GOVPH

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN SEOUL ASSISTS 537 FILIPINOS WITH SPECIAL FLIGHTS TO MANILA

Second Secretary and Consul Ella Karina Mitra and Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste Valderrama with the departing Filipino passengers onboard Korean Air special flight KE 623.

 Seoul, 08 July 2020 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul arranged two special passenger flights - Korean Air KE 623 and Asiana Airlines OZ 703 - from Incheon to Manila on 07 July 2020. A total of 537 Overseas Filipinos joined the special flights.

To date, the Embassy, with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and other partner government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Manila International Airport Authorities (MIAA), in cooperation with Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, has arranged a total of 7 special passenger flights and facilitated the return of 1,269 stranded Overseas Filipinos.

Philippine Embassy officials were at the Incheon International Airport to assist the departing Overseas Filipinos. They likewised briefed the passengers on the health protocols upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Moreover, as in the past, the Embassy also distributed vitamins and face masks, courtesy of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), to all departing passengers.

According to Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Christian L. De Jesus, the Embassy will continue to render vital assistance to Overseas Filipinos in South Korea who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including sending them home to their loved ones back in the Philippines. “For as long as the flights from Incheon to Manila remain intermittent, and for as long as there are Overseas Filipinos who are stranded here in Korea, the Embassy will continue to arrange special passenger flights. It is our commitment to our kababayans here,“ he said. END

Welfare Officer Aniceta Deuna and ATN Officer Glenn Corpin with the Filipino passengers on the Asiana Airlines special flight OZ 703.

Welfare Officer Deuna briefs the departing OFs on the health protocols upon arrival at NAIA.

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN SEOUL PARTICIPATES IN THE 2020 EPS CONFERENCE

Philippine Embassy in Seoul Charge d’Affaires a.i. Christian L. de Jesus with HRDK President King Dong-Man, the Heads of Embassies of the 16 sending countries, and HRDK officials.

Seoul, 24 June 2020. The Philippine Embassy participated in the 2020 Employment Permit System (EPS) Conference in Tongyeong, South Korea from 17 to 18 June 2020. The EPS Conference is an annual event hosted by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK) for mutual exchange and cooperation between Korea and the sixteen EPS sending countries. Korea’s EPS allows certain employers to legally hire an adequate number of foreign workers.

Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Christian L. de Jesus led the Philippine Embassy delegation and was joined by Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste M. Valderrama of POLO Korea, together with Interpreter Hyo Sun Kim. CDA de Jesus remarked that this year’s EPS Conference was timely as countries around the world are facing immense challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. “In recent months, we have seen how the pandemic affected the lives and employment of our people in unprecedented ways, and so we welcome this opportunity to share our thoughts on the pressing concerns of our EPS workers and to collaborate with the HRDK and sending countries in finding strategic solutions,” he said.

The EPS Conference was chaired by HRDK President Kim Dong-Man, and participated in by its senior officers in charge of foreign workers employment. Together with the Heads of the Embassies and Labor Attachés of the sixteen (16) sending countries, the conference generated views and suggestions to address the priority concerns such as the mandatory quarantine regulations upon arrival of EPS workers, the sojourn status of workers who are either unable to leave the sending country or Korea due to lockdown or unavailability of flights, and other employment issues.

In his concluding message, President Kim said that the HRDK will seriously consider and evaluate the recommendations presented by the Embassy Heads. “We will work on these concerns with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Justice. We will also visit you in your respective Embassies to discuss the specific measures that can be jointly implemented for the welfare of workers. As a former advocate on immigrant labor, I can understand the concerns of the EPS workers and I am committed to act on these,” he added.

During the conference, HRDK signed an MOU with the Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. and Gyeongsangnam-do to open opportunities in support of the in-country settlement of EPS workers and future cooperation on industry exposures.

CDA de Jesus highlighted the remarkable leadership of the Republic of Korea not only in ensuring a prompt and systematic response to the global spread of COVID-19, but also in protecting both its nationals and foreign residents in the country from the coronavirus.

“The Philippines affirms its commitment to cooperate with Korea in the continued implementation of the EPS and in jointly addressing priority issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” CDA de Jesus concluded. END

24 June 2020

The HRDK and Delegates to the 2020 EPS Conference in Tongyeong, Korea.

Charge d’Affaires de Jesus delivers the Philippine country statement during the 2020 EPS Conference in Tongyeong, Korea.

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN SEOUL LAUNCHES INAUGURAL KKK 2020 AGRI-BUSINESS WEBINAR FOR FILIPINOS IN KOREA

The KKK 2020 Agribusiness Webinar participants along with DA Undersecretary Rodolfo V. Vicerra, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Christian L. De Jesus, Agriculture Attaché Aleli Maghirang, Labor Attaché Maya Valderrama, Welfare Officer Pops Deuna, Pinoy Investors in Korea President Mimay Robregado, DA-ACPC Executive Director Jocelyn Badiola and Mr. Nick Jay Arr E. Engallado, the main resource speaker on Organic Farming and Value Adding Agribusiness Enterprise.

Seoul, 19 June 2020 – The Philippine Embassy launched the inaugural session of the Agri-Business Webinar focusing on Organic Farming and Value-Adding Agribusiness for Filipinos in Korea on June 13 and 14, 2020.

The webinar is part of the Kaalaman, Kabuhayan para sa Kinabukasan (KKK) 2020 Agri-business Reintegration Program spearheaded by the Philippine Agriculture Office (PAO) in partnership with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Pinoy Investors in Korea (PINK).

In his welcome message, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Christian L. de Jesus of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul remarked that the pioneering webinar is one of the Philippine Embassy’s commemorative activities for the 122^nd Anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence.

“The Agribusiness webinar is taking place at a time of economic uncertainty for the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” CDA de Jesus said. “Now, more than ever, food security has emerged as a priority not only for the Philippines but also the rest of the world. For the Philippines, the agricultural sector has been a vibrant ray of hope and an important pillar of the economy, generating profits through agricultural exports overseas and providing livelihood opportunities for farming communities,” he added.

The webinar was participated in by more than 60 Filipinos based in Korea and the Philippines for two consecutive days. The first Session focused on organic farming and accreditation while the second session expounded on value-adding for organic products and essential information on starting an agribusiness enterprise. Actual presentations on organic rice farm operations, processing and value-adding were also featured during the webinar.

Mr. Nick Jay Arr E. Engallado, co-owner of Engallado’s Nature Farms and Natural Products was the primary resource speaker of the online course. Engallado’s Nature Farms is a DA-ATI Accredited Learning Site for Organic Farming in Bukidnon, Northern Mindanao.

During the final session of the webinar, Undersecretary Rodolfo V. Vicerra of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Office for Policy and Planning, exhorted the participants to answer the government’s call to invest in the future of the Philippines and boost the agricultural productivity of rural communities back home by becoming agri-entrepreneurs or agri-investors. Quoting Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, he underscored that “no pandemic can bury our dreams and aspirations, no lockdown can slow us down. Let us turn challenges into opportunities to survive and move forward towards a food-secure and resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers.”

Undersecretary Vicerra also emphasized that under the New Normal, the DA is pushing for Agriculture Production Consolidation and Clustering as key strategies to advance the development of the Philippine agriculture sector and raise the incomes of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. It is a new development framework that is science-based, inclusive, climate-smart, and resilient.

The Philippine Embassy through PAO Seoul and POLO-OWWA will continue to conduct free webinars under the KKK 2020 Agri-business Reintegration Program. END

 19 June 2020