PRESS RELEASE
PR-057-2024
10 June 2024, Singapore – The Philippine Embassy in Singapore is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Bayanihan Society of Singapore (PBSS) to provide quarterly donations for the maintenance of the Bayanihan Centre. This partnership underscores the Philippine Government’s commitment to supporting the Filipino community and ensuring that the Bayanihan Centre remains a vital resource for Filipinos in Singapore.
The agreement was signed by Ambassador Medardo G. Macaraig, representing the Philippine Embassy, and Atty. Ranvir Kumar Singh, PBSS Honorary President. The signing ceremony took place at the Philippine Embassy on 7 June 2024, as part of the Embassy’s commemoration of the Migrant Workers’ Day. The ceremony was attended by Embassy officials, board members of the PBSS and Mr. Loy Hui Chien and Mr. Alvin Koh of the Southeast Asia II Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.
Ambassador Macaraig expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that the MOA and its mechanisms not only reinforce the ties between the Embassy and the PBSS, but also serve the nobler purpose of ensuring that the Filipino community, especially the overseas Filipino workers, will truly have a place in Singapore where they can upskill themselves, get in touch with their cultural heritage, involve themselves in volunteerism and civic activities, and, if needed, engage in conversations regarding their overall well-being.
The Ambassador further shared that the collaboration between the Philippine Government and PBSS began in 1998, when Singapore’s then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong made a commitment to then Philippine President Joseph Estrada to provide a facility that will serve as a venue for the activities of Filipino overseas workers in Singapore. In 2000, the Singapore Government designated a former school building in Labrador Park (located at 43 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore, 118503) to offer Filipinos in Singapore a wide range of services including training and educational opportunities, cultural activities, and social support programs. The building was given the name Bayanihan Centre and since then continued to be the venue of the activities of the PBSS.
The quarterly donations from the Philippine Embassy will be utilized to ensure the Centre’s facilities remain in top condition and to support its ongoing programs and initiatives.
Atty. Singh expressed gratitude for the Embassy’s continued support which will significantly aid in the upkeep of the Centre, enabling the PBSS to continue providing valuable services to the Filipino community in Singapore.
In his closing remarks, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General Emmanuel R. Fernandez underscored the need for both the Philippine Embassy and the PBSS to jointly ensure that the MOA does not remain a mere agreement on paper, but one that will be translated into concrete programs, activities and projects done in the service of OFWs. He said that the crafting of the MOA had provided an opportunity for both sides to review their erstwhile arrangements regarding the management of the Bayanihan Centre, improve what needed to be improved, and introduce new procedures and systems that would enable the PBSS to serve our countrymen in a more effective way.
The signing of the MOA is especially significant as it coincides with the celebration of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore this year. This milestone highlights the enduring friendship and cooperation between the two nations, further reinforced by this latest initiative to support the Filipino community abroad. END.
