The Philippines and Singapore have exchanged a separate memorandum of understanding (MoU) on protecting Filipino health workers and the environment.

This comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Malacañan Palace in Manila on Friday.

To recall, Shanmugaratnam arrived in Manila on Thursday for a three-day State visit to the Philippines.

During their bilateral meeting, Marcos and Shanmugaratnam were briefed on the contents of MoUs on recruitment of Filipino healthcare workers to Singapore and collaboration on carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Both governments agreed to promote the mutual protection of healthcare workers through the observance of fair, ethical, and sustainable recruitment practices in the employment of healthcare workers -- anchored on the laws and regulations of the Philippines and Singapore.

There are 250,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Singapore.

The MoU on recruitment of Filipino healthcare workers “recognizes the importance of knowledge transfer and the sharing of expertise” between both nations “through meaningful cooperation in the healthcare field.”