The Philippines could soon send more nurses and transport workers to Japan following bilateral talks between Sen. Raffy Tulfo and Fujii Kazuhiro of Japan in Geneva, Switzerland. They discussed the situation of overseas Filipino workers and potential cooperation in elderly care and transportation. Tulfo thanked Japan for its good treatment of OFWs.
During the 151st assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate committee on migrant workers, held bilateral talks with Fujii Kazuhiro, a member of Japan's House of Councillors. They discussed the situation of 50,706 overseas Filipino workers in Japan, with Tulfo thanking Japan for its good treatment of OFWs. He also praised the 'strong and friendly relationship' between the governments of the two countries.
Kazuhiro expressed gratitude for the significant contributions of Filipino workers to Japan, noting the Philippines' younger population compared to Japan's aging one. To address this, Tulfo proposed opening more employment opportunities for Filipino nurses in Japan to help care for the elderly. He promised to personally coordinate with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to facilitate the hiring process.
Kazuhiro agreed, stating that the Japanese government is ready to accept Filipino nurses and assist them in acquiring advanced skills in patient care. As chair of the Senate committee on public services, Tulfo emphasized the importance of critical infrastructure projects by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the Philippines, such as the North-South Commuter Railway Project and the Subway Project, to expand the country's public transport system.
Kazuhiro mentioned manpower shortages in Japan's transport sector, which Tulfo said could be solved by deploying Filipino workers. Both sides committed to continued collaboration to implement joint efforts in the future regarding public transport systems that will benefit both countries.