(7 September 2022) The Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Mexico (with jurisdiction over Chile) and the Philippine Embassy in Santiago participated in the webinar Descubre Filipinas upon the invitation of the Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion and its Centro de Estudios y Desarrollo Asia Pacifico (CEDAP) .  The webinar targeted potential importers and exporters, foreign investors and other stakeholders from Chile’s  Biobio Region. PTIC Mexico’s Trade Counsellor Mr. John Paul Iñigo served as the main resource person for the Philippines and provided a comprehensive Spanish presentation on Oportunidades de Comercio e Inversion con Filipinas (Trade and Investment Opportunities with the Philippines). He highlighted the traditional PHL export products to Chile and, equally important, other prospective products for export, such as LED lamps, integrated circuits, office machines/equipment, communication equipment, tuna, shrimp, banana, piña, coconut and coconut byproducts, and many more.  He invited Chilean investors to attend PHL annual expos, specifically IFEX, or to visit its virtual platform IFEX connect. Trade Counsellor Iñigo also outlined a helpful summary of priority areas and key investment opportunities in the Philippines (Tiers I, II and II) focusing on health, employment, manufacturing, agri and aquaculture, strategic services, renewable energy, digital economy, and other crucial sectors. He underscored full Philippine governmental commitment and support for incoming investors under the CREATE Law, the Foreign Investments Act, the Public Services Act, the Transnational Higher Education Act, and other legislation targeting to promote and facilitate Philippine trade and investment with its bilateral partners and international stakeholders.

PTIC-Mexico’s main feature was preceded by a presentation by Mr. Ovaldo Marinao, Regional Director of ProChile, who discussed the ProChile’s offerings and services for Chilean PYMEs (micro, small and medium scale enterprises) as well as the current advantages and challenges of investing in the Philippines.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Jim Tito B. San Agustin, UCSC Rector Dr. Christian Mellado, Consul Dennis John Briones, UCSC Director Steve Baeza Abadie, PTIC Mexico’s Liliana Calderon, Special Assistant Paula Rodriguez, and Embassy Interpreter Julia Carolina Farias served as panel members during the 2-hour webinar and Q&A. END