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After a series of rallies against the controversial
Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), an
overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) group this time is urging the
Senate to ratify “as soon as possible the [JPEPA] in order to open
wider windows of opportunity employment for Filipino workers in
Japan.”
The Nagkakaisang Overseas Workers (United
Overseas Workers or NOW) organization said that the “Philippines
must not miss this opportunity to open up new and wider windows of
opportunity in Japan in order to further ease the still tight
employment situation in the Philippines.”
Japan is the world’s second largest economy
and a traditional market for Filipino workers. Filipino
entertainers, skilled workers and some technology-oriented
professionals like engineers have entered the tight Japanese labor
market.
Mae Llamera, NOW spokeswoman, said that “with
the opportunities for employment of Filipino workers in other
foreign countries reaching the point of diminishing returns, it is
vitally necessary that we open up other windows of job opportunities
in other countries, like Japan, which had limited job openings for
foreign workers.”
She pointed out that under JPEPA, Japan will for
the first time open up its previously closed services sector to
Filipino nurses, caregivers, accountants, other professional service
providers and skilled specialists.
Under the agreement, Japan will provide nurses
and caregivers with free training and allowance for board and
lodging for six months to prepare them for work in hospitals and
other health centers.
She dismissed objections that Filipino nurses
will be treated as mere aides or assistants to Japanese nurses.
“As a matter of fact, the Filipino nurses will be taught to speak
fluent Japanese so they could be placed at par with the Japanese
nationals practicing the same profession,” she said.
“As a matter of fact, Article 103 on
Investments and Labor of JPEPA adopted the internationally-accepted
core labor standards on minimum wages, hours of work, health and
safety,” said Llamera. “This means that Filipino workers in
Japan would be treated equally with other workers based on
acceptable international standards with regards to compensation,
hours of work, health and safety,” she stressed.
She said that because of Japan’s aging
population, the need for nurses and caregivers, especially for the
elderly, has grown, and the country now has a big demand for foreign
health workers.
The JPEPA chapter on Trade and Services also
liberalizes services on sectors such as outsourcing, air transport,
health-related and social services, tourism, travel-related
services, maritime transport services, telecommunications and
banking, Llamera observed.
Liberalization of the services sector would open
up opportunities for Filipinos to penetrate the lucrative Japanese
market for tourism, professional activities, engineering, interior
design, architectural services and motion pictures presentations,
Llamera declared.
“We are a talented people and the opportunity
in Japan to exercise our natural talents, say, in entertainment and
other fields, is a golden chance for us to show what we can do and
at the same time earn foreign currency for remittance to our beloved
country,” Llamera asserted.
She explained that under JPEPA, both countries
will allow movement of natural persons for short-term business and
visits of 90 days extendable, incorporate transferees, investors and
professional workers, including nurses, caregivers and other service
workers.
The agreement also provides that there will be
no quantitative restrictions on the number of natural persons to be
granted entry and temporary stay, except by immigration laws and
regulations.
“This free access of intellectual and
professional workers will enable Filipinos not only to earn more
from the practice of their skills in Japan, but would also enable
Filipinos to acquire more knowledge in Japan for application in the
Philippines,” Llamera added.
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