During the recently-concluded 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attended by Senator Raffy Tulfo in Geneva, Switzerland, he held a bilateral meeting with the Japanese delegation led by Fujii Kazuhiro.
In the meeting, Tulfo expressed elation over what he called “strong and friendly relationship between the governments of Japan and the Philippines”.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, the legislator also discussed the plight of 50,706 OFWs in Japan with Kazuhiro. The lawmaker thanked Kazuhiro for the good treatment of the OFWs in their country.
Kazuhiro, in turn, expressed his gratitude to the senator for the significant contribution of Filipino workers to Japan, noting that the Philippines has a younger population compared to Japan’s aging population.
As such, Tulfo recommended to Kazuhiro the opening of more employment opportunities for Filipino nurses in Japan, which he said would greatly help in providing care for the elderly in their country. He also promised to personally coordinate with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to facilitate the hiring of Filipino nurses in Japan.
“The Japanese government is ready to accept Filipino nurses and assist them in acquiring advanced skills in patient care.”
Kazuhiro agreed, stating that the Japanese government is ready to accept Filipino nurses and assist them in acquiring advanced skills in patient care.
Meanwhile, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, Tulfo emphasized the importance of critical infrastructure projects by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the Philippines, such as the North-South Commuter Railway Project and the Subway Project, to expand the country’s public transport system.
He also praised Japan’s public mass transit system, particularly their trains, to which Kazuhiro mentioned they are facing manpower shortages.
“Filipino transport workers could be recruited to work in Japan, which I can also coordinate with the DMW.”
Tulfo again suggested that Filipino transport workers could be recruited to work in Japan, which he can also coordinate with the DMW.
Both sides committed to continued collaboration to implement joint efforts in the future regarding public transport systems that will benefit both countries.
