President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon vowed on Thursday to strengthen people-to-people cooperation of the two countries to ensure the welfare of the Filipino migrant workers, especially nurses.

In a joint statement, President Marcos and Prime Minister Luxon welcomed the significant and growing Filipino community in New Zealand as they discussed efforts to address social security issues involving Filipinos.

“The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation regarding the welfare of migrant workers, particularly Filipino nurses,” the joint statement of President Marcos and Prime Minister Luxon stated.

“Both leaders looked forward to the review of the existing bilateral migrant worker arrangement, which will facilitate the recruitment of Filipino workers to New Zealand and other initiatives,” the joint statement added.

There are an estimated 79,998 Filipinos in New Zealand.

Prime Minister Luxon acknowledged the contribution of Filipinos in the economy of New Zealand, including through filling critical gaps in its workforce.

The two leaders have also agreed to expand the scope of education cooperation between the two countries.

President Marcos and Prime Minister Luxon welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) following the agreed outcomes of the comparability of Bachelor’s degrees project between the two countries.

The cooperation of the two agencies aims to support and enhance mobility of students, professionals and skilled workers. PND