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On 29 May 2025, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Education (DepEd), and Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) met through Zoom to discuss the proposed government-to-government (G2G) arrangement for the Teacher participants of the US Exchange Visitor Program (EVP).
In the proposal for the G2G arrangement, the DFA is proposing to pursue cooperation between the EVP Committee of the Philippines and the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) under a Memorandum of Agreement. The proposal will revamp the process for Filipino teachers intending to participate in the EVP into one that is more akin to Philippine-sanctioned training/scholarship programs.
The proposal aims to address the persistent issues involving teacher participants who joined the program with the intention of eventually migrating to the US for a higher-paying job. Among these issues are misinterpretation of the program's purpose and reintegration of returnees.
The G2G arrangement is envisioned to reinforce the view that the EVP is a cultural and educational exchange program by revamping the teacher selection and deployment process and eliminating any semblance of an employer-employee relationship between the participants and their host schools.
The Chair of the EVP Committee of the Philippines, DFA-Office of American Affairs, presided over the meeting, represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary Ma. Corina Reyes. The DepEd was represented by Asec. Georgina Ann Yang of the External Partnership Services. She was joined by Director Graciela Mendoza of the International Cooperation Office and Directors Jennifer Lopez and Margarita Ballesteros of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines. The DepEd-Human Resource and Organizational Development was also represented.
During the discussion, it was agreed that a technical working group would consult with current teacher participants and J-1 visa sponsors to gather inputs essential for developing the proposed G2G system. The group also acknowledged the need to further explore funding mechanisms, particularly as PAEF would require financial resources to support a larger cohort of Filipino participants. The DFA noted that, in accordance with PAEF regulations, teacher participants processed through PAEF would not be eligible to apply for a No-Objection Statement (NOS)
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