A February 14, 2012 press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario will visit Mexico upon the invitation of Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa on February 16, 2012, for a working meeting to revisit Philippines-Mexico relations and chart its future directions.
The establishment of a Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) that will steer the bilateral relations to a strategic level will be taken up during the meeting.
Both Mexico and the Philippines are among the “Next 11” (N-11) emerging economies after the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, and China) cited by global investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. These economies have high potential to surpass today’s major markets, and even perhaps join the largest economies in the world.
Secretary del Rosario will discuss trade opportunities and high-growth sectors of the Philippine economy where Mexican companies can invest in.
Mexico ranks 21st among the Philippines’ trading partners. Bilateral trade totalled to $314.3 million. Philippine exports to Mexico amounted to $ 269.3 million, and were largely electrical and electronic machinery, ignition wiring sets for vehicles and aircraft, and monolithic integrated chips.
Philippine corporation International Container Terminals and Services Inc (ICTSI) is an investor in Mexico. It is constructing a $769-million facility, which it will operate for 39 years in the major Mexican port of Manzanillo. There is one Mexico multinational company in the Philippines, Cementos Mexicanos (CEMEX), which has invested $1 billion in the country and is a major cement producer for the region.
Since there are an estimated 100,000 Filipino seafarers who pass through Mexican ports each year, Secretary del Rosario will propose the establishment of Philippine honorary consulates at Manzanillo and Veracruz, Mexico’s two major ports.
Secretary del Rosario will also lay a wreath at the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal on Avenida de la Reforma, which will be attended by Filipinos in Mexico City. He will also meet with the surviving members of Squadron 201. Squadron 201 was the air force unit which Mexico sent to the Philippines as a part of the US-led military campaign to liberate the Philippines during World War 2. The squadron members, who are considered war heroes, are the only Mexican military personnel to have fought outside of Mexico.
Secretary del Rosario also has a speaking engagement at the Instituto Matias Romero, the academic arm of the Mexican Foreign Ministry which trains diplomatic officers and conducts briefings on Mexico’s foreign policy and international relations.
Secretary del Rosario’s visit follows the visit of Madame Margarita Zavala, wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who visited Manila on November 23 to 24. During her visit, Madame Zavala met with President Benigno S. Aquino III, visited a shelter for abandoned and abused children, met with Cabinet Secretaries and senators, and attended a cultural program.
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