DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to utilize the country’s potentials to make the Philippines an important player, not only in the East Asian region, but in the “entire community of nations”.
Arriving here Friday night following his successful official visit to India to attend the ASEAN-India Special Commemorative Summit meetings, the President said issues such as martial law were not tackled during the meetings with the Indian government and businessmen, who expressed interest to come to the Philippines.
He, however, advised businessmen to avoid the western portion of Mindanao, especially Zamboanga, and instead offered Visayas, Luzon, and some parts of Mindanao, such as Davao and Butuan.
The President underscored that Philippines and India, including all other nations, are facing similar security concerns on land and sea.
In his speech, Duterte said the ASEAN’s destiny as a region was closely interlinked with the security of our seas.
“Together with ASEAN Leaders and India, we reaffirmed our commitment to work as a region in our fight against the menace of terrorism and violent extremism that cross and reach our maritime borders,” he said.
Duterte said he even urged India at the bilateral level to expand the cooperation of both countries in the areas of defense, counter-terrorism, and the fight against illegal drugs.
He, however, emphasized that ASEAN is the best common platform for dialogue and a venue for concerted actions against threats to the security and stability of nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We need to go beyond consultation. More than talk, we need to move together to deter, interdict and neutralize those that seek to destabilize our region,” he said.
On trade, the President reiterated the Philippines’ position in maintaining and promoting open, free, stable and secure maritime spaces and responsible use of maritime domain, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We agreed to enhance two-way trade and investment to achieve a healthy balance of trade,” he said.
The President reported that Philippine and Indian business delegations forged a total of USD1.25 billion worth of investments, which would create approximately 10,000 jobs.
He said they reached new agreements in IT-BPO, tourism, hospitality, aviation, and pharmaceuticals that promised positive change in the lives of the people.
Earlier, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez reported that business engagements between the Philippines and India resulted in the forging of 12 business agreements, two memoranda of understanding (MOU), and 10 letters of intent with total investment commitment of at least USD1.25 billion.
“Numbers can increase as companies finalize their plans. Specific calls to action in pursuing opportunities for trade and investment in affordable and quality medicine, which is really at the top of our agenda,” he said.
Lopez said the companies were committed to either expand or start operations in the Philippines.
Among them is the Adani Green Energy Ltd., which has pledged to invest in up to 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy.
Adani, Lopez said, it was the biggest in India and was looking at investing USD1.1 billion, which would create more than 3,000 jobs.
He also mentioned other commitments of expansion, such as the Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), one of the first IT-BPM companies in the Philippines, which has pledged to add two to four additional sites, raking an additional 2,000 jobs worth USD20 million; The Farm at San Benito; the KG Information Systems Pte. Ltd.; InterGlobe Technologies; InterGlobe Air Transport Ltd.; and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), which renewed its MOU with the National Association of Software and Services Companies. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
