24 March 2025, ROME – As part of the Philippine government’s mandate to deliver public service, the Philippine Embassy in Rome travelled 8 hours to Lecce, Italy and conducted a consular outreach mission at the Municipal Social Center in the city. The activity was held in collaboration with the Comune di Lecce, headed by Mayor Adriana Poli Bortone.

More than 600 services were delivered by the consular outreach team, led by Ambassador Neal Imperial and Consul General Randy Arquiza. The services include passport applications, civil registry services, notarial services, the administration of oaths of allegiance for Filipinos retaining their Philippine citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225, as well as consultations on assistance-to-nationals (ATN) services and other consular services. 

The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Rome also rendered a total of 308 services, including conducting Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), contract verification, membership services, and counseling, among others. In addition, the Social Security System (SSS) served 65 clients.

Situated in the southern Apulia region of Italy, Lecce is the easternmost provincial capital in the country, around 600 kilometers away from Rome, where the Embassy is located. Lecce has 921 Filipino residents, while the broader region is home to 1,677 Filipinos. 

The mission was made possible through the support of the Office of Undersecretary for Migration Affairs (OUMA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which funded the activity. END