28 July 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert said that the Department has started to realign its programs with the President’s 10-point agenda.

“In my speech last Friday, during DFA day, I said that as the foreign policy arm of the President, it will be our challenge to give life to her 10-point agenda.  We have already begun the process of identifying our place in this agenda, but it will take all our collective efforts to succeed,” the Secretary said.

“I am happy to announce that we have started to realign our programs, including those of our foreign service posts, to be able to fully implement the President’s agenda,” she added.

“I would like to laud, in particular, the initiatives of Philippine Foreign Service Posts based in China that have re-committed themselves to vigorously promote tourism and trade with China, attract investments to the Philippines, and continue to protect and enhance the welfare of Filipinos in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, in line with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 10-point agenda,” the Secretary said.

The commitment was made after a two-day consultation held last week among the heads of the Foreign Service Posts in China from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Hong Kong SAR. Tourism Secretary Roberto M. Pagdanganan and DFA Assistant Secretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs Alicia C. Ramos were present to provide guidance to the Posts. Service Attaches representing the Departments of National Defense, Trade, Tourism, Labor and Agriculture contributed actively in the discussions.

The consultation, the third among Philippine missions in China, was called by Philippine Ambassador to China Willy C. Gaa to assess the current state of RP-China relations, establish priorities and future areas of bilateral cooperation, and align the plans and programs of the Posts with the 10-point agenda of President Arroyo.

Secretary Pagdanganan, who was in Beijing to inaugurate the Office of the Philippine Tourism Attaché in China, emphasized the importance of tourism in poverty alleviation and job creation. “One tourist arrival creates one job,” he said. He noted that in 2003, only one in every 600 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines. This is in sharp contrast to Japan and South Korea, which were the source of more than 600,000 tourist to the Philippines last year. He said that DOT will be undertaking a more coordinated and focused promotion of the Philippines in China to double the number of Chinese tourist arrivals by the end of the year.

In addition to tourism, the meeting also noted that while bilateral trade with China has been increasing with trade balance in favor of the Philippines, there is a need to continue promotion of Philippine products and services such as electronics and semiconductor products/devices, fresh fruits, aquatic and marine products, resource-based products, high-end jewelry, furniture, professional services, medical tourism and logistics management. The meeting also agreed to enhance efforts to attract Chinese investments to the Philippines, especially in areas related to infrastructure.

The heads of Philippine posts in China also discussed ways to better resolve consular and labor issues affecting Filipinos and provide more effective service to Filipinos in China and HKSAR.

“Such consultative meetings are encouraged among our Foreign Service Posts so that we may assess and re-allocate our resources in order to better perform our mandate to protect and promote our country’s interests abroad in their respective areas of responsibility,” Secretary Albert said.

Philippine Consuls General in China are Jesus I. Yabes (Shanghai PCG), Corazon Belmonte-Jover (Hong Kong SAR PCG), Corazon Yap-Bahjin (Xiamen PCG) and Erlinda Gavino (Guangzhou PCG).

The next consultations will take place in Xiamen in 2005. – END