Micronesian President Wesley Simina (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
The Philippines won the support of Micronesia for its bid to gain a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council, the Palace said in a statement Sunday after President Marcos held bilateral talks with visiting Micronesia President Wesley Simina in Malacañang on Friday.
“Hopefully, if we are able to present our view to the Security Council, then I believe it will help calm the situation and hopefully make it more. We can keep the sea lanes open. We can continue to say that there’s safe passage for both air and sea traffic,” Mr. Marcos said.
“That is why we believe that the Security Council is important. Our [seat in] to the Security Council is important not only to the Philippines but really for all of us in the Pacific region,” he added.
The Philippines is seeking election to one of the two nonpermanent seats in the council allotted to the Asia-Pacific group that will be vacated this year.
Simina agreed that the Philippines’ seat in the council would not only promote Philippines’ interest, but the region’s as well, the Palace statement said.
“For all of us, with the things that are a little bit volatile all around the world … I think it’s important that we have the strength and relations and our partnerships around the world, not only in our region but around the world. So, hopefully that would be one of our main cornerstones, our main effort between our two countries,” Mr. Marcos told Simina.
The Oceanian nation, on the other hand, got an assurance from Mr. Marcos that the Philippines will ease restrictions on the departure of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for Micronesia, which had been under a deployment ban on new hires since 2018 because of abuses of workers rights.
Ban on OFWs lifted
Hans Cacdac, officer in charge of the Department of Migrant Workers, announced the lifting of the ban on Thursday after the Philippine Consulate General in Agana certified that Micronesia had guaranteed the rights of foreign workers.
The President said the lifting of the ban “would change the dynamics and enable Filipinos to see certain things that can be done in Micronesia.”
Mr. Marcos said the Philippines can provide Micronesia with the necessary workforce saying the Philippines is still feeling the effects of the pandemic and jobs are at a premium.
“We are lucky in the Philippines that we have a very young workforce and they are very used to working in other countries,” he said.
“I am sure that they will be those who will take up the offer to live and work in Micronesia. And I think the fact that you’re not that far away is also big advantage,” he added.
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Simina noted the “crippling effect” that the deployment ban has had on Micronesia’s business sector and workforce since its implementation in 2018.
The two governments have been working together to resolve the issue in recent years. Simina welcomed the lifting of the ban and thanked those who worked for its removal. INQ