25 August 2024, Seoul - The Philippine Embassy joined the ongoing workers education program for the newly-arrived Filipino caregivers in South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS)' Pilot Project between the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL).

The Embassy, together with the Migrant Workers Office-OWWA of Seoul, conducted a post-arrival orientation for the EPS caregivers as part of the 3-day workers training, and supplemental information sessions during the 3-week specialized Caregivers Training conducted by MOEL, HRDK and other designated agencies. The workers education included, among others, Korean labor standards, immigration laws, human rights, and occupational safety; Korean language and culture; EPS pilot project principles and scope of work; Embassy and MWO-OWWA program and services; daily living practices; and specialized training in child care and child safety in the context of Korean family values and practices.

During her meeting with the caregivers, Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon - De Vega emphasized the skills and specialized preparation of the Filipino EPS caregivers under the pilot project, having undergone strict screening standards and qualifications under the Philippines' National Competency II Certificate Program on Caregiving and the prescribed pre-departure and specialized post-arrival workers education under the cooperation agreement.

According to the Ambassador, the skills, innate caring ways and productivity of Filipino caregivers are well known in many countries. Filipino caregivers contribute not only to the early child and elderly care system but also in boosting female workforce participation and work and family life balance.

Joining the Ambassador were Consul General Romulo Victor Israel, Jr., Labor Attache Ma. Celeste Valderrama, as well as Fr. John Yoo and Fr. Arvin Mosqueda, MSP, from the Archdiocese of Seoul's Migrants Ministry, who led a thanksgiving mass for the newly arrived Filipino workers.

Under the agreed principles of the pilot project, the MOEL-certified agencies will serve as employers of the caregivers and the client Korean-households shall be dual-income families with child or children up to 12 years old, single parent families or families with pregnant women. For this purpose, the primary tasks of the EPS caregivers are childcare and household management as reasonably required for the personal needs of the child or children. - END -