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By William B. Depasupil, Reporter
SOME 10,000 jobs await Filipino workers in
Canada following the signing on Friday of a memorandum of
understanding that will strengthen cooperation between Manitoba and
the Philippines in the field of human resource development and
employment.
The accord was signed by Premier Gary Doer of
the province of Manitoba, Canada and Labor Secretary Arturo Brion in
behalf of the Philippine government.
Brion said the signing of the agreement is an
important part of the Manitoba mission in the Philippines, noting
this indicates Manitoba’s recognition of the capabilities of
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The Manitoba-Philippine accord is the third to
be signed by the Department of Labor and Employment for the
deployment of Filipino workers to Canada. The department earlier
signed a similar agreement with the provinces of Saskatchewan and
Vancouver in Canada. A fourth agreement is set to be signed with
Alberta before the end of the month.
According to Brion, some 10,000 job
opportunities await Filipino workers in Manitoba alone this year.
That province needs workers like truck drivers, welders, machinists,
boilermakers, sheet metal workers, glaziers, pipe fitters,
mechanics, plasterers, drywall installers, carpenters,
cabinetmakers, bricklayers and stone masons.
“Canada needs a lot of workers because of the
developments in many of its provinces. The Philippines is lucky
enough to have the advantage and was given preference in recognition
of the skills and efficiency of Filipino workers,” Brion said.
Brion disclosed that in the next 10 years, the
whole of Canada needs some 1.8 million workers and Filipino workers
could get the bigger chunk of the projected manpower needs.
Doer, for his part, said that at present, more
immigrants come to Manitoba from the Philippines than another
country, with Filipino newcomers accounting for more than 25 percent
of the province’s total immigration, adding that there are now
some 50,000 Filipino residents in Manitoba.
Doer is in Manila along other members of the
Manitoba mission for a series of meetings with several Filipino
business and community leaders from February 8 to 12.
No need for placement fees
Under the agreement, the Labor department and
the Government of Manitoba will cooperate on the orderly recruitment
and deployment of OFWs to Manitoba, and will act in compliance with
the laws and regulations on labor and employment prevailing in both
the Philippines and Manitoba.
The agreement prohibits recruitment agencies
from charging placement fees from workers bound for Canada. Instead,
employers will pay the cost of hiring the OFWs.
Brion clarified that OFWs who would like to work
in Manitoba will still have to apply for relevant vacancies through
recruitment agencies authorized to recruit workers.
The Labor department and Manitoba will also
explore projects to sustain and promote human resource development
in the Philippines, with a working committee to be established for
that purpose.
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