BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: The new Ambassador of the Philippines to Qatar, Wilfredo C Santos (pictured), has vowed to improve the embassy’s services to Overseas Filipinos (OF), whom he considers partners in achieving national progress.
Ambassador Santos, who arrived here on Wednesday, was speaking at a welcome dinner hosted by United Filipino Organisations in Qatar (UFOQ).
He lauded the contributions of the 200,000-strong Filipinos here in the form of remittances and investments, which have generated employment in their home country.
“I do recognise these contributions and I believe that we can work together in advancing the interests of our country in Qatar. For this reason I consider you as our partners, equal partners, in the promotion of our country in the attainment of our goals on national progress,” he said.
Decongesting the embassy via an appointment system for passport applicants, bringing in additional data capturing machines and conducting mobile missions for Filipinos are among the initial improvements in services the ambassador promised to initiate.
He also announced that a machine-readable visa, an upgrade of the machine- readable passport, will soon be introduced.
In the wake of the case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina whose execution was delayed in Indonesia, he said that the Philippine government valued the life of OFs and that under his leadership he would continue to monitor the case of the Filipino here facing the death penalty as well as other Filipinos facing serious cases to ensure their legal rights are protected.
Deliberations are on to increase the budget for the legal assistance fund to hire lawyers for Filipinos facing serious charges abroad, he said while speaking at a press conference after the reception.
He also expressed keenness on working closely with the labour section to ensure the protection of Household Service Workers, the most vulnerable segment of Overseas Filipinos here.
“If I have the time I will visit Filipinos in their workplaces and also in prison. That is my responsibility as the ambassador here and I intend to work closely with the Philippine Overseas Labour Office.”
Among his other priorities is the promotion of the Philippines as a business and tourist destination through a number of projects inspired by his previous experiences in his other posts, which proved successful, such as tour packages and utilising Filipino cuisine as a vehicle to promote tourism.
With regard to bolstering bilateral relations between the Philippines and Qatar, he referred to economic cooperation as his major area of focus.
He urged Filipinos here to exercise their right to suffrage in the “the next elections when you will be able to chart the future course of our country through the selection of our leaders.”
As he assumes office as the sixth Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Qatar, he asked for support from his compatriots.
“I need your support and I’m confident you will give me that support by giving all you can to help our country and our people back home,” he said.
Ambassador Santos is a career diplomat with the rank of Chief of Mission, Class II in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Prior to joining Foreign Service, he worked as a professional journalist.
With 22 years’ experience in Foreign Service, Santos has served as Deputy Consul General in San Francisco, Second Secretary and Consul in Singapore and Third Secretary and Vice Consul in Kuwait.
He is a recipient of Order of Lakandula, a political and civic merit which is one of the highest honours given by the Philippines.
THE PENINSULA
