First there was Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated large parts of the Philippines in 2013. The recovery continues today.

More recently, unrest on the southern island of Mindaneo – focused on an insurgency in the city of Marawi – has caused a looming humanitarian crisis and martial law for the island.

The strongman tactics of President Rodrigo Duterte have the support of many in the Philippines, but extrajudicial murders continue to draw condemnation.

It makes the need for an inclusive community in Bendigo even stronger.

Bendigo Filipino community leader Lilian Nieves-Caligdong said more and more Filipinos were moving to central Victoria in search of work in recent years, particularly in the field of nursing.

She said the strong community and family spirit of people from the Philippines meant it was crucial they connected with one another when they arrive in Australia.

The city of Bendigo was an ideal place to settle.

“In the last three years we’ve seen a lot of Filipinos come to Bendigo as nurses, while others take on factory work at places like Don KR Castlemaine,” Ms Nieves-Caligdong said.

“From my personal experience, Bendigo is a good place to live. We have really good services, especially compared with when I arrived here 18 years ago.

“There are also more job opportunities here now.”

There is also a strong Filipino community in Pyramid Hill, she said.

They will meet for a fundraising dinner in Bendigo on Friday night.

Ms Nieves-Caligdong attended a roundtable discussion in Bendigo on Thursday, where attendees could ask questions of Tony Burke, the federal Labor spokesperson for multiculturalism.

Most questions focused on adequate funding and availability of support services once people arrive in Bendigo.

Others asked about certainty for those still on Nauru and Manus Island.

President of the Loddon-Campaspe Multicultural Services Abhishek Awasthi said supporting new, smaller communities in Bendigo was crucial.

“They may struggle to find their place in a community such as Bendigo,” he said.

“I call them opportunities, because every challenge is an opportunity, and as a community it is important that we learn and we share, and we continue to grow stronger together as a unit.”

Proposed changes to Australia’s citizenship laws are “unhelpful”, according to the Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Service.

The changes, which would require aspiring citizens to wait four years and have university-level English, were a main talking point at a multicultural roundtable in Bendigo this week.

LCMS president Abhishek Awasthi said it seemed unnecessary to target all new citizens with tougher laws.

“One blanket rules shouldn’t cover everything,” he said.

“I don’t agree with them (the changes) and we should look at how we as a community can work with those communities to give them opportunities so they can build their English skills.”

A senate inquiry is examining the proposed laws, which have already passed the lower house.

Labor’s multicultural spokesperson Tony Burke said the laws would mean people would live in Australia for four years without having to pledge allegiance to the country.

He said they “do not fit in with the sort of country modern Australia is”.

“For the first time since we abolished the White Australia Policy, we will have a permanent underclass of non-citizens in Australia who will go through their entire working lives here who will be told they don’t belong, and will never be asked to pledge their allegiance to Australia,” Mr Burke said.