Advisories & News
Press Release
PCG Toronto Conducts Online Information Session on Consular Services, SSS and Pag-ibig Services
2020-07-31
PR 37-2020
29 July 2020, Toronto, Ontario – The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in collaboration with the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (KCCC), conducted an online Information Session on the different consular services, as well as SSS and Pag-ibig services, via Zoom on 23 July 2020. KCCC President Mr. Resty del Rosario welcomed the participants and thanked the Philippine Consulate General, Toronto for conducting this year’s Information Session, which started in 2018.
The team was headed by Consul General Orontes V. Castro who expressed his appreciation to KCCC for organizing the online information session and emphasized the importance of such events for the Consulate General to inform and update Filipino-Canadians on the various services it offers the Filipino community, especially on the systems adopted by the office since its reopening to the public on 25 May 2020, after the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also mentioned that KCCC is one of the Consulate General’s partners in serving our kababayans in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Consul Edna May Grecia-Lazaro discussed about notarization and authentication services while Consul Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza talked about passport services. The officers also informed about the need to book an appointment for the different consular services before coming to the Consulate. The effects of reacquiring or retaining Filipino citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225 otherwise known as the “Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003” were also discussed during the Q & A which followed.
Pag-ibig Member Services Officer Ms. Elizabeth Borres talked about the various savings and investment schemes available to overseas Filipinos and ways they can take out loans from Pag-IBIG. SSS Representative Roberto V. Roldan, on the other hand, discussed the process of how to become an SSS voluntary member or otherwise reactivate membership in SSS without need of going home to the Philippines, as well as the seven (7) benefits, from maternity to eternity, being offered by SSS to its members: maternity benefits; sickness or injury benefits; disability pension; retirement pension benefits; dependent’s pension; death pension benefits; and SSS loans. Mr. Roldan informed the participants that SSS pensioners may apply for their pension benefits online. He added that the SSS Toronto office also adopts the appointment system and that it has suspended this year the annual confirmation of membership, as long as members have done so in 2019.
The information session was well-received by the participants, drawing a request from the Kalayaan Centre for another session in the near future.
Initially founded in 1983 as the Kalayaan Filipino Cultural Organization (KFCO) for the purpose of celebrating Philippine Independence Day, the Kalayaan Centre has evolved to become a pillar for promoting Filipino heritage and culture and a community hub for programs and services for the benefit of Filipino-Canadians mostly residing in the Peel region. END
