Filipinos in Belgium

Last updated
Filipinos in Belgium
Total population
12,224 (2012 est.) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Brussels, Flanders
Languages
English, Filipino, other languages of the Philippines, Dutch, French
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Filipino people, Overseas Filipino

Filipinos in Belgium comprise migrants from the Philippines to Belgium and their descendants living there. While the Belgian National Institute of Statistics has 3,067 Filipinos officially registered, [2] the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) estimated that there are 12,224 Filipinos in Belgium in December 2013. [1]

Contents

Demographics

Filipinos in Belgium work primarily as tradesmen, in the hospitality industry, as domestic workers, or as seamen on Belgian-flagged ships. [2] [3] A number of Filipino international students also attend Belgian institutions of higher education, but are considered "temporary migrants." [2] Gender-wise, most Filipinos in Belgium are female, amount to roughly 60% of the population. [2]

The Philippine Embassy in Belgium considers "limited employment opportunities, illegal residency status and fraudulent documentation" to be the largest issues facing the Filipino community in Belgium. [4] Of the 12,224 Filipinos estimated to be living in Belgium, the CFO estimates that 5,000 (40.9%) are "irregular" or living without legal residency status, [1] [5] while 6,840 (56.0%) and 384 (3.1%) Filipinos have "permanent" and "temporary" status, respectively. [1]

Economics

In 2012, Filipinos in Belgium officially sent a total of approximately $62.0 million USD in remittances back to the Philippines (US$32.3 land-based and US$19.8 sea-based), after a peak of $63.4 million USD in remittances in 2010. [6] This figure accounts for 0.28% of all remittances sent to the Philippines. [6] Three Filipino banks have correspondent accounts with banks in Norway to allow for remittance transfers. [7]

Society and culture

In addition to the Philippine Embassy in Brussels and a consulate in Antwerp, there are about seventy Filipino associations in Belgium to serve different needs of the Filipino-Belgian community, many of which are coordinated by the Council of Filipino Associations in Belgium (COFAB) or the Council of Filipino Associations in Flanders (COFAF). [2] There are general regional-based, sporting, service-oriented, and cultural organizations, as well as organizations for native Belgians married to Filipino spouses. In addition, there are four chapters of the Knights of Rizal, a fraternal organization. [2]

The Philippine Embassy in Brussels organizes events around major Filipino holidays, including the Philippine Independence Day and Christmas, that attract thousands of Filipinos from Belgium and neighboring nations such as Luxembourg. [8] [9] [10]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migrant worker</span> Person who migrates to pursue work

A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have an intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Filipinos</span> Filipino diaspora

An Overseas Filipino is a person of full or partial Filipino origin who trace their ancestry back to the Philippines but are living and working outside of the country. They get jobs in countries and they move to live in countries that they get jobs in. This term generally applies to both people of Filipino ancestry and citizens abroad. As of 2019, there were over 12 million Filipinos overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remittance</span> Money transfer by a foreign worker to their home country

A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes with international aid as one of the largest financial inflows to developing countries. Workers' remittances are a significant part of international capital flows, especially with regard to labor-exporting countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Filipino Worker</span>

Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million between April and September 2020. Of these, female workers comprised a larger portion, making up 59.6 percent, or 1.06 million. However, this number declined to 405.62 thousand between 2019 and 2020.

There are a large number of expatriates inKuwait, with most residing in the capital of Kuwait City. Expatriates are primarily attracted by the employment opportunities in Kuwait. Kuwaiti nationals account for 31% of Kuwait's total population.

Filipinos in Kuwait are either migrants from or descendants of the Philippines living in Kuwait. As of 2020, there are roughly 241,000 of these Filipinos in Kuwait. Most people in the Filipino community are migrant workers, and approximately 60% of Filipinos in Kuwait are employed as domestic workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filipinos in Saudi Arabia</span>

Filipinos in Saudi Arabia are migrants or descendants of the Philippines who live in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is currently the largest employer of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and has the largest Filipino population in the Middle East. Filipinos make up the fourth-largest group of foreigners in Saudi Arabia, and are the second-largest source of remittances to the Philippines.

Filipinos in Singapore consists of citizens of the Philippines working or residing in Singapore. According to a 2013 estimate by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a total of 203,243 Filipinos work or reside in the country, a portion of which could consist of permanent residents or persons of Filipino descent who are not citizens of the Philippines within the community.

