13 September 2016— The Mexico-Philippines Friendship Group of the Mexican Federal Chamber of Deputies was formally inaugurated on September 07, in a ceremony attended by the Philippine Ambassador to Mexico, H.E. Eduardo Jose A. de Vega, along with members of the Philippine Embassy team and the Philippine Honorary Consuls from Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Manzanillo.

The Friendship Group, which has 11 federal deputies among its members, aims to collaborate to strengthen diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Philippines, through the instruments of parliamentary diplomacy within the Chamber of Deputies; and to promote exchanges in legislative, cultural, and political areas, in coordination with institutions, agencies and the Diplomatic Representation of the Philippines in Mexico.

At the inauguration, the Group’s president, Dip. Nadia Haydee Vegas Olivas, spoke of the common history and traditions shared between the Philippines and Mexico, and mentioned the contribution of Squadron 201 to the campaign to liberate the Philippines in the Second World War. She then noted the most recent progress in bilateral relations, including the successful state visit of President Enrique Peña Nieto in November 2015.

Members of the Friendship Group praised the Philippines for its migrant worker policies that provide strong measures to protect overseas Filipino workers, saying that these were exemplary and well-organized. They also expressed their interest in sharing Mexico’s experiences with the Philippines in the tourism sector and in fostering cooperation between relevant government agencies.

In his remarks, Ambassador de Vega expressed his appreciation to the Friendship Group for its proposed initiatives to strengthen Philippine-Mexico bilateral relations. He highlighted Mexico’s influences on the Philippines, and remarked that the Philippines was undoubtedly the closest Asian country to Mexico in terms of culture and history.  Ambassador de Vega recommended that the Friendship Group consider visiting the Philippines to engage with their fellow parliamentarians in Congress, and stated that the Philippines would be glad to share its experiences in tourism and protection of migrants.

After the inauguration, the Philippine delegation was given a brief tour of the Chamber of Deputies and the Plenary Hall. END