As the Philippines and Canada commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero recently met with Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman at the Senate Ceremonial Hall to discuss ways to further strengthen areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Ambassador Hartman highlighted Canada’s significant investments in the areas of defense and security, human capital development, climate change finance, as well as in mineral resources extraction which could provide high-paying jobs for many Filipinos and benefit the Philippines in the long run.
Senate President Escudero cited two priority measures — the CREATE MORE Act which the Philippine Senate recently passed that provides incentives for foreign investors to set up operations in the country, and the enhanced fiscal regime for the mining industry which is now being discussed in plenary.
He also sought Canada’s expertise in the areas of AI, carbon credits and the blue economy in order for the Philippines to get a firm grasp on how these can be fully tapped to benefit the country.
