Guam has requested the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to send 15,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for its future transfer of the US military base from Japan by 2010. POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said Guam , a US territory, wanted Filipinos carpenters, construction workers, masons, welders, electricians and engineers for the new military base. They will join other nationalities who will be hired to work in building the new military base in Guam. The US Military Base in Okinawa will be transferred to Guam and will house 10,000 US marines and 8,000 American dependents. Guam is the largest island in the southern part of Marianas Islands. Manalili said Guam will give preference to Filipino workers for their renown skills and work ethics. “Foreign employers depend on OFWs so much because they are trustworthy and industrious. Filipinos are also proficient in the English language,” Manalili said. She added that no placement fee will be required from applicants in the US$10.3 billion project that is expected to finish within five years. Recruitment has not started yet as negotiations between the Philippines and Guam are still underway.
