IN BRIEF

Canada seeks support of PH in free trade talks

CANADA has called on the Philippines to support its free trade negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“Regarding trade, we are negotiating for a free trade agreement with ASEAN. So, we hope that we could have the support of the Philippines. And we are negotiating also to become a strategic partner of ASEAN, recognizing the importance of ASEAN Centrality,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mèlanie Joly said during a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang on Thursday.

“So if we could work together to achieve that, that would be very much appreciated because we are bringing a lot of diplomatic knowledge and strength,” the Foreign Minister added.

Marcos: Public-private collab to create jobs engagements will continue as the Philippines and Australia work harder to strengthen our cooperation in quite a number of practical areas of mutual interest…A bilateral visit is also possible at a mutually agreed date,” Manalo said. saying ‘Sir, we were being offered money inside the detention facility. When we refused, we were being pressured. They separated us,” Baligod said.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed a proposal to create a Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. (PSJSC) to upgrade the skills of the Filipino workforce, address jobs and skills mismatch and generate more jobs.

Following the meeting with the Private Sector Advisory CouncilJob Sector Group (PSAC-JSG) on Thursday, the President underscored the need for cooperation between the government and the private sector to generate employment.

The PSJSC is a proposal of the PSAC-JSG that aims to serve as a private sector-led coordinating partnership between the government, industry and the academe to address the jobs and skills mismatch in the country.

Wong said the ODA she announced is on top of the existing AU$10.95 million commitment by Australia to support the Philippines in establishing a “new immunization information system and a strengthened laboratory network and surveillance system” to address the disruptions to routine immunization during the pandemic.

Manalo and Wong also agreed to enhance trade and investment cooperation. They also discussed how to further strengthen the two countries’ people-to-people connections through the Work and Holiday Visa Arrangement being negotiated.

Remulla had earlier disclosed that some suspects in the Degamo slaying have started to be represented by private lawyers. He said during their investigation, the suspects were represented by lawyers of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)

He had also said that there might be recantations of the extra-judicial confessions executed by the detained suspects.