MANILA, Philippines -- As the memorandum of understanding for the hiring of Filipinos in Saskatchewan, Canada is about to expire this December, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has created a composite team that would implement this MOU and also MOUs with British Columbia and Manitoba.In Administrative Order 303 series of 2008, DoLE Secretary Marianito Roque appointed undersecretary Luzviminda Padilla to head the team with technical representatives from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and the DoLE Canadian Desk as members. The DoLE forged the MOUs with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan in December 2007 and British Columbia and Manitoba early this year. It is scheduled to enter into a similar agreement with the Canadian province of Alberta this month. As per the MOUs, Roque said that the DoLE team would try to set up the Philippines-Canada joint consultative council or working committee to ensure the implementation of the MOUs’ provisions. “The successful implementation of the MOUs would pave the way for many skilled OFWs to find better-paying and more quality employment that ensures ample protection of their rights and welfare in Canada,” the DoLE chief said. Specifically, Roque said, the team shall discuss recruitment guidelines like procedures and requirements for hiring workers under the temporary workers and the provincial nominee programs involving government and private employers in Canada. He said the DoLE team would also try to address kinks in credential recognition affecting Filipino nurses and other professionals and trades people. It shall also determine each province’s skills’ requirement to facilitate skills matching, training, and employment of Filipino workers in the provinces of Canada. Talks on skills certification and training program of Saskatchewan and training collaboration with other western Canadian provinces shall also be explored. At the same time, the DoLE team shall start discussions on the extension of the MOU with Saskatchewan, which is due to expire on December 2008. The team shall also explore talks on HRD to provide for Filipino-Canadian cooperation in skills training and upgrading of Filipino workers, Roque said adding the DoLE has drafted an HRD framework upon which the talks would be based. The DoLE team has been directed to address urgent concerns affecting the employment of Filipino workers to Canada such as ethical recruitment, human resource development (HRD), training and credentials recognition, and workers protection. The MOUs provide for an ethical, orderly, and expeditious recruitment and deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Canada, non-collection of placement fees, protection of OFWs' rights and welfare, and for the provinces to encourage employers to support HRD efforts for OFWs and the reintegration of returning OFWs to the Philippines. | 
