The discussion focused on the developments of the migration corridors between the Philippines and selected European countries, based on the research from the Philippine study of the AspirE Project.

The forum opened with welcome remarks from Fr. Nguyen Hoàng Khánh Huy, SMC’s Director, and special messages from Mr. Frederic Grillet, First Secretary of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, Asec. Levinson Alcantara of the Department of Migrant Workers, and Dr. Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot, Principal Investigator of the AspirE project from the Université libre de Bruxelles.

To frame the discussion, Dr. Marla Asis, Principal Investigator of AspirE-Philippines, with Bernard Garcia and Eunice Tejada, Early Career Researchers of AspirE-Philippines, shared the Philippine study’s findings from the policy review, multi-stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions, and aspiring migrants’ datasets. Further information about the project and its key findings was available for viewing on posters displayed on-site, and members of the research team answered queries from attendees.

The presentation was followed by an open forum and a workshop, participated in by partners and colleagues from embassies, various government offices, international organizations, Philippine recruitment agencies, civil society organizations, and the academe.

The posters, and other knowledge products of AspirE, are linked here: linktr.ee/smcaspire