16 September 2015 – In his first visit to Vermont to promote closer commercial relations and identify trade opportunities for the Philippines, Consul General in New York Mario L. De Leon Jr., accompanied by Filipino community members and Consul Felipe Carino, held a meeting with Ms. Pat Moulton, Ms. Lori Camp and Mr. Jared Duval of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Consul General De Leon identified Vermont as significant because of a highly evolved contemporary furniture design industry, food manufacturing, and globally-recognized furniture companies such as Ethan Allen and Copeland & Sons. Filipinos in Vermont, numbering about 1,000, can benefit from business opportunities and the Consulate has a role to play in promoting stronger people-to-people relations and identifying key industries and players, he added.
Ms. Moulton cited Vermont’s track record as an industrial state and wood product-producing state as it hosts big IBM operations and several furniture design companies that export to Canada. However, she believes that Vermont has now evolved in terms of the technology and startup sectors, as well as with the new-found dynamism of the state’s partnership with local academic institutions. A Vermont company will present a cyber-security program to Singapore in a few days, she added.
Ms. Mouton also identified potential growth areas promoted by the state such as sustainable energy resource management and renewable, spurred by Vermont’s objective to go 90% “green” by 2050. She mentioned that the state supports all-earth renewable companies such as Dyna Power, which produces unique solar panels that carry longer absorptive capacity and are more efficient and advanced. Vermont is much concerned about climate change and is attuned to technological advances in renewable energy because the state is prone to floods, she underscored.
Consul General De Leon replied that the Philippines, as one of the worst-affected countries by climate change in whole world, is focused on finding permanent solutions to issues relating to power-generation, and resilient structures and design. He believes that an exchange of technology and cooperation on disaster preparedness and promoting resilient shelters to achieve sustainability is possible.
The Consulate General’s visit to Vermont is part of its mandate and work program that cover economic, trade and political issues to promote Philippine-American bilateral relations and strengthen community relations through robust people-to-people exchanges. END