Filipino Italians
Filipino Italians are Italians who are either migrants or descendants of migrants from the Philippines. Filipinos form the fifth-largest migrant community in Italy, after the Romanian, Albanian, North African communities and Ukrainians.[1] Italy is with the UK also the joint largest European migration destination for Filipinos.[2] The Italian capital Rome and the city of Milan is home to the largest Filipino community.[2] Roughly 108,000 documented Filipinos reside in Italy as temporary workers or permanent residents, and estimates on the number of undocumented Filipinos vary widely from 20,000 to 80,000.[2][3] In 2008, ISTAT (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica), Italy’s statistics office, reported that there were 113,686 documented Filipinos living in Italy whereas the number had been 105,675 in 2007.[4]
Total population | |
---|---|
170,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Throughout Italy. Plurality in Milan, Rome, Bologna, Florence, Modena, Turin | |
Languages | |
Italian · Filipino · Philippine languages · (Visayan · Kapampangan · Pangasinan) · English | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Roman Catholicism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Filipinos · Overseas Filipinos |
Filipinos today
63% of Filipino Italians are women,[2] and they mostly work as domestic assistants.[1] The Filipino Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) says that Italy allows 5000 non-seasonal/regular workers, up from 3000 in 2007.[5] The DOLE said that the change was "a sign of appreciation of the good bilateral cooperation with the Philippines in migratory issues."[5] There are approximately 60 Filipino organisations in Italy, most of which are church-based, although there are several cultural and civic groups as well.[6] One of such groups is the Filipino Women's Council with the aim of educating Filipino women migrants about their rights and lobbying on their behalf.[7]
In 2007, Italy gave Filipinos with a Filipino driver's license a free Italian driver's license.[8]
Remittances
In 2007, Filipinos in Italy sent the equivalent of US$500 million back to the Philippines, making it the fourth-largest source of remittances after the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Canada.[9] The town of Mabini in Batangas has extensively benefited from Italian Filipinos; the town has the most former residents living abroad than any other Filipino town or city.[10] Most of those living abroad work in Italy, and a section of Mabini today that has large homes built from remittance money is named "Little Italy".[10] However, due to the economic slump in 2008, remittance money from Italy grew at a much slower pace than usual.[11]
Notable Filipinos of Italian descent
- Matteo Guidicelli - actor, model, singer and former kart racer
- Cherry Pie Picache - actress and comedian
Notable Filipinos in Italy
- Marwin Angeles, footballer
- Simone Rota, footballer (1984)
- Dennis Villanueva, footballer (1992)
- Celeste Cortesi, Miss Universe Philippines 2022 (1997)
- Brandon Vera, former ONE Heavyweight World Champion (1977)
References
- "Filipino Migration to Europe: Country Profiles". CFMW. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "Filipino migration" (PDF). UN. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- Dancel, Joshua (25 September 2002). "Get amnesty before Italy kicks you out, OFWs told". Sun Star Manila. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "80,000 more Filipinos in Italy in 2008". ABS CBN News. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- Uy, Veronica (18 December 2007). "More jobs for Filipinos in Italy, says DoLE". Global Nation. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "PGMA's Italy visit brightens hope for early accord on 3 RP proposals on Filipino workers". Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. 2006. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "Life in Italy is no Dolce Vita". Isis International. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- "OFWs in Italy receive 2 unexpected gifts during President's visit". PLDT. 2007. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- "International research institute studies Filipino Women's remittances from Italy". PhilFortune. 17 April 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- Conde, Carlos (16 December 2005). "Filipinos count cost of remittance society". IHT. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- Rimando, Lala (15 December 2008). "Global slowdown drags October remittances to weakest pace". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 19 January 2009.; Arnaldo Mauri, Remittances from Italy to developing countries, Quaderni n. 12, 1996, Abstract