CHED lists steps to plug shortage in nurses
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OLLOWING the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the shortage of nurses in the country due to migration, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday presented solutions including the offering of shorter certificate programs and tracking of about 20 percent of nurses with “unspecified” practice. In a press conference, CHED chairperson Prospero De Vera III said they have been aware of the “old” problem and that they are
already exploring ways to address the gap. De Vera presented immediateterm interventions, a mediumterm approach and long-term solutions. For the immediate intervention, De Vera said, there will be “redirection of non-practicing licensed nurses.” “ The proactive information campaign on the vacancies and permanent positions in public and private health sectors based on HRH [Human Resource for Health]
goals shall be considered in coordination with other government agencies [multisectoral effort],” De Vera said. Also, CHED will facilitate Memoranda of Agreements between the private sector and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to directly hire graduates to their health-care institutions, specifically those with a Nursing degree with exit credentials. “ There is a significant gap of nursing graduates who are not working in the health sec-
tor. About close to 20 percent of them,” De Vera said, noting that there were 121,688 nurses with unspecified practice. “We have to do a better job tracking where they are because they are already nurses. They can be hired as nurses anytime ...Most of them are in the BPO sector,” he said. For underboard (repeaters and failed examinees), De Vera said they will provide “upskilling and reskilling.” See “CHED,” A2
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BSP CITES HIGHER DEMAND, REOPENING OF ECONOMY
Business upbeat on next 12 mos ART FOR BIODIVERSITY Pedestrians walk past
By Cai U. Ordinario
H
a mural at the Quezon Memorial Circle underpass in Quezon City on Thursday, March 30, 2023. The local government partnered with Sentro Artista to paint the mural, which symbolizes the city’s solidarity in protecting Philippine biodiversity. NONOY LACZA
@caiordinario
IGHER consumer demand for various products and services as well as the reopening of the economy made businesses in the country optimistic about the next 12 months, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Gov’t eyes fishing bans in areas hit by oil spill
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Based on the data, business confidence for the next 12 months rose to 61.9 percent from 46.2 percent in the last quarter of 2022. However, the optimism of businesses was not as high as the 69.8 percent level recorded in the first quarter of 2022, as businesses expect more borrowings and higher inflation at least for the first quarter of 2023 and in the near-term.
HE Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has recommended fishing bans in oil spill-affected areas in Oriental Mindoro. The government has been evaluating contaminant levels in water and fishery resources to determine if fish and other seafood in these areas are safe for public consumption, and if fishing bans should be lifted by the local government units (LGUs) concerned. The results were consistent with the findings of the DA-BFAR in its first batch of analyses: that
See “BSP,” A2
See “Fishing,” A2
AMID TALENT SUPPLY GAP, PEZA, IBPAP CLOSE RANKS By Andrea E. San Juan
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@andreasanjuan
HE Philippine Economic Zone Authority said it is collaborating with the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (Ibpap) on plans to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) in the countr y, which Peza deems an “essential tool” for the country’s growth and development. Peza Director General Tereso O. Panga and his team met with Ibpap President and CEO Jack Madrid and some of the
Ibpap officials last Monday. During the meeting, Peza said officials from both parties discussed areas for “active col laboration and strateg ic alliance” for the creation of plans on effective investment attraction and facilitation in line with the goals of Peza, the industry and the whole government. For Ibpap’s part, Madrid stressed that two of their goals are aligned with Peza’s goals, noting that “we have the responsibility for delivering employment and export service revenues to the country.”
The Ibpap head disclosed that the IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry is experiencing a “severe talent demand-supply gap.” With this, he said “We need to address our talent crisis. [Surely, we are a country with a rich pool of talent and] the result of that is many people want to continue to invest [in the Philippines]. But increasingly, the challenge is not the cost—it’s the people.” Madrid emphasized the importance of working remotely. In fact, he said, “It’s also the reason of people who are over
concentrated in the Philippines, they are also beginning to diversify outside. But for many [Ibpap] members, we’re still their main handler, but the main message here is the mismatch and the supply and demand of talent.” For Peza’s part, Panga said t he i nvest ment promot ion agency is cooperating with the ongoing initiative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to prepare the Filipino workforce for the Industry 4.0. See “Amid,” A2
PESO exchange rates n US 54.4340 n japan 0.4101 n UK 67.0627 n HK 6.9345 n CHINA 7.9044 n singapore 40.9586 n australia 36.3782 n EU 59.0282 n KOREA 0.0417 n SAUDI arabia 14.4972 Source: BSP (March 30, 2023)