Recuperating The Global Migration of Nurses by Cleovi C. Mosuela

Author:Cleovi C. Mosuela
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9783030445805
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

4.2.1 Forging Alliances Between State Agencies

While the government to government agreement was still being lobbied, the Philippine embassy in Germany found its role as a facilitator in signing the agreement as it went through several amendments. The embassy made an overture to the Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS or the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs) urged by some hospitals and private citizens suggesting to have a way for which nurses from the Philippines would come to Germany and was told that the Ministry was not inclined to signing an agreement. Specifically, there were hospitals in Stuttgart intending to hire nurses from the Philippines and had initially approached the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Stuttgart who then considered speaking with a representative of the State Government Baden-Württemberg to discuss the matter. Eventually, the State Government found the necessity to elevate the issue to the national government, that is BMAS, and speak with some members of the German Bundestag (the national Parliament).105

The role of the Philippine embassy was then played behind the scene; arranging meetings was likened to a courtship in a barrio (rural village) life setting in the Philippines.106 “Panliligaw (courtship), meaning to say, you don’t just say to a woman that I will court you. Before you even say that, she had known your intention already because of back door.” Before a formal meeting was set between the Philippine ambassador Maria Cleofe R. Natividad and Minister Ursula von der Leyen of BMAS, the embassy had done their homework behind the scene. The signing of the agreement happened without delay and the embassy described it as a 180-degree turn from the time in 2012 when the Ministry would say “this is not yet the time, do not raise that yet. We have no time yet, we are still thinking”.107

The German embassy in the Philippines also did play an intermediary role, as what embassies usually do, between BMAS and the Philippine authorities, especially during the time that BMAS meant to propose the Triple Win agreement to the Philippine government. “They made use of us to get in touch with POEA and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) locally and so we were in that sense messengers. Also, of course, we were something like consultants because we know some details of how the national administration here works and what the concerns are.” Particularly, the Commercial Affairs and Labor of the German embassy had received the draft of the Triple Win agreement right before the Minister of BMAS visited the Philippines. The German embassy introduced the concept to the Philippine authorities, facilitated the discussion process and lobbied for the conclusion of the agreement on a short notice. Although without a very active function, the German embassy was quite instrumental to move ahead very fast. “This was of course because both sides wanted it and the event of our Labor Minister visiting the Philippines was, of course, something everybody wanted to capitalize on. They all wanted to agree on this in the presence of the Secretary of Labor for the Philippines and the German Ministry of Labor”.

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