President Marcos is expected to bolster the Philippines’ trade and investment opportunities in his upcoming trip to Germany and the Czech Republic next week, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Maria Algabre said on Friday.
In a pre-departure briefing held in Malacañang, Algabre said the President will attend business forums with various corporate executives aside from his scheduled meetings with respective leaders of both countries.
The DFA official told reporters there are major companies, which intend to take advantage of the Philippines’ “impressive economic performance and conducive economic investment.” She noted that “partnership agreements will also be signed” during the business forums.
PH, Germany to boost maritime, tech-voc education
On the President’s trip to Germany, Algabre said a joint declaration of intent on strengthening cooperation in the maritime sector will be signed by both countries’ transportation agencies. The declaration seeks to facilitate maritime trade and mobility of Philippine- and German-owned commercial vessels.
Moreover, there will also be a signing of a cooperation program between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education to boost technical and vocational education and training.
Czech Republic to allow entry of 10K OFWs
In the Czech Republic, the President will sign a joint communiqué on the establishment of a labor consultations mechanism to improve the collaboration between Manila and Prague in helping the migration of Filipino workers.
Algabre stated that with the Czech Republic pushing for more Filipino workers, Prague has set a yearly quota for Filipinos starting this May, which would allow the entry of 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
“There are also other agreements in the pipeline that we are closely working on with the Czech side,” Algabre said. She also noted that President Marcos would personally meet with Filipino communities living in Germany and the Czech Republic.
The President will leave for Europe on March 11 (Monday) and will return by March 15 (Friday).