Chennai – To support the economic diplomacy initiatives of the Philippine Embassy, Philippine Ambassador to New Delhi Ramon S. Bagatsing, Jr. delivered his address during the interactive session on Trade and Business Opportunities of the Southern India Chamber and Commerce and Industry (SICCI) which was held at Welcome Hotel, Chennai on 14 January 2020.
The Ambassador, in his speech, conveyed the relevance of the SICCI event to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines-India diplomatic relations in 2019. He underscored the contribution of the Indian companies in the Philippines in reaching this milestone. India is the Philippines’ 15th biggest trading partner in 2018 and eight biggest source of investments in the first quarter of 2019. In 2018 and 2019, India is the 11th largest source of tourist arrivals in the Philippines. Today, the Philippine-India relations look bright specifically in trade, investments and tourism. The Ambassador likewise, expressed hope to increase the number of Indian tourists to the Philippines.
At the sidelines of his visit in Chennai, the Ambassador together with Honorary Consul B. Narendran and Honorary Vice Consul E.N. Rangaswami met with Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Co. (AG&P) Managing Director PPG Sharma to discuss concerns in doing business in India and sought the company’s support in promoting the Philippines as trade and investment hub.
AG&P is a 119-year old oil gas and gas infrastructure company with specialization in gas and LNG logistics, distribution and applications with Global Headquarters in Singapore. AG&P has presence in India, Korea, United States, and the Philippines. The Philippines is the AG&P’s Headquarters for Construction Services, Shared Services, Engineering Services team (supporting Korea office), international recruitment office, and has two manufacturing yards in Batangas covering 150 hectares.
The Philippine Ambassador also met the members of the Filipino community during a “get together program” organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Chennai which was held at Hotel Residency, GN Chetty Road, Chennai on 12 January 2020.
The gathering gave the Ambassador an opportunity to introduce himself and to personally meet the Filipinos in Chennai. The Ambassador had an interactive session with at least 60 members of the Filipino community to apprise them of the developments of the Philippine-India relations, as well as to discuss their concerns particularly the immigration problems and issues of Indian nationals married to Filipinos. The Filipino community rendered chorus songs to add a festive mood during the event.
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For more information, visit https://www.newdelhipe.dfa.gov.ph or
https://www.facebook.com/Philippine-Embassy-in-India-348528665275556/.
