PH Officials Meet with German Industry, Visits Ayala-Owned Via Optronics
Trade and Industry Undersecretary for the Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Ceferino S. Rodolfo (third from left) and his team outline opportunities in the Philippine aerospace industry to the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) General Manager Volker Thum. (PTIC-Berlin photo)
BERLIN 21 October 2019 — Trade and Industry Undersecretary for the Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Ceferino S. Rodolfo visited Berlin and Nuremberg on 23-24 September 2019 for a series of engagements with German industry.
Undersecretary Rodolfo was accompanied by a number of Board of Investments (BOI) officials. The program was organized by Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC-Berlin), headed by Commercial Counselor Althea Karen Antonio, in coordination with the Embassy.
In Berlin, Undersecretary Rodolfo met with German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) General Manager Volker Thum, regarding the Philippines’ interest to become a more significant aerospace-parts player. He also met with Mr. Harald Zimmer of the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA), Tobias Helmstorf of Bayer, and Dr. Gregor Strauch of Boehringer Ingelheim to discuss possible cooperation in enhancing Filipinos’ access to medicine.
Undersecretary Rodolfo then presided over a Philippine Business Roundtable Discussion, which PTIC-Berlin co-organized with the German Asia Pacific Association (OAV) and the Chamber of Commerce (IHK) Berlin at the Embassy.
Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega delivered the welcome remarks, where she highlighted the importance attached by the Philippines to its economic ties with Germany, as shown by the fact that Undersecretary Rodolfo’s visit is the seventh high-level visit by a Philippine official this year. She further noted that apart from the trade between the two countries and German investments in the Philippines, Filipino companies are also discovering Germany as an investment destination.
After Berlin, Undersecretary Rodolfo and his delegation, accompanied by Ambassador Dizon-De Vega and Commercial Counselor Antonio, traveled to Nuremberg for a site visit to Via Optronics, in which Ayala AC Industrials holds majority shares. They also had a meeting with Armin Siegert of the Chamber of Commerce IHK Nuremberg, which has been a partner of PTIC-Berlin and the Embassy in promoting Philippine-German economic cooperation in Bavaria, including through the Asia Pacific Forum Bayern. END
Board of Investments (BOI) Director Evariste Cagatan explains the Philippines strengths in the area of pharmaceuticals to the representatives of the German pharmaceutical industry. (Berlin PE photo)
Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega welcomes the participants from German Industry at the Philippine Business Roundtable. (Berlin PE photo)
Trade and Industry Undersecretary for the Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Ceferino S. Rodolfo (second from left) and Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, and DTI-BOI delegation meet with Via Optronics CEO Jürgen Eichner in Nuremberg. (PTIC, BOI photo)
For more information, visit https://www.berlinpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.de or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGermany.