MANILA, 3 July 2006 — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday said she expects trade and investments between the Philippines and Spain to pick up as a result of her two-day official visit to Madrid.
Arrived early yesterday from Madrid, the last leg of her 7-day trip that included visits to the Vatican City and Italy, Arroyo said she was gratified that in its trade expansion program for Asia, Spain has included the Philippines as a priority area of its economic thrust.
Her visit centered on boosting trade, investment, tourism, labor and other aspects of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and three of its major partners in Europe.
In the Vatican City on June 26, she had a private audience with his Pope Benedict XVI, who commended her for a job “well done” in abolishing the death penalty in the Philippines. She also met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state of the Vatican.
In Rome, Arroyo met with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Romano Prodi at Palazzo Chigi, during which she lobbied for the early approval of three pending proposals that would raise the threshold of social protection and other benefits for Filipinos working in Italy.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila, there are more than 80,000 documented Filipino expatriates in Italy, most of them domestic helpers.
According to a report by the Philippine government’s official website, Prime Minister Prodi assured President Arroyo that his government would seriously consider the Philippine proposals.
These are the Philippines-Italy Social Security Agreement, RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding on the Automatic Conversion of Driver’s Licenses, and RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Agricultural Science and Technology and Promotion of Agricultural Trade.
In Spain, Arroyo met with King Juan Carlos I, President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and the officials and members of the Confederation of Employers and Industries of Spain, the country’s biggest organization of businessmen.
While in Madrid, the president also visited the Spanish Parliament and offered a wreath at the Madrid monument of Dr. Jose Rizal, a replica of the national hero’s monument at Manila’s Rizal Park, and also met with members of the Filipino community.
The president also participated in the celebration of Filipino-Hispano Friendship Day in Madrid on June 30.
Among the concrete accomplishments of her visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will open Spain’s labor market to Filipino professionals and skilled workers.
Outgoing Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, who signed the agreement for the Philippine government, said the agreement would initially benefit up to 100,000 Filipino health care workers under a pilot project arrangement.
Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, who was part of Arroyo’s entourage of Cabinet officials and businessmen, likewise signed a memorandum of agreement with his Spanish counterpart to boost cooperation between the two countries on defense and in the campaign against terrorism and transnational crime.
Arroyo took the opportunity to invite European businessmen to turn their sights on the Philippines, saying the country “offers almost limitless opportunities for investors in tourism, infrastructure and energy.”
She assured investors of speedy action on their proposals through a clearing house under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which she will task to take over the function of processing investment applications to avoid red tape.
