Philippine Embassy in Tokyo Serves Filipino Community Affected by Earthquake in Hokkaido
Consul General Robespierre Bolivar met with Philippine Honorary Consul Ken Tobe in Sapporo City to discuss the earthquake’s effect on the Filipino community and identify possible assistance to those affected.
Two weeks after a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake hit the island of Hokkaido in eastern Japan, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo sent a team to render passport and other consular services to the 1,400-strong Filipino community based there.
The outreach team went to Sapporo City, Hokkaido and provided consular services, free of charge, to a total of 176 applicants.
Consul General Robespierre Bolivar and Mme Maria Aurora Bolivar met with Honorary Consul Ken Tobe and Mme Megumi Tobe during the Embassy outreach in Sapporo City.
In cooperation with Philippine Honorary Consul Ken Tobe, the Samahang Pilipino sa Hokkaido (SPH), and the Sapporo International Communication Foundation, the team assisted 159 passport applicants, 16 civil registration and notarial applicants, and other consular queries during the one-day outreach.
The Embassy outreach team served a total of 179 applicants during the one-day outreach in Sapporo City, Hokkaido.
“It was crucial for the Embassy to be on the ground as soon as possible after the earthquake to check up on our community in Hokkaido. We are thankful for the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which approved the Embassy’s recommendation to provide free consular services to the Filipinos in Hokkaido. The free consular service goes a very long way in helping our kababayan in the recovery effort after the earthquake,” Ambassador to Japan, Jose C. Laurel V, noted in his report on the outreach.
The Embassy team also held a dialogue with the officers of the Samahang Pilipino sa Hokkaido to take stock of the needs of the community following the quake. The meeting allowed the Embassy and the Filipino community to discuss contingency plans to prepare for any future natural disasters.
Consul General Robespierre Bolivar and Minister Evangeline Ducrocq met with the officers of the Samahang Pilipino sa Hokkaido (SPH) to assess the earthquake’s effect on the Filipino community and discuss contingency plans.
SPH officers and several members of the Filipino community assured the Embassy team that they were doing well. They also thanked the Embassy for bringing its services to Hokkaido soon after the calamity. The SPH informed the Embassy that several Filipinos who availed themselves of the outreach service were very grateful to the Philippine Government for the free consular service.
The earthquake, which struck Hokkaido in the early morning hours of September 6th, reached the maximum intensity in Japan’s seismic intensity scale and is the most powerful temblor to have affected the island.
The Embassy outreach team with Honorary Consul Ken Tobe.
Consul General Robespierre Bolivar led the 7-person team, composed of Minister Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq and Messrs. Rolando Salazar, Orlando Manalo, Joseph Tubera, Jahrell Balaoro and Richard Roldan.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the Embassy assisted 46 Filipino tourists who were in Sapporo City at the time. The tourists were able to safely return to the Philippines two days after the quake.
