Sydney, Australia – A business delegation composed of 50 delegates from across Australia will visit the Philippines on 14-20 August to explore trade, tourism, and investment opportunities and other areas of collaboration with key government agencies, business organizations and private sector representatives.
The business delegation will be led by Her Excellency Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega. It will be the very first Australian business mission to visit the Philippines at the onset of the Marcos administration and will include investment briefings, business-to-business (B2B) meetings and a visit to the economic zones in Clark, Bataan, and Subic.
During its 6-day visit to Manila, Clark/New Clark City, Bataan and Subic, the delegation representing various sectors from renewable energy, manufacturing, mining, tourism, education to IT-BPM will participate in a networking breakfast to be hosted by the Philippines- Australia Business Council (PABC) and Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM), to be followed by a business briefing and business-to-business (B2B) meetings to be led by the Board of Investments (BOI), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and DTI – Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) together with other government agencies such as Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Energy (DOE). This is to highlight the Philippine value propositions and sector of complementation with Australia, specifically in automotive and 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.
Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega said the growth of the economy, increased productivity and post-pandemic recovery are the current priorities of the Philippine government and we need our partners in business to be fully involved and invested in the process.
“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,” Ambassador De La Vega said.
The Department of Trade and Industry’s overseas trade office in Australia, PTIC Sydney, said Australian trade and investments increased in the past two years despite the pandemic. Philippine exports to Australia increased by 46% from US$362.29 M in 2020 to US$531.09 M in 2021. Likewise, investments from Australia increased by more than 400% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same quarter the previous year putting Australia 6th in rank in terms of approved investments.
“Major Fortune 500 companies and leading Australian companies are already making it happen in the Philippines. This 50-member business delegation to the Philippines that we have organized proves there is keen interest to do more with participating companies eyeing investments in oil and gas exploration, agriculture, EV assembly, and the development of financial infrastructure of the BARMM and other underserviced regions of Philippines,” Alma Argayoso, the Philippines’ trade representative to Australia said.
The Business Mission is jointly organized by PTIC-Sydney, Board of Investments, Export Marketing Bureau, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the Subic Clark and Alliance for Development and the Freeport and Economic zones in the Subic-Clark-Bataan corridor. ♦
Date of Release: 11 August 2022