25 July 2016- In line with its public diplomacy thrust, the Philippine Embassy in Doha met with the Association of Filipino Journalists in Qatar (AFJQ), a Filipino community organization accredited with the Embassy, on July 20 at the Asian Tradition Restaurant at Barwa Village.

The dinner meeting served as an opportunity to update the Filipino members of the local media on the various initiatives so far of the Embassy to improve its consular services to the people.

Some of these initiatives include: (1) the installation of new emergency hotlines to improve accessibility, (2) physical and structural changes to maximize the use of space in the Philippine chancery, (3) reshuffling of personnel to enable to the Embassy to effectively cope with the increasing number of its consular clients, (4) implementation of the new e-passport system, and (5) holding of mobile passport services.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) also updated the media representatives on initiatives to improve labor assistance and other services to the Filipino community in Qatar.

“As the Philippines has effectively transitioned to a new administration under President Rodrigo R. Duterte, this is our way of adapting the Embassy and POLO’s respective mandates to reflect the priorities of our new President, especially those that affect our kababayans in Qatar,” Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Wilfredo C. Santos said.

On this occasion, the Filipino media representatives were also formally introduced to First Secretary and Consul General Roussel R. Reyes, who assumed his duty at Post on June 09.

Aside from Ambassador Santos and Consul General Reyes, the Embassy was also represented by Labor Attaché David Des T. Dicang and Cultural Officer John Danilo G. Jiao.

AFJQ boasts of a membership that spans the various forms of media from print (local English news dailies Gulf Times, Qatar Tribune, and Peninsula), broadcast (TFC, GMA, and UNTV) ,and online (Balitang Q). END