The Ambassador of the European Union (EU) and the Ambassadors of the EU Member States in the Philippines paid an official visit to Baguio City for the first time jointly to get acquainted with the City and to explore opportunities for further collaboration.
During their visit, on January 27-29, the Ambassadors met with local government officials led by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, civil society representatives, academe and the press.
They also visited EU funded-projects on green economy, justice coordination and children’s rights, as well as Baguio City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Command Center, the Quezon Elementary Library HOB (Hooked on Books), and the Mansion House.
EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro said that: “We are pleased to visit Baguio City jointly for the first time. We like to thank the Baguio City government as well as the officials and representatives from government agencies, NGOs, civil society organisations and the press, for the very warm welcome. We also like to acknowledge the strong commitment of the city government and partner institutions, and civil society organizations to good governance and to green inclusive growth”.
The envoys visiting the city include Ambassadors Massimo Santoro, European Union; Dr. Titanilla Tóth, Hungary; Michel Parys, Belgium; Raduta Dana Matache, Romania; Ioannis Pediotis, Greece; Dr. Johann Brieger, Austria; Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, Denmark; Dr. Andreas Pfaffernoschke, Germany; Marie Fontanel, France; Ričardas Šlepavičius, Lithuania; Karel Hejč, Czechia; Davide Giglio, Italy; Emma Hickey, Ireland; Saija Nurminen, Finland; Nicholas Panayiotou, Cyprus; Ambassador-designate Anna Ferry, Sweden; Chargés d’affaires ad interim Ms Anna Krzak-Danel, Poland; and Mr. Dragan Barbutovski, Slovenia.
The partnership between the European Union and the Philippines has evolved and intensified during the last 60 years, from development cooperation and humanitarian aid, to a wide range of areas nowadays, including for example green economy, space, security, and of course, education.
The EU-Philippines’ bilateral relationship is growing even stronger under an all-encompassing Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation that the EU and the Philippines concluded in 2018.
This Agreement provides an enhanced legal framework, enabling both the EU and the Philippines to strengthen the bilateral relation on political, social, economic, and security matters, based on common interests but also shared principles and values, such as our common commitment to multilateralism and adherence to the international rule of law. This commitment has become all the more important in the context of the current geopolitical challenges.
During the press conference at The Forest Lodge on January 29, EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro explained why Baguio chose to visit.” First, it is important for us as Ambassadors to go out of Metro Manila and to experience and get first-hand information about the situation in other parts of the country. And we knew about Baguio being a city that emphasizes good governance, digitalization and environmental sustainability, as well as a seat for academic excellence and for a vibrant and creative civil society. I think our visit has confirmed those assumptions, which make the reputation of the city.”
“Also on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Mayor Magalong and other city hall officials and to civil society interlocutors for their warm hospitality, frank sharing of experiences, and incredibly well run logistical assistance that have made this visit possible. It is not easy to receive such a big group as ours, the Ambassadors and Chargés d’affaires ad interim of 17 EU Member countries, out of a total of 27 EU Member States, including some Ambassadors who are based out of the Philippines and who flew to the country primarily for this occasion.”
He said, “We had a very productive discussion with Mayor Magalong and his team, where we learned more about the city’s policies. This was complemented by a visit to the Command Center of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. We also visited the Green LGUs project, which, as you may know, is being supported by the European Union. We were happy to see that Baguio City’s priorities very much reflect the priorities of the EU in those two critical areas.”
Notably on green economy, the European Union is implementing a Green Economy program in the Philippines in support of the Philippines’ transition towards a green economy and green growth, including circular economy, reducing waste, renewable energy and research.
EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro said they allocated PhP3.6 billion to this program. “However, together with several of our Member States and financial institutions, we expect to mobilize another PhP28 billion under what we call a “Team Europe” approach. This is part of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.”
Under the Green Economy program, the project that they visited on Monday aims at enhancing circular economy practices by the Local Government Units in collaboration with the private sector and the civil society.
Baguio has been selected as one of the first ten cities for the implementation of this project, which will be extended to up to 60 Local Government Units in the coming months.
We have also had the opportunity to visit another two projects of the European Union in Baguio and the Cordilleras: one which aims to support national efforts to eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor, including online sexual abuse or exploitation of children and violations of acceptable working conditions; and another project that is part of our support to the Philippines Justice sector, notably to the inter sectoral coordination through Justice Zones, one of which has been established in Baguio.
