27 November 2015 - Philippine Consul General Gina Jamoralin addressed a gathering of distinguished members of the Rotary Club of Honolulu during her installation as honorary member on November 24 at the  Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. The Rotary Club of Honolulu is one of the oldest Rotary Clubs established in Hawaii. Philippine Consul General Jamoralin joined a distinguished roster of prominent Honorary Rotarians, which included Sir Winston Churchill (RC London), General Douglas MacArthur (RC Tokyo) and Mr. Walt Disney (RC Palm Springs) and Honorary Rotarians of Honolulu such as the late US Senator from Hawaii, Daniel Inouye, and past Consul Generals of Japan and Australia in Hawaii.

In her address, Consul General Jamoralin apprised the Rotary Club of the Philippines’ hosting of the recently held APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Manila from November 18 to 19, where US President Barack Obama and 20 other APEC Leaders attended.  She also underscored the  recent economic gains of the Philippine economy in terms of consistently high annual economic growth  averaging 6.2% in the last five years ,making the Philippines the second fastest growing economy in 2015, out of the 57 countries surveyed by Bloomberg. As a result of fiscal reforms and good governance under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III, the Philippines’s sovereign credit rating status has been  upgraded to investment grade status in 2013 by international credit rating agencies, further enhancing investor confidence and reduced cost of borrowing in the country. The Consul General also noted the Philippines’ improved rankings in various economic competitiveness indicators such as the Transparency International Corruption Perceptive Index; World Bank Ease of Doing Business; World Economic Forum Global Competitivess Index and the Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index.

In closing, Consul General Jamoralin thanked Mr. Garrett Grace, President of the Rotary Club of Honolulu, for  his invitation to the Rotary Club of Honolulu as honorary member and for the privilege of addressing the members. END