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CEBU
CITY—The Cebu Doctor’s University (CDU) signed an
agreement Wednesday with two Japanese companies to pave
the way for Filipino medical professionals to get
employment in Japan.
CDU
chairman Potenciano Larrazabal Jr. signed the agreement
with president Tadahiko Konoike of logistics giant
Konoike Transport Co. Ltd. and Juzenkai Medical Group
chairman Dr. Hiroshi Akaki in a simple ceremony in
Mandaue City.
The full
potential of the agreement, however, is dependent on the
ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic
Partnership Agreement (Jpepa). At present, without the
Jpepa, medical workers from the Philippines are not
allowed entry to Japan. But an official of the Cebu
Investments and Promotions Center (CIPC), which brokered
the deal, said the agreement signed on Wednesday “puts
Cebu’s one foot inside
Japan.”
“When
Jpepa is ratified, Japanese companies will first look
for companies and places who have the capability of
meeting their standards. Cebu will again be ahead of
other places in the
Philippines,”
CIPC managing director Joel Mari Yu said.
“Jpepa
will open the floodgates for Filipino medical
professionals to work in Japan and we will be first to
take advantage [of that situation],” he said.
Under
the Japan-Filipino Caregiver Project, the Japanese firms
will provide equipment, training manual and even
personnel to CDU to train its students in preparation
for their entry into Japan.
At
present, CDU is training Japanese-Filipinos as
caregivers at its facility in Mandaue City. The
Filipinos with Japanese lineage, Yu said, can gain entry
into Japan and work with no problem.
The
first batch of trainees will be ready in one month.
When the
Jpepa is ratified, nurses, physical therapists,
occupational therapists and doctors will be included in
the Japanese training program, Larrazabal said.
“We also
want to see our students get a good job and this is one
way of making sure they do,” he said.
The
Konoike group is a $2.5-billion firm that has interests
in shipping and logistics but has a group supplying
services and equipment to medical facilities in Japan.
The
Kyoto-based Juzenkai, on the other hand, operates one of
the biggest chains of retirement homes in Japan. The
company, at present, has close to 4,000 rooms in several
locations.
CDU
operates five major hospital facilities all over Metro
Cebu. Its university has around 6,000 students and
produces close to a thousand graduates every year.
Konoike
project manager Junta Shinozawa said they initially
visited sites in Manila, Tagaytay, Subic and Clark but
eventually decided on basing in Cebu.
“We have
a great partner in CDU. Security is very important to us
and we have good assistance from CIPC and the city
government,” Shinozawa said.
“When
Japanese companies [if Jpepa is approved] look for good
students, they will ask us and they will tell them we
have good students in CDU,” he said.
Larrazabal said the demand for medical professionals in
Japan could be easily filled by Filipinos if only the
Jpepa is approved.
“The
cultural differences between the Filipinos and Japan are
not that great. There is not much discrimination against
Filipinos and Japan and the pay is comparable to the
United States, even better,” he said.
CDU
hospital administrator Dr. Oscar Tuason said their new
training manual, besides training caregivers, provides
cultural lessons and the Japanese language to the
students. |
