GOVPH

KATATAGAN BOOK LAUNCHED IN SOUTH KOREA

20 December, Seoul. “Isa po itong regalong hindi mapapantayan ng pera”, Teresita Recinto expressed with tears of joy as she received this month her personal copy of the book Katatagan: Tales of Faith, Strength and Resilience of Filipinos in South Korea where her essay, Alarm Clock, is one of the featured pieces. Ms. Recinto, an OFW, a cancer survivor, and a member and volunteer in the Seoul Filipino Catholic Community (SFCC), said that she wrote the essay to share her reflections on the pandemic, writing paragraphs in instalments every night after working “arubeit” or sideline – something that she had to do to augment her income.

“Katatagan” was launched virtually on 05 December 2021 and presented by the Philippine Embassy to the Filipino Community in Korea as a gift during the Paskong Pinoy 2021. Conceived by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO-OWWA) in collaboration with the Association of Filipino Educators in Korea (AFEK) and the Filipino Photographers in South Korea (FILIPOS) with the support of the Philippine Embassy, the publication brings together 13 essays and 3 original song compositions of Filipinos in Korea which won awards as part of the 2021 Philippine Independence and Migrant Workers’ Day commemorations.

According to Ambassador Theresa Dizon – De Vega, the entries reflect and chronicle the daily struggles of overseas Filipinos in a foreign land, navigating their way through the COVID-19 pandemic, and finding the inner strength and fortitude to face the most complex of challenges. “While the winning entries depict the struggles brought about by the pandemic, particularly for migrants whose voices are often underrepresented, and in some instances, even stifled, the essays likewise speak of hope and courage”, the Ambassador said.

During the book presentation, Ambassador de Vega thanked the production team composed of POLO in Seoul led by Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste M. Valderrama, AFEK headed by Dr. Joeffrey M. Calimag, and FILIPOS headed by its President Ed Mallo. She also expressed her deep appreciation to the Katatagan Editorial Board composed of Filipinos in Korea who shared their time and professional expertise in editing the book, headed by Dr. Sherro Lee A. Lagrimas as Editor-in-Chief and members Dr. Massuline Antonio Ligaya, Director Katherine Corteza, Dr. Cynthia Amatorio, Asst. Prof. Ardelle Bondad, Dr. Engelbert Pasag, and Dr. Randy Tolentino.

“Katatagan is a perfect combination of inspiring messages and images, and also the commitment of everyone who took part in this joint project. The heartfelt appreciation of Ms. Recinto, one of the essay writers, for publishing Katatagan and recognizing her work in it is humbling as it is the least we can do to share her inspiring message for all of us, today and for the many years to come”, Ambassador de Vega said. -END-

OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE REGIONAL OFFICES HOTLINES FOR TYPHOON ODETTE (RAI)

251 EPS WORKERS ENTER SOUTH KOREA

17 December 2021, Seoul. The Philippine Embassy in Korea welcomed the arrival of 42 Filipino workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) today, which brings to 251 the total number of workers who arrived in South Korea this December following the resumption of entry of EPS workers late last month. Of this, 200 are regular EPS workers while 51 are Sincere (or special re-entry) workers.

Ambassador Theresa Dizon - De Vega cites the coherent and coordinated efforts of the Philippine and Korean authorities to facilitate the orderly resumption of entry of workers, attesting to the strength of cooperation in the implementation of the EPS for the last 17 years.

“In the past months, we have been undertaking representations with Korean authorities to lift the previous suspension of visa issuance for Filipino EPS workers. We at the Philippine Embassy, together with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), worked closely with Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, the Human Resource Development Service in Korea (HRDK) as well as the HRD EPS Center in the Philippines to ensure that the work introduction procedure, including the pre-departure and departure arrangement for all the batches of EPS workers would happen in the shortest time possible with due consideration for the prevailing health protocols and new requirements”, Ambassador de Vega said.

According to the health protocols of ROK, the newly arrived workers shall observe a minimum 10-day quarantine period in facilities designated by the MOEL and HRDK, and managed by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KBIZ), where they will also be completing their post-arrival training, medical examination, and PCR-testing before they report to their respective employers. Meanwhile, all the workers have been vaccinated from COVID-19 and have negative PCR test results prior to their departure from the Philippines.

The Ambassador joined all the online pre-flight briefings for the workers organized by the POEA – Government Placement Branch, together with Labor Attache Maya Valderrama of POLO-Korea. “With the resumption of entry of EPS workers, we are glad that your hopes to work in Korea as well as your dreams for your family can finally come true”, the Ambassador told the workers. The Ambassador enjoined the arriving workers to continue honing their skills, and to actively participate in Embassy-led programs for the Filipino community such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship development, reintegration, and know-your-rights seminars which aim to support the successful sojourn of Filipino workers in South Korea.

“The Philippines remains committed to the effective and efficient implementation of the EPS, and will continue to cooperate in measures that will ensure the continued resumption of entry of our workers to Korea”, Ambassador de Vega said. -END-