Tulfo eyes more Pinoy nurses, transport workers in Japan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines could soon send more nurses and transport workers to Japan following bilateral talks between Sen. Raffy Tulfo and Fujii Kazuhiro, member of the House of Councillors of Japan during the 151st assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland.

Tulfo, who chairs the Senate committee on migrant workers, discussed with Kazuhiro the situation of 50,706 overseas Filipino workers in Japan and thanked the latter for the good treatment of OFWs in their country.

He also praised the “strong and friendly relationship between the governments of Japan and the Philippines.”

Kazuhiro, in turn, expressed his gratitude to Tulfo for the significant contribution of Filipino workers to Japan, noting that the Philippines has a younger population compared to Japan’s aging population.

To address the matter, Tulfo proposed opening more employment opportunities for Filipino nurses in Japan, which he said would greatly help in providing care for the elderly in their country.

He promised to personally coordinate with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to facilitate the hiring process.

Kazuhiro agreed, stating that the Japanese government is ready to accept Filipino nurses and assist them in acquiring advanced skills in patient care.

Meanwhile, as chair of the Senate committee on public services, Tulfo emphasized the importance of critical infrastructure projects by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in the Philippines, such as the North-South Commuter Railway Project and the Subway Project, to expand the country’s public transport system.

Kazuhiro mentioned they are facing manpower shortages in the transport sector, which Tulfo said can be solved by deploying Filipino workers in Japan.

Both sides committed to continued collaboration to implement joint efforts in the future regarding public transport systems that will benefit both countries.