GOVPH

PHILIPPINES JOINS THE 1st GLOBAL SAEMAUL UNDONG MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BUSAN, KOREA

08 July 2023, Busan. The Philippines participated in the 1^st Global Saemaul Undong Ministerial Meeting (GSMM) which was held from 4 to 7 July 2023 in Busan, Republic of Korea. The Philippine delegation was headed by Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Agnes Catherine T. Miranda together with Agriculture Attaché Maria Alilia G. Maghirang, and Philippine Rural Development Project and Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program Director Shandy Hubilla. Delegates from thirty cooperative countries attended the ministerial meeting.

Saemaul Undong, under the flag of “Again Saemaul Undong, To the World and Beyond” promotes the spirit of diligence, self-help and cooperation globally as it became the driving force in ROK’s attainment of economic development dubbed the “miracle on the Han.”

Undersecretary Miranda thanked the ROK government for inviting the Philippines to participate in the GSMM. Delivering the PH intervention, she stated that “the early contribution of Saemaul Undong in the eradication of poverty in rural Korea is an achievement worth commending, changing the paradigm of what community development ought to be, to its holistic approach to modernization. Indeed, this is a great opportunity for us to learn Saemaul Undong, its role in sustainable development, both at the regional and the national level.”

The Philippines proposed a bilateral MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation with ROK, which aims to facilitate rural and urban development, poverty eradication, and to promote mutual cooperation between the two countries for the successful implementation of Saemaul Undong during the ministerial meeting. DA’s F2C2 Program and the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP) commits to engage closely with the Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) in fostering Saemaul Undong Cooperation in the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega commended DA’s initiatives in pursuing active agriculture and fisheries cooperation with ROK and now integrated development through the Saemaul Undong. “The Philippines, like the Republic of Korea, is equally zealous in solving problems of poverty by building communities and creating platforms for productivity and prosperity. And like the Saemaul Undong Movement, we seek to engage all sectors to work together in ending poverty. We look forward to the signing of the Philippines-ROK MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation”, she said.

The MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation will open opportunities for sharing of  experiences and arrangements in rural and urban agricultural development, as well as the organizational development of farmers cooperatives and associations (FCAs), through learning exchange programs with Saemaul Undong officers and/or volunteers; cooperation in the field of Community Credit Cooperatives (“Saemaul Geumgo”); training of agriculture personnel, Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation Program implementers, cluster leaders, farmer and fisherfolk groups, and local leaders in Saemaul Undong activities and agricultural operations such as production, processing and market facilitation and linkage; among others. END

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

02 July 2023, Gwangju. The Philippine Embassy conducted its second consular outreach mission for the year from 01 to 02 July 2023 in Gwangju City, led by Consul General Romulo Victor Israel, Jr. The consular team rendered 174 units of consular and Assistance to Nationals services to members of the Filipino community, including e-passport applications, notarials, civil registration, oath-taking of dual citizenship applicants, and assistance-to-nationals.

Representatives from Pag-IBIG, OWWA, and SSS also joined the outreach and rendered a combined 201 services, including renewal of OWWA membership, opening of Pag-IBIG regular and MP2 accounts, and updating of SSS records. This is the first time that an SSS representative joined a consular outreach of the Embassy in South Korea.

The Embassy also conducted an Overseas Voter Mobile Registration and processed the application of 30 Overseas Filipino Voters.

A simple recognition ceremony was held for the volunteers from the Gwangju Jeonnam Philippine Community and Gwangju Filipino Catholic Community who assisted in the successful outreach service. The Embassy intends to conduct similar outreach activities in other areas in the region before the end of the year. END

AMBASSADOR THERESA DIZON-DE VEGA WELCOMES PH ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF MGEN. POTENCIANO CAMBA TO SOUTH KOREA; PH-ROK ARMY-TO-ARMY TALKS HELD

6 July 2023 - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega welcomed PH Army Chief of Staff MGen. Potenciano Camba and members of the Philippine Army who participated in the 2023 PH-ROK Army-to-Army Talks at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul on 5 July 2023.

MGen. Camba briefed the Ambassador on the outcome of the PH-ROK Army-to-Army talks which serves as the bilateral engagement for military discussion between both nations’ respective armies. The 2023 iteration is the first joint staff talks meeting after the COVID-19 pandemic. Both sides had a productive discussion centered on increased cooperation in capacity-building and joint military exercises.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega discussed developments in the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, as well as opportunities for further engagement with the ROK defense industry for the modernization of the Philippine Defense sector. She also encouraged further student exchange programs between both militaries and looked forward to welcoming increased cooperation between PH and ROK through participation in joint and regional military exercises.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega likewise underscored the important role the Philippines plays in the UN Command stationed in the Republic of Korea and in Veterans Affairs cooperation as a sending state to the Korean War. END