SINGAPORE, 29 May 2025 – On 26 May 2025, the Philippine Embassy in Singapore welcomed delegates from the Philippine Foreign Service Institute (FSI), led by Director General Francisco Noel Fernandez III, who were in Singapore from 26 to 27 May 2025, as part of FSI’s 4th Training and Research Outreach (TRO). 

As part of the engagement, the Embassy briefed the delegation on the Filipino diaspora in Singapore, providing insights into the community’s demographic profile, significant contributions, common challenges, and the support mechanisms extended by the Embassy and its attached agencies to safeguard their welfare and interests.

In his opening  remarks, Ambassador Medardo G. Macaraig conveyed appreciation for FSI for  selecting Singapore as the venue of its outreach program, an ideal country for the visit, being home to one of the most diverse Filipino communities overseas. “With their skills, resilience and values, our kababayans in Singapore continue to make meaningful contributions to Singapore society, while remaining deeply connected back home”, he added. 

Third Secretary and Vice Consul Renee Gayle M. Chua, Head of the Embassy’s Cultural and Filipino Community Relations Section, provided the FSI  delegation with an overview of the Filipinos Community in Singapore,  estimated at around 215,000. She noted that Singapore hosts the second-largest concentration of overseas Filipinos globally and is also the second top source of overseas remittances to the Philippines. 

Labor Attaché Haney Lynn Siclot and Welfare Officer Florencio Teves III discussed the challenges of the Filipino workers as well as the government programs and assistance provided by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO)-Singapore and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for the Filipino migrant workers in the country.

The FSI delegation also engaged in a roundtable discussion with experts from the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute on 27 May 2025 to deepen their understanding of Singapore’s and ASEAN’s regional policy perspectives. Later that evening, Ambassador Medardo Macaraig hosted dinner for the FSI delegation at the Official Residence. 

The TRO Program forms part of FSI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen research capabilities and training modules through direct engagement with Philippine Foreign Service Posts and local stakeholders abroad. END