‘US driving wedge between...

joint effort of countries in this region to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea," the embassy said.

Now that China and the Philippines are at a critical juncture of post-COVID-19 recovery, "we should keep to the right track of maintaining good-neighborliness and attaining mutual benefit rather than getting distracted by forces who are fanning the flame and driving a wedge between us, even less inviting a bully into our community," it added.

"We need to focus on cooperation and development, and truly safeguard, promote and build peace, stability, prosperity of our region and bring more tangible benefits to people of our two countries," the embassy said.

Carlson said the EDCA sites, where the U.S. can store arms and equipment, would not only help the provincial and local authorities to enhance their ability to defend themselves, but to grow their economy.

The governors from Cagayan and Isabela expressed apprehension about having their provinces used as EDCA sites, fearing that the sites could become military targets if the conflict between China and Taiwan escalates further.

The Chinese embassy noted that "intense debates" have been going on recently in the Philippines about the four additional EDCA sites. "The governors of Cagayan and Isabela are not the only ones who publicly expressed reservation to having their provinces used as EDCA sites," it said.

Peace and development, the embassy said, remain the theme of this era and the call of peoples around the world.

It accused the U.S. of "keeping on upgrading" military cooperation with the Philippines by adding EDCA bases and military deployment in the country "to secure its hegemony and selfish geopolitical interests and out of the cold-war mentality." "Whereas the U.S. claims that such cooperation is intended to help the disaster relief efforts of the Philippines and some Americans even tout the EDCA sites as driver of local economy, it is plain and simple that those moves are part of the U.S. efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country," the embassy said.

"To bundle the Philippines into the chariots of geopolitical strife will seriously harm Philippine national interests and endanger regional peace and stability," it said. n

Seeking employment in US now easier...

enter the healthcare industry in the U.S. has become easier and faster through the electronic processing system implemented by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

He said a foreign nurse who is issued an immigrant visa by the USCIS automatically becomes a green card holder and has permanent resident status in the U.S.

Tuy said that there is a current shortage of 190,000 nurses in the U.S. Nurses there receive an average monthly salary of $6,900 or higher depending on the specialty and professional experience.

Based on records, about 18,617 Filipino nurses took the latest National Council Licensure Examination – a 90 percent jump compared to the previous year.

“This indicates the strong interest of the nurses to work for better employment opportunities and for their future in America,”

Geslani pointed out.

It is expected that more than one-half of those who took the exams will pursue their desire to work in the US with the passing rate of 80 percent set up by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.