The Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, Korea

PEFTOK VETERAN RECOGNIZED FOR HIS SERVICE DURING THE KOREAN WAR AT UN PARTICIPATION DAY CEREMONY 2024

PEFTOK Veteran Benjamin Quiros (on screen top photo) was recognized for his service during the Korean War at the UN Participation Day Ceremony 2024. Bottom left: Prime Minister Han Ducksoo awarded eight (8) ranking Korean War veterans with the Prime Minister’s citation and sixteen (16) UN veterans with a longevity cane. Mr. Quiros was one of the recipients of the cane. Bottom right: Mr. Benjamin Quiros with Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario and his daughter Ms. Charito Asturias at the UN Participation Day Ceremony 2024.

27July 2024, Seoul – Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) Veteran Benjamin Quiros (age 97) was recognized by the Republic of Korea for his valiant service during the Korean War at the UN Participation Day Ceremony 2024.

The UN Participation Day Ceremony honors annually veterans from United Nations Sending States which fought in the Korean War. The ceremony also fosters amity and friendly relations with UN Sending States in the present day. Under the theme of “Together for Our Tomorrow”, the 2024 UN Forces Participation Day was attended by over 1,000 people including UN Veterans from 19 Sending States and their families. The government awarded UN veterans and others who had served to preserve their honor and to strengthen ties with allies.

One of the veterans is Mr. Quiros, who was a member of the 7,420 PEFTOK soldiers who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Republic of Korea, in the fight for freedom and democracy more than seven decades ago. Mr. Quiros received the “Cane of Longevity” from the ROK Prime Minister Han Ducksoo.

The 2024 UN Participation Day Ceremony marks Mr. Quiros’ return to the Republic of Korea since his days as a Filipino soldier. Mr. Quiros still remembers his time as a member of PEFTOK’s 1st Division, marching to Pyongyang in the middle of winter and feeling intense hunger and biting cold during the Korean War.

Mr. Quiros was joined by his daughter, Ms. Charito Asturias. Together, they participated in the ROK’s Revisit Korea Program for UN veterans and their family members. The program included visits to Panmunjom, the UN Forces Participation Day Ceremony, a UN memorial cemetery tribute and a farewell dinner. Philippine Embassy’s Consul General Romulo Victor Israel attended the gala dinner while Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario attended the UN Forces Participation Day Ceremony to represent the Philippines and convey support for Korean War veterans. Born in Ilocos but now based in Los Angeles, California, Mr. Quiros expressed his appreciation for the active involvement of the Philippine Embassy.

The Philippine Embassy in Korea continues to honor the valor and bravery of the 7,420 PEFTOK soldiers who fought during the Korean War through commemorative activities, cooperation with the ROK Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for academic and cultural exchange projects that will benefit PEFTOK descendants, and the upgrade of facilities for the Philippines’ Veterans Memorial hospital. END

Military officials paid their respect to PEFTOK Veteran Benjamin Quiros during the UN Participation Day Ceremony, 27 July 2024 by asking him to sign military paraphernalia and honoring his contributions to the Korean War.

AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA DISCUSSES PH MULTILATERAL PRIORITIES WITH MOFA DG FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND NUCLEAR AFFAIRS

Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with MOFA Director General for International Organizations and Nuclear Affairs Lee Chul on 24 July 2024 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

31 July 2024, Seoul - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with MOFA Director General for International Organizations and Nuclear Affairs Lee Chul on 24 July 2024 to discuss Philippine priorities in the multilateral arena.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega briefed DG Lee on Philippine priorities in the multilateral sphere, including our active commitment to Women, Peace, and Security and how the Philippines plans to further the WPS agenda ahead of the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2025.

Both sides also discussed the Republic of Korea’s role in hosting important high-level summits on cybersecurity and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in the multilateral arena including the Third Summit for Democracy, the AI Summit in Seoul, and the upcoming Responsible Use of AI in the Military Domain Summit in September 2024. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega also shared with Director General Lee the Philippines’ work in Nuclear Non-Proliferation and in Promoting and Protecting the enjoyment of Human Rights of Seafarers. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega also thanked the Republic of Korea for its early support of the Philippines’ candidature to the UN Security Council 2027-2028.

