Palace to health workers: Get experience in PH first and boost future employment

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. INQUIRER file photo / JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday called on Filipino health workers to take advantage of the Department of Health’s (DOH) emergency hiring program amid the COVID-19 pandemic to earn clinical experience in the Philippines.

In his regular Palace press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the government’s “first consideration” in keeping the deployment ban is to protect health workers since they’re going to places where there are more coronavirus cases.

“We are number 22 in the world as far as number of COVID cases, at halos lahat po ng aalis ay going to places na mas marami pong mga kaso ng COVID doon,” he added.

(We are number 22 in the world as far as number of COVID cases [is concerned], and almost everyone who leaves is going to places where there are more COVID cases.)

The Palace official then urged health workers to grab the employment being offered by the DOH, noting that the experience will make them the subject of “headhunters” abroad later on.

“Charity begins at home. Mayroon naman po tayong mga bakanteng mga posisyon, dito po muna po tayo sana po magtrabaho, Roque said.

(We have vacancies so we are hoping they can work here first.)

He added: “And speaking as someone with experience in the recruitment industry of nurses, iyong mga bagong graduates po at saka iyong mga hindi na po clinical, kinakailangan po kung gusto ninyong magtrabaho abroad, magkaroon po kayo ng clinical experience dito.”

(And speaking as someone with experience in the recruitment industry of nurses, the new graduates and also those with no clinical experience, it is necessary that if you want to work abroad, you have clinical experience here.]

“Sa tingin ko po, kapag kayo po ay nag-apply dito sa emergency recruitment ng ating gobyerno at nagtrabaho po habang may COVID, naku, pag-aagawan po kayo lalo kapag natapos na itong pandemic na ito…you will become po the subject of head hunters.”

(I think, if you apply here for the emergency recruitment of our government and work while there is COVID, my goodness, employers will fight over you especially when this pandemic is over… you will become the subject of head hunters.)

“So, kaunting tiyaga lang po but take advantage of the opportunity na rin po to prove your worth in the Philippines as clinical nurses.”

(So, just have a little patience but take advantage of the opportunity to prove your worth in the Philippines as clinical nurses.)

The Philippine government suspended in April the deployment of all health care workers abroad “to prioritize” human resource in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only those who have secured overseas employment contracts and travel documents before March 8, can leave the country to work abroad.

JPV