Sky City Auckland Convention Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
22 October 2012
President Benigno S. Aquino III met with the Filipino community upon his arrival for his two day state visit in New Zealand. Around 36,000 Filipinos are working and residing in different parts of New Zealand and they are considered as the third largest group of skilled migrants in the country. Around 70-75% or more than 26,000 overseas Filipinos are based in Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand. They are presently working as engineers, teachers, I.T specialists and healthcare professionals.
In his speech, the President mentioned the on-going reforms of the government especially in the areas of education (school buildings/classrooms), agriculture (rice self-sufficiency), infrastructure (roads and bridges) and disaster preparedness (modernization of PAGASA). He was joined by more than a thousand Filipinos who also participated at the “Labor Day Weekend” being celebrated in the entire country.
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