Thank you very much, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Fred Pascual. [Please take your seats.]

The members of the Philippine delegation; the former President and Senior Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; our Senate President, Senator Migz Zubiri; House Speaker Martin Romualdez; and the other members of the Cabinet who have accompanied us on this very important trip; the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Trade Commerce and Entrepreneurship Senator Mark Villar; we also have joining us the former Senate President of our Upper House, the former Senate President Manny Villar who has also entered into an agreement and an arrangement in today’s signing; the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Mr. Ken Kobayashi; Keidanren Chairman Mr. Masakazu Tokura; the Boekikai Chairman Fumiya Kokubu; and the Keizai Doyukai Chairman Mr. Kengo Sakurada; the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committee Co-Chairman Mr. Teruo Asada; and Mr. Takehiko Kakiuchi; Mr. Yuji Hirako; my fellow workers in government; the distinguished guests who are here with us today; ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

I am delighted to be amongst the industry captains and the top-ranking executives representing the parliament of big business as well as associations whose members include small and medium enterprises, management, and importers.

Indeed, there is much to be admired about Japan’s unique business landscape where networks of independent manufacturers, supply chain partners, distributors, and financiers work efficiently and harmoniously to ensure the success of the whole.

I am accompanied on this trip by an equally diverse group of 114 businessmen whose activities span the whole gamut of Japan centric business opportunities –  manufacturing, construction, real estate, retail, food service, trading, telecommunications, aviation, recruitment, mining, and agribusiness.

And in the morning of the first day, our Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Pascual reported that the business matching event that DTI arranged for 85 Philippine companies yielded more than 255 meetings with Japanese counterparts. In the afternoon, our delegates also visited a facility in Odaiba that was built by a company that began as a startup, and today builds ultra-compact spacecrafts for comet explorations.

On top of forging new connections in business, our delegates are also here on a mission to listen, to observe, to learn, and then act on opportunities and new knowledge. I hope that the synergies that we establish with our Japanese partners today will continue to grow.

Hopefully beyond profit and commerce, these partnerships will now extend to lifelong friendships which will promote and will encourage the deepening and the strengthening of the ties between Japan and the Philippines.

Thank you and good afternoon. [applause]

Domo arigato gozaimasu. [applause]

— END —

Watch here: High-Power Luncheon and Networking Event
Location: Tokyo, Japan