PH Ambassador to Switzerland Opens PH Business Roundtable

Ambassador to Switzerland Denis Yap Lepatan (left) delivers his remarks at the start of the Philippine Business Roundtable Discussion. With him is Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Angelo Taningco (right). (Berne PE photo)

BERNE 15 February 2019 – Ambassador to Switzerland Denis Yap Lepatan opened the Philippine Business Roundtable Discussion in Zürich on 22 January 2019.

In his remarks, Ambassador Lepatan noted that Philippines-Swiss relations goes back a long time to the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. Since then, the bilateral relations have expanded considerably to include the Philippine-EFTA Free Trade Agreement ratified in March 2018 that covers trades in goods and services, investments, intellectual property, government procurement, competition and trade and sustainable development, and the Air Services Agreement signed in April 2018 that opens up opportunities for greater connectivity for the Philippines and Switzerland to further expand their trade and investment, and enhance people-to-people relations as well.

In his remarks, Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Angelo Taningco emphasized several aspects of the Philippine economy, including its demographic advantage with the Philippines having a median age of about 24 years old, the Philippines as the second fastest growing economy in ASEAN in the first three quarters of 2018, a very robust economy with an average growth rate of 6.2 percent from 2010-2015, its strong domestic demand, industry, and services sectors, the rise in Philippines’ per capital GDP, and the steady flow of remittance from overseas Filipinos.

Assistant Secretary Taningco also discussed the positive developments in the manufacturing, cement and steel, construction, and tourism sectors, and noted that inflation is manageable, and that the Philippines has a fiscal position and external sector.

Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva Manuel Antonio Teehankee also participated in the event.

Swiss Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) President and Honorary Consul Urs Lustenberger wrapped up the discussions.

The event was organized in collaboration with the Swiss Global Enterprise (S-GE) and the SACC, and was participated in by representatives from various Swiss companies. END

(From left) Ambassador Denis Yap Lepatan, Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Angelo Taningco, Swiss Asian Chamber of Commerce President and Honorary Consul Urs Lustenberger, and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization Manuel Teehankee during the Roundtable Discussion. (Berne PE photo)

(From left) Ambassador Denis Yap Lepatan, Honorary Consul Urs Lustenberger, Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Angelo Taningco, and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization Manuel Teehankee pose for a souvenir photo prior to the start of the Roundtable Discussion. (Berne PE photo)

For more information, visit www.bernepe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSwitzerland.