Congen Prospero: On same mandates, local groups’ demands and open-door policy

Congen Prospero: On same mandates, local groups’ demands and open-door policy

CONGEN PROSPERO
(Photo: Marisa Roque, inquirer.net)

By Althea Manasan

Despite all the uncertainty and controversy surrounding Philippine foreign policy since the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte four months ago, for the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, it’s mostly business as usual.

Located in Midtown, inside a building nestled between a Brazilian steakhouse and a casual Indian restaurant, the office is a lifeline for many of the kababayans living in the GTA, Western Ontario and Manitoba. It’s where Philippine nationals and Overseas Foreign Workers go when they need to apply for passports and visas, get travel papers, or have legal documents notarized.

“Our mandates are still the same in the sense that the pillars of foreign policies are still the same,” said Consul General Rosalita Prospero. “It’s still those priorities — national security, economic diplomacy and assistance to nationals — so we try to work along those goals.”

The bulk of the work done by the office is administrative, mainly issuing passports and providing notarial services. Prospero, who started her role in May 2015, has been introducing small changes during her tenure in hopes of making operations run more smoothly.

“I would like to think that I have started improving the services that we provide in the consulate, finding ways and means to make it more efficient,” Prospero said.

Local groups have long been demanding improvements. In September, a coalition of community organizations under the banner of Kababayan4Change met with Prospero for an open dialogue. They delivered a list of demands, which included extended office hours during weekdays and on weekends, a review of increases on consular service fees, better telephone systems, an audit of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) funds and the designation of an OWWA welfare officer in Toronto.

Prospero says they’re taking steps to address some of the demands, such as considering adding an extra hour per month, giving people a little more time to get there after their workday. (Holding weekend hours is trickier, since they would have to get approval from other tenants to keep the building unlocked.)

The office has also tried to improve their telephone services by making sure one staff member is responsible for picking up calls at all times. They’re also planning to re-record the message on their automated system so that callers are able to talk to a human being more quickly.

“These are simple things but it helps,” Prospero said.

She maintains, however, that some demands are out of her control. For example, she says the consular service fees are decided by the main office in Manila. “If they say this is the fee for passports, then we are mandated to implement that,” she said.

Along with administrative duties, the Consulate engages in community outreach and the promotion of Philippine culture. This year they’ve been on six outreach missions to Winnipeg, double the number from last year. They’ve also hosted Filipino artists and creatives in Canada, including photographer Jake Verzosa, whose work was featured at the Royal Ontario Museum, and renowned chef Myrna Segismundo, who specializes in traditional Filipino cuisine.

The Consulate also networks with media, politicians and the business sector to help build Philippine-Canadian relations. “I think this is a way to influence favourable policies towards Filipinos here in our jurisdiction,” Prospero said.

She notes that some of the recent recommendations made by a House of Commons committee about Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program are a step in a positive direction. While they’re still under review, she hopes they will eventually be passed.

“When we call on politicians or the premiers or talk to federal and provincial MPs, we always mention the issues of temporary foreign workers,” Prospero said.

She adds that her office welcomes groups and members from the community to come have their voices heard.

“Our doors are always open to our kababayans,” Prospero said. “We are happy to be of service to them in every way possible and we will always try to reach out to our Filipino communities and listen to their concerns, to their problems, to their issues.”