PHL Ambassador to the United States Pitches More Active Economic Relations between PH, Massachusetts

(From left to right): DTI Trade Representative Nicanor Bautista, MOITI Asst. Secretary Nam Phan, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega, and MOITI Executive Director Mark Sullivan. (Photo by NYPCG)

19 March 2018 NEW YORK – Philippine Ambassador to the United States (US) Jose Manuel G. Romualdez met with top officials of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) at the historic Massachusetts State House in Boston on March 09.

Representing MOITI were Assistant Secretary of Business Development and International Trade Nam Phan and Executive Director Mark Sulllivan. MOITI is the international business development agency of the State of Massachusetts charged with promoting trade and investment with global partners.

Massachusetts has consistently ranked as the number one state in the US for Innovation building mostly on the significant number of world-class universities, research institutions, and centers of excellence in the state such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston University, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts system, among others. It has likewise built up over the years a strong academe, workforce, industries, accelerators, incubators, venture capital and government ecosystem, maximizing its cutting-edge research strengths.

Ambassador Romualdez noted that there is much potential for fostering economic activity between Massachusetts-based companies and Philippine counterparts, particularly in the area of Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing. He also noted that the Philippine IT-BPM sector continues to evolve with the use of Artificial Intelligence, analytics, and block chain technology.

MOITI officials noted that they see many opportunities for potential synergy and economic partnerships. Assistant Secretary Nam Phan stated that the Philippines is known for a highly creative and innovative approach to business complemented with a skilled workforce with English language competency. He said that these are valuable assets in forging relations within the global marketplace.

 MOITI and the Philippine Delegation agreed to identify specific areas of interest and to arrange possible interface of Massachusetts and Philippine companies as well as with local government units in the Philippines noting that MOITI has agreements with local governments in other parts of the world.

Ambassador Romualdez was joined at the meeting by Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega and Trade Representative Nicanor Bautista of the Philippine Consulate General in New York along with Minister Counselor Rossana Villamor-Voogel and First Secretary Gunther Emil Sales of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. END

For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph / www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY/.