SEOUL, South Korea —Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday ended her official visit to South Korea by meeting Filipinos in an all-Filipino gathering here.

Citing the sacrifices of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to work in foreign lands to provide for their families, Duterte said she salutes them for their “sacrifices and hard work.”

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa inyo dahil naitataas niyo ang bandera ng Pilipinas sa ibang bansa. And it makes us proud na naririnig namin sa mga dayuhan ang appreciation nila sa mga trabaho ninyo,” Duterte said.

She said that Filipinos working here strengthen the relationship, cooperation, and good relations between the Philippines and South Korea.

Over 57,000 Filipinos are working in South Korea as of today.

The OFWs, whom Duterte met, felt “honored” since it is the first time that a Vice President made time to visit them.

“Sobrang happy namin kasi every event namin, kami lang talaga. Kaya nung nag sabi na bibisitahin kami ni VP, feeling namin na worth it lahat ng efforts namin noong last election dito sa South Korea,” an OFW said.

Jackie, 39, and an OFW in South Korea for 13 years, expressed her continued support for the Marcos administration, and vowed her all-out support to Duterte’s Vice Presidency.

“Nagpapasalamat kami kay Ma’am Sara dahil sa kabila ng busy schedule niya, binigyan niya kami ng oras para ma-meet,” she said.

“Ipagpatuloy lang niya ang magandang adhikain sa bansa and ‘wag po siyang magpapatalo sa lahat ng batikos. Andito lang kami para suportahan siya,” she added.

Duterte attended the Global Education and Innovation Summit (GEIS) where she served as one of the GEIS keynote speakers upon the invitation of the ROK government on Thursday (Sept 21).

During her stay, she also met with Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister His Excellency Ju-ho Lee and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo where they discussed bilateral ties between the Philippines and South Korea. OVP MEDIA