23 May 2021 - To strengthen its information campaign, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, through POLO-OWWA, launched the "Consular Hour with Our Vice Consuls" with a webinar on 23 May 2021. It is the second offering of the Labor Education Webinar Series (LabEd WebiSerye) for the year which aims to provide Filipinos with relevant information on living and working in Korea.

The Consular Hour with Our Vice Consuls was designed to continuously inform and reach out to the Filipino community since the social distancing measures have limited the opportunity for face-to-face consultations at the Embassy.

In his welcome address, Charge d'affaires a.i. Christian L. de Jesus underscored the importance of keeping the Filipinos in Korea abreast with the Embassy's client appointment system, as well as the recent pronouncements from Korea's immigration and labor authorities which affect their stay and employment here. "The Consular Hour with our Vice Consuls complements the regular news and advisories which we provide through our Embassy website and FB Page. This is a new platform where you can virtually interact with us and ask questions on consular matters. Understanding your concerns is very important for us as we continuously seek ways to be responsive especially during this time of the pandemic," CDA de Jesus elaborated.

Vice Consul Lyza Maria S. Viejo and Vice Consul Reisha L. Olavario were the women of the hour. The clear and informative talakayan focused on passports, visa issuance, registration of vital civil events, dual citizenship, notarial services and a detailed review of the appointment system, among other related concerns.

The Vice Consuls interacted and diligently responded to the 82 participants who were given the opportunity to voice out their clarifications, queries and comments through the registration link, chat box and the live Question & Answer portion. Although on a virtual medium, the feeling of satisfaction was palpable on the faces of the attendees as well as the post-event messages they wrote. One female participant, who lives six hours away from the Embassy, was elated as her queries on documentary requirements were addressed during the Consular Hour. Ms. E. Sumampong said: "I'm very happy to join today. It really helped me to learn these information para maitulong ko sa mga Pinay friends ko in my area. Maraming salamat po!"

Labor Attache Ma. Celeste M. Valderrama reiterated the Embassy and POLO's continuing efforts to use the online medium to serve and inform the Overseas Filipinos, including OFWs in Korea especially during the pandemic. For the schedule of subsequent webinars and events, the public is invited to visit the Embassy website and FB page. END

09 June 2021