TOP PHOTO: Deputy Director-General Sam Morotoba (3rd from right) of the South African Department of Employment and Labour poses for a group photo with Secretary Romulo V. Arugay (6th from left) of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), South African Ambassador to the Philippines Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe (4th from right) and other Philippine and South African officials (Photo credit: CFO)
BOTTOM PHOTO: Delegation with Philippine counterparts from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Department of Foreign Affairs (Photo credit: South African Embassy in Manila)
A delegation from the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) of South Africa successfully concluded its study visit to the Philippines from 2 to 4 April 2024.
Led by DEL Deputy Director-General (DDG) for Public Employment Services Sam Morotoba, the delegation met with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and other Philippine government agencies involved in migration such as the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The group also met with the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) country office in the Philippines.
The South African officials were in the Philippines to gain insights and best practices from the country on labor migration.
TOP PHOTO: Group photo of the delegation at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Photo credit: South African Embassy in Manila)
BOTTOM PHOTO: Philippine Ambassador Noralyn Jubaira Baja (right) with DDG Morotoba (opposite) and his DEL colleagues
Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Noralyn Jubaira Baja and First Secretary Maurice Tiempo met with DDG Morotoba and some of the delegates on 8 April 2024 to obtain the group’s feedback on, as well as discuss the next steps after the visit. Describing their stay in the country as amazing and productive, the South African officials were appreciative of the courtesies and warm hospitality extended to them by their Philippine counterparts.
The delegation noted as well that, of the labor-sending countries that they had visited so far, they found the Philippines to have the best governance system for migration. They expressed interest to undertake further travels to the country to learn more about the Philippine migration model.
Ambassador Baja was pleased with the outcome of the study visit. Reflecting on the initiative, she remarked, “South-South technical cooperation can harness the full potential of our bilateral partnership not only with South Africa, but also with other African countries. The Philippines has accumulated a wealth of expertise in areas such as migration, higher education, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, among others, which may be relevant to the development agenda of African countries.”
