The Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, Korea

PH PROMOTED AS A PROMISING DESTINATION FOR TOURISM INVESTMENTS AT THE INAUGURAL ASEAN-KOREA TOURISM INVESTMENT SEMINAR

Seoul, 20 June 2018- The Philippine delegation, led by Tourism Undersecretary Alma Rita D. Jimenez, promoted the Philippines as a promising destination for tourism investments during the “ASEAN-Korea Tourism Investment Seminar” organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center on 8 June 2018 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

PH Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez was a special guest at the Opening Ceremony together with some ASEAN Ambassadors. The Opening Ceremony was also attended by Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) Director Angelica Cayas and Tourism Attaché Maria Corazon Jorda-Apo and other tourism officials.

The Seminar featured the theme “Tourism Investment Partnership for a Sustainable Future.” As it was the first time for the ASEAN-Korea Centre to host a Seminar on tourism investment in close collaboration with the tourism authorities of ASEAN member states, there was great interest from potential Korean investors to learn more about the tourism investment opportunities in the ASEAN member states.

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H.E. Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez (4^th from right) with H.E. Aladdin D. Rillo, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community (6^th from left), H.E. Secretary General Lee Hyuk of the ASEAN-Korea Centre (center) and Tourism Undersecretary Alma Rita Jimenez (6^th from right) during the Opening Ceremony of the ASEAN-Korea Tourism Investment Seminar on 8 June 2018 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

The Seminar opened with remarks by H.E. Lee Hyuk, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, followed by Welcome Remarks from Datuk Rashidi bin Hasbullah, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia, and Congratulatory Remarks by Mr. Keum Gi-hyung, Director General of Tourism Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea.

Dr. Aladdin D. Rillo, a Filipino national who is currently the Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community, delivered the keynote address during the event.

During his keynote address, Deputy Secretary General Rillo expounded on the opportunities and challenges in the development of tourism in the ASEAN region. He also underscored that “the Seminar was timely as it is in line with the trend of fostering tourism development of Korea and ASEAN, deepening tourism cooperation between the two sides, facilitating mutual understanding between tourism industries, and broadening cooperation in tourism investments.” To this end, Deputy Secretary General Rillo expressed hope that the governments and the private sectors from both sides could work together to expand investments in tourism infrastructure, provide a favorable policy environment and more financial support for the development of the tourism industry, and promote the sustainable and stable development of the tourism industry.

Representatives from the tourism authorities of ASEAN member states also shared with the audience the tourism investment climate and foreign investment projects in their respective countries. For the Philippines, Ms. Alma Rita D. Jimenez, Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation Coordination & Resource Generation, delivered a presentation highlighting the promising tourism investment prospects of the Philippines.

In her presentation, Undersecretary Jimenez noted that the “Philippine tourism sector is one of the biggest contributors to the growth of the Philippine economy and that the Philippines is recalibrating its travel destinations to boost capacity due to increased demand.”

Undersecretary Jimenez also underscored that “the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program under the administration of H.E. President Rodrigo R. Duterte is expected to boost interconnectivity throughout the Philippine archipelago and contribute to the growth of the tourism sector.”

Aside from Undersecretary Jimenez, Director Danilo B. Intong of the Office of Tourism Standards and Regulations also delivered a presentation during the event.

Following the presentations, business-to-business meetings were held by representatives of ASEAN member states with interested Korean investors.

The ASEAN-Korea Tourism Investment Seminar was a resounding success as it paved the way for Korean companies to be apprised of the promising investment opportunities in ASEAN’s vibrant and growing tourism sector.

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PHL EMBASSY IN SEOUL CELEBRATES 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE

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Ambassador Hernandez and Madame Ana Hernandez pose with the officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.

SEOUL, 18 June 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul successfully hosted a diplomatic reception on 14 June 2015 at the Crystal Ballroom of Lotte Hotel to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. The event was attended by about 450 guests from the diplomatic, business, and religious communities, as well as the government sector. The Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Sun-gu was the Guest of Honor.

Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez, in his Independence Day message, highlighted the strong economic performance of the Philippines under the leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Ambassador Hernandez attributed the country’s impressive GDP growth rate of 6.7% last year to the vision of the Duterte administration to effect transformative change in the Philippine society and economy.

“President Duterte’s efforts to form a more law-abiding society, his constant focus on fighting corruption and criminality, as well as the contributions and support of our international partners are indispensable to achieving inclusive economic growth and prosperity,” the Ambassador said.

Apart from underscoring the economic gains of the country in recent years, Ambassador Hernandez also emphasized in his remarks the strong bilateral relationship between the Philippines and South Korea.

“Today, apart from commemorating our nation’s independence, we also celebrate the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and South Korea that has grown and flourished through the years, blossoming to become a very strong partnership in the fields of politics, defense and security, trade and investment, development, education, tourism and people to people exchanges,” the Ambassador stated.

Ambassador Hernandez highlighted the important role of South Korea in the Philippines’ economic emergence, the former being the country’s 5th major trading partner, the 6th largest source of official development assistance, and the number one source of tourists for the past 3 years with 1.6 million Korean visitors in 2017. In terms of people-to-people exchanges, South Korea is home to over 68,000 Filipinos while there are over 98,000 Koreans residing in the Philippines.

“Indeed, the interaction between our peoples continues to grow on an upward trajectory. This demonstrates that up to this day, our two nations continue to stand side-by-side not only as staunch defenders of freedom and democracy, but as steadfast partners in development and prosperity,” Ambassador Hernandez said.

For his part, Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon highlighted in his congratulatory remarks the special relations between the two countries, saying that the deep trust and friendship between the Philippines and South Korea “is well exemplified by the fact that Korea is the country that accounts for the greatest number of visitors to the Philippines and our trade volume has continued to exceed 10 billion dollars since 2010.”

