GOVPH

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY HOLDS LABOR LAWS SEMINAR FOR OFWS

24 July 2024, Seoul - The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, through the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) - Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), held a Korea Labor Laws Seminar for OFWs on 20 July 2024, Saturday, via an online format.

The activity is part of the Embassy’s year-round labor education for OFWs in Korea that aims to continuously inform and empower them for productive employment in the host country. For this particular session, the webinar focused on the most frequently-asked-questions about wages and overtime payment, hours of work, leave, resignation and termination, and industrial accident compensation.

The webinar had more than 100 registered participants and was additionally viewed via live stream.

In her opening message, Ambassador Theresa Dizon – De Vega underscored the importance of OFWs having the correct understanding of their rights and obligations from official sources to ensure their protection as well as their productive stay in the host country. “The immigration and labor regulations in South Korea is very dynamic. Because of this the Embassy is committed to promote what we call an eco-system of empowerment among our Filipino community in Korea by conducting regular and responsive information sessions, townhalls, skills training, and various workers education activities, in cooperation with our institutional and FilCom partners.” She conveyed her appreciation to the Itaewon Global Village Center (IGVC) headed by Director Katherine Corteza for its continued support to the Embassy’s activities.

Labor Attorney Suehee Kim, a labor law consultant, presented the Korean labor laws and provided specific cases to illustrate clearly how regulations apply to foreign workers. The participants, majority of whom were first time attendees, actively participated in the open forum that followed the presentation.

The webinar was co-moderated by Labor Attache Ma. Celeste Valderrama and Director Katherine Corteza.

The Filipino community is enjoined to watch out for Embassy announcements and join upcoming seminars and activities for the rest of the year. - END -

PHILIPPINE HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATION (PHILHEALTH) ADVANCES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DIGITALIZATION WITH KOREAN HEALTH INSURANCE AGENCIES

28 July 2024, Seoul. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officials led by its Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Mr. Renato Limsiaco Jr., together with Special Envoy of the President to the Republic of Korea for Digital Transformation Mr. Dennis Anthony H. Uy and Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea H.E. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, visited Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) headquarters in Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea on 25 July 2024. The visit is part of the Philippines’ push to accelerate the digitalization of the Philippine health insurance system.

NHIS officials led by Executive Director Dr. Jae-ryong Hyun presented an overview of its information system and the national health insurance scheme of Korea. During the meeting, PhilHealth officials shared that full digitalization of the Philippine healthcare system is one of the main priorities of the government in providing universal health coverage for all Filipinos.

The Philippine delegation also received a briefing at the Health Insurance Review Assessment (HIRA) ICT Center, considered as the command center of Korea’s public health in Wonju City. HIRA shared information on its review and claims processes utilizing the use of big data, cloud and AI. After the briefing, the Philippine delegation and HIRA President Dr. Jung-Gu Kang met to discuss updates and plans for the healthcare sector, service quality improvement and cost-effectiveness through efficient resource distribution. PhilHealth SVP Limsiaco Jr. conveyed that the agency is interested to learn how HIRA utilizes ICT advancement to deliver services with accuracy and efficiency. Both sides agreed to cooperate further to help PhilHealth towards digitalizing its services. The Philippine Embassy will continue to assist the Philippine health sector, including the Philippine Health Insurance System, to achieve its digital goals. END

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY CONDUCTS CONSULAR OUTREACH SERVICE AND OVERSEAS VOTER MOBILE REGISTRATION IN JEJU CITY

28 July 2024, Jeju City. The Philippine Embassy conducted its consular outreach mission from 27 to 28 July 2024 in Jeju City. The consular team rendered 98 units of consular and Assistance to Nationals services to members of the Filipino community, including e-passport applications, notarials, civil registration, and Embassy ID, among others.

Representatives from Pag-IBIG, MWO and OWWA also joined the outreach and rendered a combined 116 services, including renewal of contract verification, OEC issuance, OWWA membership, and opening of Pag-IBIG regular and MP2 accounts, among others. The Embassy also conducted an Overseas Voter Mobile Registration and processed the application of 57 Overseas Filipino Voters.

MWO-Seoul represented by Labor Attache Maya Valderrama, OWWA Welfare Officer Nel DG. Chanco and Pag-IBIG representative James Lumantas also conducted an orientation seminar for at least 70 Filipino workers based in Jeju City to apprise them of labor trends in South Korea, current labor regulations, services offered by their respective offices, and other support systems available for OFWs, and current regulations.

An appreciation ceremony for the volunteers from the Nagkakaisang Pilipino sa Jeju (NAPIL-Jeju), NAOMI Center and We Are One Jeju (WAO-Jeju) was also held to conclude the outreach mission. The Embassy will conduct similar outreach activities this year in other areas in South Korea. END