President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is seeking to enhance agricultural cooperation with Chile and to foster closer collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the post-pandemic context.
This initiative follows separate meetings held with Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren and WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Friday.
In his meeting with Van Klaveren, President Marcos articulated his desire to fortify the Philippines’ ties and collaborative efforts with Chile, asserting that such an approach represents “the best way forward in this very interconnected world.”
He remarked, “Although physical distance used to be a problem or an obstacle, that does not apply any longer. So, I think there is much that we can do to further the relations and the partnerships between our two countries,” as reported by the Presidential Communications Office in a news release on Saturday.
President Marcos expressed hope for deepening bilateral relations in various domains, particularly in trade, investment, and agriculture. He indicated that the Philippines may explore collaborations with Chile to enhance its agriculture sector, specifically in cacao cultivation and processing.
“Because it is becoming a very important crop, slowly becoming an important crop, we are trying to promote it. And you have, I think, the best technologies when it comes to that product,” remarked President Marcos.
Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, who was also present during Van Klaveren’s courtesy call, noted that the export of fish and minerals from Mindanao is being considered.
“(There are) skin beauty products and other things that we can (explore)… also the agriculture sector and the seafood products that we can export to them,” Roque said, highlighting the opportunities presented by the recently opened deep-sea port in Peru for the transportation of Asian products to South America.
President Marcos also expressed gratitude to Chile for confirming its support for the Philippines’ bid for a term on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2027-2028, in return for the Philippines’ support for Chile’s bid for the same body for the 2029-2030 term.
Foreign Minister Van Klaveren characterized his brief visit to the Philippines as “very productive,” having engaged in discussions with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo regarding bilateral relations, along with other regional and global matters.
The Philippines and Chile established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946.
In 2023, Chile ranked as the Philippines’ 49th trading partner among 230 countries, 47th export market out of 205, and 50th import supplier out of 221.
Meeting with WHO
In conjunction with this agenda, President Marcos expressed his aspiration for increased collaboration with the WHO in the post-pandemic landscape.
“I am confident that (Health) Secretary Ted (Herbosa) has briefed you on our initiatives, particularly regarding the lessons learned post-pandemic. Thus, any guidance from the WHO would be warmly welcomed,” he communicated to Piukala during a separate meeting at Malacañan.
Dr. Piukala was elected to the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in October 2023 and appointed to the WHO Executive Board in January of this year, assuming office on February 1.
In his capacity as regional director, Dr. Piukala leads the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office in its engagement with governments and partners across the Western Pacific aimed at improving regional health outcomes and ensuring the safety of the region’s population.