The Philippine Embassy in Vientiane, Laos celebrated National Women’s Month by hosting a Dinner and Open Forum for the Filipino Community in Vientiane. The event aimed to provide an opportunity for the Embassy to update the Filipino community on developments affecting Filipino women’s welfare and toremind them of its consular and Assistance-to-Nationals services, issue advisories, and a platform for the Filipinos, especially the women, to raise their concerns with the Embassy. A total of 61 members of the Filipino community, of who 49 were women, attended the event.

The Embassy gave updates on recently signed laws affecting women, namely the Expanded Maternity Leave Act, New Corporation Code, and the Universal Health Act. The female participants were pleased to hear that the maternity leave was lengthened from 60 days to 105 days in the Philippines. They likewise welcomed the singing of the Universal Health Act, which automatically enrolls all Filipinos in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHILHEALTH), which includes health service packages targeting women.

During the dinner, the Filipino Community were reminded to ensure that their documents were in order during their stay in Laos, and this includes checking the validity of their passport to be allowed to travel and have their visas renewed by the Lao government. Female attendees, who were recently or about to be married, were informed that they do not need to present their marriage certificate if they opt to use their maiden name when renewing their passports. The Embassy also ran through the process of authenticating documents from Laos, including their employment contracts, for verification by the Philippine Overseas Labor Administration.

During the dinner, the Filipino community were apprised on the illegal activities in Laos, including drug trafficking and hacking. Mr. Gonzalo Bolisay, Information Technology (IT) staff at Kiettisack International School, gave a short presentation on privacy protection and parental controls to ensure that the attendees, as well as their children, are safe when using the internet. Lastly, the participants were informed of the prohibited acts during the upcoming National and Local Elections from 13 April to 13 May 2019, such as taking photos of their ballots and campaigning in the voting area. The Embassy encouraged the participants to exercise their right to vote during the elections in the coming weeks.

Aside from the Dinner and Open Forum, the female members of the Filipino Community who attended the event were given tokens as part of the celebrations of National Women’s Month.END