The Honorable Matt DeCourcey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Friends:
Welcome to this celebration in honor of the Philippines’ revolutionary heroes and the Filipino people’s journey toward independence and sovereignty.
This evening the Embassy is pleased to present the distinct images of the Philippines through the works of its gifted young artists in an art exhibit titled: "Filipinism: What Makes Art Filipino," featuring the works of Aris Bagtas, Anna Lumpas, Ronna Manansala, Wifredo Rufon, Sr., and Emman Sia. The exhibit will be housed at the Philippine Embassy and will run from 16 to 26 June 2017.
We are also very fortunate to have with us this evening Messrs. Bagtas and Sia who flew in all the way from Manila for the exhibit.
Friends,
Around this time 119 years ago, Filipinos made the bold and courageous proclamation that we are masters of our own fate. Nearly twelve decades hence, the Philippines continues to stand on the very same principles of liberty and self-determination brandished by our revolutionaries as they proudly unfurled the Philippine flag in Kawit, Cavite on 12 June 1898.
Philippine Chairmanship of ASEAN and Milestone Anniversaries
Today, in a global backdrop of unpredictability and unease the Philippines carries forward the culture of dialogue during its chairship of ASEAN throughout 2017 under the timely theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”
This year, ASEAN marks its 50th anniversary as a regional organization and the 40th anniversary of dialogue relations with our dear and close partner, Canada which is also celebrating its 150th birthday. As current country coordinator for the ASEAN-Canada dialogue, the Philippines thanks Canada for actively engaging ASEAN in areas of mutual benefit and for carving time out this year to organize celebratory activities for our 40th ASEAN-Canada anniversary.
Commissioned studies show that mutual gains can be achieved by a free trade agreement between ASEAN and Canada. Eyes are on the Philippines as we preside over ASEAN’s community building agenda.
The World Bank, in its Philippines Economic Update for 2017, forecasts that the Philippines will remain among the top performing economies in East Asia. This is supported by the government’s commitment to increase investments in public infrastructure development, as well as by the “substantial gains in employment and poverty reduction.”
Philippine domestic issues
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me address an issue on the minds of many. Human Rights. The Philippine Government has zero tolerance for abuse by law enforcers and murders are in no way state-sponsored. The investigation of deaths resulting from police operations is conducted as a matter of course; and administrative and criminal charges are filed against those where evidence exist.
The big picture should open our eyes to important realities: 1.266 million pushers and users have surrendered and they live; 65,917 drug personalities have been arrested and they will have their day in court; we have doubled the budget for our Commission on Human Rights, despite its being one of the most outspoken critics of President Duterte; and we welcome private sector participation and external assistance in the effective and sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration programs for surrendering drug users. Law enforcers may resort to the use of force only to repel life threatening violence by suspects or criminals.
The Philippine Government is now waging a war against terror. A few weeks ago, martial law was imposed for a period of 60 days in the island of Mindanao to suppress violence and rebellion for a limited period of 60 days, in accordance with our constitution. The Philippine Government is taking action to thwart the ISIS-linked Maute Group from its murderous rampage, taking innocent lives and destroying property. It is disturbing for us to see foreign terrorists involved in this conflict.
We are optimistic that military operations will swiftly clear the city of violent extremists, put an end to this disturbance, and prevent its spread to other areas of Mindanao.
Philippines- Canada ties
Dear Friends,
In the face of serious challenges, support for the Duterte government remains decisively high with 8 out of 10 Filipinos placing much trust in the President, as of last quarter’s public poll. We have a vibrant democracy at work in the Philippines-where the executive branch enjoys overwhelming buy-in from the citizenry, while the legislature, the judiciary, civil society and free press continue to provide check and balance. The foundation of our society has not changed. Our values remain the same, including respect for due process, the rule of law and human rights.
Our over 700,000-strong Filipino community are at the heart of Philippines-Canada political, economic and socio-cultural ties. From the seeds of bilateral cooperation planted nearly 70 years ago, a sturdy tree of friendship continues to shoot up branches reaching into broader areas of partnership. The opening of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary in 2016 and the re-opening of the Philippine Trade Office in Toronto this year will surely bear more fruits for the benefit of our citizens on the back of existing Canadian commercial development policies.
The Philippines and Canada have been working specifically to elevate the status of women through GREAT Women, the Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women . We both are working with the Asian Development Bank relative to the enabling mechanisms for young women under the JobStart program.
Our new Trade Office is about to open an expanded office and showroom by the end of this summer and we anticipate key research and development collaborations in the agriculture and food sector. The Philippines remains the only country in the ASEAN region to have direct flights to and from Canada.
Canada’s 150th year Anniversary of Confederation
To honor our friend and partner, the Philippines will join the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday by way of an exhibit at the National Capital Commission’s International Pavilion from 20 November to 8 December 2017. We look forward to welcoming you to a special celebration, Philippine-style. We are happy to note that, in a striking metaphor of Philippine-Canadian friendship, the logo of Canada’s sesquicentennial was designed by Ariana Cuvin, a 17 year-old Filipino Canadian student from Missasauga. Recently, Filipino Canadian Jana Panem of Madonna Catholic Secondary School in Toronto won a nationwide contest for young artists to design Google Doodle, the banner atop Google Canada's search engine home page.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
“The Philippine Republic has come of age and must work out its own problems. But it is still entitled to our understanding and our help.” These words I just quoted were written in 1947 by Louis H. Pink for the Foreign Affairs journal, two years after the Philippines became a sovereign nation.
The proposition still rings true in an increasingly interdependent and interconnected globalized community.
As Canada finds itself in the position of advocating, wholeheartedly, for openness and cooperation, the Philippines seeks to develop inward, to the foundations of our democracy, and outward, to the ties that bind our two nations to the rest of the world.
On this promising thought, may I invite you to raise your glasses and cheer for Philippine Independence and Philippines-Canada friendship.
Mabuhay!