| PGMA visit to bolster RP-Japan bilateral, economic relations |
| TOKYO, Japan - The
four-day visit here of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to further strengthen
the bilateral and economic relations between the Philippines and Japan and cement the two
countries' cooperation in the peace and security in the region. In a press briefing here, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon Jr. said the President will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other top Japanese officials for wide-ranging discussions on Philippine-Japanese relations, including trade, investments and security in the region. The President, who is scheduled to arrive here tonight, will also hold a series of meetings with leading Japanese businessmen to brief them on investment possibilities in the Philippines. The Philippine leader, whose last visit to Tokyo was in December 2003, is the guest of honor of the 13th Nikkei International Conference on the Future of Asia on Thursday (May 24) at the Fuji Room of the Imperial Hotel here. Siazon underscored the need to further strengthen the country's bilateral and economic ties with Japan, the Philippines' second largest trading partner and biggest source of the foreign development assistance. This year alone, Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Philippines has increased 75 percent over the previous year. Last year, the total volume of trade between Japan and the Philippines reached $14.7 billion, with the Philippines enjoying a trade surplus of $700 million, Siazon said. Already the third largest group of visitors to the Philippines at more than 400,000 a year, the number of Japanese tourists is expected to hit one million annually once more hotels are available. Japan hosts more than 200,000 Filipino workers, and the number is still growing, Siazon said. He said that the ratification by the Philippine Senate of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), which was signed by the President and former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Finland last September 2006, would pave the way for the entry into Japan of Filipino professionals, including, doctors, engineers and nurses. "I hope that the Philippine Senate would ratify this (treaty) soon so that we can start bringing more Filipino workers here," Siazon said. |
| RP, Vietnam favorite investment sites in Asia -- Nikkei Weekly |
TOKYO, Japan – The Philippines, along with Vietnam, is a new favorite investment site in Asia, according to the prestigious Nikkei Weekly, the flagship publication of Nikkei Inc. and the primary source of business information for top executives and decision-makers here. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon Jr. revealed this in a press briefing Tuesday morning, just hours before the arrival here of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has been invited as guest of honor for this year’s 13th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia. The President, according to Siazon, was invited for her effective leadership and policy that put the Philippine economy back on its feet. In its May 21, 2007 special issue, Nikkei Weekly cited the Philippines and Vietnam as the new investment sites favored by both local and foreign investors. Siazon said Nikkei Weekly based its report on the performance and achievements of the Philippine economy over the last six years under the leadership of President Arroyo. He noted that from 2001 to 2006, the Philippine economy stabilized and grew by about 4.37 percent annually, the country’s best six-year average in the previous 18 years. In the case of the Philippines, the report pointed out that the signs of regional consumption turning robust came when the SM Group, the largest retailer in the country, opened the Mall of Asia, the biggest shopping center in the country with a total floor space of 400,000 square meters. The sprawling mall houses some 750 retailers offering a wide array of consumer products from around the region. Siazon said Vietnam is similarly readying itself to whet the growing appetite for consumption, with Lotte Group, South Korea’s retail giant, planning to open a shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City next year. This trend, Siazon said, is yet another sign of the region’s increasingly affluent middle class showing a growing preference for made-in-Asia products. Nikkei Weekly is Japan’s only English language business newspaper and one of the newspapers of Nikkei Inc. established in 1876. Other papers of Nikkei are the Nikkei Business Daily, the Nikkei Financial Daily and the Nikkei Marketing Journal. |
| PGMA off for Japan in quest of additional investments, economic growth for RP |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left this afternoon for a four-day official visit to Japan in "another step in our quest to further cement our ties and bring more investments, economic growth and peace and stability to our nation." The President and her lean delegation were sent off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Centennial Terminal 2 by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The Philippine Airlines Flight 432 bearing the presidential entourage took off from the NAIA at 2:45 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive at the Narita Airport in Tokyo at 7:55 p.m. (Japan time). In a departure statement, the President stressed the need for her to make the trip, saying the country’s foreign relations "play a vital role in a strong Philippines. An essential component of a modern vision for the Philippines is our continued open engagement with the region and the world." "We need to compete for investments abroad if we are to succeed," she said. Saying that Philippine democracy has been renewed by the May 14 elections, she added that it was now time for all parties and political leaders to "come together to forge a common path forward." The President’s Japan trip came a few weeks after "a lot of hard work on the part of our government" succeeded in securing a $1 billion investment by the US-based Texas Instruments in the Philippines. Aside from TI, Tokyo Electric and Marubeni are also investing $4 billion in the country, the biggest Japanese investment ever in the Philippines, she added. These new investments, the President said, show that the "world is sitting up and taking notice that the Philippines is back and open for business. Our economy and gains against poverty are proof that the plan is working." The President said that during her meetings with business and financial leaders from around the region, she would assure them anew that the "Philippine turnaround is here to stay, that our politics has stabilities and that we are the best value in Asia." "Japan plays a pivotal role in bringing peace, stability and economic opportunity to the conflict in Mindanao. Prime Minister Abe is playing an instrumental role in nurturing the peace process. One aim of my trip is to advance peace in Mindanao by engaging with our regional partners in the peace process," she said. Among those accompanying the President were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, TechnicalEducation and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco, NAIA General Manager Alfonso Cusi, and Representatives Edcel Lagman (Albay) and Hermilando Mandanas (Batangas). Highlighting the President’s visit from May 22-25 is her keynote address before the 13th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia attended by state leaders, former prime ministers, and top business leaders from around the world. |