Remarks of the Consul General
Diplomatic Reception
10 June 2005
Remarks of the Honorable Corazon L. Belmonte-Jover
Consul General, Republic of the Philippines
on the Occasion of the 107th Anniversary of
Philippine Independence
10 June 2005, 1800-2000 H, Salons 5 and 6, Level 3, JW
Marriott Hotel, Admiralty, Hong Kong SAR
Honorable Michael Suen, Acting
Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region
Excellencies, Members of the
Consular Corps in Hong Kong
Colleagues from the Philippine
Consulate General
Ladies and Gentlemen
A pleasant
evening to all and a warm welcome to this reception commemorating the 107th
Anniversary of Philippine Independence.
Over a
hundred years ago, our heroes and patriots achieved the summit of their
aspirations with the declaration of Philippine independence from colonial
rule. It was a long, arduous process marked by battles fought both with
the sword and the pen. The end result being the emergence of the
Philippines as the first republic in Asia.
And as we
commemorate this historic event, we recall today the important role Hong
Kong and its people played in our history.
Leading
figures of the Philippine revolutionary movement found in Hong Kong a
welcome refuge from the perilous enterprise of securing democracy for our
Motherland. It was also in Hong Kong where Dońa Marcela Agoncillo and
other Filipino women sewed by hand the first Philippine flag. The location
of this noble task is now memorialized by a historical marker at Morrison
Hill Road in the Wanchai District.
Our own
national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, lived only a short distance away from
where we are gathered at Rednaxela Terrace in Central. Though Dr. Rizal’s
sojourn in Hong Kong from 1891 to 1892 was brief, it was here where he
began work on a third novel and where his brother Paciano translated
Rizal’s first novel, “Noli Me Tangere” (translated in English as “Touch Me
Not” or “The Social Cancer”). Rizal, who was an opthalmologist by
profession, also practiced in a small clinic on D’Aguilar Street in
Central where the first Philippine historical marker in Hong Kong was
erected in 1997.
All these
events and many others are a testimony to the unique role played by Hong
Kong in our nation’s history.
Over a
hundred years later, Philippine-Hong Kong ties remain as strong as ever as
we both strive to break new ground in our relations.
The
Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong has been in existence for over
fifty-eight years and continues to be a part of and witness to the
vibrancy of our ties. From a few thousand Filipino expatriates there are
now 140,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong with a diversity of talents and skills,
all of whom are eager to contribute positively to the multicultural
dynamic of Hong Kong society. Hong Kong has been like a second home for
the Filipinos and we acknowledge the efforts of the Hong Kong Government
and Community in welcoming them to its fold.
Philippine
trade relations with Hong Kong have expanded tremendously in the last five
years. However, we would like to see these figures increase through the
years---and we shall redouble our efforts to achieve this. For the period
1999-2003, Philippine trade with Hong Kong expanded by 10.49 percent from
US$ 3.17 billion to US$ 4.69 billion. Exports grew by 11.81 percent
yearly during the same period. Imports of goods from Hong Kong likewise
grew at an annual average of 8.22 percent from US$ 1.23 billion to US$1.60
billion in 2003.
Hong Kong
likewise remains one of the most important trading partners of the
Philippines. In 2004, Hong Kong ranked as the sixth largest overall
trading partner of the Philippines, the fourth largest export market, and
the 7th largest import supplier. In terms of our bilateral
trade, the Philippines enjoys a surplus of US$ 1.42 billion dollars due to
the strong performance and demand for our semiconductor components and
devices which accounted for about 74.4% of total export receipts.
As further
proof of the strong commercial ties between the Philippines and Hong Kong,
several major Philippine companies in the finance, transportation,
telecommunications, banking, commercial, consulting, and services sectors
have representative offices in Hong Kong. We look forward to an
increased Philippine business presence in Hong Kong cognizant of the
strategic role Hong Kong plays in the region and particularly as a
platform for business expansion in China.
Our
government is committed to actively pursuing various means of
strengthening cooperation and exchanges between the Philippines and Hong
Kong in different fields such as in business, finance, the arts, cultural
understanding, education, racial harmony, information technology and other
knowledge-based industries. We hope to pursue this through the different
bilateral frameworks we have established. Among these being Memoranda of
Understanding on Air Services, Tourism Cooperation, and Cultural
Cooperation as well as Agreements covering Mutual Legal Assistance, among
others.
With our
close historic ties as the anchor and our common desire to build better
and more responsive societies, we look forward to fruitful years of
cooperative relations to come.
Thank you
again for your presence and as we say in the Philipppines---Mabuhay!
May
I now request everyone to join me as I propose a toast to the People of
the People’s Republic of China and the People of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region.
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