May 2, 2012 4:00pm
Filipinos in Italy are demanding the repeal of the Italian Ministry of Labor's rule banning the use of middle names in official documents.
Several migrants groups, led by the Alliance of Filipinos in Italy, have also expressed disappointment in the Philippine Embassy in Italy for endorsing Circular No. 29.
Implemented in October 2010, the circular orders Filipinos living and working in Italy to omit their middle names from official documents so as not to confuse them with their first names. Italians do not use middle names.
According to the Stock Estimate of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, there were 123,379 Filipinos in Italy as of 2010.
'Discrimininatory'
Alliance of Filipinos in Italy president Junn Felix Mendoza Landicho called the circular “oppressive," saying that it meant going through a complicated process of amending their papers such as identification documents, employment contracts, permits, benefits, and others.
Landicho said the rule affected their property rights, titles, and even the immigration of their relatives.
The Alliance of Filipinos in Italy, also known as Task Force Circular 29, is continuing to campaign for the scrapping of the law.
“Much has been said about this issue and it is but proper now for the Philippine government to clarify and rectify the error,” Landicho said.
The migrants group Migrante International, meanwhile, has called the circular “discriminatory” and “disrespectful” of the Filipino culture.
“Through the years, Italy has become a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation and this entails the Italian government’s recognition and respect of other cultures,” Migrante International said in a statement.
Migrante added that no consultations were held before the circular was implemented
No comments:
Post a Comment