Hungary-Philippines Friendship Group Lauds Filipino Workers on 50th Anniversary

Photo 1: The Hungary-Philippines Friendship Group, chaired by Mr. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary (8th from right), on the Hungarian side, and Ambassador Frank R. Cimafranca (7th from right) for the Philippine side, convened at the Hungarian Parliament Building on Tuesday, 3 October 2023 for a meeting on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The meeting was attended by members of the National Assembly of Hungary, personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Budapest and the officers of Association of Filipino Students in Hungary (AFSHU) who are recipients of Hungarian government’s Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program. (photo from Budapest PE)

BUDAPEST 24 October 2023 – The Hungary-Philippines Friendship Group, chaired by Mr. István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, lauded Filipino workers in a meeting convened on 03 October 2023 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“It has to be admitted that large scale investments cannot be [completed] if not for their presence,” said Kristóf Szatmáry, a former Secretary of State for Domestic Economy in the Ministry of National Economy, referring to the large influx of Filipino workers into Hungary in the past year.

The MP of Budapest’s District XVI, a veteran member of the ruling Fidesz (Hungarian Civic Alliance), also noted how Filipino workers are fast becoming an increasingly important new aspect of bilateral relations and praised their role in boosting the workforce in Hungary as they are “most disciplined and most reliable”.

Philippine Ambassador to Hungary Frank R. Cimafranca emphasized the role played by the Friendship Group in promoting bilateral relations and expressed hope that Filipino workers could also be invited to participate as key stakeholders. He noted how there were only 1,000 Filipino workers when he arrived in Hungary in December 2020; now there are likely more than 10,000.

Among the major multinationals that have made sizable investments in Hungary is Samsung SDI, which has so far invested a total of €5bn (Ft1.92 trn) in Hungary, creating more than 6,600 jobs in the country, including scores of Filipinos. American electronics firm Flextronics and German multinational automotive parts maker Continental have also hired significant numbers of OFWs.

Deputy Speaker Jakab, who is the current Chair of the Friendship Group, thanked the Philippine government for supporting the legal process for Filipino workers to come and work in Hungary. Deputy Speaker Jakab visited the Philippines on 10-19 November 2021 for the purpose of further strengthening relations.

Co-Chair Zita Gurmai of the opposition Hungarian Socialist Party, praised how Filipino workers were a good fit to the needs of Hungarian businesses as they are fluent in English and are highly educated.

She also raised the idea of having a bilateral labor agreement, which “is important to ensure that Filipino workers are happy in Hungary.” She added that forming a trade union could give the workers “a certain level of certainty” about their rights.

On 13 June 2023, the Hungarian National Assembly passed a new law regulating the employment of foreign workers, which streamlines the current process but also sets new limitations for “guest work” of more than 90 days.

The new law, which will enter into force on 1 November 2023, introduces a guest worker residence permit, which can be obtained by citizens of countries not neighboring Hungary and are located outside the European Economic Area (EEA), as determined by a separate ministerial decree (yet to be adopted). Filipino workers are included under this category.

The Friendship Group also drew the attendance of fellow MPs from Fidesz István Simicskó, a former Minister of Defense, co-chair Mónika Dunai, and Sándor F. Kovács.

On the Philippine side, Ambassador Cimafranca was joined by Philippine Embassy personnel as well as the officers of Association of Filipino Students in Hungary (AFSHU). The students are all recipients of the Hungarian government’s Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program.

All the participants took note in their interventions that the meeting was taking place just days after the day marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Hungarian relations on 28 September 1973. END

Photo 2: The Philippine side was led by Ambassador Frank R. Cimafranca (top, 4th from left) and personnel from the Embassy of the Philippines in Budapest (top photo, from left): Protocol and Communicatons Officer Sheridan Sabeniano, Administrative Officer Joselito Blas, Minister and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza, First Secretary and Consul Ria Gorospe (partly concealed), ATN Officer Claro Cabuniag, and Cultural Officer Rea Quimio. They were also joined the four officers of Association of Filipino Students in Hungary (AFSHU): (middle photo, from left) Camille Jetzselle M. Fresto, PhD student in International Relations at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Anisa Trisha O. Pabingwit, PhD student in Educational Science at Eötvös Loránd University, Ryan Victor P. Miranda, MA student in Sociology at the Corvinus University of Budapest, and Airnel T. Abarra, PhD in Sports Science at the University of Physical Education. The Hungarian side was represented by the members of the National Assembly (bottom photo, from left): Kristóf Szatmáry, a former Secretary of State for Domestic Economy in the Ministry of National Economy, Hungary-Philippines Friendship Group Co-Chair Mónika Dunai, István Simicskó, a former Minister of Defence, Group Chair István Jakab, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, interpreter Éva Csere, and Group Co-Chair Zita Gurmai. (photo from Budapest PE)

For more information, visit https://www.budapestpe.dfa.gov.ph  or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinHungary/.