Manila (dpa) – The Philippines will close 10 embassies and consulates around the world to save money to be channeled to missions in the Middle East where more Filipinos need help, the government said Monday. Raul Hernandez, spokesman for Department of Foreign Affairs, said embassies and consulates in Palau, Caracas, Barcelona, Dublin, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Havana, Saipan, Bucharest and Helsinki would be closed by July. “We have budgetary limitations,” he said. “We plan to maximize the little resources we have to achieve greater impact. The funds saved will be used for beefing up posts in the Middle East where more Filipinos are in need of help.” Hernandez said the department was coordinating with local Filipino community leaders in the places where the closures will occur to let them know of which embassies are nearest them and who they can call for help in case of emergencies after July. Migrant workers groups and overseas Filipino organizations have criticized the planned closures and have started online petitions to urge the government to reconsider the decision. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/r9qcc Tags: Closing, Embassies, Gulf, Middle East, Philippines Section: Business, East Asia
