- Presentation of Credentials
- Ms. Earth España
- Mass Offering for former President Cory Aquino
- Elcano Landing
- Philippine Nurses in Bilbao
- Donation of the Image of Our Lady of Fatima
- The Philippines in ABC & La Vanguardia
Madrid PE Officials Conducts Briefing to the First Group of Filipino Nurses Deployed in the Basque Country
Getxo, 19 July 2009. The Philippine Embassy in Madrid conducted a briefing for the first group of 27 Filipino nurses deployed in northern Spain on 19 July 2009 and extended consular services to the Filipino residents in Getxo-Bilbao area in the Basque Country. Chargé d’Affaires Celia Anna Feria, Consul Marciano de Borja, Labor Attache Ramon Tionloc and Welfare Officer Ma. Consolacion Marquez briefed the nurses on the salient aspects of Basque culture and society as well as Spanish labor laws and conditions.
The 27 Filipino nurses arrived safely in Bilbao last week. Fifteen nurses come from the province of Nueva Vizcaya while twelve are selected by POEA from different parts of the Philippines. The fact that the Filipino nurses arrived in time for the summer vacation was greatly appreciated by their Basque employers. The Filipino nurses will initially work as nursing assistants and caregivers in four Basque homes for the elderly (residencias de mayores) operated by Urgatzi, Igurco, Residencial Aulaga and Olimpia Bass. They have a one-year contract that is renewable.
The Filipino nurses are also expected to accredit their nursing degrees at the Spanish Ministry of Education within a period of six to nine months. After getting the official accreditation, they will be able to practice their real profession and will earn the same salary as regular Spanish nurses.
Notwithstanding the present economic crisis in Spain, the demand for foreign nurses remains high. To date, there are about 190 Filipino nurses working in the Madrid area. The deployment of Filipino health workers in Spain is part of the RP-Spain MOU on Migration Flows signed in June 2006. Under this MOU, Spain has opened its doors to the employment of Filipino health workers. The Philippine Embassy is now talking with prospective Spanish employers on the employment of more Filipinos in the health sector. The Embassy is also confident that the Filipino nurses now deployed in Madrid and the Basque Country will be followed by other groups in the coming months.
