The Philippine Embassy in Santiago, Chile, held an orientation on the Rights of Household Workers in Chile in celebration of the National Women’s Month on 18 March 2017 at Salon Fundadores in Santa Beatriz, Providencia in Santiago. The orientation focused on the rights and privileges of women household workers in Chile, including their maternity leave, social security and other benefits.

The Embassy invited as resource person Atty. Jose Aris, an experienced Chilean lawyer on consumer rights and labor practice/compliance who has worked for various companies in Chile and Peru. Over 140 members of the Filipino community in Santiago actively participated in the event.

The Magna Carta of Women or R.A.9710 brochures were also distributed to the Filipino community during the event. 

The event started with an introduction of Mr. Marcos A.S. Punsalang, Charge d’affaires of Santiago PE to the Filipino community by Vice Consul Raisa A. Mabayo. Mr. Punsalang expressed his appreciation for the participation of the community and assured them of the Embassy’s commitment to ensuring that Filipino workers in Chile are well-versed with Chilean labor laws. Embassy personnel also briefed the community about future activities, and reminded them to register as Filipino community members and as overseas voters for the 2019 national elections. The event ended with closing remarks from Mr. Punsalang, who thanked the resource speaker and the Filipino community for actively engaging in the discussions.