Belgium and Luxembourg
There are only 3,067 Filipinos are officially registered in Belgium. Students and OFWs are considered "temporary immigrants" (Wikimedia Commons)
According
to the Philippine Embassy in Brussels, only 3,067 Filipinos are
officially registered with the Belgian National Institute of Statistics.
Moreover, it appears that a considerable number of them have become
naturalized Belgians and Luxembourgeois over the years. The majority of
Filipinos in Belgium and Luxembourg—60 percent—are women.
"Temporary
immigrants" consist of students enrolled in Belgian educational
institutions, as well as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with pending
applications under the Law of 1980, Article 9.3. OFWs employed by
diplomats with fixed periods are considered Temporary Residents. These
non-Belgium based OFWs working for members of the Diplomatic Corps
accredited to the Kingdom of Belgium and to various European Union
institutions are normally taken by their respective diplomat-employers
to their next place of assignment after their tenure in Belgium as
diplomats.
The following lines of work are taken by Filipinos
in Belgium and Luxembourg: barbers/hairstylists (home service);
bartenders; butlers; waiters; carpenters; au pairs; cooks; dishwashers;
dog/cat sitters; drivers; electrical repairers; installers; factory
assemblers; food processing plant packagers; gardeners; house cleaners;
house sitters/home managers; hotel housekeeping staff/porters; part-time
laundry workers; mechanics; office cleaners; painters; plumbers; wall
paper and carpet layers; baby sitters; caterers; elderly care service
providers; entertainers (Antwerp area); sewers; tutors; domestic
helpers/general utility personnel working with Diplomatic Missions and
households; professionals in private firms, e.g., abstractors and data
encoders (a small number).
There is considerable demand for
domestic service staff, but the Office National de l'Emploi (ONEM) under
the respective ministries of labor of Belgium and Luxembourg do not
issue work permits to foreigners mainly because of the high unemployment
rate as well as the restrictive labor policies of the EU. Except for a
few hotel workers and a handful of office workers, immigrant workers
engaged in the service sectors mentioned above are generally considered "travaille noir,"
i.e., undeclared, unprotected and undocumented. The majority of the
Filipino workers are challenged by limited employment opportunities and
illegal residency status.
Filipino Community Organizations in Belgium and Luxembourg
There
are 74 listed associations of Filipinos residing in Belgium and
Luxembourg. Umbrella organizations such as the Council of Filipino
Associations in Belgium (COFAB) and the Council of Filipino Associations
in Flanders (COFAF) embrace regional groupings such as the Grand
Ilocandia of Belgium, the Hinunangan Association, the Pangasinenses
Group, the Victorian Community, the Novo Ecijano sa Belgium and others.
There are also four Knights of Rizal Chapters. There are sports
organizations like the Philippine Sports Community and Filipino Sports
Community of Antwerp.
Members of Kababayan Filcom celebrate the New Year. (Kababayan Filcom)
Cause-oriented
groups like the Samahan, several socio-cultural groupings like
Sampaguita, Mabuhay Friends Club, Belga-Cultura Filipina, etc., and
numerous religious groupings also operate. Noticeable among these groups
are those that have been established by Belgians married to Filipinas
and who desire to help the Philippines through the organizations:
Cadaatan vzw, Friendship for the Philippines, Kempen-Philippines
Association, and Kababayan Filipino Community (Kababayan Filcom). In
Luxembourg: Letzebuergesch-Philippinesch Aktioun Fir Den Development
(LPAD), the Samahan ng mga Pilipino Luxembourg asbl and
Philippine-Luxembourg Society.
“There is considerable demand for domestic service staff, but the Office National de l’Emploi (ONEM) do not issue work permits to foreigners mainly because of the high unemployment rate as well as the restrictive labor policies of the EU.”
Belgian Economy
The modern, open and private-enterprise-based Belgian economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the more heavily populated region of Flanders in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium imports substantial quantities of raw materials and exports a large volume of manufactures, making its economy vulnerable to volatility in world markets.Roughly three-quarters of Belgium's trade is with other EU countries, and Belgium has benefited most from its proximity to Germany. In 2011 Belgian GDP grew by 1.8 percent, the unemployment rate decreased slightly to 7.2 percent from 8.3 percent the previous year, and the government reduced the budget deficit from a peak of 6 percent of GDP in 2009 to 4.2 percent in 2011 and 3.3 percent in 2012.
Despite the relative improvement in Belgium's budget deficit, public debt hovers around 100 percent of GDP, a factor that has contributed to investor perceptions that the country is increasingly vulnerable to spillover from the euro-zone crisis. Belgian banks were severely affected by the international financial crisis in 2008 with three major banks receiving capital injections from the government, and the nationalization of the Belgian retail arm of a Franco-Belgian bank.
Luxembourg’s Economy
Luxembourg’s
small, stable, high-income economy—benefiting from its proximity to
France, Belgium and Germany—has historically featured solid growth, low
inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially
dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include
chemicals, rubber and other products.
Growth in the financial
sector, which now accounts for about 28 percent of GDP, has more than
compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and
have extensive foreign dealings, but Luxembourg has lost some of its
advantages as a tax haven because of OECD and EU pressure.
The
economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 60 percent
of its labor force. Luxembourg, like all EU members, suffered from the
global economic crisis that began in late 2008, but unemployment has
trended below the EU average. Following strong expansion from 2004 to
2007, Luxembourg's economy contracted 3.6 percent in 2009, but rebounded
in 2010-11 before slowing again in 2012.
The country continues
to enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living–GDP per capita ranks
among the highest in the world, and is the highest in the euro zone.
Turmoil in the world financial markets and lower global demand during
2008-09 prompted the government to inject capital into the banking
sector and implement stimulus measures to boost the economy. Government
stimulus measures and support for the banking sector, however, led to a 5
percent government budget deficit in 2009. Nevertheless, the deficit
was cut to 1.1 percent in 2011 and 0.9 percent in 2012.
Even
during the financial crisis and recovery, Luxembourg retained the
highest current account surplus as a share of GDP in the euro zone,
owing largely to their strength in financial services. Public debt
remains among the lowest of the region although it has more than doubled
since 2007 as percentage of GDP. Luxembourg's economy, while stable,
grew slowly in 2012 due to ongoing weak growth in the euro area.
Authorities have strengthened supervision of domestic banks because of
their exposure to the activities of foreign banks.
Philippine Embassy in Brussels, Belgium
Ambassador Victoria Sisante Bataclan
297 Avenue Moliere, 1050 Brussels
E-mail: consular.brusselspe@gmail.com; brussels@philembassy.be; brusselspe@gmail.com
Trunkline: (+32) 02 340 33 77 to 78
Fax Number: (+32) 02 345 64 25
Duty Officer: (+32) 0488 609.177
Consular matters: (+32) 02 340 33 73
Consular matters: (+32) 02 340 33 74
Trunkline: (+32) 02 340 33 77 to 78
Fax Number: (+32) 02 345 64 25
Duty Officer: (+32) 0488 609.177
Consular matters: (+32) 02 340 33 73
Consular matters: (+32) 02 340 33 74
PHILIPPINE HONORARY CONSULATE, ANTWERP
Peter Van BogaertConsul General, a.h.
Venneborglaan 90, 2100 Deurne, Antwerp
Source: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/3/know-your-diaspora-belgium-and-luxembourg
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Wow! Dami na pala OFW in Belgium! Goodluck at kamusta dyan mga kabayan!
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