By Brian Campued
The Philippines and Malaysia have expressed intent on boosting their collaboration on education as well as disaster response and management.
In a courtesy call to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang on Monday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Rural and Regional Development Dr. Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi shared that one of his country’s disaster response efforts—the SMART Team—could also be sent to the Philippines during times of calamities.
President Marcos thanked the Malaysian government for their “generous offer of assistance” and conveyed his interest to organize the response initiative “as soon as everyone is ready for that.”
The Malaysian official added that Malaysia wants to learn from the Philippine education system, as they focus on encouraging students to choose Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Both officials also saw the need to develop a more technical and skilled workforce amid the technological advancements the world is undergoing.
Marcos noted that during the recently concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Laos, Southeast Asian leaders agreed that a well-trained workforce is necessary for a strong economy.
The President also highlighted that the Philippines has a “very good workforce” consisting of young, hardworking, and well-trained professionals.
“Filipinos are used to working with foreign entities because of our diaspora. But we have to train them. After COVID-19, everything is new. The technologies are different,” he said.
As many Filipinos work abroad, the Chief Executive underscored the Philippine government’s skills training programs, providing knowledge mostly in construction to train plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. —iro