A labor delegation from the Philippines is going to Adelaide to push forward the drafting of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippine government and the South Australian government that would mean thousands of job opportunities for Filipino skilled workers. The delegation will arrive in Adelaide on 3 November and will stay until 6 November, and whose activities include on-site visits of companies employing Filipinos, meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and meeting with South Australian government officials for the drafting of the MOU.

The visit of Philippine labor officials is in response to the trade mission to the Philippines conducted by South Australian officials headed by Deputy Premier Kevin Foley in July of this year. The trade mission seeks to deploy to South Australia up to 50,000 skilled Filipino workers over the next decade.

"This is welcome news for Filipinos. In the midst of a worldwide financial crisis, this memorandum, once finalized, would prove to be a watershed for Filipino skilled workers who wish to work in Australia. The Philippine government is exploring every avenue to provide Filipino workers job opportunities at home or abroad", says Ambassador Ernesto De Leon who is at the forefront of the labor mission.

With the Ambassador to the visit in Adelaide are Labor Undersecretary Rosalinda Baldoz, TESDA Executive Director Gabriel G. Bordado, Mr. Ramon L. Pastrana, POEA representative, OWWA Director Vivian Tornea, Labor Representative Victor Julio Ablan and Ms. Merla Simon, technical assistant from DOLE.

The Philippine Embassy in Canberra is accepting applications for the issuance of Machine Readable Passports.

The issuance of the Machine Readable Passport by the Philippines is in compliance with the requirements of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for all member-countries to implement Machine Readable Passports before the year 2010. 

• Application Form
• Application Requirements
• Photo Guidelines

The Philippine Machine Readable Passport incorporates the biometrics of the holder making it easy to identify the bearer and at the same time minimizes the instances of tampering and falsification. This shall ensure the integrity of the passport and greatly facilitates the travel of its bearer across the borders. Our machine readable passport embodies world class standards and is now at par with the standards of passport issued by the developed countries. It increases the credibility of the Philippines and better secures the identity of its bearer.