GOVPH

PH EMBASSY CONDUCTS CONSULAR OUTREACH IN BUSAN

Members of the Philippine Embassy team led by Consul General Christian L. De Jesus (5^th from the right, seated) pose with Honorary Consul General to Busan, Dr. An Sang-wook (4^th from the right, seated), together with members of the Filipino community.

BUSAN, 24 March 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in South Korea conducted a two-day consular outreach mission in the city of Busan, located 325 kilometers south of Seoul, on 23-24 March 2018. Busan is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul and it is the number one trading port. There are approximately 2,060 registered Filipinos residing in Busan.

The Philippine Embassy’s six-member consular team, which was led by Consul General Christian L. De Jesus, extended 343 consular services including passport applications, reports of birth, notarization, marriage and citizenship applications during the two-day outreach mission. Welfare Officer Manuela N. Pena and Pag-IBIG Member Services officer Mr. Dominic Leoligao accompanied the team to provide assistance and information on their respective services.

The consular outreach mission, the Philippine Embassy’s second for the year, was held at the Philippine Honorary Consulate General located in the Gumjeong District in coordination with the Philippine Honorary Consul General to Busan, Dr. An Sang-wook. Filipinos based in surrounding cities also availed of consular services.

A collage of photos taken during the Philippine Embassy's consular mission conducted at the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Busan, 23-24 March 2018.

– END–

EMBASSY CELEBRATES NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH WITH ENHANCEMENT SEMINAR FOR FILIPINO TEACHERS

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez (front, center) poses with Professor Stewart Gray (first row, left), Third Secretary and Vice Consul Ella Karina Mitra (front row, right), and the 40 participants after the closing ceremony of the two-day seminar titled ‘Teaching English Skills Enhancement and Training Seminar for Filipino teachers in South Korea’ which was held at the Rizal Hall of the Embassy chancery on 17 and 18 March 2018.

Seoul, 19 March 2018 – The Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, in line with its celebration of National Women’s Month, organized a two-day seminar for Filipino English language teachers in South Korea on 17 and 18 March 2018 at the Rizal Hall of the Embassy chancery.

This initiative also forms part of the Embassy’s efforts to enhance the welfare of Filipino marriage immigrants in the country – considered to be one of the most vulnerable sectors in the Korean society. With over 10,000 Filipina marriage migrants in Korea, and with the number still growing exponentially, the Embassy recognizes that there is a real and undeniable need to prioritize their well-being.

The seminar, titled “Teaching English Skills Enhancement and Training Seminar,” is principally aimed at building the teaching capacities of Filipina marriage immigrants who are employed at hagwons or language academies. Further, recognizing that marriage immigrants have limited access to quality employment in the country, this seminar also aims to make them more competitive in their field. This was underscored by Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez in his closing remarks.

Ambassador Hernandez also informed the 40 participants that this initiative was born out of the Embassy’s desire to upskill Filipino teachers in specific sectors of English language education so they can be more effective in their craft and ultimately raise their level of participation in the country.

He also lauded the participants for their contribution in the country and for their devotion in the improvement of the Korean society.

“I would also like to commend all of you who, in your own ways, contribute to the advancement of multiculturalism in Korea. The important and many roles you play - both in your family and in the community - underscore much of your aspiration to raise your participation and integration into this society. Whether it be through teaching, you have all exhibited great fortitude in promoting a social environment in which cultural diversity is recognized and respected.” Ambassador Hernandez said.

The two-day seminar included modules that introduced elements of the English language, teaching fundamentals, and culture-based approach in teaching the English language. The participants of this seminar also underwent effective language and teaching training through workshops and feedback sessions.

Dr. Ian Done Ramos and Professor Aaron Jones of University of Suwon and Professor Stewart Gray of the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, all TESOL professors, conducted the seminar.

(clockwise from upper left) 1. 40 teachers, mostly Filipino marriage immigrants currently teaching English at language academies, participated in the two-day seminar; 2. Dr. Ian Done Ramos, President of KOTESOL, an association of TESOL teachers in South Korea, and a professor at University of Suwon, taught the modules on accent neutralization and English grammar; 3. Professor Aaron Jones, also a TESOL professor at University of Suwon, conducted the lesson on teaching methods and strategies fitting Korean culture; and 4. Professor Stewart Gray, a TESOL professor at the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, taught the 3^rd module on English conversation.

