Taking photo opportunity are the delegates of Chamber of commerce Toronto Canada headed by Asec Maria Roseni Alvero of Senior Trade Comm...
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| Taking photo opportunity are the delegates of Chamber of commerce Toronto Canada headed by Asec Maria Roseni Alvero of Senior Trade Commissioner, Philippine Consulate General-DTI-FTSC, Toronto Canada, MGEN Fernando Mesa ret.Municpal Mayor Alabat,Dr Alexander Madrigal Regional Director,DOST-CALABARZON,MS.Vermelyn Evangelista Technical Supervisor,PRCDF, Ms Erlene Manohar Regional Manager,PCA 4A Engr.Arnel De Mesa Regional Executive Director,DA CALABARZON LGU Alabat, QUEZON QUEZON, Mr.Robert Gajo Provincial Agriculturerist Representative of QUEZON Governor David Jay-Jay Suarez, Hon. Ping Reyes Municipal Mayor PEREZ Repesentative of Farmers Pres.Herlberto Ruanto KAANIB PCC-TORONTO and CANADIAN INVESTORS Pres Steve Pagao President, Philippine Chamber Of Commerce- Toronto Marilou Toledo Regional Director,DTI 4A |
LUCENA CITY, Quezon -- For the first time in the region, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Calabarzon region organized on Saturday the first meeting and investment forum between micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon with the visiting Canadian inbound mission delegates at the Queen Margarette Hotel here. Filipino-Canadian Steve Pagao, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) led the 10 Canadian delegation for the pre-matched arrangement of the B2B meeting with entrepreneurs of MSMEs in the region.
Marilou Q. Toledo, regional director, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Calabarzon, said the Canadian inbound mission delegation was an immediate response of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) to the DTI-led outbound trade and business mission last Nov. 12-22, 2017 that promoted Calabarzon products in Canada specifically in Toronto and Ottawa.
“Everything went so fast. I don’t expect that in a matter of three months there is already an incoming mission to concretized and to look at the area (Alabat town) as an area for investment and an area to collaborate and make
our products acceptable in the Canadian market,” Toledo said.
“We want to let our delegates from Canada (know) what Calabarzon can offer,” she added. Toledo informed that Regional Director Alexander R. Madrigal of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Calabarzon joined that mission as in-charge of research and development that will make the region’s products more innovative and more competitive.
She said Mayor Fernando Mesa of Alabat town in Quezon also joined the mission since the development of an island economy has been earmarked in island towns of Alabat, Perez and Quezon considered as geographically
isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) in the country. Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary Maria Roseni M. Alvero, senior trade commissioner, Philippine Consulate General, DTI Foreign Trade Service Corps in Toronto, Canada, explained the strategic importance of Canada having a bigger market, larger population of Filipino migrants, and increased infrastructures.
She said DTI has to make up for lost opportunities for 16 years, after the closure of its office in Toronto in 2001 and was revived only in December 2017.
Alvero pointed out that Canada is the 11th leading exporter and 10th leading importer in the world but most of the trade happened in North America through the United States that even Filipino products are imported through the US.
“Philippine-Canada trade is not in the top 20 but we are ahead with United Kingdom and Switzerland. Our export to Canada is greater than our import,” Alvero said. “We are performing very well. Positive trade balance.”
Alvero said further that among the Asian countries, the Philippines is the fifth major supplier of merchandise imports, which are much desired since the country has a bigger market and very competitive but lacking promotions.
Alvero said the project, funded by collaborating government agencies in the Calabarzon region such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Land Bank of Philippines (LBP) including DTI and local government units, will benefit the farmers in Alabat Island and the overseas workers as investors.
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