President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday (Manila time) assured overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Czech Republic of the Philippine government’s commitment to protecting and promoting their rights and welfare.

He gave the assurance as he hailed the OFWs for their skills, diligence, and talent, qualities that impress not just their foreign employers but also the host countries.

During his meeting with the Filipino community in Prague, Marcos said he visited the Czech Republic to discuss with its government the importance of the security and protection of OFWs.

“Ang ganda ng inyong performance. Kinahahangaan kayo ng inyong mga kasama, at bukod pa sa paghanga, napamahal na sa inyo dahil masyado raw mabait ang Pinoy (Your performance is exceptional. Your colleagues admire you, and in addition to their admiration, you became endeared to them because they say that Filipinos are so kind),” he said.

“Inimbitahan ko ang ating mga kaibigang Czech na lalong pagtibayin ang kanilang sistema na protektahan ang karapatan at kapakanan ng ating mga OFW (I invited our Czech friends to further strengthen their system to protect the rights and welfare of our OFWs).”

Marcos told Filipinos in the Central European nation that a Joint Communiqué on Labor Consultations Mechanism was signed between the Philippines and the Czech Republic during his visit to Prague, to protect the OFWs’ rights.

He also noted that the Czech Republic is raising the annual quota for Filipino workers to 10,300 starting this year because of the OFWs’ outstanding performance and dedication to work.

Marcos said his administration would continue to strive harder to give Filipinos, especially the OFWs, a more comfortable life.

He added that the government would do its best to make the Philippines an “upper-middle-income economy” by 2025, considering that the country is “getting back on its feet again after reeling from the effects of the pandemic.”

“Ako, at ang ating mga kasamahan sa Gabinete, ay patuloy na nagpupursige na maiahon ang ating bansa. Ito ang pangako ng Bagong Pilipinas na aming inilunsad noong Enero (I, along with my colleagues in the Cabinet, continue to strive to uplift our country. This is the promise of the New Philippines that we launched in January),” Marcos said.

“This is my commitment to provide our society with a principled, an accountable and dependable governance to attain better future for all Filipinos. Pinagbubuti namin ang aming serbisyo alang-alang po sa inyo at alang-alang sa masaganang kinabukasan ng bawat Pilipino (We are continuously improving our service for your sake and for the prosperous future of every Filipino),” he added.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, there are about 7,026 Filipinos in the Czech Republic, according to the data from the Czech Ministry of Interior.

They are engaged in the processing industry, automotive, repairs of appliances, manufacturing, IT communications, real estate, health or wellness, and household service work. (PNA)