01 October 2014 – Philippine Consul General Marciano R. De Borja called on Mr. Manuel Q. Cruz, Director of the Guam Department of Labor (GDOL), on September 19 to discuss the Guam labor market situation and prospects for Filipino workers on the island.
Director Cruz was joined during the meeting by Mr. Greg Massey, Administrator of the Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division. Consul General De Borja, on the other hand, was accompanied by Consul Edgar Tomas Q. Auxilian.
The GDOL officials warmly welcomed Consul General De Borja and gladly shared that Guam is host to a considerable number of Filipino workers. Filipino workers consist a large portion of the total workers, around 23% as of 2013, especially compared to the number of foreign workers, 97% also as of 2013, on the island and they enjoy a good reputation in terms of work ethics, qualification and skills.
GDOL officials estimate that they have processed the certification of about 600 Filipino H2B recently and that for the pre-military build-up alone, about 500 Filipino workers are also expected to be deployed to Guam in the coming months for various infrastructure development or construction projects on the island. About 1,000 Filipino workers would still be needed and be hired in the coming year. About US$ eight billion are allotted over the 20-year period of the military build-up and roughly not more than 5,000 Filipino workers in total might be needed or hired in Guam. Out of this figure, about 4,000 would be in the construction sector and the rest in the hotel or management sector.
Consul General De Borja conveyed appreciation to Director Cruz especially for giving him an update on the very positive labor market prospects. He also then invited the Director to visit Manila to meet with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) officials and join the 10th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Torusim Directors Tour (ACGTDT) in July 2015.
After the meeting, Director Cruz gave the Consul General a tour of the GDOL office and introduced him to some officers and staff of the different divisions, particularly the head of the Wage and Hour Division and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). END