MANILA BULLETIN - May 31, 2009

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Labor, agri accords signed in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (via PLDT) — More Filipinos working or planning to work in South Korea have a reason to celebrate, following the extension of a bilateral agreement giving Filipino workers three years to work in South Korea.

South Korea is home to 60,000 Filipinos, most of whom are working here.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said the Republic of Korea (ROK) has given 8,000 slots for Filipino workers in the latest memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries.

Roque is accompanying President Arroyo, who is on her second day of official bilateral visit here upon the invitation of South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. After which, the President will be heading for Jeju Island for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Republic Korea Commemorative Summit on June 1 and 2.

Roque signed the MoU with South Korea Labor Minister Lee Young-hee at the Blue House, which was witnessed by President Arroyo and President Lee.

Roque said the renewal of the MoU gives Filipino workers a chance to work in South Korea, particularly in the manufacturing sector, for a period of three years.

Prior to the renewal of the MoU, the two countries had agreed to give Filipinos a chance to work in South Korea for only a period of two years.

The MOU, which focuses on the employment permit system (EPS) of workers, started in 2004 and is constantly being renewed by the two governments.

Roque disclosed that another MoU, which is on cooperation in the field of labor and manpower development, focuses more on the technical aspect, particularly on the exchange of experts. This, he said, is expected to improve the technical capability of the country’s human resources.

Also in Seoul, the Philippine government is expected to bring home an estimated $500 million worth of new agricultural investments from two Korean private institutions in its bid to improve livelihood in the countryside.

"We’re computing that the investments that the agriculture (sector) is bringing home are about $500 million," Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

Yap is also part of Mrs. Arroyo’s official delegation in this city.

The agriculture secretary said the Philippines has forged an agreement with two Korean private firms - Eco-Solutions and Enviro–Plasma - that will benefit the Philippine agricultural sector.

He said that the Eco-Solutions is pegging $175 million for a two- year project to tap Sarangani, South Cotabato as a jatropha planting area.

"The Department of Agriculture (DA) is helping package the entire deal," he said.

The other Korean firm, Enviro-Plasma, is starting immediately a $300-million sugar bioethanol project in Central Luzon.

He said the DA helped iron out the project, which will be locally led by the Central Luzon Bioethanol Corp.

Enviro-Plasma said it is looking for a 40,000-hectare sugarland in Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, and Bataan for bioethanol production.

The Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) in its Biofuels Science and Technology roadmap, includes the use of sugar from sugarcane for bioethanol and jatropha for biodiesel production.

The national government started its five percent total volume mandate last Feb. 6, three years after the Biofuels Act of 2006 was signed into law.

As for biodiesel, the government mandated two percent use of biodiesel blend starting last Feb. 6 from one percent since the law was passed in 2006. The country is targeting 60 percent energy self-sufficiency by 2010 from the current 57 percent.

Yap also disclosed that the country has forged an agreement with the Rural Development Administration of Korea for a technical tie-up.

The Rural Development Administration of Korea is South Korea’s research and extension arm in agriculture, which can help the country in developing food processing technologies, especially in preserving and prolonging top local fruits’ shelf life.

"It is worth noting today that the Philippines is still the number one supplier of bananas, pineapples, and mangoes and is the second largest supplier of coconut products and by-products in South Korea," Yap said.

He also noted that the Korea International Cooperation Agency has given a study grant for Malinao Dam in Bohol worth P800-million.

"This will be an P800-million expansion project for the next three years. This would ensure that we can now water the entire service area of the irrigation project in Malinao dam," Yap disclosed.

The expansion project will cover 5,000 hectares of irrigated land from the previous 3,200 hectares.

Aside from the two new investments, the agriculture sector is also a beneficiary of the latest MOU between the Philippines and South Korea, including the establishment of a rice processing complex in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan; Pototan, Iloilo; Pilar, Bohol; and Matanao, Davao del Sur; and agricultural, scientific, and technical cooperations.