The Philippine Senate delegates led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri discussed potential opportunities and areas of economic cooperation during a meeting with private sector leaders and French-Southeast Asian Friendship group In France.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said lawmakers tackled topics from energy and transportation sectors and explore possible opportunities for investments in the Philippines.
The senator said that the meetings also serve to provide an opportunity to discuss potential avenues of collaboration between the Philippines and France in key industries.
“It is my hope that through these discussions, we will be able to identify potential areas in which the Philippines and France could collaborate for the benefit of both countries, particularly in the fields of energy, defense, and transportation,” Go said.
France continues to be one of the top 20 trading partners of the Philippines.
The group also attended another meeting with the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) of France.
ASN is an independent administrative authority that participates in regulating nuclear safety, radiation protection and nuclear activities in France.
After the meetings, Go and the other senators were also invited to a luncheon hosted by Senator Mathieu Darnaud from the France-South East Asian Friendship Group.
Go, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Health, stated that the visit also serves as an opportunity to personally thank members of the French government for its multi-million COVID-19 vaccine donation to the Philippines through the COVAX Facility at the height of the pandemic, noting that the assistance provided a significant boost to the country’s national vaccination program.
In 2021, the French government donated millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine to the Philippines to aid in the country’s vaccination efforts.
Aside from Zubiri and Go, the Philippine delegation includes Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Senators Manuel Lapid, Maria Lourdes Binay, and Grace Poe.
Meanwhile, Legarda called on the Philippine government to consider investing in blue carbon initiatives through the sustainable management of marine resources and marine-linked sectors which are also vital for climate change adaptation along the coasts.
The appeal came following the Philippine senators’ meeting with their French counterparts where they discussed matters of global concern including environment and climate change.
She noted that building a blue carbon economy entails creating ocean sectors and businesses that are socially just, environmentally sustainable, and economically profitable.
The senator explained that the planting and rehabilitation of mangroves, and seagrasses along the shorelines of vulnerable coastal communities would also serve as natural buffers against storm surges, flooding, erosion and other climate hazards. Aside from these, the country’s coastal resources characterized by its rich marine life have always been a reliable source for food, employment, energy and even recreation for many Filipinos.
“We need to invest in blue carbon initiatives that will help protect our coral reefs, seagrass beds, lush mangrove forests, and other coastal and marine sources. Let us implement Philippine environmental laws in our efforts to bring back the bounty and restore the ecological integrity of our bodies of water,” Legarda said.