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Andrew Ronquillo - The Philippine Star
March 13, 2026 | 12:00am
Around 1,000 Filipino workers are in Slovenia, according to Knez, mostly in the transportation, hospitality and health care sectors.
The STAR / Joven Cagande, File
MANILA, Philippines — Slovenia wants to hire more Filipino workers, particularly caregivers, Ambassador Smiljana Knez said last week, to address demand for its aging society.
Around 1,000 Filipino workers are in Slovenia, according to Knez, mostly in the transportation, hospitality and health care sectors.
Slovenia’s embassy in Manila is its first in Southeast Asia. She is also representing her country in several other states in the region.
Knez told The STAR in a visit last week that her government chose the Philippines because of shared values of democracy and respect for human rights.
Slovenia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia and became a republic only in June 1991. It forged diplomatic ties with the Philippines in May 1993.
Knez declined to comment on the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at Scheveningen Prison in The Hague on accusations of crimes against humanity.
The prison is where former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic was also held while undergoing trial for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
Milosevic died of a heart attack on March 11, 2006 in his prison cell before judgment could be rendered in his case.
Last year, Slovenia’s foreign minister signed a deal with the Department of Migrant Workers on the labor cooperation of both countries, extending employment opportunities for Filipinos to Slovenia.
Knez said Slovenia wants to extend business cooperation with the Philippines, shifting focus on energy efficiency.
“We are not invested in renewables. Because as much as you invest in new facilities, renewables or classical, it will never be enough. We still need to invest in energy efficiency to spend less energy and to save money,” she said.
Slovenia’s major investments in the country are semiconductor manufacturing in Batangas and internet service providers for businesses.
With the Philippines’ $30-million bilateral trade, the country continues to be Slovenia’s strategic partner in Southeast Asia with its import of pharmaceutical and dairy products.
