24 January 2014 – President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed today in Malacañan the Swedish monarch, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf, who is on a three-day visit to the Philippines from January 24 to 26. His Majesty will be the Guest of Honor at the Invitational Peace Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines in its centenary year to be held in Makiling, Laguna on January 25.
The President expressed his appreciation for His Majesty’s visit, noting that His Majesty’s presence in the Scout’s celebration will serve as an inspiration to the younger generation of scouts.
The visit also highlights the fact that many parts of the Philippines remain open to visitors, despite the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Central Philippines. The President thanked His Majesty for Sweden’s immediate and generous assistance for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in November.
The Philippines and Sweden have continued to maintain strong ties despite the constraints of distance between the two countries. Bilateral trade between the Philippines and Sweden was at US$202 million in 2012. There are approximately 15,000 Filipinos in Sweden whose remittances totalled over US$17 million in 2012. More than 21,000 Swedes visited the country in 2012.
The President was joined by Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, European Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson and Non-Resident Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Bayani S. Mercado. The President is the Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, as mandated by Republic Act 7278. Vice-President Binay is concurrently the National President of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) and Education Secretary Luistro is a mandated member of the BSP.
His Majesty was accompanied by Sweden’s Non-Resident Ambassador to the Philippines Klas Molin and officials of the World Scout Foundation and the World Organization for the Scout Movement. His Majesty has been the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF) since 1977. The WSF raises funds for various scouting projects worldwide, in the Philippines, WSF supports the Boy Scouts of the Philippines “Ticket to Life” project for children under difficult circumstances.
His Majesty is also scheduled to visit Tacloban on January 26 to look at the projects of the Boys Scouts of the Philippines and other humanitarian assistance projects implemented by the Swedish Government through the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. END