Press Release

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL EMPOWERS FILIPINO TEACHERS IN CHICAGO WITH KNOWLEDGE ON AVAILABLE GOVERNMENT SERVICES

The Filipino Chicago Public Schools teachers with the Consulate General officials and staff (seated 4th from the left is Ms. Nettie Lasko, Consular Corps Liaison of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office) (Photo by Ms. Cheryl Navarro)

CHICAGO 08 November 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago conducted an in-person Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) for Filipino teachers of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on 03 November 2023 at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation Atrium, National Louis University located in Chicago. Seventy-five (75) Filipino teachers, deployed under the US Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) or the J-1 Program from 2020 onwards, participated during the event. The last PAOS for Filipino CPS teachers was held in August 2019.

The event, part of the Consulate General’s Gender and Development (GAD) program, empowered the participants, mostly women, to avail of the services of the Philippine Government offices in the US and of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, whenever required. They were also introduced to the Consulate’s future GAD activities related to upskilling, since most teachers indicated, in a pre-event survey, that they are mainly concerned with employment opportunities. Representatives from Philippine Government offices and from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office served as resource speakers during the PAOS. Consul Melvin Almonguera discussed the services of the Consulate General; Consul Ella Karina Mitra talked about the Consulate’s GAD program; Ms. Nettie Lasko, Consular Corps Liaison of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, enumerated the legal services of her agency. On the other hand, the following resource persons presented via Zoom: SSS Representative Celenia Dimaano, who is based in New York, touched on the benefits of SSS members; and Marketing Officer Ezra Guerrero of the Pag-IBIG Virtual Office for Europe and the Americas, based in Manila, discussed the services of Pag-IBIG Fund.

Consul Almonguera presenting the Consulate General’s consular and Assistance-to-Nationals services (Photo by Ms. Cheryl Navarro)

Consul Mitra introducing the Consulate General’s Gender and Development program (Photo by Ms. Cheryl Navarro)

Consul Gener awarding the Certificate of Appreciation to Ms. Nettie Lasko of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (Photo by Ms. Cheryl Navarro)

The participants expressed their appreciation to the Consulate General for the information imparted through the PAOS and for the opportunity to gather in-person, since they are assigned in different CPS schools. They were also thankful for the Overseas Voting (OV) Registration services made available during the event, which will enable them to cast their votes for the 2025 Philippine National Elections.

In a recorded video message, Consul General J. Susana Paez expressed her appreciation to the resource speakers for their time and expertise in discussing their offices’ services for the benefit of the Filipino teachers. She likewise reminded the attendees to remain compliant with the regulations of the host country and assured the teachers of the Consulate General’s readiness to provide appropriate assistance to every kababayan in the US Midwest. END

The attendees watching the recorded video message of Consul General Paez (Photo by Mr. Ragan Maning)

A participant asking SSS Representative Dimaano and Pag-IBIG Marketing Officer Guerrero, who both presented via Zoom, some questions (Photo by Ms. Cheryl Navarro)

Filipino teachers applying for Overseas Voting Registration (Photo by Ms. Rocylyn De Leon)