By ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA – The Philippine government is aiming to discuss steps with Palau to elevate labor agreements between the two countries, according to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Chief Executive made the remark during his bilateral talk with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. on Monday morning at the Malacañang Palace.
“Our long history of mutual support has remained a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship to this day. With Filipinos making up a significant percentage – I understand it’s now 25 percent. We are a good Catholic country. You know, we believe in multiplying. Their contributions to Palau’s economy and society highlight the benefits of our long-standing people-to-people ties,” Marcos said.
“So, in this regard, the Philippines looks forward to discussing concrete steps to advance our negotiations on bilateral labor agreements and the social security agreement with the hope that both agreements will be concluded within the year,” he added.
President Marcos also said that his administration had launched the Philippine Pacific Initiative to establish focused cooperation with the Pacific in the areas of health, food security, labor mobility, and disaster risk resilience mitigation and management.
“With bilateral health agreements on the horizon with various Pacific island countries including, of course, Palau, we are positive that they will yield more exchanges between our healthcare workers and ultimately greater health resilience in our region,” Marcos said.
Marcos also expressed optimism about expanding engagements in practical and impactful ways from agriculture and fisheries to development and technical cooperation.
In response, Whipps said he is grateful for the presence of Filipinos in Palau for their contribution in the country.
“We are grateful for all that they do in the development of our young nation, from engineers to doctors to accountants to nurses, and helping us in the tourism sector, and of course, most importantly, construction and helping us build our bridges and our hotels and everything else,” Whipps said./PN
