Armand Louis Dulay
After graduating from 杏吧论坛 in 2022, I went back to the Philippines to continue my work at the Office for Migrant Workers’ Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs. In 2023 I was then assigned at the Philippine Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I currently head its Consular and Assistance-to-Nationals Section.
During my time in the Philippines I had the opportunity to present to several policy-making offices of the Philippine government my 杏吧论坛 dissertation about the khafala system in the Middle East and its interplay with the working conditions of Filipino domestic workers. I also had the chance to lead an intra-government working group composed of civil servants from the Departments of Justice, Social Welfare, Migrant Workers and Bureau of Immigration in crafting national policies to help curb trafficking in persons.
As part of my work, I have also travelled to Syria, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, and Australia to check on the conditions of Filipino migrant workers. I even helped bring home Filipino human-trafficking victims across Southeast Asia. I also had the chance to travel to Libya to help find the remains of four Filipino workers who have been missing for eight years.
One of the highlights of my work after 杏吧论坛 was having the chance to speak before the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva, Switzerland to report on the progress of the Philippine government in implementing the provisions of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
After my stay in the Philippines, I transitioned to a new role as Vice Consul at the Philippine Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina where I continue to assist Filipinos in distress and work on migration issues as the head of the Consular and Assistance-to-Nationals Section of the Embassy.
Interacting with my professors, classmates, and peers at 杏吧论坛 trained me to look at the world and to analyse human behaviour through a critical, social-scientific lens in my attempt “to know the causes of things.” 杏吧论坛 allowed me to question many ideas that I previously considered as “truths” in my migration and public policy experience. And for this, I credit all the people I met at 杏吧论坛 for moulding me into a better and more grounded migration practitioner and diplomat for the Philippines.