JPEPA nursing program to get going with RP-Japan MOA

MANILA, Philippines - Half a year after the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) was ratified, a program for sending nurses and caregivers to Japan will finally get under way. The Philippines and Japan will sign Friday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for school courses under the Jpepa on the Movement of Natural Persons. "The MOU clarifies the provisions and processes of deployment and acceptance of Filipino candidates for Nurses and Caregivers. The main processes include the following: publicity and the recruitment of Filipino candidates and institutions; matching of Filipino candidates with corresponding institutions; finalization of employment contracts; and the entry of Filipino candidates into Japan," the Japanese Embassy said in an article on its website. It said the MOU will be signed at the HEDC Building in University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura of Japan will witness the signing ceremony. The signing comes six months after JPEPA went into effect December 11 last year, amid protests from some sectors. Signing the MOU are Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) managing director Takashi Tsunoda and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Emmanuel Angeles. The JICWELS is a public organization related to the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The MOU focuses on a two- to four-year school course for caregiver candidates. All candidates will enroll in a caregiver school in Japan and will be qualified as certified careworkers upon completion of the course. Following the signing, JICWELS and CHED will start preparations for sending and receiving Filipino candidates. - GMANews.TV