19 June 2015 – The 2nd Outbound Trade Mission to Canada of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines led by Ms. Cora de la Cruz arrived in Toronto on June 14 for a five-day business briefing and networking event to expand business connections in Toronto.
Philippine Consul General Rosalita S. Prospero welcomed the visiting trade mission and expressed her gratitude to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce in Toronto, led by Mr. Steve Pagao, for supporting the visit and arranging the program of activities of the delegation. She said that the visit comes at an opportune time, at the heels of President Aquino’s successful State Visit to Canada, at a time when Canada is looking at Asia with renewed interest and at a time when the Philippine economy is irresistibly attractive.
Senator Tobias Enverga Jr., keynote speaker of the event, highlighted the two commitments made between President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, during the former’s State Visit to Canada last May 07 to 09 that would ensure safe and equitable access to markets in the Philippines and Canada. The first is the commitment to upgrade the existing Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. The second commitment is to launch exploratory discussions towards a bilateral Free Trade Agreement.
The Philippine delegation also with key industry contacts and potential business partners. END