By Allan Nawal/Philippine News Agency
BANGKOK – The relations between Thailand and the Philippines continued to be warm and close, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon said.
Bernardo-Aragon said it included trade relations. Last year alone, the trade figure between the two countries has reached over US$10 billion.
“And we are happy to host several top Thai companies in the Philippines and there are also several Philippine companies that are based here in Thailand,” she said.
Bernardo-Aragon said Thailand is also fast becoming a destination for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). In fact, a report by Thailand’s Department of Employment said in 2017, nearly 15,000 Filipinos were working in various areas of the country.
DE director-general Varanon Peetiwan said then that in fact, there were five times as many skilled Filipinos working in Thailand than from any other ASEAN country.
“The Filipinos here in Thailand are highly considered by the Thai people — they are considered as highly skilled. There are many here who are teachers in English and many are in the professional level,” Bernardo-Aragon said.
She said OFWs here found work in international organizations, in hotels and in different foreign companies.
“There are also those who are employed in the entertainment industry like in Phuket and in Pattaya, in some of the hotels as we Filipinos are known for our talent in singing and in playing instruments,” Bernardo-Aradon added.
She said the number of OFWs finding jobs here could show that “our people here are warmly received by the host country, by the people of Thailand.”
Bernardo-Aragon said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s participation in the 34th Asean Summit could further advance Bangkok and Manila’s partnership towards the sustainability of their good diplomatic relations.
She said the leaders’ summit “is an extremely important opportunity” for the Philippines to be part of developing an ASEAN community “that is people-oriented, people-centered, that will uplift the lives, the livelihood of all the people in the region and wherein no one is left behind.”
“And of course, what is important here is to be able to sustain the economic and social development of our people,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bernardo-Aragon said that the Philippines can also benefit from its foreign relations with Thailand to pursue some of its agenda such as agro-tourism.
“I believe that both countries are very much into agro-tourism now. We know that Secretary Berna (Puyat) is promoting agro-tourism in the Philippines. And here in Thailand, I think this is also something that we can learn a lot from them,” she said.
Bernardo-Aragon said tourism cooperation was among the three agreements that Duterte has signed with Thailand in 2017.
The other agreements were for cooperation in Science and Technology and agriculture.
She said all the agreements are moving forward with the series of meeting held between concerned Philippine and Thai officials.
Bernardo-Aragon also said the diplomatic relations between Bangkok and Manila that dates back to June 14, 1949, when the two nations signed the Treaty of Friendship in Washington DC.
“Since then, we have enjoyed warm and cordial friendly relations between our two countries and our two peoples,” she said.
Bernardo-Aragon recounted that the bilateral relations was characterized by high-level visits.
She said in 1963, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit came to the Philippines and that visit paved the way for Thai nationals to study in various Philippine universities.
Just this month, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn came to the Philippines with 80 Thai cadets in tow.
Bernardo-Aragon said the Thai people were also “deeply touched” by President Duterte’s visit to the wake of King Bhumibol in 2016.
“This gesture of the President has deeply touched….many of the Thais here. The expressions of condolence by the President to the royal family, to the government, and people of Thailand,” she added.
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