Celebrating ties that bind Korea, the Philippines

Nearly 300 dancers braved the heat on July 5 for One Philippines Day, whirling their way from a plaza to a nearby amphitheater at Banpo Park in southern Seoul.

Six troupes, each representing a different Philippine festival, joined the stage in succession to a cacophony of drums that rose to the heights of the newly renovated Banpo Bridge, which intermittently sprayed jets of water into the Han River.

The parade was the culmination of an event that marked the 60th anniversary of Korea-Philippines relations, the 14th Filipino Migrant Workers Day and the 111th Philippine Independence Day. An estimated 2,000 people gathered to watch performances that ranged from rock music to dances by children of Philippine-Korean marriages wearing hanbok and traditional costumes from the Philippines.

Dancers make their way to the amphitheater at Banpo Park,
southern Seoul, on July 5 to celebrate the 60th anniversary
of Korea-Philippines bilateral relations as well as the
Filipino Migrant Workers Day and
the Philippine Independence Day. By Chris Carpenter

The timing of the event couldn t have been better: Korea and the Philippines recently strengthened their ties by signing a memorandum of understanding that extends the Employment Permit System, or EPS, between the countries for another two years.

One of six dance groups representing major festivals in the Philippines performs.

During the festival, members of the Filipino EPS Workers Association handed out copies of their organization s newsletter, which featured a story about the renewed agreement. The deal will allow up to 5,000 Filipinos a year to come to Korea for employment, an arrangement that provides labor for Korean companies and needed cash for Filipino families who stay behind.

Philippine Ambassador Luis T. Cruz said the EPS is one of the recent milestones in bilateral relations between the countries

Cruz said he is satisfied with the terms of the extension, which gives the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration permission to approve only contracts where Korean employers provide room and board to Filipino workers.

Relations between Korea and the Philippines began in 1949 and immediately burgeoned. In 1950, the Philippines became the third member country of the United Nations to send troops to Korea during the Korean War. Some 7,000 Filipino soldiers served in Korea, 116 of whom were killed. After the war, the Philippines helped rebuild the country. A Filipino construction company built the U.S. Embassy, Cruz said, as well as the Jangchung Gymnasium near the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.

While the Philippines was the stronger country economically immediately after the war, that has changed, Cruz said. Today, Korea provides investment and overseas development assistance to the Philippines. Korea, in fact was the biggest foreign investor in the Philippines in 2006, when Hanjin Heavy Industries built a shipyard there. According to the Philippines government Web site, Hanjin employs 16,000 Filipinos at its shipyards in the country, with plans to hire another 24,000.

Additionally, more than 600,000 Korean tourists visited the Philippines in 2008, and the Philippines drew more students and retirees from Korea in that year than from any other nation. An estimated 80,000 Koreans now live in the Philippines.

While Filipinos are not allowed to teach English in Korea only native English speakers are eligible to do so Cruz said 100,000 Korean students studied English in the Philippines last year. Filipinos also teach Koreans English via telephone and computers, he said.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a state visit to Korea on May 30 ahead of the Asean-Korea Summit on Jeju Island. While here, Arroyo and President Lee Myung-bak witnessed the signing of the EPS agreement, and the Philippine leader met with Korean investors.

Cruz said investments worth $6.3 billion would be made in the Philippines by Korean companies over the next 10 years, and that a total of $2.2 billion would be invested this year and in 2010. Most of the short-term investment will be in green energy, such as wind power and biofuels, including $175 million over the next three years from Ansan, Gyeonggi-based Eco Solutions Company and its affiliate, Eco Global Bio-Oils.

Despite the strong ties, there are some issues for Filipinos working in Korea.

Cho Young-gu, a labor attorney for Tae-Im HRM Consulting, said most of the cases he hears when working at the Seoul Global Center involve unpaid wages, unjustified firings, industrial injuries and visa issues. Cho said he sees around 25 cases a month at the center, which serves as a resource for expats.

The EPS agreement also does not allow migrant workers to bring their families with them to Korea. Rebenson Reca a, a migrant worker who also served on the festival s planning committee, came to Korea four years ago through the EPS. He said separation from family is one of the hardest adjustments he s had to make as a migrant worker.

Reca a said the roughly 59,000 Filipinos living in Korea make valuable contributions to the country in ways that extend beyond providing labor.

The goal of the festival earlier this month was to establish and promote our Filipino culture, our different talents and skills, Reca a said at the event. We are just ordinary workers, but we can prove to foreign governments that we have extraordinary skills.


credit: By Chris Carpenter Contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
source: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2907357