Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo announced that the first batch of Filipino workers to benefit from the Employment Permit System (EPS) of the Republic of Korea has arrived in Seoul and was welcomed by officials of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Ambassador Aladin G. Villacorte.

“I am happy that our partner countries are showing their support and concern for Filipino workers by passing legislation that grants OFWs better and more equitable working conditions. For this I express the appreciation of the Philippine government for the EPS initiative of the Republic of Korea, “ Secretary Romulo said. The Secretary also remarked, “such assistance by countries that welcome our migrant workers is indeed supportive of the third pillar of Philippine foreign policy, which is to ensure the welfare of Filipinos overseas.

Ambassador Villacorte welcomed on 31 August 2004 the 92 Filipino workers who arrived at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. Among those present during the welcoming were Philippine Embassy officials and officers of HRD Korea, which organized the welcoming event complete with bouquets of flowers and full media coverage. Of the 92 Filipino workers, 70 are males and 22 are females, with an average age of 31 years old.

“I was informed by Ambassador Villacorte that thanks to the new EPS, which improved Korea’s foreign workers system, the 92 Filipinos arrived in the country fully documented and with work visas valid for three years. They shall have the same labor rights and protection as their Korean counterparts. These privileges include union membership, minimum wage guarantees and industrial accident insurance,” Secretary Romulo explained.

According to Ambassador Villacorte, the EPS pilot program proves historic and significant for both the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. The Philippines, which enjoys strong and friendly bilateral relations with South Korea, is the first country to sign a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on the EPS and Korea’s new foreign workers system in April 2004. The Philippines is also the first country to send workers to Korea under the new EPS, system, ahead of other labor-exporting countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, when the RP-Korea MOU on the EPS took effect on 17 August 2004.

On the Filipino workers selected by their Korean employers, Secretary Romulo said: “I am proud to note that the Korean employers were generally impressed with the crop of 92 Filipino workers coming over to Korea and I was informed that 66 of them have university-level education and 35 of them have more than 10 years technical experience.” “This example shows that Filipino workers are indeed competitive in the world arena and should strive to remain world class with a competitive edge, since Filipino workers increasingly have to compete on a merit-basis with workers from other labor-exporting countries,” Secretary Romulo added.

Prior to the Korean National Assembly’s approval of the work permit bill in 2003, high level Philippine officials led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Foreign Secretary Blas F. Ople lobbied for the adoption of the EPS during their respective state and working visits to the country in May 2003. This led to the signing of the MOU between the Department of Labor and Employment and the Korean Ministry of Labor, which took effect last month.

The EPS facilitates the legal and documented employment of Filipino workers in Korea, compared to the old system wherein Filipinos usually resort to undocumented employment in Korea for higher wages. The 92 Filipinos are now expected to earn an average of around $860 per month.