Filipinos in South Africa are either migrants or descendants of the Philippines living in South Africa. Roughly half of them live in Gauteng and another 40% in Kalk Bay.

Filipinos in Pakistan consist of migrants from the Philippines. In 2008, there were an estimated 1,500 Filipinos in Pakistan according to the statistics of the Philippine government. Many Filipinos came to Pakistan for work and those who later married Pakistani men are now holding Pakistani citizenship. Pakistan comparatively has experience good immigration rate from Philippines despite security issues.

The labor migration policy of the Philippine government allows and encourages emigration. The Department of Foreign Affairs, which is one of the government's arms of emigration, grants Filipinos passports that allow entry to foreign countries. In 1952, the Philippine government formed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) as the agency responsible for opening the benefits of the overseas employment program. In 1995, it enacted the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act in order to "institute the policies of overseas employment and establish a higher standard of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant workers and their families and overseas Filipinos in distress." In 2022, the Department of Migrant Workers was formed, incorporating the POEA with its functions and mandate becoming the backbone of the new executive department.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is an agency of the government of the Philippines under the Office of the President of the Philippines. CFO was established on June 16, 1980, through the enactment of Batas Pambansa Blg. 79.

Filipinos in Taiwan consist mainly of immigrants and workers from the Philippines. Filipinos form the third largest national contingent of migrant workers and account for about one-fifth of foreign workers in Taiwan as of April 2019.

Filipinos in Oman are either migrants or descendants of the Philippines living in Oman. As of 2011, there are between 40,000 and 46,000 of these Filipinos in Oman. A large destination for Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Oman was the only Middle Eastern nation included on the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration's list of nations safe for OFWs. The country still holds the title up to this day.

Filipinos in Bahrain are either migrants or descendants of the Philippines living in Bahrain. As of 2012, there are approximately 40,000 of these Filipinos in Bahrain.

Filipinos in Norway comprise expatriates and migrants from the Philippines to Norway and their locally-born descendants. As of 2019, there are approximately 25,000 Filipinos in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany–Philippines relations</span> Bilateral relations

Germany–Philippines relations are the bilateral relations of Germany and the Philippines. An agreement that was signed on April 25, 1955, led to a dynamic cooperation between the two countries. Germany has an embassy in Manila and an honorary consulate in Cebu, while the Philippines has an embassy in Berlin, a Consulate General in Frankfurt, and Honorary Consulates in Essen, Munich and Stuttgart. Germany is the top trading partner of the Philippines in the European Union after the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentro Rizal</span>

The Sentro Rizal is a Philippine government-sponsored organization whose main objective is the global promotion of Filipino art, culture, and language. Established by virtue of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, its headquarters is located at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) office in Intramuros, Manila. Sentro Rizal aims to promote Philippine arts, culture, and language throughout the world through the establishment of Philippine centers in various countries which initiate and organize cultural training programs and activities for overseas Filipinos.

Filipinos in Poland, the citizens of the Philippines as well as their descendants who are currently living in Poland, are mostly residing in the country on a temporary basis. As of September 2012, there were an estimated 525 Filipinos across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of the Philippines, Rome</span> Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in Italy

The Embassy of the Philippines in Rome is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Italian Republic. First opened in 1947, it is currently located along the Via Aurelia in the quarter (quartiere) of Aurelio, part of Municipio XIII in western Rome, just west of Vatican City.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Stock Estimate of Overseas Filipinos" (PDF). Commission on Filipinos Overseas. December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Filipinos in Belgium". Philippine Embassy in Belgium. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. "A Brief History of the Union". AMOSUP. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. Santos, Matikas (12 July 2013). "PH, Belgium sign accord to boost investment, trade, immigration". Philippine Daily Enquirer. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. "Highlights of the 2011 Stock Estimate of Filipinos Overseas". Commission on Filipinos Overseas. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Overseas Filipinos' Cash Remittances" (PDF). Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  7. "Philippine Banks With Remittance Networks Abroad" (PDF). Scalabrini Migration Center. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  8. "Phl Ambassador Hosts Reception in Brussels to Commemorate 115th Anniversary of Philippine Independence". Department of Foreign Affairs. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  9. "Philippine Independence Day 2010". Philippine Embassy in Belgium. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  10. "Philippine Embassy in Brussels Hosts 3nd[sic] Assembly of Filipino Community Leaders". Department of Foreign Affairs. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.