The Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, Korea

PHILIPPINE ENVOY LEADS THE RELEASE OF THE FIRST BATCH OF PASSPORTS WITH 10-YEAR VALIDITY

10 Year Passport 1

Seoul, 21 January 2018 – The Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul, South Korea released the first batch of passports with a validity of 10 years today, 21 January 2018.

Ms. Carla May B. Begas, a Filipina marriage migrant from Chungnam, Chuncheongnamdo in the mid-western part of Korea, is the first to receive a passport with 10-year validity among the 33 Filipino nationals who applied for the renewal of their passports on 3 January 2018. Ms. Begas was ecstatic and very grateful when her passport was personally handed to her by Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez at the Consular Section of the Embassy.

The issuance of passports with 10-year validity is one of the reforms in consular services that the Department of Foreign Affairs has undertaken in line with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s commitment to improve the delivery of services to the public.

Under Republic Act No. 10928 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, passports with 10-year validity will be issued to Filipinos 18 years old and above while Filipinos below 18 years of age will still be issued passports with 5-year validity.

10 Year Passport 2

ROK SHARES KNOWLEDGE OF ITS ADVANCED E-INVOICING SYSTEM WITH THE PH

ROK Shares Knowledge 2

Seoul, 11 January 2018 - A delegation from the Philippines, led by Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua and Assistant Secretary Mark Dennis Joven of the Department of Finance (DOF), visited South Korea from 8-10 January 2017 to gain a deeper insight into ROK’s implementation of its Electronic Tax Invoice (ETI) System for its Value-Added Tax (VAT) Regime which has gained international renown for being one of the best VAT systems in the world.

During their visit to Korea, the Philippine delegation was provided a comprehensive briefing by concerned Korean government agencies and stakeholders on ROK’s advanced internet connected E-Invoicing and E-Sales system.

The Philippine delegation was also able to learn more about the robust partnership between the public and private sectors in the implementation of the ETI system in South Korea. Some of the agencies visited were the Korea Institute of Public Finance, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the National Tax Service.

On 10 January 2018, the delegation paid a courtesy call on Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez at the Philippine Embassy. Ambassador Hernandez was joined at the meeting by Consul General Christian L. De Jesus and Commercial Counsellor Emmanuel Ang, Head of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC).

Ambassador Hernandez conveyed to Undersecretary Chua that the Philippines can gain valuable lessons from ROK’s experience in the implementation of the ETI system as ROK has been recognized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for its highly efficient and technologically advanced VAT system.

Also, during the meeting, Undersecretary Chua discussed the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). He conveyed that the law aims for the acceleration of development and inclusion of more Filipinos in the economic growth of the Philippines and to finance the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Rodrigo R. Duterte which aims to ramp up infrastructure spending and opening up more opportunities in infrastructure development to foreign investors.

Undersecretary Chua further mentioned that the second package of the TRAIN would be introduced to Congress for their consideration. He also confirmed that the National ID project would be implemented this year with the target date of completion in 2020, emphasizing that the initiative would be important as more people would be able to open bank accounts and apply for credit cards.

On behalf of the delegation, Undersecretary Chua expressed appreciation for the assistance rendered by the Embassy of the Philippines and the PTIC during their visit to Korea.

The official visit was organized by the Department of Finance in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

ROK Shares Knowledge 1

PH EMBASSY EXPRESS CONDOLENCES TO FIRE VICTIMS

PH PRODUCTS SHOWCASED AT THE KOREA GRAND SOURCING FAIR 2017

PH Product Showcased at Korea Grand Sourcing Fair 2017 1

SEOUL, 12 December 2017- PH Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez was a special guest at the Opening Ceremony of the Korea Grand Sourcing Fair that was held on 28 November 2017 at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul.

The Grand Sourcing Fair is an annual event organized by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korean Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Over 140 overseas companies participated in this year’s Fair which served as a platform for foreign companies to market their products to the discerning Korean market.

Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez had the opportunity to meet Mr. Kim Young-Jo, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Organization (KITA), during the Fair and expressed appreciation for the invitation extended by KITA to the Philippines to participate in the event.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ambassador Hernandez and Commercial Counsellor Emmanuel Ang, Head of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) met with the delegation from the World Trade Center (WTC) Manila led by its Vice-President Lila P. Cailles. At the Philippine pavilion, Philippine products from WTC member companies were showcased including Philippine health products and Philippine handicrafts featuring paintings by renowned Philippine painters.

-END-