18 February 2005 - Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ambassador Cristina G. Ortega recently reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the visit of three Philippine officials namely, Assistant Director-General Rolando Tungpalan of the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA), Dr. Mario Lamberte, President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and Director Amlet Castillo of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

This continuing dialogue between the Philippines and Australia on the use of development assistance was conducted on 7-11 February 2005. “The three Philippine officials visited Canberra for consultation with Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) regarding the use of ODA funds on the Philippines-Australia Governance Facility Phase (PAGF) II, ” Ambassador Ortega explained. Currently Austrialia is among the Philippines’ top five donor countries.

According to Ambassador Ortega, the meeting also presented an opportunity for the visiting Philippine government officials to update AusAID representatives on the positive developments in the Philippines, particularly as they impact on RP-Australia bilateral relations. The Philippines continues to import dairy, agricultural and meat products from Australia.

ADG Tungpalan pointed out to the Australian officials that the Philippines in 2004 registered a 6.2% growth in 2004 and that the economy is looking robust. “We are optimistic about the recent developments back home,” ADG Tungpalan enthused. He also stressed that the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Philippine Mining Act will surely have a positive effect on the bilateral trade relations between the Philippines and Australia.

Ambassador Ortega also pointed out in her report that the Philippine officials raised the possibility of reviving and strengthening training on agribusiness in order to improve the quality of life in the rural areas in the Philippines, which according to her is among the basic strategies of the current Country Program Strategy (CPS). “It was cited that research and development in the mango industry and support for the sanitary and phytosanitary-related activities are part of small scale projects with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)”, Ambassador Ortega said.

At the luncheon hosted by Ambassador Ortega, the visiting Philippine officials and AusAID officials exchanged views with Embassy officials on how to maximize benefits from the Australian official development assistance. “For the current year 2004-2005, AusAID has earmarked A$62.2 million, for various projects in three broad areas, namely: economic governance, security and stability particularly in Mindanao, and improving rural living standards,” Ambassador Ortega said.

Ambassador Ortega also pointed out that Australia  gave A$1 million donation to the Philippines for the victims of the recent spate of typhoons that hit Luzon in late November to early December last year. END