25 January 2016 - The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago reports that Consul General Generoso D.G. Calonge was invited as the guest speaker during the recently held “Doing Business in Asia” Seminar, hosted by the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, last January 12 at the Masuda Funai Law Firm in Chicago, Illinois.

Aside from Consul General Calonge, other members of the panel were: Michael Chu, Ge Lei, Shizu Machino, Deborah Telman, and Han Zhang, all Asian-American lawyers based in Chicago. 

In his speech, Consul General Calonge highlighted the gains made by the Philippine economy in recent years, informing his listeners that the country has earned “investment grade status” from several international credit rating agencies.

Consul General Calonge explained that the economic boom was the result of sound economic policies of recent administrations. He highlighted the economic program of President Aquino which was built on the premise, “good governance is good economics.”

Consul General Calonge invited his listeners to consider investing in the Philippines, which has an average rate of economic growth sustained at above 5% for the past five years, founded on sound economic fundamentals and a highly-skilled work force. He ended his talk with an invitation for all to visit the Philippines, whether for business or leisure.

The event was attended by members of the different Asian-American Law Organizations in Chicago. The current President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois is Filipino-American Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien, a native of Cebu. END