NEWS

By Manuel T. Cayon and Samuel P. Medenilla

PRESIDENT Duterte said the government is now ironing out a bilateral agreement, which will allow thousands of overstaying Filipinos to legalize their stay in Russia.

During his recently concluded state visit to Russia that netted 10 agreements between the Philippine and Russian government and business groups, Duterte announced he instructed Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III to include the matter of overstaying Filipinos in the country’s ongoing labor bilateral talks with Russia.

He urged undocumented OFWs in Russia to avail themselves of the program once it is implemented, to comply with Russian laws.

“Follow the procedure since we are now working—sort of an agreement for you to have an easier [processing]—you’d be allowed to stay,” Duterte said in his speech during his meeting with the Filipino community in Moscow on Saturday.

No crackdown

Duterte also said the Russian government committed not to conduct any crackdown on the OFWs.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is currently working on a new pact to deploy more OFWs to Russia and ensure the labor welfare of those already working there.

The accord was supposed to be signed during Duterte’s visit to Russia last week.

In a SMS, Bello told the BusinessMirror that the signing did not push through as it still needs to go through more bilateral talks.

During his meeting with the Filipino community in Moscow, Duterte said “The Russian government made an assurance that it will not carry out a crackdown on illegal immigrants considering the hardships being experienced by Filipinos back home.”

Duterte disclosed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin where he said he raised the labor issue of Filipinos in Russia and told the Filipino community in Moscow that Putin “recognized the need for a legal framework” to cover the labor relations between the two countries.

He told the Filipino community the DOLE is currently crafting a bilateral labor agreement with Russia to address the concerns of undocumented Filipinos staying in the country.

“Secretary Bello is working on an agreement na kayong nandito staying, overstaying or have had problems, will be covered with an understanding,” he said.

The President has advised undocumented Filipinos to spend time to renew their passports and reapply for legal status in Russia to legitimize their stay. There are about 10,000 Filipinos in Russia.

“Ang aking prayer lang is just abide by the laws of Russia. Sumunod lang kayo sa batas at wala tayong problema. So kayo lahat dito 10,000, wala tayong record ng kalokohan o ano [My prayer is for you to just abide by the laws of Russia. Follow their rules and we would have no problem. All of you here, 10,000, we have no record of misdemeanor or whatever],” he said.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta said in an earlier interview that “there’s a huge potential in Russia’s labor market that the Philippines can tap”. Many Filipinos in Russia are into childcare and household work, but he said the Philippines could expand it to include skilled workers and professionals for Russia’s oil industry, mining, and construction.

In the Philippines, the continued illegal recruitment of Filipino workers bound for Russia, as well as the use of fake documents by Filipinos, may hamper or delay the crafting of a labor pact with Russia, Sorreta said.

Duterte said he thanked Putin for securing the welfare of the Filipinos in Russia.

He cited the Russians’ help to the Philippine government in retaking Marawi City in 2017 from control of Islamic State-linked terrorists, saying the arms supplied by Russia gave the Philippine military crucial support during the fight to liberate the city.

10 accords

Meanwhile, the Philippines entered into 10 agreements with government and business groups. These are:

■ Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on information exchange and collaboration on business development aimed at promoting trade and investment between the Philippines and Russia, members of Russia-Asean Business Council, and Philippine companies;

■ Memorandum of Intent (MOI) on exchange of information on investment environment and opportunities; attract and support foreign investments in both the Philippines and Russia; encourage interested local companies in setting up or expanding their businesses; and organize business missions, workshops, other bilateral investments promotion activities;

■ MOI to jointly explore the prospects of cooperation in the construction of nuclear power plants in the Philippines;

■ MOU, between Century Pacific Food Inc. and Magnit Food Retail Chain, where the former would supply tuna and sardine products to serve the Russian market;

■ MOU, where Century Pacific Food Inc. would supply tuna and sardine products to Dalimo to serve the Russian market;

■ MOU, where Century Pacific Food Inc. would supply tuna and sardine products to LLC Dalpromryba to serve the Russian market;

■ MOU, where Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc., would supply coconut milk products to Panasia Impex Co. Ltd. to serve the Russian market;

■ Distributorship Agreement, which appointed Lifetruck International Inc. as the exclusive sole distributor for the distribution, promotion, and sale of Sturmanskie watches in Philippines;

■ Distributorship Agreement, which appointed Lifetruck International Inc. as the exclusive sole distributor for the distribution, promotion, and sale of Kamaz vehicles in Philippines; and

■ Memorandum of Agreement to promote, distribute, and sell IPP-NLS technologies, particularly Metatron Micro MRI Systems and its variations in the Philippines.

Source: Business Mirror