Source: Business World, 19 January 2012

By Johanna D. Poblete

THE PHILIPPINES and Thailand have committed to strengthening their economic relationship, including easing of trade and investment restrictions, in addition to exploring other areas of cooperation such as disaster risk reduction and mitigation, education and combating drug trafficking.

President Benigno S.C. Aquino III had an expanded bilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on the latter’s one-day official working visit in Manila yesterday. At the meeting both leaders underlined economic cooperation between the two countries.

“The challenge for our neighborhood is to maximize our gains by strengthening trade liberalization and investment facilitation. It comforts me that we have a partner like Thailand in this endeavor,” Mr. Aquino said at a joint press conference on Thursday.

President Aquino referred to the two governments’ “shared commitment to free trade and investment” as a means to address the uncertainties in the global economy, and particularly ensure a more robust regional economy.

“It is imperative that we work together to make sure that our region not only stays afloat but also makes marked progress over the next few years,” he said.

Mr. Aquino also disclosed that he “took the opportunity to invite Thai companies to invest in [the Philippine] government’s PPP (Public-Private Partnership) program.”

For her part, Ms. Shinawatra said that “Thailand is ready to provide support to Thai investors who wish to invest in the Philippines under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programs.”

The Thai Prime Minister also expressed appreciation for “the Philippines’ high support for Thai investors and willingness to remove some of the restrictions on trade and investment.”

Ms. Shainawatra pushed for increased importation by the Philippines, stressing that “Thailand is also ready to export more rice to the Philippines as part of our cooperation on food security.”

She also indicated that Thailand is “pleased that the draft convention on the avoidance of the double taxation and the prevention of the fiscal evasion… is expected to be signed at the next meeting of the [joint] commission.”

The fifth meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) will be hosted by the Philippines this year after a four-year hiatus.

Expected topics will include strengthening the implementation of existing cooperation in the areas of energy, agriculture, defense and culture.

The previous JCBC had resulted in an agreement between the two governments to set up energy forums and cooperation on education, narcotics prevention and transnational crimes, also to be initiated this year.

At the same bilateral meeting on Thursday, both leaders discussed disaster management, with Ms. Shinawatra noting that the two governments “must work closely together to protect our people from national disasters.”

This after Mr. Aquino had thanked Thailand for its assistance after the devastation of Tropical Storm Sendong (international name: Washi) last year; and in turn, Ms. Shinawatra had spoken of appreciation of Philippine support to Thailand in the wake of debilitating floods last year. Mr. Aquino also said that they had agreed to further expand “functional cooperation in key areas such as education, combating drug trafficking, and disaster risk reduction and management.”

While both countries reaffirmed their commitments to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), it was Mr. Aquino who urged for a concerted effort to resolve issues in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“On developments that impact on the stability and continued prosperity of our region, I discussed with Prime Minister Shinawatra the position of the Philippines on the issue of the West Philippine Sea (WPS),” he said.

“I reiterated our position that a rules-based approach is the only legitimate way to address the disputes in the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Aquino added.

The Philippines’ major advocacies in the ASEAN are: connectivity, maritime security, food security, migrant workers’ protection, disaster management and biodiversity.

In her speech, Ms. Shinawatra merely indicated agreement to “promote connectivity” in the regions and “create an ASEAN community that is people-centered, centered to the regional architecture and plays an important role in global affairs.”

However, she showed her resolve to “ensure a concrete outcome” to the points raised, assuring that she had “assigned the minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Ambassador of Thailand to the Philippines to follow up” on the discussion. — Johanna D. Poblete