Acting Consul General Mary Joy B. Ramirez (center, seated), Migrant Workers’ Office-Tokyo chief and Labor Attache Ramon Lamberto C. Pastrana (6th from left, seated), Assistant Labor Attache Atty. Barwin Scott P. Villordon (8th from left, seated), IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter Past President Atty. Dale Bryan D. Mordeno (3rd from left, seated), IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter Immediate Past President Atty. Katrina G. Mordeno (4th from left, seated), IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter Co-Chair for International Aid Mission Atty, Stevenson S. Yu (1st from left, seated) and volunteers from IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter, and members of the Filipino community during a legal aid mission for Filipinos on 19 January 2025.

TOKYO, 20 January 2025 – The Philippine Embassy, through its Consular Section and the Migrant Workers Office-Tokyo (MWO-Tokyo), and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Misamis Oriental Chapter conducted a legal aid mission for the Filipino community in Tokyo on 19 January 2025.

Nine legal aid volunteers from IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter delivered a lecture on key topics, including the legal rights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), access to legal resources and justice in Japan, personal and domestic legal concerns, and the recognition of foreign divorce decrees in the Philippines without requiring judicial proceedings abroad, as clarified by the Supreme Court.

MWO-Tokyo chief and Labor Attache Ramon Lamberto C. Pastrana and Assistant Labor Attache Atty. Barwin Scott P. Villordon also discussed insights on employment contracts and their verification and compliance with regulations.

Participants had the opportunity to engage in an open forum and avail themselves of one-on-one consultations with the legal aid volunteers.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano underlined the importance of this program in empowering Filipinos in Japan. She said, “This legal aid mission exemplifies the Embassy’s commitment to providing meaningful support to the Filipino community in Japan. We aim to provide our kababayan with the knowledge and resources they need in order to navigate the complexities of living and working in a foreign country with greater confidence and security.”

Volunteers from IBP Misamis Oriental Chapter delivered a lecture on the legal rights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), access to legal resources and justice in Japan, personal and domestic legal concerns, and the recognition of foreign divorce decrees in the Philippines without requiring judicial proceedings abroad, during a legal aid mission in Tokyo on 19 January 2025.

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