We have been swamped with readers mail sending us links regarding the jobs for Filipinos in Guam, there are two many to print as the story spreads. We selected the story below to share from the Manila Bulletin because it had more depth to the relationship between the two countries than just politics.
Guam hiring Filipino workers for US project
Guam is hiring as much as 15,000 construction and health workers, preferably Filipinos, to support the US government’s $15-billion military build-up over six to year years in this territory.
This was revealed by Guam governor Felix P. Camacho, who is leading a two-day Guam trade mission here, who said that the military build up in Guam followed after the transfer of US naval base from Okinawa, Japan.
Of the $15 billion, the Japanese government has committed $6 billion and the rest by the US government for an estimated combined investments of $15 billion for the establishment of various military facilities, infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges and support facilities like hospitals and housing for 8,000 marines and 9,000 dependents.
“We anticipate between 12,000 to 15,000 additional workers for this huge military build and the likelihood is that most of these workers would be recruited from the Philippines,” Camacho said noting this cannot be supported by its own manpower and its neighboring countries.
Of the 15,000 planned recruits, 80 percent are expected to come from the construction sector and only 20 percent from the health care professional services.
According to Camacho, the preference for Filipino construction workers could be traced back in 1945 after the World War 11 in which the reconstruction of Guam was mostly undertaken by Filipino contractors and Filipino workers.
“In fact, a third of the Guam population are descendants of Filipinos,” he said. Based on its 2007 census, there were over 173,000 population in Guam.
The long history of cooperation has built familiarity between Filipino workers and the Chamorro people, proficiency in the English language and the extensive experience of the Philippines in sending workers overseas.
In addition, Camacho said the US Federal government, which controls immigration, has decided to prefer Filipino workers for its military projects and not to accept Chinese workers for national security reason.
Already, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is planning of putting up a liaison office in Guam to facilitate the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers.
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