GOVPH

ADVISORY ON THE PROTOCOLS FOR ENTRY OF FILIPINO NATIONALS TO THE PHILIPPINES BEGINNING FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Effective February 10, 2022, the guidelines in the ADVISORY ON THE PROTOCOLS FOR ENTRY OF FILIPINO NATIONALS TO THE PHILIPPINES BEGINNING FEBRUARY 10, 2022 shall be observed for Filipino nationals wishing to enter the Philippines, in accordance with IATF Resolution No. 160-A. In all instances, inbound Filipino nationals must register with the OneHealth Pass prior to arrival in the Philippines.

PH EMBASSY REMEMBERS THE LIFE OF FILIPINO KOREAN WAR VETERAN MAJ. MAXIMO YOUNG

Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon- De Vega (center) is joined by Philippine Defense Attaché Colonel Enriqueto Deocadez Jr. PA (MNSA), daughter of Maj Maximo Young (ret) Ms. Erlinda Mae Young, Ministry of Patriot and Veterans Affairs Director-General General Kim Ju-Yung, and Mr. Yang Chang-hun from the Korean War Memorial (R to L) during the Tribute to Korean War Veteran and former president of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) Veterans Association Inc. Maj Maximo Young, 7 February 2022

SEOUL, 7 February 2022 — The Philippine Embassy in Seoul paid tribute to the late Korean War Veteran and former president of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) Veterans Association Inc. (PVAI) Major Maximo P. Young (Ret) through a solemn celebration of his life at the Sentro Rizal Hall of the Embassy. Major Young passed away on 29 January 2022 at age ninety-nine (99) years old.

The program started with a video tribute on the life Major Young, his experience as a Korean War Veteran and later on, as the President of the PEFTOK Veterans Association. It was followed by tribute messages from Philippine Defense Attaché Colonel Enriqueto Deocadez Jr. PA (MNSA), Mr. Yang Chang-hun, Head of Culture and Education from the Korean War Memorial, Ministry of Patriot and Veterans Affairs Director-General for International Cooperation Kim Ju-Yung, and Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega.

In her tribute, Ambassador De Vega called Major Young, “the epitome of the Filipino global citizen who risked his own life to preserve and defend the principles the Philippines and other countries hold dear—peace, freedom and democracy.” Ambassador De Vega also stated that Major Young’s sacrifices and those of PEFTOK veterans like him continue to be the bedrock of the close and historic ties between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

Philippine Defense Attaché to Korea Enriqueto Deocadez shared his snappiest salute to Major Young’s bravery not just in the Korean War but in the Vietnam War, World War II, and domestic insurgencies in the Philippines.

Mr. Yang Chang Hun of the Korean War memorial heralded Major Young’s bravery as a PEFTOK soldier, noting that Major Young and his PEFTOK comrades embodied Filipino patriotism and bravery, “He defended a country he never knew and people he never met. We will make sure that Korean citizens continue to honor his name, as he helped usher peace in our land.”

Ministry of Patriot and Veterans Affairs Director General Kim Ju-Yung shared his experience with Major Young when the former visited the Philippines in 2019. He said Major Young was “not only a soldier, but a man of warm heart.” To honor PEFTOK veterans, the Director General shared that the MPVA will continue to prioritize the welfare of PEFTOK veterans’ descendants as they are the most important part of the relationship between the MPVA and the sending states of the UN Command. In a meeting with Ambassador De Vega early in 2022, the MPVA conveyed their plans of strengthening generational knowledge on PEFTOK, assisting the Philippine Veterans Hospital in the Philippines, and strengthening their Veterans Remembrance program to make sure that Major Young’s memory lives on through future generations.

Ms. Erlinda Mae Young, Major Young’s youngest daughter and a scholar of the Korean government, paid a final tribute to her father by saying that much like the gentlemen of his generation, Major Young put weight on actions rather than words. As much as he is a valiant soldier, Ms. Young shared that Major Young instilled in his children a love for learning “as much as we can, and as fast as we can”. Ms. Young is currently in the Republic of Korea to complete advanced studies.

South Korea-based Filipino singer Mr. Yuli Leonor also rendered a live performance of Major Young’s favorite song.

Major Maximo Young fought in three (3) wars: the Korean War, World War II and the Vietnam War. As a young soldier, he was also involved in fighting communist insurgency in the Philippines. When the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, Major Young volunteered to join the PEFTOK. As a tank commander of the 10th Battalion Combat Team of PEFTOK, he and the whole battalion exhibited Filipino gallantry and fought in the Great Battle at Yultong in which they successfully pushed the enemies back. Young was awarded the “Taegeuk Medal”, ROK’s highest military award given to a soldier for bravery in combat.

After his retirement from the military service, he dedicated himself to help and care for his fellow veterans. His active involvement with the PVAI worked towards perpetuating the legacy of the Filipino war veterans. At the age of 97, he was elected as President of PVAI in 2019. He held the position for three terms until 2021. During his tenure, he worked to expand the reach of scholarships to descendants of Korean War veterans. He engaged with various groups to secure scholarships and donations for both the veterans and their descendants, especially during the pandemic. END

SEOUL PE’S KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES SEMINAR PART 1

Resource Speaker Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon- De Vega with some members of the Filipino Community in Korea who joined the Embassy’s first ever Know Your Rights and Responsibilities Seminar on 30 January 2022.

SEOUL, 4 February 2022 — The Philippine Embassy in Seoul hosted the first of its Know Your Rights and Responsibilities (KYRR) Seminar Series on 30 January 2022.  A recurring project in 2022, the KYYR Series is being launched this year as a platform for overseas Filipinos in Korea to learn more about their rights and responsibilities under both Philippine and Korean laws and regulations. Future sessions will cover other topics such as property matters in the Philippines, land titling, relevant Korean laws, and important procedures and processes for Filipinos currently living in Korea.

With the theme “Family Matters: An Introduction to Philippine Family Law for Overseas Filipinos”, Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega, as the seminar’s first resource speaker, gave a presentation on some basic concepts under Philippine Family Law and discussed common legal concerns faced by Filipinos overseas pertaining to marriage, legal separation, rights and obligations of spouses, annulment, and recognition of foreign-obtained divorce.  The two-hour seminar attended by around eighty (80) members of the Filipino community in Korea included a question and answer portion, where the Ambassador responded to queries from the participants. END