“I also believe that there is still tremendous potential for the further deepening of our relations. Based on the exchange of our valuable experience and the ever-growing range of issues of common interest, I believe the ties between Korea and the Philippines will indeed expand as we move forward to the future,” he added.

Also present at the event were Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination Suh Jeong-in, Mr. Kim Jo-Won, CEO of Korea Aerospace Industries, Mr. Kim Ik-Tae, Director of KIA Motors, and Mr. Kim Dong Wook, Senior Vice President of Hyundai Motors. They, together with Ambassador Hernandez, Madame Ana Hernandez, and Deputy Minister Yoon, led the cake-cutting ceremony.

The event was capped off with remarkable performances from Ms. Leigh Jocson, Ms. Danalee Caguntas, Ms. Mary Joy Lor, Ms. Danica Torres, Ms. Jhonor Leanda, Mr. Rich Valerio, and Mr. Gil Hizon which featured traditional and contemporary Filipino songs.

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Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez delivers his Independence Day message during the diplomatic reception commemorating the 120th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. In the background are Deputy Minister Yoon Sun-gu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea and Madame Ana A. Hernandez.

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Ambassador and Madame Hernandez are joined by dignitaries and foreign envoys for a group photo. Photo credit: Choi Won-suk of Korea Times

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PH AGRI-PRODUCTS A HIT WITH FOOD BUYERS AT SEOUL FOOD 2018

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Seoul, 8 May 2018–The Philippines successfully participated in the “Seoul Food 2018: International Food Industry Exhibition” that was held from 1 to 5 May 2018 at the KINTEX Convention Center in Seoul.

First Secretary and Consul General Christian De Jesus represented PH Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez during the formal opening the Seoul Food Expo and the inauguration of the Philippine pavilion on 1 May 2018.

The Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, through its Philippine Agriculture Office led by AgricultureAttache Maria Alilia Maghirang, facilitated the participation of an agri-business delegation composed of 16 Philippine food exporters. The Philippine pavilion showcased notable agricultural products such as fresh bananas and mangoes, dried mangoes and banana chips, calamansi products (juice and concentrate), coconut products (fresh coconut water, virgin coconut oil, coconut body oil and body lotion), yacon tea and syrup, organic teas (moringa, turmeric and guyabano), organic food supplements, special salsa and sauces, cashew, peanuts, chicharron, and other snacks.

The Philippine pavilion, likewise, introduced new items to the Korean public such as native pili nuts, pickled mangoes (original and spicy), and fresh okra.

The Philippines’ participation in the Seoul Food Expo was a resounding success as Philippine agri-products showcased during the event attracted the keen interest of the public and potential buyers.

The Philippine participation in this year’s Seoul Food Expo was made possible through joint collaboration between the Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS) and the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.

Seoul Food Expo, considered to be one of Asia’s largest food exhibitions, has annually served as a venue for international and local exhibitors to showcase their agricultural products and processed food as well as the latest trends in food processing and packaging. The Exhibition has also provided opportunities for business matching.

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PH ENVOY INAUGURATES KOICA EXHIBITION ON THE PHILIPPINES

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Seoul, 3 May 2018- PH Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez represented the Philippines at the inauguration of the “12^th KOICA Global Village Exhibition: Treasure Islands of the Pacific Ocean: Indonesia and the Philippines” that was held on 3 May 2018 at the KOICA Global Village, Gyeonggi province, Korea.

Ms. Mi-Kyung Lee, President of the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), welcomed Ambassador Hernandez and Indonesian Ambassador Umar Hadi as Guests of Honor during the inauguration of the Exhibition. For this special Exhibition, the Philippines and Indonesia were selected by KOICA as the featured countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The curated Exhibition featured three mythical islands, namely the Island of Culture which showcases the exotic cultures of the Philippines and Indonesia; Island of Global Citizenship which highlights the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; and the Island of Innovation which focuses on KOICA’s Development Innovation Program.

The Exhibition on the Philippines captivated the attention of guests and schoolchildren as it featured iconic Philippine cultural items such as indigenous and MassKara Festival masks, traditional jeepney, Ifugao costumes, and the elegant barong and baro’t saya.

Following the Exhibition, President Lee of KOICA hosted an outdoor ceremony in the middle of a lush green forest which was attended by Ambassador Hernandez, Ambassador Hadi and more than 100 Korean schoolchildren.

In her remarks during the ceremony, President Lee underscored that “Korea’s partnership with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia, would be taken to the next level under the policy direction of the Moon Jae-in administration.”

Ms. Lee further emphasized that by sharing Korea's experience, skills, and know-how with the Philippines and Indonesia, KOICA hopes that it would be able to sow seeds of goodwill that would strengthen Korea’s relations with the Philippines and Indonesia.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Hernandez delivered a presentation highlighting the Filipino youth and the Philippines’ rich cultural heritage. Ambassador Hernandez expressed hope that “his presentation would provide an opportunity for the Korean youth to learn more about the geographical, historical and cultural contexts that have shaped Filipino children into multi-cultural and global citizens.”

Ambassador Hernandez also expressed the hope that the Korean youth would draw inspiration from their Filipino brothers and sisters and grow up to be model citizens of their country, who can make a difference not only in their local communities but also in the larger community of nations.

The event concluded with a reception featuring the distinctive cuisines of the Philippines and Indonesia. Philippine dishes served at the reception included chicken adobo, pansit, lumpia, and banana cue.

The KOICA Global Village Exhibition on the Philippines and Indonesia will end on 28 February 2019. Since its establishment in 2010 by KOICA, the KOICA Global Village has staged an exhibition annually with the aim of showcasing different countries from around the world in order to promote global citizenship and better understanding of global issues.

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