Marcos to OFWs in Tokyo: My dream is Filipinos will no longer be constrained to work abroad --- By TED CORDERO, GMA Integrated News

TOKYO — Concluding his five-day official visit in Japan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday met members of the Filipino community here, praised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and expressed his aspiration that job opportunities will be enough in the country so working abroad would only be an option. The President also praised OFWs in Japan for their hard work and diligence. “Ang maisusukli namin sa naging suporta ninyo sa amin ay ‘yung aming gagawing trabaho para pagandahin ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan sa Pilipinas,” Marcos said. (What we can give you in exchange for your support is our commitment to improve the lives of our countrymen in the Philippines.) “At ang aking pangarap talaga ay masabi na natin na sapat ang trabaho sa Pilipinas at pagka nagkaroon ng OFW —pagka ang isang Pilipino ay nag-abroad para magtrabaho ito ay dahil pinili niya na pumunta sa abroad, hindi napilitang pumunta sa abroad dahil may trabaho, may magandang buhay sa ating bansa,” he said. (And my dream really is for us to say that there are enough jobs in the Philippines, and that an OFW will only go abroad to work because he/she wants to, not because he/she has to, because there are enough jobs and life is good in our country.) “Iyan po ang ating pangarap, ‘yan po ang ating hinahabol para sa Pilipinas.” (That is our dream, that is what we are aiming for the country.) The President told the Filipino community about the importance of fostering partnerships and alliances amid global turbulence and the threat of climate change. “Lahat ito ay kailangan nating pag-usapan at kailangan nating pag-aralan, upang ang ating mga pinaplano ay tumama… at para sa bagong mga negosyo,” Marcos said. (All these need to be discussed and studied so that our projects would be perfect and so that there would be new businesses.) The country’s chief executive also assured them of continued support through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) led by Secretary Susan Ople. Marcos is on the final day of his official visit to Japan to strengthen Manila and Tokyo’s collaboration in a wide range of areas, including agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation, defense, and infrastructure. A total of 35 investment agreements on various areas of cooperation have been sealed between the Philippines and Japan. Apart from the 35 investment deals, the Philippines also sealed bilateral agreements with Japan to boost cooperation in various fields, including infrastructure development, defense, agriculture, and information and communications technology. —KG, GMA Integrated News

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