The Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, Korea

PH EMBASSY AND MWO-SEOUL HOLD ACTIVITIES WITH PHILIPPINE E-9 CHESS CLUB AND PINOY ISKOLARS SA SOUTH KOREA

PR MTD 20 2023

26 February 2023, Seoul. The Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers’ Office (MWO) in Seoul conducted various activities with the Filipino community on Sunday, 21 February 2023, at the Sentro Rizal Hall and MWO Resource Center.

The first was a morning ceremony at the Sentro Rizal recognizing the Philippine E-9 Chess Club as a registered Filipino community organization in South Korea, followed by the oath-taking of its new officers administered by Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega.

The 1st Blitz Chess Tournament, co-sponsored by MWO - OWWA and the E-9 Chess Club, was then held at the MWO Resource Center later in the afternoon. Consul General Jun Israel and chess club President Junjun Jabay opened the games with the ceremonial first moves. More than 30 EPS players from all over South Korea competed for the top prize of KRW500,000. The winning competitors were awarded prizes by Ambassador Dizon-de Vega, Labor Attache Maria Celeste Valderrama and Welfare Officer Aniceta Deuna.

On the same date, the Pinoy Iskolars sa South Korea (PIKO) held its annual Hayo at Gilas ceremony at the Embassy’s Sentro Rizal in honor of 17 graduating scholars and Filipino student-achievers. The event was attended by guest speaker Prof. Angelita Bautista Cruz from Keimyung University’s Department of Physical Education and PIKO advisers Vice Consul Jill De Dumo-Cornista and Prof. Jeoffrey Calimag. An oath-taking ceremony for the incoming 2023 PIKO officers was also conducted. The new PIKO Executive Committee met with Ambassador Dizon-De Vega on issues and concerns being faced by Filipino students in South Korea as well the planned PIKO activities for 2023.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega welcomed the resumption of more in-person activities post-pandemic at the Sentro Rizal, and highlighted the importance of establishing strong partnerships with the Filipino community organizations in promoting the health and welfare of our kababayans. She also challenged Filipino scholars to research and venture into strategic areas such as technology, gender, and smart agriculture, and reiterated the Embassy’s steadfast support to all Filipinos in South Korea. END

UNITED NATIONS COMMAND DEPUTY COMMANDER LT. GEN. ANDREW HARRISON VISITS THE PHILIPPINES

(L to R) UNC DC Lt. Gen Andrew Harrison met with CSAFP Gen. Andres Centino, DFA Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta, DND Undersecretary Angelito De Leon, and NDCP President Ferdinand Cartujano on 24 February 2023.

24 February 2023 - Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, Deputy Commander of the United Nations Command (UNC) based in the Republic of Korea visited the Philippines on 24 February 2023.

The UNC Deputy Commander met with Undersecretary Carlos D. Sorreta of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He likewise met with officials from the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Defense College of the Philippines.

During the visit, Lt. Gen. Harrison provided a briefing on the role of the United Nations Command and the evolving situation in the Korean Peninsula. The visit is also part of the UN command’s efforts to actively engage with all sending states to the Korean War.

The Philippines continues to actively engage the UN Command. Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega represents the Philippines in the monthly Ambassador’s Roundtable meetings held by the UN Command in the Republic of Korea.

The Philippines is the fifth country in the world and the first country in Asia to heed the call of the UN to provide military assistance to South Korea during the Korean War through five Battalion Combat Teams known as the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK). With a total number of 7,420 personnel, PEFTOK was the third ground forces to enter Korea, following the US and the United Kingdom. END

EMBASSY AND MWO-SEOUL HOLD WORKSHOP FOR OFWS ON KOREA IMMIGRATION AND INTEGRATION PROGRAM (KIIP)

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega, Labor Attaché Valderrama, Director Katherine Ann Corteza with EPS Workers

22 February 2023, Seoul – Filipino EPS workers attended the Information Workshop on Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) and HRD Vocational Skills Training on 12 February 2023 at the Embassy’s Sentro Rizal Hall.

The activity was organized by the Philippine Embassy through the Migrant Workers Office – OWWA, in cooperation with the Itaewon Global Village Center (IGVC) in Seoul as part of the skills development support program for OFWs in Korea.

Due to the high number of registered participants, two (2) batches of the said information session were held on the same day.

In her Opening Message, Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon – De Vega welcomed the keen interest of the participants in further advancing their Korean language and skills proficiency through the KIIP and HRD trainings. “We want to support your plans to successfully register and enroll in the programs offered by the Korean government to foreign workers, and to increase your chances of qualifying for employment opportunities for skilled visa categories and other long-term occupations that may be available in the future”, the Ambassador said. She added that the pioneering information workshop was prompted by the pronouncements of the Employment and Labor Minister during his meeting with the Ambassadors of the EPS-sending countries last December om the important of skills advancement, and the request of participants for continued assistance during the subsequent online sharing forum with the EPS workers held on 15 January 2023.

Director Katherine Ann Corteza of the IGVC, who was the main speaker of the workshop, led the participants in going through the step-by-step procedures of registering and enrolling in the online system of the KIIP. She also provided them with practical tips in navigating the system, and in choosing their respective level, schedule, and training center location. FilCom leaders Mr. Neon Rodney Queman, and volunteers from the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA) and Pinoy Iskolars in Korea (PIKO) assisted the participants during the actual workshop and enabled them to create their respective accounts and be ready to enroll for their level test and/or KIIP training.

Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste Valderrama also provided the participants with an introduction to the vocational trainings offered to EPS workers under the HRDK Happy Return Program, and other trainings offered by various migrant support centers in Korea and MWO-OWWA, and how to avail of them. END

AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA PARTICIPATES IN THE 15TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE ASEAN-KOREA CENTRE

Ambassador Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega delivers her remarks during the 15th Annual Meeting of the Council of the ASEAN-Korea Centre held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on 16 February 2023.

18 February 2023 – Ambassador Theresa Dizon–De Vega, in her capacity as Council Director for the Philippines, participated in the 15th Annual Meeting of the Council of The ASEAN-Korea Centre on 16 February 2023 held at the Lotte Hotel Seoul.

The Ambassador congratulated the AKC for organizing the first face-to-face Meeting since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She likewise commended the AKC for sustaining the activities that promoted ASEAN-Korea relations during a challenging period and gave her congratulations to both the outgoing Chair of Cambodia and the new Chair of Indonesia.

The Ambassador reaffirmed that the Philippines would continue to cooperate closely with the AKC in the years ahead, and looked forward to working together to further promote mutual understanding and exchanges, noting that the Philippines’ participation in ASEAN Familiarization Tour in FY2022 was particularly productive. END

ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General, Council Directors and invited delegates pose for a photo opportunity at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Council of the ASEAN-Korea Centre held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on 16 February 2023.