MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos in Italy and other countries in Europe are set to hold protest action to oppose the 25-percent increase in passport and other consular fees ordered recently by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The increase fees was made by the DFA citing the "drastic drop in the local currencies against the US dollar.

Migrants group Lampada-United OFWs in Italy, in an open letter to President Gloria Arroyo, said they oppose the new increases because "it is arbitrary, anomalous, undemocratic and unjust since we were not informed neither consulted prior to its approval."

Alex Gregorio, Migrante-Europe, said the Milan-based organization Lampada conducted a dialogue with Philippine ambassador to Italy Philippe Lhuiller and other embassy officials on the issue, a day before Arroyo´s visit to Milan last Jan. 31. The group afterwards spearheaded a picket outside the scenic Duomo Church in downtown Milan just as President Arroyo was inside the church hearing mass.

In Rome, Filipinos are conducting discussions and consultations among the organizations there to plan steps to demand the repeal of the fee increases and to return these to the 2008 rates. It should be recalled that Filipinos in Italy launched a campaign last year resulting in successfully lowering passport and other consular fees, Gregorio said.

An Italy-wide consultation of several Filipino groups coming from Rome, Milan, Bologna, Firenze, and Mantova is scheduled during the last week of February to firm up the plans of the United OFWs in Italy to pressure the Arroyo government and the DFA to repeal the memo, the group said .

He said Filipino groups in the UK, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands are also studying the new increases and are conducting consultations. The Amsterdam-based Migrante Europe has already informed its chapters in Europe on the issue and has also strongly opposed the increases in a memorandum.

"We are aware that our remittances have kept the Philippine economy afloat. These additional consular fees are unnecessary and exploitative. It was secretly done and implemented as we were celebrating the Christmas/New Year season. It hurts and insults us," the group stressed.

The United OFWs in Italy said "the recent increases have given us and members of our families' additional burden even as we are faced with more difficulties and uncertainties due to the deepening world financial and economic crises. Massive layoffs and financial losses among our Italian employers have led to the loss of our jobs, reduction of working hours and increased our vulnerabilities. Added to this is the rising cost of living while our salaries remained the same."

The group said "very recently, the government of (Italian prime minister) Berlusconi is opting for a particular tax to impose on migrant workers during renewal of their permit of stay with the amount between 50-200 euro. But what is worst is the situation of undocumented OFWs who have been penalized as criminals under the Bossi-Fini Law and exacerbated by the 2008 Security Program Measure of the Berlusconi government."

The alliance has called on the Arroyo government to urgently revoke the DFA memorandum ordering the increases, and take measures to protect compatriots, particularly the undocumented against the Bossi-Fini Law, the Security Package Measures of the Berlusconi government and the Europe Return Directive, which are "directed against the undocumented migrants leading to their criminalization and deportation." - GMANews.TV