11 March 2023 - The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona conducted its first outreach mission for this year in Ibiza on 09-10 March 2024.

Barcelona PCG outreach team provide consular services at the Poliesportiu in Banca Dona and at Sagrada Familia Sant Antoni

The Consulate provided consular services to more than 300 members of the Filipino community in Ibiza and the neighboring island of Formentera. Apart from consular services, the Consulate also conducted registration for overseas voting and entertained queries related to the forthcoming midterm elections. More than 100 qualified voters were registered by the Consulate.

Photos (L-R): The Consulate’s team registers qualified voters for the midterm elections in the Philippines, Consul General Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro entertains queries from the Filipino community

During the Kumustahan with the Filipino community, Consul General Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro encouraged the community to register for overseas voting so they could participate in Philippine national elections. “We have to invest in our future and participate in the development process in the country. We can do this by first being involved in the electoral process and have a say on who should govern the country,” said Lazaro. She also informed the community that the COMELEC will implement online voting for the Philippine midterm elections next year and that a training will be conducted this year for this purpose. 

The Consulate also launched its facility for cashless transactions using a point-of-sale terminal during the outreach mission. Apart from paying in cash, consular clients can now pay for their transactions using their debit or credit cards. 

At the end of the two-day activity, Consul General Lazaro inducted the new set of officers of the Asociación Union Filipinas Ibiza Formentera (AUFIF), an umbrella organization of various Filipino associations in Ibiza and Formentera dedicated to providing a safe space where Filipino families can access services, receive support, and build a community. The organization aims to empower the Filipino community, develop grassroot leadership and undertake information advocacy to address the concerns of the Filipino migrant community in the islands. 

The two-day outreach mission was made possible through the support of various Filipino associations under the umbrella organization Asociación Union Filipinas Ibiza Formentera (AUFIF), Sagrada Familia Sant Antoni and the Filipino Asociación San Antonio (FASA).

The Consulate team also took the opportunity to meet with Ms. Marilina Ribas Cardona, Minister of Finance, Economic Management, Citizens Participation, Youth and Sports of the Ibiza Council, to discuss the concerns of the Filipino community in Ibiza and their forthcoming activities. END