SFA-AGR-302-08

OFFICIAL VISIT OF LAO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER REAFFIRMS STRONG RP-LAO RELATIONS

4 May 2008—Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sisoulith Thongloun is scheduled to arrive in Manila on 5 May for a 2-day official visit.  The visit by the Deputy Prime Minister is expected to reaffirm the strong bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR).

During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with his counterpart, H.E. Vice President Noli De Castro. He will discuss with the latter ways of further strengthening Philippines-Lao bilateral relations, specifically, the contributions and continued participation of Filipino workers in the socio-economic and cultural development of Lao PDR.

The Deputy Prime Minister, who also handles the Foreign Ministry portfolio of the Lao government, will also meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo.  During their meeting, the two foreign ministers will discuss ways by which the Philippines and Laos can further cooperate in advancing the objectives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) including early realization of the ASEAN Community and ratification of the ASEAN Charter.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) were established shortly after the latter’s independence from France on 19 July 1949. However, the two countries established resident missions in their respective capitals only in 1997 following the entry of Laos into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in July of the same year. The Philippines was one of the original ASEAN members that campaigned for the realization of the vision of ASEAN-10, which would include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV) into the grouping.

There are about 239 highly-skilled Filipino workers in Laos, the largest group of which are hotel workers. There are also teachers, nurses, engineers, accountants, office workers and consultants for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international organizations. These Filipino workers are greatly appreciated by the people and government of Laos because of their valuable contribution to the country’s economic development. The current generation of Filipino workers in Laos are often likened to their predecessors in the USAID-funded Operation Brotherhood (OB) of the past half-century. Many elderly Lao still living in the country admit to having benefited from the medical and social assistance provided by the OB’s Filipino volunteers.  END

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