US senator eyes sending students to Philippines nursing schools

MANILA, Philippines — The United States is looking at sending American students to nursing schools in the Philippines to address its shortage of nursing programs and residency slots, according to visiting US Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Duckworth paid a courtesy call on President Marcos at Malacañang yesterday.

In a statement, Malacañang said the American senator told Marcos about the US plan to send American nursing students to the country’s schools, citing the number of Filipino nurses in the US and the quality of service they provide.

“Sen. Duckworth opens about her talk with the US embassy in the Philippines about the possibility of sending American students to nursing schools in the country, as one of the measures to address the United States’ shortage of nursing programs and residency slots,” Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) said in a post on Facebook.

“The American official says that Filipinos all over the US are recognized for being well-educated and for their fluency in the English language, among other factors,” RTVM added.

Marcos and Duckworth also talked about their respective governments’ shift to renewable energy, noting the impact of climate change and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world economy.

Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran, Purple Heart recipient and a former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

She was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She has been in service in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2014.

Duckworth won re-election to the US Senate last year.

Before her election as senator in 2016, she represented Illinois’s eighth congressional district in the US House of Representatives for two terms.

E-vehicle battery

The US is also eyeing a partnership with the Philippines on electronic vehicle battery production to meet the huge demand of the American market, according to Duckworth.

“So, for example, we’ve discussed at length about electronic vehicle batteries, and we can’t get enough of them to meet the American market. And I can’t think of a better place to create a new manufacturing ecosystem for the American market than here in the Philippines, where we can work together to supply that market so that we can continue to make our switch to renewables as well. And there are many other places where we can work together,” Duckworth told Marcos during the same meeting.

“And again, I would rather have America’s manufacturing supply chain rest here in a nation that has been a long-time friend and ally, than in a nation that is our adversary or our competitor. And so, I think there are lots of opportunities, and we had a really productive meeting,” Duckwortk added.

The US senator disclosed that she had a conversation with Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga and Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla about the US transition to renewable energy sources as well as its current challenges.

Marcos said that with the renewable energy sources such as solar and wind that rely on nature and are not constant, this is where batteries become very important.

He added that the Philippines has great potential for battery manufacturing, considering the presence of mineral deposits that are necessary elements for battery production.

“We have nickel, we have bauxite, we have cobalt. And so, the idea of manufacturing … has shown more and more potential, the more we study it,” the President told the American senator.

“And so this is what we are hoping to develop here. Not just – we will have a demand locally for these batteries not just for the local demand, but also for sale to other countries and for other markets. That is certainly something that we have been pushing very hard for in terms of developing the capabilities,” Marcos added.

Duckworth is a member of the US Senate committees on armed services, environment and public works, commerce, science, transportation and small business and entrepreneurship.

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson was among those present at the meeting.