PH Shares Pandemic Response Experience in 4th Utah Diplomatic Conference on International Trade Relations
Left: Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer ( center) participates in 4th Utah Diplomatic Conference on International Trade Relations on 21 March 2022.Right: Consul General Ferrer ( front row, 3rd from right) with the Utah Consular Corps and Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox. (Photos from PCGSF)
SAN FRANCISCO 30 March 2022 - Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer shared the Philippines’ experience in responding to the pandemic in the 4th Utah Diplomatic Conference on International Trade Relations, organized by the Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah on 21 March 2022.
Consul General Ferrer outlined the programs and measures implemented by Government to address the pandemic, curb infection, and foster social protection and economic growth such as the passage of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (Republic Act 11469), which declared a national emergency over the entire country and granted emergency powers to the President to better respond to the pandemic; the establishment of the Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases; vaccination program for the populace, continuing public investment in infrastructure under the “Build, Build, Build” program, the approval of a Comprehensive Tax Reform program, including the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act, and the provision of social assistance for the poor and vulnerable groups worth over US$ 4 billion, among others. He also cited signs of the country’s economic recovery, particularly, its GDP growth of 7.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 and a full-year GDP growth of 5.6 percent for 2021.
“The Philippine Government responded to the pandemic by enacting necessary laws and implementing these to address the crisis. The Government also sustained public investments in infrastructure and continued its economic policy reforms that began even before the pandemic,” said Consul General Ferrer.
Consul General Ferrer also read excerpts from the Philippine statement on Ukraine, which calls on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.
The conference with the theme, “Lessons Learned from COVID-19 and Ukraine: A Global Perspective,” was attended by representatives from 27 countries.
For more information, visit https://www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippinessanfrancisco.org, https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/ or https://www.instagram.com/phlinsf END
From left: Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer (right) meets Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox (left) during the 4th Utah Diplomatic Conference on International Trade Relations on 21 March 2022; Consul General Ferrer meets Ms. Marguerite Gong Hancock, Executive Director of Exponential Center and Computer History Museum; Consul General Ferrer meets Utah Valley University Vice President for Student Affairs Kyle A. Reyes . (Photos from PCGSF)