WA Consul looks ahead for the Filipino community

Consul Michael Gillis and wife, Hermie Source: Cielo Franklin

Philippine Honorary Consul to WA Michael Stanley Gillis admits it's "a steep learning curve" in his first year in office, but he is now ready to take on big community projects aside from their regular consular mission

Philippine Honorary Consular office in WA provides consular missions in the state

Consular Staff are relatively new in Australia and are not members of any community organisations
They admit the need to reach more Filipinos -- 34,600 people born in the Philippines, only 2800 are in their mailing list
"There is a slowdown of temporary visa," Honorary Consul Gillis
Typical problems they address– for 457 visa, some are asked to work longer hours as they should, and are unpaid
Their Visions:

"We want to tap the youth, ‘there are so many promising young people. We’ve got extremely intelligent achievers who will gonna be leades in the future. We want them to succeed
We want to be able to bring the community together. The community has a voice. So people will listen to them. Because it is a big community We want to help them get a clubhouse
Make the professionals want to come in and be involved in the community. We need to bring them in. We are not seeing them at the moment."

WA and the Philippines have got the longest history of any Asian migrant community, where there have been Filipinos in WA for 129 years.
Gillis discussed at length the independent Ball and Filipino Fiesta, with some spectacular guests