A 50-member Australian business delegation will visit the Philippines from August 14 to 20 to explore trade, tourism, investment opportunities and other areas of collaboration with key government agencies, business organizations, and private sector representatives, the Board of Investments (BOI) reported on Tuesday.
The business delegation will be headed by Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, the Philippine Ambassador to Australia. The agency added that it will be the very first Australian business mission to visit the Philippines under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.
The agency, in a news statement, noted that the business mission will include investment briefings, business-to-business (B2B) meetings and a visit to the economic zones in Clark, Bataan, and Subic.
During its six-day visit in the Philippines, the Australian business delegation representing various sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing, mining, tourism, education, and IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) will participate in a series of activities, which will be hosted by foreign business groups and key government agencies.
The networking breakfast will be spearheaded by the Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC) and Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM).
Meanwhile, the business briefing and business-to-business (B2B) meetings will be led by the Board of Investments (BOI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), and Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB).
Other government agencies that will be participating are the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Energy (DOE).
The BOI said that this event aims to “highlight the Philippine value propositions and sector of complementations with Australia,” specifically in automotive and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, agribusiness and renewable energy.
“The delegates will also have opportunities for networking during a networking cocktail that will be hosted by the Australia Philippines Business Council [APBC] in Manila, and during the luncheon to be hosted in New Clark City by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and in Bataan by the Provincial Government of Bataan, as well as in Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority,” said BOI.
According to Ambassador De La Vega, the growth of the economy, increased productivity and post-pandemic recovery are the current priorities of the Philippine government.
“I am looking forward to the Business Mission and it is my fervent hope that we will be able to generate stronger interest from the private sector to develop and deepen commercial linkages between the Philippines and Australia,” de La Vega said.
The Business Mission is jointly organized by the Philippine Trade and Center in Sydney, the Philippine Board of Investments, DTI’s Export Marketing Bureau, PEZA, the Subic Clark and Alliance for Development (SCAD) and the Freeport and Economic zones in the Subic-Clark-Bataan corridor.