Speaker Martin Romualdez said Thursday that thousands of Filipinos would benefit from President Marcos’ visits to Germany and Czech Republic this week due to the number of job opportunities his diplomatic engagements were expected to generate.
Romualdez said that contrary to unfounded claims of leisurely pursuits, the President’s schedule was packed with back-to-back meetings and discussions aimed at advancing our national interest and the welfare of our people.
He cited as example Tuesday’s bilateral meeting between President Marcos and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which the latter invited Filipino workers to Germany as the country eased restrictions on the entry of foreign workers.
Recently, Germany passed the Skilled Immigration Act that relaxed certain requirements and provided incentives such as allowing family members to join workers, among others, to attract foreign labor, especially in the IT, engineering, health, and teaching professions.
Romualdez said that as a result of President Marcos’ initiatives, Filipino workers are most welcome in Germany to fill its labor gap. He cited reports that the country needs about 400,000 additional workers annually to grow its economy.
The Philippines and Germany also signed the renewal of the “Cooperation Program” between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), which will capacitate Filipino workers in the fields of digitalization and the green economy.
Earlier, Romualdez also said the investment deals worth at least $4 billion or P220-billion secured by Marcos from eight different types of agreements during his three-day working visit to Germany will undoubtedly spur job creation, stimulate innovation, and enhance productivity.
The Speaker also pointed out that labor is among the key areas President Marcos would discuss with Czech President Petr Pavel during their meeting today (Czech Republic time).
During his state visit to the Czech Republic, President Marcos is expected to discuss with his counterpart the increase in quota for the entry of Filipino workers and the safeguards to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers.
In 2023, the Czech government announced a further increase in the quota for Filipino workers as follows: 5,500 per year beginning January 2024 and 10,300 per year beginning May 2024, or more than 900-percent increase from the initial quota of 1,000 per year in 2018.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers, details on the deployment of Filipino workers to the Czech Republic will be discussed during President Marcos’ state visit to Prague.