Pinoys in Portugal want diplomatic office

Filipinos in Portugal are clamoring for a diplomatic office there, a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) official said.

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) executive secretary Fr. Edwin Corros said he learned of this during a recent visit to the European country.

“They lamented too of having to take a plane to Paris or catch a long trip to Madrid in order to transact business for consular needs," Corros said in an article posted on the CBCP news site.

He added that Filipinos in Portugal are hoping that the Philippine government would understand their plight despite their small number in the country.

Records of the Commission on Filipinos overseas indicate there are about 4,306 Filipinos in the westernmost European country. Of these, only about 399 are considered permanent residents.

However, the figure may be as high as 20,000 considering many enter Portugal illegally by taking advantage of the free movement of persons within the EU under the Schengen Agreement, the use of fake passports, and various other clandestine methods of illegal migration. - KBK, GMANews.TV

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