“MOST of the issues brought to our attention by our fellow countrymen were easily resolved,” said Consul Ferdinand Pantas Flores of the Philippine Consulate General on Guam in an interview Monday morning.
Flores heads a visiting team of seven Philippine consulate personnel from Guam. “We are all first timers on Saipan,” he said, referring to their four-day consular mission, which started on March 25 and was held at Sun Palace Hotel in Susupe.
Flores said he has been deployed to the Middle East and Palau, which also hosts many Filipino workers, but added that he was surprised at how organized the Filipino community and volunteers were on Saipan.
“Well-organized, relaxed atmosphere, and cooperative. You can see from our consular staff that they are not stressed,” the consul added.
Flores also expressed his appreciation to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for his continued support.
“We had dinner with Governor Torres, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie Sablan and other CNMI government officials, and we told them how happy we are to be here and honored to meet them. We also underscored the fact that we appreciate the kindness and cooperation of the local community.”
As for the appointment of a new Philippine honorary consul for Saipan, Flores said: “As you know we are also very busy with the absentee ballots for the upcoming Philippine presidential election, so we have to finish the election first before we address other matters. We are now focused on the task at hand, which is to conduct a clean, orderly election for Filipinos abroad.”
The Philippine general election is set for May 9, 2022.
Flores said Philippine Consul General to Guam Patrick John Hilado will be on Saipan in early April for the absentee voting of eligible Filipino voters on Saipan.
“We will issue an advisory regarding that soon,” Flores added.
He noted that there was a high demand for consular services, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions they were not able to conduct a consular mission in the CNMI last year.
As of Monday morning, Flores said the consular mission had already served a total of 571 individuals.
“We are projecting, by the end of the day, to accommodate about 700 individuals,” he added.
The consular mission provided passport services, fielded questions about Overseas Worker Welfare Administration or OWWA membership and benefit claims, and contract verifications, among other things.
“Although we are not from OWWA, we are helping to arrange a meeting between the agency and a family representative for a death claim. I think she’s the wife of the man who was the first casualty of Covid-19 on Saipan,” Flores said.
Led by Consul Ferdinand Pantas Flores, 2nd right, the Philippine Consulate General on Guam conducted a four-day mission on Saipan at the Sun Palace from March 25 to 28.
The Philippine Consulate General on Guam conducted a four-day consular mission on Saipan at Sun Palace Hotel in Susupe.
