Direct linkages between business communities vital: Philippines envoy

Direct linkages between business communities are imperative to increase the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Philippine and in this connection trade exhibitions and trade delegations are being arranged, said ambassador of Philippine His Excellency Domingo D. Lucenario. He was addressing the executive committee members of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here Friday.
Domingo expressed dissatisfaction over the present trade volume between the two brotherly countries and said that he wanted to establish direct linkages between the business communities of two countries and in this connection Chambers of both countries could play a major role. "I shall visit Faisalabad again in January next year to give a comprehensive presentation to the local businessmen on huge trade opportunities available in Philippine", he said and invited the local businessmen to participate in trade exhibitions scheduled to be held in December this year and in March and October next year. He assured full facilitation including arrangements for businessmen to businessmen meetings for their convenience and said that ten ASEAN counties collectively form a big consumer market of over 600 million people and hoped that businessmen from Faisalabad would also try to exploit this market with their entrepreneurial skills. He said that Philippine organise two major annual trade shows in addition to one in the month of December on the eve of Christmas and assured best possible facilities to the businessmen intending to participate in these events. He also appreciated the annual trade exhibition of FCCI and assured that businessmen from Philippine would also be convinced to participate in it.
His Excellency Domingo said that the building of Philippine embassy in Islamabad was under construction and is expected to be completed within next couple of months. He invited Engineer Rizwan Ashraf President FCCI to attend its inauguration. Commercial Counsellor John Paul B. Inigo said that Philippine embassy was issuing one year multiple entry visas to businessmen. However, on the recommendation of Chamber visas for longer duration could also be issued. He particularly invited Pakistani businessmen to attend the trade show of December as it would also be attended by large number of importers and exporters from the ASEAN countries.
Earlier, Engineer Rizwan Ashraf President FCCI briefed his about the importance of Faisalabad in the over all economy of Pakistan and said that it has emerged as a hub of textile industry. Regarding Pak-Philippine trade, he said that bilateral trade volume between the two countries is only 94 Million Dollar and we should make serious efforts to take this volume to the satisfactory level. He proposed single country exhibitions in both countries on reciprocal basis in addition to the regular exchange of trade delegations. He said that FCCI was also willing to ink MOU with Manila chamber in addition to declaring Faisalabad and Manila as sister cities. Later Muzammil Sultan former President FCCI presented a memento to His Excellency Domingo D. Lucenario while senior vice president Nadeem Allahwala pinned a badge of FCCI to Commercial Counsellor John Paul B. Inigo.
The visiting dignitary also presented a book titled "Flowers of Friendship" to Engineer Rizwan Ashraf while vice president Inam Afzal Khan formally offered vote of thanks to the participants of this meeting. The Philippine ambassador along with Secretary General Abid Masood also visited the secretariat of FCCI. He was very much impressed by the purpose-build FCCI Complex.