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Firms in the United States are set to hire some 75,000 Filipino seafarers in the next three to four years, the presidential communications office of Philippines announced on Tuesday.
As it is reported by a seafaring industry executive US firms eyeing to hire Filipino seafarers as they contribute to the economic development of both the US and Philippines.
In a statement it is said that during a meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Washington, John Padget, president and CEO of Carnival Corp. disclosed that his group of companies is set to hire the Filipino seafarers.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the marine, deck, hospitality, restaurant…everything is based on the happiness, the smile, and the greatness of the Filipino employees,” said Padget, who also represents Carnival Cruise Line, Holland American Airlines and Seaborn.
In the meeting, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople presented to the US firms “the interest of 200,000 Filipinos” who “adhere to fair and ethical standards and principles.”
Meanwhile President Marcos thanked the US employers for their continued confidence in Filipino workers.
“When you say that the the ladies and gentlemen that we have here today represent 200,000, you do not represent 200,000 employees, you represent 200,000 families and you represent 200,000 communities in the Philippines,” he told the employers.
In accordance with the release, there are more than four million Filipino immigrants (temporary and permanent) in the United States, representing the 4th largest immigrant group after Mexicans, Indians and Chinese.
In the meeting with the employers, the President was joined by Ople, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, and Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge, Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez, Jr.