VP Binay: Sweden open to hiring Pinoy nurses

Job opportunities in Sweden may be opened for Filipino nurses after Vice President Jejomar Binay met with Swedish officials there earlier this month. The Vice President met and discussed with Speaker of Parliament Per Westerberg and issues concerning the Filipinos living in Sweden. "The Speaker of Parliament also 'favorably viewed' the suggestion to 'explore closer cooperation in the health sector,' including the possible employment of Filipino nurses in Sweden," said a news release posted on the Office of the Vice President website. On Sunday, Binay arrived from Sweden where he attended the 22nd World Scouts Jamboree in Kristianstad, scheduled from August 1 to 6. He said he was happy to announce “positive developments" resulting from “productive meetings" with key Swedish officials, including the Swedish Speaker of Parliament, Housing Minister and the Stockholm City Council vice president. During his meeting with Westerberg, Binay said he raised the request of Filipinos living and working in Sweden to extend the option of letting migrants and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) use their earned social security benefits in the Philippines in Sweden. Binay is the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns. “In this regard, I urged the Swedish Government to resume negotiations with the Philippines on a bilateral social security agreement," he said. Binay, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), also met with Swedish Housing Minister Stefan Attefall. During the meeting, he invited the participation of Sweden in helping meet the Philippines’ goal of building 3.6 million housing units within the next 10 years. “I extended an invitation to the Minister and to Swedish companies engaged in housing and construction to come visit us in the Philippines to share best practices and explore opportunities in the Philippine housing sector," he said. Waste management system Meanwhile, Binay said he was “impressed by the waste management system of the City of Stockholm" and said he hoped to “bring similar solutions to the Philippines through our local government units and by proposing a possible review of the Clean Air Act." Binay's delegation included Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.; Mayor Dale Corvera of Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte; and Mayor Arlene Arcillas of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The Philippine delegation reached an agreement with Stockholm City Council Vice President Ulf Fridebäck and Mayor of Lund Annika Annerby Jansson to enter into bilateral cooperation centering on city-to-city projects between Stockholm and the cities of Makati, Cabadbaran and Sta. Rosa. Scouts Binay also said that as the chair for Asia Pacific chapter of the Boy Scouts and as the highest elected public official to join the jamboree, he had the chance to meet with the King of Sweden. The 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Rinkaby was attended by more than 40,000 scouts from 151 member countries of the World Organization of Scouting Movement. — LBG, GMA News