Upbeat No. 08.07.14 nn No. 2113 10.30.2008
PHL, Asia's rising economic tiger The Philippines is now the rising economic tiger of Asia as the country’s steady growth poured in the last few years. The Philippines is no longer the ‘sick man of Asia’. The future looks rosy and promising for the Spanish Charge country, d’Affaires Ignacio Perez Cambra said on the 12th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day celebration. “There has been a flow of high-level bilateral visits as we have not had for some years... Our ties have become closer and stronger,” Cambra said. The Spanish government renewed its commitment with the Philippines for intensified bilateral trade relations. Knowledge Management and Information Service Makati City, Philippines Tel.: (632) 895.3611 Fax: (632) 895.6487 publications@dti.gov.ph
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Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo and Philippines’ Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan signed a USD 68-M partnership framework agreement on good governance and disaster risk reduction.
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation had infused USD 334M worth of projects to the Philippines since 2000, Cambra said. He reported the amount of exports and imports now exceeds USD 580M. Exports have grown at an average of 25% in the last four years. Meanwhile, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. and Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso J. Alcala recently visited Madrid for a number of business ventures. The Aquino government is targeting 56M domestic tourists in 2016, up from the 35M target in 2012, Jimenez said. “The DOT is determined to help deepen the nation’s remembrance of Baler’s incredible journey and our support goes beyond the growing list of infrastructure projects to link Aurora with the rest of the country,” said Jimenez. “Nobody should be surprised to see, in a few years’ time, flocks of tourists enjoying the beautiful landscape and the beach resorts here to the extent that someday, we might have trouble in booking rooms in Baler to celebrate the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day," Cambra added. The DOT pointed out how the beauty of Baler can help the country in pursuing inclusive growth through tourism as it provides jobs, spurs business, and connects industries. n