Ople
Breaks Bread with HKSAR Officials and ASEAN Consul Generals
Hong Kong, 13 February. -- Visiting Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Blas F. Ople was the guest of honor and speaker of the Hong Kong-based Consuls General of nine (9) ASEAN countries at a dinner hosted by Philippine Consul General Victoria S.
Bataclan on Thursday, 13 February 2003. Also in attendance were high-ranking Hong Kong SAR officials Secretary Mr. Stephen Lam (for Constitutional Affairs) and Secretary Dr. Patrick Ho (for Home Affairs).
In the course of the evening, Secretary Ople gave the assembled officials a tour d'horizon of the region and beyond. They listened in rapt attention as Ople, speaking off the cuff, explained the Philippine position on regional and international issues.
He also delved into the occasional problems even amongst ASEAN members themselves, the prospects of defusing tensions around the region and the mutual benefits to be gained from a free and open trading system. Secretary Ople particularly underscored the vital role being played by the ASEAN Regional Forum in addressing security concerns most especially in South East Asia in the light of the increasing tension in the Korean peninsula.
Taking the opportunity to address the Hong Kong SAR officials present, Ople praised the "...sound state of RP-Hong Kong bilateral relations and the bright prospects of deepening and enriching the already existing close ties."
He shared his perspectives on how Hong Kong and ASEAN can take advantage of the vast economic opportunities that is China.
"China is now the leading engine of economic growth in Asia, and she has much to offer particularly with the expected realization of the ASEAN-PRC Free Trade Area in the next ten to twelve years", Secretary Ople observed, adding "...that there is a clear recognition of the increasing importance of ASEAN as a regional economic partner with the expression of interest of other countries such as, among others, India and Japan to establish similar free trade regimes".
Secretary Ople also thanked Secretary Ho for the various programs undertaken by his Department of Home Affairs that benefit Filipino workers in Hong Kong. Among these are the facilities provided by the HKSAR Government for the use of the Filipino community including a building (the Bayanihan Centre in Kennedy Town) and other school facilities where they can hold social and cultural activities, the publication of the "Service Handbook for New Arrivals" in English and Filipino languages, and the holding of various multi-cultural programs.
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