By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA, Philippines —
Seeing great potential in deepening economic ties with the Philippines, Panama has opened a new avenue for closer bilateral cooperation with the inaugural Philippines-Panama Political Consultations that establishes a regular platform for dialogue on trade, maritime affairs, tourism, renewable energy and other areas of mutual interest.
Held just three days ago in Panama City, the consultations brought together senior Philippine and Panamanian officials to discuss and identify concrete opportunities for expanding and diversifying joint economic initiatives.
The Philippine delegation was led by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Policy Leo Herrera-Lim, who co-chaired the discussions with Panamanian Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Arturo Hoyos Boyd.
Herrera-Lim was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Mexico (with jurisdiction over Panama) Arvin De Leon, DFA assistant secretary Rhenita Rodriguez and other ranking officials.
The talks came amid renewed momentum in bilateral relations between Manila and Panama City following Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez’s visit last July for the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) held in Pasay City during the Philippines’ ASEAN chairship.
“Panama’s participation in the 50th Anniversary of the TAC reflects our collective commitment to the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, renunciation of the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and effective cooperation,” Herrera-Liam enthused.
The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in trade and investment, logistics, agricultural business, tourism, renewable energy, maritime affairs, marine environmental protection, labor and disaster risk reduction.
Particular attention was also given to maritime cooperation, with both countries exploring ways to leverage their complementary strengths. Panama plays a major global role in shipping and ship registration while the Philippines is a major source of highly skilled maritime professionals.
Topics that were tackled included seafarer welfare, education and training, port modernization and maritime labor standards, as well as ocean governance, the blue economy, marine environmental protection and protection of critical maritime infrastructure.
Minister Martínez-Acha Vásquez underscored the importance of having “hub-to-hub” cooperation between the Philippines and ASEAN and Panama.
ia/xf