-END-

PH ENVOY TO KOREA AND MAYOR ROMMEL ARNADO DISCUSS MODERNIZATION OF THE PH AGRICULTURAL SECTOR THROUGH FARM MECHANIZATION

Seoul, 14 March 2018 - Mayor Rommel Arnado of Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte, paid a courtesy call on the Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez on 12 March 2018 at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul to discuss the modernization of the Philippine agricultural sector through enhanced collaboration with the Korean National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup) to propagate farm mechanization in rural communities in the PH.

Ambassador Hernandez welcomed the keen interest of Mayor Rommel Arnado to look into Korea’s technologically advanced agricultural machineries for possible adaptation in the Philippines to boost agricultural productivity, increase farmers’ incomes, and spur economic growth in farming communities in the PH.

Ambassador Hernandez also underscored the importance of expanding agricultural cooperatives in the PH and developing them into a major driver of growth for the Philippine economy, citing the success of Nonghyup. Nonghyup transformed itself into a formidable pillar of the Korean economy through its wide network of agricultural cooperatives, excellent distribution and sales channels, and profitable banking and agricultural insurance operations.

Ambassador Hernandez also expressed hope that the forthcoming visit of a 180-member contingent, comprised of CEOs from KAMICO’s member companies to Cebu and Bohol from 27 June to 01 July 2018, would lead to enhanced Philippine-Korea partnership in the mechanization of the Philippine agricultural sector.

Ambassador Hernandez further conveyed to Mayor Arnado that the Philippine Department of Agriculture is looking at the possibility of forging an agreement with KAMICO in strengthening agricultural cooperatives in the Philippines so that Nonhgyup’s successful agricultural cooperative network could be replicated in the Philippines. Mayor Arnado, in response, affirmed their interest to contribute to the spread of farm mechanization in the Philippines by forging a strong and enduring collaborative partnership with KAMICO.

Mayor Arnado also expressed hope that his landmark program entitled “From Arms to Farms: Walking through the Paths of Peace” could also be replicated in other conflict areas in the Philippines as the program successfully transformed the lives of former Moro rebels in the municipality of Kauswagan by providing livelihood opportunities in agriculture.

For advocating a socio-economic approach in bringing about conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction in the municipality of Kauswagan, Mayor Arnado won international acclaim for his peacebuilding efforts by being awarded the Bogota Peace Prize by the global organization United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in Colombia in 2016. The UCLG is a network of over 175 associations of local and regional governments in 140 countries. Mayor Arnado’s program also won the Gawad Galing Pook Award in 2014.

Mayor Arnado also cited the need for the Philippines to attain food security and expressed hope that more mayors would prioritize the development of agriculture in their respective municipalities and that the national government would agree to provide subsidies to small farmers to boost agricultural productivity. Mayor Arnado emphasized that more focus should be placed by the government on developing organic agriculture into a major export earner for the Philippines as only 5 percent of the Philippine land area is being utilized for organic agriculture.

At the conclusion of the courtesy call, Ambassador Hernandez expressed hope that the visit of Mayor Arnado and his delegation would pave the way for the Philippines to be able to identify appropriate agricultural equipment in Korea that could be adapted and locally manufactured in the Philippines to improve agricultural productivity in rural communities.

Mayor Arnado was joined by Agriculture Attaché Aleli Maghirang, Mr. Philip Kim, President of FITCOREA Trading Philippines Inc. and concurrent member of the Korea Agricultural Machinery Cooperative (KAMICO), former Undersecretary Dante Delima of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and representatives of the DA and agricultural trading companies such as FITCorea and Julimon’s Enterprises during the courtesy call.

Aside from the courtesy call, Mayor Arnado and his delegation visited the KAMICO Cheonan Office, Kukje Machinery (manufacturer of the Branson tractor), Asia Technology, LeeHwa Industry (fabricator of the corn milling machine) and Hanil Company (manufacturer of tractor related support equipment) during their visit to Korea.

-END-