More Filipino nurses working as caregivers abroad, says group
By GMA Integrated News
The lure of greener pastures is making Filipino nurses leave their profession in the country to work as caregivers abroad, a group said on Monday's "24 Oras" report by JP Soriano.
"They are being offered almost hundred thousand [pesos] and up na sweldo. How much more na if they will be registered nurse," Melvin Miranda, president of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), said.
PNA said the offers become more enticing because hiring is done directly and without the need for an employment agency.
Crystal Campilan, a nursing graduate in 2009, said she worked as sales accountant in a pharmaceutical company to immediately have income.
Now that she has a family, she is aiming to work abroad as nurse or caregiver because of the pay.
"Para naman makatulong naman ako sa family ko, mabigyan ko ng magandang kinabukasan," she said.
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) said at least 40 percent of nurses from various private hospitals have resigned in the last two and a half years.
It added private hospitals in the Philippines cannot match the salaries being offered to nurses abroad.
"There are 18,000 nurses na newly licensed nitong recently. We just hope na they try to work here and gain their experiences before they leave for abroad,” PHAPI president Rene Jose de Grano said.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the government has placed limits on the deployment of nurses as the country needs them as well.
"Merong supposedly cap o the number of nurses or healthcare workers na lumalabas ng bansa principally because nangangailangan din ang Pilipinas especially in the last two and a half years," Laguesma said.
The department said it also hopes the bill seeking pay and benefits increase for nurses will finally pass in Congress. —LDF/KG, GMA Integrated News
Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
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