Initial 1,000 positions need to be filled up this year PASEI urges fast action on Czech market for OFWs

Prague—Saying it has gained a headstart in initiating private sector entry in the Czech labor market, the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI), here for a four-day marketing mission, has urged the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to match the seriousness of the Czech government in enticing Filipinos to its skilled labor-starved economy by already laying down the groundwork so that private licensed recruitment agencies can already begin to deploy the initial 1,000 skilled Filipino workers that the Czech government has allocated to the Philippines under its new “Philippine Regime” project.

“We have noted during our mission that there is a paucity of information among Czech employers about Filipino workers in general and the Philippines’s worker migration program in particular. The level of knowledge and awareness is low and we at PASEI believe there is a need for closer and stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector to address the need for more relevant and correct information,” said Elsa U. Villa, PASEI President, who is heading the 22-member PASEI delegation.

The Czech Republic currently implements three “regime” projects for migrant workers—one for Ukraine and another for Mongolia. The third, which is for the Philippines, was approved in January and took effect last May.

Ms. Villa said the marketing mission was informed by officials of the Czech Investment and Business Development Agency, or CzechInvest, that it wants to know more information about the Philippines’s migrant worker documentation system, and has requested the POEA for an official copy of its employment contract for OFWs and other relevant documents so the agency can disseminate these to Czech employers.

The request, according to Pavel Chovanec, ChechInvest director for investment, was relayed to POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia during the latter’s official visit to Prague in the last week of May.

Relative to this, Ms. Villa also urged the POEA to already convene the Technical Working Group on Czech Concerns created by DOLE Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III under Administrative Order No. 119 S. of 2018. The A.O. designates the DOLE Undersecretary for Legal and International Affairs as the TWG Chairperson, with the POEA Administrator as Vice Chairperson,  and the OWWA Administrator and the Directors of the International Labor Affairs Bureau and the Legal Service, as members. A.O. 119 was issued on March 14 yet, but PASEI only obtained a copy of the said order on 6 June.

“The PASEI would like to be part of the discussions to be conducted by the TWG, considering that the TWG’s duties and responsibilities involve the deployment of Filipino workers to the Czech Republic; formulation and negotiation of the proposed bilateral labor agreement between the two countries; establishment of the program of action and mechanics of consultation; and the assessment of labor market regulations and policies relative to the Czech labor market,”said Ms. Villa.

“All these issues are matters of concern for the Philippine overseas employment services sector in which the PASEI plays a leading role,” she added.

She expressed confidence that the PASEI can contribute and provide inputs to the TWG discussions because of its productive engagement with the Philippine Embassy in Prague, headed by Charges de Affaires Juan E. Dayang Jr., who has comprehensively briefed the PASEI delegation; the Czech Chamber of Commerce, CzechInvest; and the Czech Ministry of International Trade and Industry, all of which were in unison in “fast-tracking” the Czech regime project for migrant workers.

The PASEI marketing mission, which will head to Poland, Germany, and Austria in the next week, is composed of the following: PASEI President Elsa U. Villa, president of Krona International Services Systems, Inc.; Edwina L. Beech, PASEI Chairman and President of Mabuhay Personnel & Management Services, Inc.; Julie Rose M. Inso, President, Coreteam Manpower Services, Inc.; Rowena M. Paragas, President, NYD International Placement Agency, Inc.; Raquel E. Bracero, President, Peridot International Resources, Inc.; Susana A. Virtus, President, All Seasons Manpower International Services, Inc.; Kenneth L. Martirez, Vice President, Aram Enterprises, Inc.; Christina dela Cruz Frey, President and CEO, Chartreuse Prime Recruitment Specialists, Inc., and her daughter, Zeanne Michelle DC. Bello, Corporate Secretary and Sales and Marketing Manager; Jovita G. Baltazar, Marketing Consultant, Humanlink International Manpower Agency; Mary Mei Victorino, President, Mother’s Way Overseas Manpower Specialists Corporation; Jenny P. Clavero, President,Mountain Peak International Human Resources Corporation; Lea M. Singian, President, Provident Overseas Placement Agency; Rose Marie M. Lainez and Joan H. Lainez, President and CEO and Corporate Secretary, respectively, R.I.S.E. Manpower Services; Grace C. Woo, President, VALESCO-SMS; Richard A. Bonifacio, General Manager, Venture Management Systems, and his spouse, Rossana; Marites Joan G. Quezon, President, JOBS Manila International, Inc.; Cristina S. Honor, President, Cleopatra International Placement Agency, Inc.; and Myrna A. Magalong, General Manager, Transnational Services, Inc.