• Philippines, British Columbia ink labor agreement
• Vancouver-based firm to increase investments in the Philippines

President Benigno S. Aquino III and British Columbia Premier Christy Clark witnessed the signing of the MOU Concerning Cooperation in Human Resource Deployment and Development.

The cooperation was signed by Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and British Columbia Minister for International Trade Teresa Wat in a simple ceremony at Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver.

The labor agreement affirms the strong friendship and growing ties between the Philippines and the Province of British Columbia.

The MOU aims to facilitate the employment and deployment of Filipino workers in British Columbia to meet labor needs as identified by BC’s labor market information.

The cooperation also aims to enforce existing regulations to protect the workers and promote sound, ethical, and equitable recruitment and employment practices.

The MOU is also expected to strengthen collaborative effort to eliminate barriers on the certification, recognition, and matching of skills and qualifications of Filipinos in accordance with the requirements set by BC regulations.

Through the Philippine-Province of British Columbia MOU, Filipino workers who wish to permanently work and immigrate to BC will be assisted. PND (co)

Joined by some members of his Cabinet, President Aquino met with the executives of Aquilini Investment Group led by its founder Luigi Aquilini at Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver.

“Aquilini Investment Group committed to increase its investments and businesses in the Philippines,” Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

“The Group has invested over P1.3 billion on a waste recycling and conversion into energy facility in Cebu. The new plant will be inaugurated sometime in the third quarter this year,” the secretary said.

Secretary Coloma said the Aquilini Investment Group is firming up in agriculture, energy and tourism.

Also present at the meeting were Aquilini Development and Construction Inc. president David Negrin, Aquilini Renewable Energy Inc. president John Negrin, and Aquilini Mactan Renewable Energy Inc. president Jesus Jayme Jr.

Joining the President were Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad, Secretary Coloma, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura del Rosario,

After stopping in Ottawa and Toronto, President Aquino and the Philippine delegation arrived Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Vancouver for the final stop of his three-day state visit to Canada.

Earlier, President Aquino met with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Concerning Cooperation in Human Resource Deployment and Development.

The MOU was signed by Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and British Columbia Minister for International Trade Teresa Wat during a simple ceremony in Pan Pacific Hotel.

Before flying back to Manila, President Aquino met with the members of the Filipino community at Vancouver Convention Center. In his speech, the President thanked the people and the government of Canada for being a gracious host.

“This is the last engagement for our State Visit, and I must say that the people and government of Canada have been truly gracious hosts throughout our stay,” the President said.

President Aquino also conducted a one-day working visit to Chicago, Illinois, on May 6 before embarking on a three-day state visit to Canada from May 7 to 9. PND (co)