UNITED STATES Senator Ladda Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday floated the idea to Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. of sending American students to nursing schools in the Philippines to address a shortage of nursing programs in the US.
During a courtesy call on Mr. Marcos Jr., the US senator also discussed the efforts of the US and Philippines to prioritize renewable energy (RE), Ms. Duckworth’s office said in a statement posted on her website.
“Noting the impact of climate change and the effects of the pandemic on the world economy, the President and Senator Duckworth talked about their respective governments’ shift to renewable energy, more importantly in the Philippines, as it strives to transform the economy post-pandemic,” it said.
Mr. Marcos said he expects more partnerships with Washington.
Quezon City Rep. Marvin D. Rillo on Sunday pushed his bill that seeks to raise the base pay of government nurses amid the brain drain involving nursing graduates.
His House Bill 5276 seeks to raise the monthly pay of government nurses to salary grade 21 or about P64,000 a month.
A total of 18,104 Filipino nursing graduates spent a combined P200 million to take licensure examinations in the United States (US) from January to June, the lawmaker said.
In April, Mr. Marcos signed an executive order directing the Department of Energy to draft a framework that would fast-track the rollout of offshore wind projects.
The president in his foreign trips had urged foreign companies to invest in the country’s green energy sector.
In a separate statement, the Philippine presidential palace said Ms. Duckworth was also eyeing a collaboration on the production of electronic vehicle batteries.
“I can’t think of a better place to create a new manufacturing ecosystem for the American market than here in the Philippines where we can work together to supply that market so that we can continue to make our switch to renewables as well,” she said.
Mr. Marcos said the Philippines has the potential to efficiently produce batteries, citing the country’s nickel, bauxite and cobalt resources. “This is what we are hoping to develop here.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez