GOVPH

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY HOLDS “UGNAYAN SA SOUTH KOREA” WITH COMMISSION ON FILIPINOS OVERSEAS

3 September 2022, Seoul. The Philippine Embassy, in cooperation with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), held a town hall meeting in hybrid format entitled “Ugnayan sa South Korea” with members of the Filipino community in South Korea on 03 September 2022 at the Sentro Rizal Hall.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega emphasized the need for welfare and assistance programs that would cater to the growing number of Filipino marriage migrants in South Korea and their families, particularly the second and third generation children, in order for them to reconnect to their Filipino roots. She also encouraged the further development of the pre-departure orientation to prepare marriage migrants for the South Korean family life, culture, and the support systems available to them.

The CFO delegation, led by Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman, committed to making representations to the relevant government agencies and policy makers on issues concerning Filipino marriage migrants. They also presented their programs, such as the BaLinkBayan, a one-stop online portal for diaspora engagement where OFWs can access government services online, financial literacy programs, and find resources on start-up entrepreneurship. He likewise invited overseas Filipinos to view his program on entrepreneurship geared towards Filipinos abroad.

The CFO delegation also invited the participants to submit nominations for the upcoming 2023 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas, noting that many of the previous awardees also came from the Filipino community leaders in, such as 2021 Banaag Awardee, Dr. Ariel Bernardo; past Media Advocate Awardees, Mr. Nash Ang and Ms. Gennie Kim; 2014 Pamana ng Pilipino Awardee, Ms. Jasmine Lee; and 2008 Banaag Awardee, the Filipino Korean Spouses Association (FKSA).

The Ugnayan is one of the flagship programs of the CFO which features a series of gatherings with Filipino communities in various regions of the world and engages them on topics such as financial freedom and the campaign against human trafficking. The CFO delegation also met with various institutions and NGOs, such as the Seoul Counseling Center for Migrant Women and Advocates for Public Interest Law in South Korea (APIL), for possible cooperation. END

PHILIPPINES PARTICIPATES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON GLOBAL HEALTH AND THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE ON SOCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE SERVICE

4 September 2022 – Senator Pia Cayetano represented the Philippines during the 6^th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum on Global Health, and the Executive Leadership Development Course on Social Health Insurance Service held in Conrad Seoul Hotel from 24-26 September 2022. Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined the esteemed Senator during the meetings. The 6^th APPFGH Forum was hosted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As the Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Senator Cayetano shared during her intervention challenges of Philippine human health resources, and the importance of building a resilient national health system through the “Doktor Para sa Bayan” bill of the Philippines which incorporates futures thinking tools to not just provide for scholarships for doctors but to ensure that there is infrastructure, budget, and capacity building for all the state universities and colleges training future PH doctors. The Senator was likewise an engaged participant in sessions on health innovation and discussions on opportunities for Parliamentarians to support health system resilience, where WHO discussed legally binding agreements such as treaties that members of parliaments can use as tools to strengthen healthcare systems. Senator Cayetano also had the opportunity to see first-hand how the Republic of Korea uses virtual reality and technological advancements in teaching medicine and the related sciences, as well as utilizing government-collected data from health centers public health safety through a field visit to key centers of health innovation centers such as the Seoul National University and the Korea Social Security System.

Speakers of Parliament, ministers or parliamentarians from the following countries also participated in the Forum: Cambodia, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Viet Nam.

After the 6^th APPFGH, Senator Cayetano also attended the Executive Leadership Development Course on Social Health Insurance, a lecture that provided an overview of universal health care in Korea, and compared them with other countries. The esteemed Senator is a proponent of the Philippine Universal Health Care system and has made significant amendments to the bill to make better payment systems benefitting the public. END

TESDA PROGRAMS OFFERED TO FILIPINOS IN SOUTH KOREA

1 September 2022. “Filipinos in South Korea, including their families, can avail of skills training and competency assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) while abroad or in the Philippines”, this was shared by Deputy Director General Aniceto “John” Bertiz of TESDA during their meeting with the Philippine Embassy and Filipino community in South Korea at an information session on 1 September 2022.

According to DDG Bertiz, TESDA OPLAN “Abot Lahat ang OFWs” offers a complete menu of pre-training; training, assessment and certification; and post training services in which overseas Filipinos and their families can avail of one-stop-shop training facilities, scholarships, and livelihood support for reintegration program through Skills and Entrepreneurship (OFW-RISE). While abroad, OFWs are also enjoined to avail of over 150 online courses offered by TESDA for free, which they can access at a pace and time convenient for them.  

TESDA Regional Director Toni June Tamayo and Director Rolando dela Torre discussed the steps by which online training and on-site skills assessment for OFWs in South Korea will be implemented in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy and POLO-OWWA.

Ambassador Theresa Dizon – De Vega welcomed the various programs of TESDA for overseas Filipinos and affirmed the Embassy’s support for proposed cooperation projects with the agency. “The Embassy looks forward to partnering with TESDA to bring the on-site competency assessment for OFWs here in South Korea and to expand its free Korean language skills and other training programs. This is line with our advocacy and whole of government approach on upskilling and retooling Filipino nationals to enhance their employability as well as prepare them for reintegration”, the Ambassador said.

The TESDA delegation was in South Korea upon the invitation of the Human Resource Development of Korea (HRDK) under the K-Star Partnership Program for Skills Development from 26 August to 2 September 2022. As part of their program, the delegation met the Embassy and Filipino community, and joined online in an ongoing Photography Skills Training conducted by POLO-OWWA.  

The meeting with TESDA was attended by Filipino community leaders and members via a blended platform, both face to face and via Zoom. -END-