PH ENDORSES CONTINUING ASEAN-RUSSIA GROWTH STORY.

Following the June visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in Russia, the Philippines successfully concluded a trade and investment scoping mission in Russia, as well as actively participated in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Sept. 6 to 7. The Philippines promoted trade and investment opportunities to Russian importers and buyers of food products, government representatives of the Primorsky Territory, officials and members of the Primorsky Chamber of Commerce & Industry, officials of the commercial port of Vladivostok, and the Far Eastern Development Corporation. Leading the PH delegation was Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) undersecretary Rowel Barba (5th from right) with Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta (6th from left), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director-General Charito Plaza (5th from left), Philippine-Russian Business Assembly, Inc. (PRBA) Armi Lopez Garcia (7th from right), and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Administrator Raul Lambino (6th from right). Other officials were from DTI, the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Philippines-Russia Business Council (PRBC), and the Mindanao Banana Farmers & Exporters Association (MBFEA). DTI Usec. Barba also served as panel speaker during the EEF’s Russia-ASEAN Dialogue, where he underscored the latest developments and business opportunities in PH and ASEAN. He also encouraged private sector members to do business in PH given that among the ASEAN countries, PH is consistently among the fastest growing economies.