Mary Ng, Canadian minister of international trade, just couldn’t contain her excitement when she saw a Jollibee mascot during her visit in Manila last week.
“As we were driving through the streets of Manila, I saw something very familiar. Jollibee. I had a nice hug with Jollibee (mascot) as soon as I walked to the headquarters. He was a little bit bigger than I thought. Bees are usually little and this one is a nice big bee,” Ng said, drawing laughter from reporters who met her at the Canadian Embassy in Makati.
Jollibee has not only conquered the huge market of 1 million Canadians of Filipino descent in Canada. With 24 stores in key cities in Canada, it has also captured the hearts of mainstream market in Canada with its classic Chicken Joy and sweet spaghetti, Canadian Ambassador Peter MacArthur said.
The Canadian international trade, export promotion, small business and economic development minister said she met with Jollibee Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong and was told that Jollibee will put up additional stores in Canada.
“We are seeing that the Filipino footprint expanded in Canada and they are very much welcome,” she said.
Ng is the first foreign trade minister to visit the Philippines since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. took office last June. She came from Germany and Cambodia for a series of ministerial talks with her counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and G7 countries.
She also visited the Skyway project, constructed by a Canadian engineering construction firm, WSB. The 42-km Skyway is the “longest elevated expressway in the world” and carries 100,000 vehicles and 500,000 people every day from North Luzon Express and South Luzon Expressway and vice versa.
“This is very impressive and a very good example of Canadian infrastructure. It is very synergistic with President Marcos’ vision of improving infrastructure in the Philippines.”
Canada is looking at doing more infrastructure projects in the Philippines and has expressed interest to help provide the country’s infrastructure needs not only in construction, but also in other areas, such as clean technology, energy, research and development, digital industries, agriculture and security.
Also during her visit, Canadian clean tech entrepreneurs met Filipino venture capitalists virtually. She also had meetings with Filipino women entrepreneurs from small and medium enterprises.
“Canada is an enthusiastic collaborator and partner with the Philippines,” she said as she cited the Philippines as one the “fastest growing economies” in Southeast Asia.
Total trade between the Philippines and Canada grew by 30 percent at around $2.8 billion last year despite the pandemic. The increase in trade was primarily driven by shipments of Canadian meat and wood.
“What this means is that trade creates jobs for both of our people, opening doors for small businesses and helping our economies which is so important at this time especially that we are all recovering from Covid-19,” Ng said.