LABOR and Immigration Secretary Joaquin A. Tenorio on Saturday acknowledged that Filipino workers have contributed greatly to the economic development of the CNMI.
Tenorio, the guest speaker during the Migrant Workers Day ceremony at Dai-Ichi Hotel, said the CNMI would not have progressed “in a short time of 15 years” without the Filipino workers.
“Let me say at the outset that the physical and economic development of the CNMI have been greatly impacted and enhanced by the Filipino non-resident workforce,” he said.
“The tremendous physical development in a relatively short time of 15 years, 1980 to 1995, would not have progressed as quickly had it not been for the Filipino construction workforce,” he added.
He said the construction of most of CNMI hotels, business establishments, housing subdivisions, highways, golf courses and other sports facilities can be attributed to the Filipino workers.
Recruitment of Filipino workers to the CNMI began during the late 1960s and early 1970s. But the greatest influx of Filipinos occurred during the economic boom of the 1980s and 1990s.
Non-resident workers were recruited primarily to meet the needs in the construction and entertainment industries. Eventually, CNMI recruited for employment positions in relatively all fields including managerial, health care, accounting, teachers, engineers and other skilled workers.
DOLI statistics showed that as of May 31, 2002, there were 13,200 registered Filipino workers. About 9,250 of them were employed in the construction industry and 3,950 in other businesses.
Tenorio said DOLI would ensure the protection of all workers in the CNMI.
He said “labor and immigration laws, regulations and policies are not perfect. Therefore, there are still plenty of room for improvements. In this light, we are continuing to endeavor to improve our labor and immigration services to all who need them.”
