ECEIVE
a8 SEP

Republic ofthe Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Complex, Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. AS 71

Introduced by: Gabriela Women’s Party Reps. LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN and EMMI A. DE JESUS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bil is hereby filed in response to the campaign of Filipinos in Canada calling on the Philppine government to put
up a permanent and full consular office in Alberta to service the burgeoning Flipino communities therein and in other
neighboring provinces such as Saskatchewan,

Filipinos are the fastest growing entrants to Canada. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, there are
£62,600 Filipinos in Canada. In 2006-2011, they comprised 13.1 % of new entrants yearly. This translated to 20,500
Filipinos entering Canada a year, making them the fourth largest minority among that country's migrant population,
Given these figures, Filipinos in Canada made up the 9° biggest contributor of dollar remittances in the country, next
to the OFW contribution from the US and Saudi Arabia. In 2012, they remitted to the country over $2 billion.

Of the number of Filipinos in Canada, 113,205 are in Alberta, the third largest concentration of Filipinos among
Canada's ten provinces and three terrilories. More than half of them, or 68,695, are non-citizens or non-residents,
Another 61,270 are in Manitoba and 16,705 in Saskatchewan, Majority of these Filipinos are women who entered
Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program.

The number is growing because the rate of avaling the Temporary Foreign Workers Program is high in Alberta and
in neighboring provinces. The TFWP favors hiring Filipinos because of their innate industry, compassion for the aged,
‘and communication skils.

At present, Philippine foreign service posts are limited to the Philippine embassy in Ottawa and the consulates in
Toronto and Vancouver. For Filipinos in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the nearest foreign service post is the Philippine
consulate in Vancouver which serves approximately 250,000 Filipinos spread in Western Canada, including British
Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, ‘The Philippine consulate ofice in Vancouver offers from time to
time two outreach consular programs in Edmonton and Calgary but their services are limited. They offer only
‘eanonitar earvinas; they do nat caver passport renewals and other relevant services on a regular basis,

Because of the sheer distance of the service post in Vanoouver, availing ofits servioes, especially passport renewal,
is s0 costly as to be prohibitive for most Filipinos in the far-flung territories. To renew their passport, Flininne have to

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incur travel and hotel costs. They also have to take a few days off from their work, thereby losing a portion of their
salarias. They could have avoided incurring absences in their work but the service postin Vancouver does not open
‘on weekends, This says nothing of the exorbitant fees they have to pay for renewing or replacing lost passports

Because of these difficulties, Filipinos in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are urgently demanding from the
Philippine government the opening of a full consular office in Alberta.

INDA C. ILAGAN / EMMI A DE JESUS

Gabriela Women;s Party



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Complex, Quezon City

‘SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

971

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by: Gabriela Women's Party Reps. LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN and EMMI A. DE JESUS

AN ACT CREATING A FULL CONSULAR OFFICE
IN ALBERTA, CANADA AND PROVIDING FOR THE FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled;
Section 1. A Consulate General Office in Alberta, Canada is hereby oreated,

Section 2, Such Consulate General Office shall service the passport and consular needs of Filipinos in Alberta,
‘Saskatchewan and Manitoba, all of Canada.

Section 3, The Department of Foreign Affairs shall implement the creation of such Consulate General Office within 30
days after the effectivity of this Act.

Section 4. The funds necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be appropriated in the budget of the
Department of Foreign Affairs in the General Appropriations Act.

Section 5. This Act shall take effect iteen (15) days upon publication in the Official Gazette.