Philippine Ambassador Carlos C. Salinas was the Guest Speaker at the Desayuno Informativo (Informative Breakfast Meeting) held at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid on 23 October 2013. The meeting was organized by the Executive Forum España and was attended by about 120 guests from the Diplomatic Corps, contacts from the government agencies, presidents and CEOs of private companies and professors from Spanish universities.
The Philippine presentation entitled “The Philippines – Europe´s Gateway to Southeast Asia” was delivered by Ambassador Salinas, joined by Deputy Chief Mission Catalino R. Dilem, Jr, and Second Secretary and Consul Arman R. Talbo. The presentation highlighted the potential of the Philippines as a gateway for Europe to Southeast Asia in terms of its strategic geographic location, history, cultural ties with Europe and South East Asia, population and workforce. The presentation also provided the audience with the developments in the Philippines in terms of fundamental demography, current socio-economic setting, political framework, economic profile, and tourism.
Ambassador Salinas also reminded the audience of the strong historical ties between the Philippines and Europe which can be traced back in 1521, when Magellan arrived in the Philippines, and how this momentous event ultimately led to the development of the galleon trade and globalization.
Ambassador Salinas underscored the positive developments in the political agenda of the Philippines under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III, with its policy of “Daang Matuwid” systematically instituting accountability, transparency, and integrity among government officials and civil servants.
Ambassador Salinas ended his presentation with an invite to the audience saying “With all the great potentials that the Philippines has today, why not consider the Philippines as your next business and tourism destination? Why not be partners of the Philippines today, be the Magellans and the Galleon Traders of our time?”.
The presentation was very well received by the audience and was followed by a Q&A.
The Executive Forum España is a company that organizes informative breakfast meetings both for the government and private sectors in Spain. The company was established in Madrid in 2004 and since then has become an avenue for foreign embassies in Spain in promoting their countries.