The United States is the top trading partner of the Philippines and also the top destination of highly skilled and professional Filipino workers. This article explores the possibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) that covers the asymmetries of the two countries in labor, services and human resources development, particularly educational services. The existing FTAs of the US were examined to seek for provisions that the Philippines may adopt for a freer movement of natural persons. For the educational sector, the issue of public subsidy and national treatment of foreign service providers were brought up to clarify the objective of bringing access to students. But for an FTA concerning the movement of natural persons to materialize, the Philippines should weigh its sacrifices against what it will be requesting from the US within the context of the overall importance of the maximizing opportunities for the Filipino worker.
Issues and Prospects on Labor Migration and Human Capital Development
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