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Thursday, December 07, 2006
Recognition of nurses top priority in Asean summit
CEBU CITY -- The interest of Filipino nurses is among the top priority for discussion in the 12th Asean summit, as the Philippines pushes for the signing of the mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) that will make Asean member-countries recognize a nurse's license issued by his home country.
When the agreement is approved, Filipino nurses will no longer have to be underemployed or pass international tests to practice their profession in in Asean-member countries, said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asean affairs Luis T. Cruz, who is also the assistant secretary-general for the substantive committee.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
Cruz cited that agreement will change the current situation where nurses from the Philippines work abroad "way below their skill requirement."
Discussions among heads of state for the summit on Dec. 10 to 14 in Cebu have no set agenda and leaders are free to take up anything.
"This is ideal because the leaders can be themselves. There are no ministers whispering in their ears or passing pieces of paper to them," said Cruz.
But the Philippines has prepared some initiatives, including the agreement for nurses and the protection of migrant workers.
The binding effect of the Migrant Workers Agreement and the MRA for nurses, however, hinges on the signing of an Asean charter, the main document that will be signed at close of summit.
The charter, which will bear Cebu's name, will turn Asean into a "rules-based organization" and allow declarations to become "norms" to be followed by all members, said Cruz.
The leaders of the 10-member Asean will also discuss how to manage the social impact of fast-tracking the economic integration of the Asean community to 2015 instead of 2020.
Cruz said the Asean is already rather advanced in terms of its achievements in fostering trade and that it will now focus more on services.
But he said there were barriers to creating a single currency for the region.
"There's still a development gap that needs to be addressed," he said, referring to the wide disparity in the annual per capita incomes of the member-nations.
Asean groups Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Cruz held a briefing Wednesday at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) for the media. The briefing also had Ambassadors Marciano Paynor and Victoriano Lecaros, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Gen. Leo Alvez, who is handling security for the summit.
Cruz said the MRA on nurses will be signed by Asean economic ministers. This would allow nurses in Asean countries to move freely within the bloc, providing a boost to Filipino nurses seeking employment abroad.
In an interview after the press conference, Cruz said there is a demand for nurses in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. In fact, many Filipino nurses already work there.
The DFA official also told Sun.Star that a similar agreement was signed on engineers last year.
Next year, an MRA may be signed on architecture and the following year, probably accounting, he said.
During the summit, the 10 Asean leaders are also expected to sign the Asean Declaration on the Rights of Migrant Workers and the Protection of Each Other's Nationals.
This declaration will cite the responsibilities of receiving and sending countries.
In the area of tourism, Cruz said the Asean had already signed an agreement last July for visa-free travel for 14 days for Asean nationals traveling within the bloc.
The agreement will take effect after it is ratified by the member-countries.
But even without the agreement, Cruz said the Philippines was already allowing visa-free entry for 21 days to Asean nationals.
Singapore and Malaysia, however, are even more liberal, allowing a one-month stay without a visa to Filipinos and the nationals of some other Asean member-countries, he said.
Last August, Asean trade ministers agreed to recommend to the Asean leaders the acceleration of the realization of the Asean Economic Community to 2015 from 2020.
The Asean Economic Community will allow the free flow of goods, services and people across the region. (JPM/CTL/Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (December 7, 2006 issue)
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