Thank you very much Secretary Ben Diokno for your introduction. Please take your seats.

The former President of the Philippines and Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; the Speaker of the House of Representatives Congressman Martin Romualdez; the honorable members of the Cabinet who have accompanied me here on this very important trip to Japan; the Chairperson of the Senate committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship Senator Mark Villar; we are also joined by the former Senate President Senator Manny Villar, who has in his capacity as a private sector businessman signed an agreement earlier today to further enhance the relationship between our two countries; Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group President and CEO Mr. Makoto Takashima; Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. Deputy President Mr. Tomoyuki Teraguchi; Daiwa Securities Group, Inc. President and CEO Mr. Seiji Nakata; SMBC Nikko Securities, Inc. President and CEO Mr. Yuichiro Kondo; Asia Leaders Association and other Japanese companies and banks who are here present this evening; other distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant evening to you all.

I like to first of all thank the leading financial corporations of Japan for hosting and organizing this very important dinner. This evening caps a whole day of highly productive business engagements arranged by our Philippine Department of Trade and Industry here in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Philippines is a great investment area as it leads economic recovery and performance in the Asia-Pacific Region, in fact, not only in the region, but in the whole world.

We look forward to future projects in the following sectors from both portfolio and foreign direct investors as we are certain that these will materialize into a fair return for both parties.

First is the knowledge-based and high technology sectors which will help the Philippines achieve its transformational goal to become a global manufacturing hub for next-generation wiring harnesses, office peripherals, and electronic parts and components.

Second entails upscaling the processing of our country’s green metals into higher-value products. Converting nickel ore to lithium-ion batteries, copper ore to wires and cathodes form part of the blooming green economy worldwide.

And third is about modernizing our food and our health sectors. Investments in agriculture-based manufacturing, cold storage and cold chain facilities, and virology centers will assure that we move forward as a highly competitive economy of nations for sustainable development.

Fourth involves our invitation to small and medium-sized Japanese enterprises to open outlets in the Philippines to fill in the gaps in the supply chain for key industries, deepen inventories for products and services, and help develop start-up ecosystems.

Fifth is related to the digital transformation and innovation in Philippine industries through investments in AI, artificial intelligence, bio-material research and development, and data centers.

Finally, the creative economy, a marriage of creativity and technology. We want to venture into partnerships both in business and capacity building projects in areas for which Japan is recognized as a world leader – in animation, in game development.

As our Philippine and Japanese businessmen break bread in tonight’s dinner organized by our gracious hosts in the Japanese financial community, I look forward to new ventures and partnerships in these industrial and service sectors we consider as strategic interests in our bilateral economic relations with Japan.

Once again, thank you for all of your presences here. Thank you for the organizers of this dinner. And I am sure that this interaction will prove beneficial for both our countries. Domo arigato gozaimasu. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat at magandang gabi po. [applause]

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Watch here: Dinner Hosted by Japanese Financial Institutions
Location: Tokyo, Japan