NZ honorary consuls for Cebu, Mindanao named

NEW ZEALAND Ambassador David Strachan has appointed Manuel Osmeña and Vicente Lao as honorary consuls for Cebu and Mindanao, respectively.

They are New Zealand’s first Honorary Consuls in the Philippines. These appointments follow the announcement of the new positions by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during her visit to Manila in November 2017 for the East Asia Summit.

New Zealand recognises the dynamic economic growth and the potential for increasing business exchanges in both Cebu and Mindanao. The appointments of Osmeña and Lao as Honorary Consuls will help deepen the trade and economic partnership with Cebu and Mindanao.

“The move reflects the growing interest of the New Zealand private sector in opportunities associated with impressive economic growth in Davao and Cebu. We aredelighted that Mr Osmena and Mr Lao, two highly respected and dynamic Filipino businesspersons have agreed to take on these new roles," Strachan said.

Strachan added that “through tourism, education and business, people to people links between Cebu and Mindanao and New Zealand are fast growing. This move will inject greater momentum into that trend and in the process further enhance friendship between our peoples”.

Osmeña hails from a family of entrepreneurs in Cebu and is the current Group Chairman of the Manny O. Group, with interests in tourism, airport and airline services, wine and hotel business. He is also the Chairman and Founder of HopeNow Philippines Foundation.

Lao’s various business interests include agriculture, construction, and the import/export sector. He is currently the Chairman of the Mindanao Business Council and chairs the Board of the Brunei Darussalam-IndonesiaMalaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Business Council.