Both the Philippines and the Republic of Korea are long-time partners in the multilateral arena. The Philippines has had a constructive and long-standing engagement with multilateral institutions and regional organizations, including the United Nations. The Philippines’ active engagement reflects our commitment to shaping more inclusive and effective multilateral institutions that bring tangible results to developing countries like the Philippines and the rest of the Indo-Pacific region. END

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY HOLDS LABOR LAWS SEMINAR FOR OFWS

PR MTD 95 2024

24 July 2024, Seoul - The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, through the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) - Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), held a Korea Labor Laws Seminar for OFWs on 20 July 2024, Saturday, via an online format.

The activity is part of the Embassy’s year-round labor education for OFWs in Korea that aims to continuously inform and empower them for productive employment in the host country. For this particular session, the webinar focused on the most frequently-asked-questions about wages and overtime payment, hours of work, leave, resignation and termination, and industrial accident compensation.

The webinar had more than 100 registered participants and was additionally viewed via live stream.

In her opening message, Ambassador Theresa Dizon – De Vega underscored the importance of OFWs having the correct understanding of their rights and obligations from official sources to ensure their protection as well as their productive stay in the host country. “The immigration and labor regulations in South Korea is very dynamic. Because of this the Embassy is committed to promote what we call an eco-system of empowerment among our Filipino community in Korea by conducting regular and responsive information sessions, townhalls, skills training, and various workers education activities, in cooperation with our institutional and FilCom partners.” She conveyed her appreciation to the Itaewon Global Village Center (IGVC) headed by Director Katherine Corteza for its continued support to the Embassy’s activities.

Labor Attorney Suehee Kim, a labor law consultant, presented the Korean labor laws and provided specific cases to illustrate clearly how regulations apply to foreign workers. The participants, majority of whom were first time attendees, actively participated in the open forum that followed the presentation.

The webinar was co-moderated by Labor Attache Ma. Celeste Valderrama and Director Katherine Corteza.

The Filipino community is enjoined to watch out for Embassy announcements and join upcoming seminars and activities for the rest of the year. - END -

PHILIPPINE HEALTH INSURANCE CORPORATION (PHILHEALTH) ADVANCES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DIGITALIZATION WITH KOREAN HEALTH INSURANCE AGENCIES

Photo Caption: Philippine delegation composed of PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Mr. Renato Limsiaco Jr., Special Envoy of the President to the Republic of Korea for Digital Transformation Mr. Dennis Anthony H. Uy, Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea H.E. Theresa Dizon-De Vega and PhilHealth officials met with Executive Director Dr. Jae-ryong Hyun and officials from the Health Screening, Eligibility and Imposition, Global Cooperation and Development, Information Management, Big Data, Healthcare Institution Support departments of NHIS.

28 July 2024, Seoul. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officials led by its Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Mr. Renato Limsiaco Jr., together with Special Envoy of the President to the Republic of Korea for Digital Transformation Mr. Dennis Anthony H. Uy and Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea H.E. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, visited Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) headquarters in Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea on 25 July 2024. The visit is part of the Philippines’ push to accelerate the digitalization of the Philippine health insurance system.

NHIS officials led by Executive Director Dr. Jae-ryong Hyun presented an overview of its information system and the national health insurance scheme of Korea. During the meeting, PhilHealth officials shared that full digitalization of the Philippine healthcare system is one of the main priorities of the government in providing universal health coverage for all Filipinos.

The Philippine delegation also received a briefing at the Health Insurance Review Assessment (HIRA) ICT Center, considered as the command center of Korea’s public health in Wonju City. HIRA shared information on its review and claims processes utilizing the use of big data, cloud and AI. After the briefing, the Philippine delegation and HIRA President Dr. Jung-Gu Kang met to discuss updates and plans for the healthcare sector, service quality improvement and cost-effectiveness through efficient resource distribution. PhilHealth SVP Limsiaco Jr. conveyed that the agency is interested to learn how HIRA utilizes ICT advancement to deliver services with accuracy and efficiency. Both sides agreed to cooperate further to help PhilHealth towards digitalizing its services. The Philippine Embassy will continue to assist the Philippine health sector, including the Philippine Health Insurance System, to achieve its digital goals. END

Above Photo: Philippine delegation and HIRA officials pose for a photo at the HIRA headquarters. Below Photo HIRA President Dr. Jung-Gu Kang (center-right photo), PhilHealth SVP Limsiaco Jr., (rightmost) Special Envoy Uy (third from right) and Ambassador Dizon-De Vega (second from right) met to discuss possible collaboration on digital healthcare system.