has already requested the Philippine embassy headed by Ambassador to Italy Virgilio Reyes for a dialogue on the current problems of OFWs in Italy like the over-priced passport, the middle name issue, and PhilHealth contributions but the ambassador rejected and completely ignored the many problems caused by the previous Ambassador Romeo Manalo who acceded to Circolare 29. 

Rey Maas, another OFW based in Italy, echoed the same complaint. He said the passport fee being paid by overseas Filipinos based in Italy is overpriced by 10-12 Euros which is equivalent to at least 600 pesos and there is no monetary symbol placed on the receipt. 

“The old lira is almost twice a euro. 60 Euro is roughly 120,000 liras. The current exchange rate is 1 Euro to $1.372, while Euro to Philippine peso is P53.09 to 1 euro. Instead of converting the $60 to Euro, we are charged for 60 Euros. In effect we are paying more or less 12 Euros more,” Maas said in a message sent through Facebook. 

“In Riyadh, e-passport cost $50, in Germany 45 Euros. We don’t clearly understand why our embassy is charging 60 Euros instead of the equivalent of $60 in Euro. When I asked the office of the consul-general last August 2010, he said nahihirapan daw mag-compute ang finance officer kaya ginawa na 60 Euros ang $60. The worst part is the machine validated receipt bears no symbol of the currency. When asked; understood na raw yon na Euro dahil ang currency sa Italy ay Euro being a member of the European Union. I doubt if the reason is justifiable,” he added. 

Landicho is urging the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs headed by Rep. Walden Bello of Akbayan to investigate the irregularity victimizing workers in Italy. 

He added that he will also ask DFA officials to explain the passport anomaly. - Lee Ann P. Ducusin

CREDIT: http://journal.com.ph/

Rome OFWs protest embassy's passport fee

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 09/02/2012 7:24 PM | Updated as of 09/02/2012 7:24 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino migrant workers in Italy are protesting the passport fee being charged by the Consular Office at the Philippine Embassy in Rome.

The Consular Office is currently charging applicants a fee of 60 euros for renewals for the electronic passport.

Other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) all over the world are paying USD60 for their new electronic passports, but migrant workers in Italy who are applying for their passports in Rome are paying 60 euros, which translate to an additional P600 or more.

This is in violation of a memo by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which instructs all embassies or consular offices all over the world to peg the passport fee at USD60.

Felix Mendoza Landicho, president of a Filipino migrants’ group federation called Task Force OFW, revealed the situation to migrant expert and recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani.

Landicho said the Philippine Embassy in Rome refuses to compute the payment for new passports based on the USD60 instructed by the DFA.

Another OFW based in Italy, named Rey L. Maas, sent Geslani a message through Facebook explaining the situation.

“The difference, sir, is instead of USD60 converted to euro, we are charged 60 euros. Conversion-wise, USD60 should be in the vicinity of 48-50 euros, a difference of 12 euros more or less,” Maas said. “They rounded it as 1 euro is (equal to) USD1.”

Thus, the passport fee being paid by overseas Filipinos in Italy is overpriced by 10-12 euros, which is equivalent to at least P600.

Maas said he asked the office of the Consul General last August 2010 why they are charging 60 euro instead of the proper dollar equivalent.

“His reply was, nahihirapan daw mag-compute ang finance officer, kaya ginawa na 60 euro and USD60. Worst part sir, is the machine validated receipt bears no symbol of the currency,” Maas informed Geslani.

“When asked, understood na raw yon na euro dahil ang currency sa Italy ay euro being a member of the European Union,” he added.

Maas told Geslani that he doubts the Consular Office’s reason is justifiable. He further said that in Riyadh, the passport fee costs USD50, while in Germany it costs 45 euros.

Meanwhile, Landicho is asking the House Comittee on Overseas Workers Affairs, headed by Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, to investigate the irregularity.

He said that he plans to write a letter addressed to the Committee to investigate the matter and to require DFA officials to answer their charges regarding the passport anomaly.

Landicho has also requested a dialogue with the Philippine embassy in Rome, headed by Ambassador to Italy Virgilio Reyes. He claims that the current ambassador has rejected their request, however.