THE Philippines and Singapore may consider the possibility of entering a bilateral labor agreement when President Rodrigo Duterte holds bilateral talks with Singapore leaders, a Philippine official said Wednesday.
In an interview with reporters, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio Morales said the two countries are yet to have a labor deal.
While there will be no agreements to be signed during Duterte's visit to Singapore, Morales said the President will likely ask his counterparts to ink an agreement that would benefit Filipino and Singaporean migrant workers.
"We also, at the moment, do not have a bilateral labor agreement with Singapore. Perhaps, a possibility of this thing will be explored," Morales said.
"We believe that a bilateral labor agreement will institutionalize our cooperation in promoting the welfare of our countrymen," he added.
Currently, there are about 180,000 Filipinos working in Singapore.
Duterte, who will visit Singapore on December 15 to 16, is expected to talk to Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yan and Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong to tackle several issues concerning the two countries.
Meanwhile, Morales said the Filipinos in Singapore have high hopes that they would be able to meet the President on Friday.
At the May 9 presidential race, Morales said Duterte garnered 80 percent of the total votes cast in Singapore.
"Actually, we are expecting around 7,000 attendees in the Filipino community's meeting [with Duterte] on Friday," Morales said.
"He is really very popular. Our countrymen really supported him during the elections. His visit has long been awaited," he added. (Sunnex)