27 June 2018, Calgary – The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary hosted its first-ever Forum on Legal, Labor and Consular Issues on 23 June 2018 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. About 170 members of the Filipino community in Medicine Hat attended the forum’s morning and afternoon sessions, and benefitted from the knowledge shared by various speakers. Consul General Gilberto Asuque discussed several provisions of the Family Code of the Philippines, the relevant provisions of the Civil Code as they affect Filipinos overseas, laws on marriage in the Philippines, and the legal options for Filipinos concerning the divorce laws of Canada. Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron discussed the consular functions, dual citizenship and Assistance to Nationals (ATN) services of Calgary PCG. Labor Attaché Margarita Eugenia Fabon Victorino, Assistant Labor Attaché Violeta Buenaventura and Welfare Officer Lilia De Guzman of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Vancouver took turns in explaining the labor recruitment regulations of the Philippines as well as the benefits and services that overseas Filipinos could get out of their memberships in the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-IBIG Fund. Ms. Alma Armada and Ms. Rhodora Armada of Calgary-based Alma Armada & Company, Ltd. provided information on immigration laws and regulations in Canada for temporary foreign workers and permanent residents as well as the process for obtaining Canadian citizenship.