South Korea opens doors to Pinoy caregivers

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, Koreans are opening their households to Filipino caregivers.

The first batch of 100 Filipino caregivers recruited under a government-to-government arrangement flew to South Korea yesterday.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac likened Filipino caregivers to “Olympic champions who are the best in the category of caring.”

Cacdac said the deployment of Filipino caregivers would start the Philippines-South Korea pilot caregiver program.

He expressed hope that the deployment of Filipino caregivers would contribute to stronger bilateral relations in labor and employment between the Philippines and South Korea.

Korean Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa led the sendoff ceremony for the Filipino caregivers deployed to South Korea.

Lee said the caregiver pilot program has been one of his priorities since he arrived in Manila in June last year.

According to Lee, the caregiver pilot project is another significant step in the employment of Filipino workers in South Korea.

He noted that the Philippines has deployed about 100,000 Filipinos in the Korean manufacturing industry over the past 20 years.