Naju-si and Pampanga Province, Philippines, Sign MOU for Friendly Exchange and Seasonal Worker Introduction

Pampanga Province Guagua and San Luis City Participate... Full-Scale Cooperation to Solve Rural Labor Shortage

Discussion on Multi-Industry Exchanges Including Tourism, Culture, Energy, and Power Equipment Exports

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City has taken the first step to introduce Filipino foreign seasonal workers to resolve the rural labor shortage.

On the 6th, Jeollanam-do Naju City announced that on the 4th, it signed a "Friendship Exchange Cooperation and Foreign Seasonal Worker Business Agreement" with Pampanga Province and the cities of Guagua and San Luis in Pampanga Province, Philippines, at the city hall's large conference room.

The signing ceremony was attended by 26 people, including Mayor Yoon Byung-tae, Dennis Garcia Pineda, Governor of Pampanga Province, Anthony Joseph Torres, Mayor of Guagua, Jason Sagum, Mayor of San Luis, and Esmeralda Garcia Pineda, Mayor of Lubao.

Among them, Mayor Esmeralda G. Pineda of Lubao first proposed activating exchanges through the seasonal worker program during her visit to Naju City on July 14th as part of her trip to Korea.

Before the agreement ceremony, Governor Pineda and her delegation visited the Central Power Control Center of the Korea Power Exchange, a public institution relocated to Bitgaram Innovation City, showing great interest in the excellent power operation system and technology.

Pampanga Province, located in the central northern Luzon region of the Philippines, is a metropolitan local government consisting of 22 cities and counties with a population of 2.43 million, making it the 9th most populous province among the 81 provinces in the Philippines.

Following the agreement, the city and Pampanga Province plan to promote exchanges in various industrial fields, including agriculture, economy, education, tourism, culture and arts, energy, and power equipment exports.

With two cities in Pampanga Province, they will actively engage in exchanges and cooperation to operate a foreign seasonal worker program aimed at enhancing agricultural competitiveness and increasing farm household income.

The agreement includes detailed provisions on the transfer of agricultural technology due to the introduction of foreign seasonal workers, selection and adaptation training of workers, working conditions and welfare, and measures to prevent worker desertion.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, "I am very pleased to sign a friendship exchange and seasonal worker introduction business agreement with Pampanga Province, Philippines, amid the rural labor shortage caused by population decline and aging in not only Naju but also rural society in South Korea."

He added, "I hope that Filipino workers with high-quality labor will not only help resolve the rural labor shortage in our region but also have the opportunity to stabilize agricultural income in their home country by acquiring advanced agricultural technology."

He also emphasized, "We will solve problems arising during the dispatch and inflow process through mutual cooperation to protect workers' rights and interests. We will actively cooperate so that both regions can open the door to exchanges in various fields such as agriculture, tourism, culture, economy, energy industry, and power equipment exports."

Governor Dennis Garcia Pineda said, "We expect this agreement to be of great help to the residents of Naju City and Pampanga Province," and "We hope for mutual benefits and development of both regions through exchanges and cooperation in various fields."

Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong ks7664@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.