‘PH visits to Germany, Czech Republic strengthened bonds’

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned to the country Saturday afternoon from his visits to Germany and Czech Republic that he said strengthened the Philippines’ “bonds” with the two European nations.

The plane carrying Marcos, first lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos and the entire Philippine delegation landed at 3:11 p.m. at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay.

HOLDING ON President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and first lady Marie Louise ‘Liza’ Araneta-Marcos arrive in Manila on Saturday, March 16, 2024, from their weeklong state visit to Germany and the Czech Republic. The Marcoses’ plane landed at the Maharlika Presidential Hangar, Villamor Airbase in Pasay. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

In his arrival speech, Marcos enumerated the country’s gains during back-to-back visits to Germany and then to the Czech Republic, including enhancing cooperation in areas of peace and development as well as trade and investment relations.

“Overall, I am confident that these visits to Germany and the Czech Republic have strengthened our bonds with these two countries in Central Europe and created opportunities for cooperation and prosperity,” Marcos said.

“My visit to Berlin was also part of the 70th Anniversary of Philippine-German diplomatic relations. And the Philippines and the Czech Republic are celebrating, as well, 50 years of bilateral ties,” he added.

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In Germany, Marcos said he was able to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and discussed matters of significance to both countries, particularly in upholding the rule of law, and promoting a rules-based international order, as well as enhancing the cooperation in the areas of peace and development, defense cooperation, maritime cooperation, trade and investment including on critical raw materials and renewable energy, climate change, and labor.

The President said he also emphasized the Philippines’ commitment to a clean energy future and invited German investments in green energy initiatives.

“Chancellor Scholz also remarked on the crucial role of our overseas Filipino workers in Germany, and once again, we highlighted their contributions to the economy and to the society of Germany,” he said.

In the Czech Republic, Marcos said he met with the heads of the Czech government, President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and the heads of the Czech Parliament, Senate President Miloš Vystrcil and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

“We discussed ways to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, defense, agriculture, renewable energy transport, and of course, people-to-people exchanges,” Marcos said.

“I underscored the Philippines’ remarkable economic performance and invited Czech businesses to invest in the areas of IT-BPM, electronics, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and automotive and electric vehicle manufacturing, amongst other things,” he added.

Investments

The President said he also met with the German and Czech businessmen as “they were keen to expand their ventures to the Philippines.”

“And I am glad to announce that my German visit resulted in business agreements for projects with an aggregate value of $4 billion in the sectors of renewable energy, manufacturing, health care, innovation and startups, IT-BPM, minerals processing, agriculture, and aerospace,” he said.

During his time in Berlin, Marcos said he was able to discuss with Lufthansa Technik its expansion plan in the Philippines which entails the construction of a second hangar in Clark. The expansion project is valued at $150 million or P8 billion, the President said.

“I also extended my appreciation to Siemens for their unwavering support and confidence in Filipino talent and the company’s continuing commitment to support the capacity building of Filipino technical personnel in the field of health care,” he added.

In the Czech Republic, Marcos said he received business agreements in pivotal sectors such as semiconductors and IT-BPM that “underscore a shared commitment to bilateral cooperation facilitating exchange programs and skill enhancement initiatives.”

He said that Germany and the Czech Republic have also expressed their valuable support for their resumption of the Philippines-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

“In this regard, I authorized Secretary Fred Pascual to make the necessary follow-up of the progress of the FTA discussions at the EU headquarters in Brussels where he is presently,” he said.

Signed agreements

During the visits, Marcos also reported that several agreements covering important areas of cooperation were signed.

These included the Joint Declaration of Intent on Strengthening Cooperation in the Maritime sector between Philippines and German Transportation Agencies; a cooperation program between Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the German Federal Institute for Vocational and Education and Training; and the Joint Communique on the establishment of labor consultation mechanisms between the Philippine and Czech labor agencies.

“This came about also because the Czech Republic has expanded its quota for Filipino workers to go to the Czech Republic from about 5,000 previously to now it is 10,300 a year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Marcos said he met with the members of the Filipino community in separate events in Berlin and in Prague. There are more than 35,000 Filipinos in Germany and around 7,000 in the Czech Republic, the President said.

“And I reassured our countrymen of this government’s unwavering commitment to creating more job opportunities and improving our economy, ensuring that they can return home to the Philippines, and earn a livelihood without having to sacrifice their time with their loved ones,” he added.

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