THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said it will be participating in five more foreign trade missions this year to help attract new investment to the Philippines.
“We are hoping to showcase the Philippines as the new investment hub,” PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio told reporters on the sidelines of the Metro Manila Business Conference at Seda Vertis North on Thursday.
She said that the PCCI will be taking part in trade missions to Vietnam, Australia, South Korea, Qatar, and Italy.
“We are hoping for further collaboration,” she added.
“In Korea, we’re looking at manufacturing. They are very much interested in our manufacturing,” she said. “They are also interested in digitalization and infrastructure.”
She also noted Korean interest in partnerships for road and bridge projects in Bohol.
Australia, meanwhile, will host a global summit for business chambers.
“We’re looking forward to meeting some business groups interested in expanding their businesses here in the Philippines,” she said.
She said a visit to Japan yielded an offer to train workers to make them hireable by Japanese companies.
In particular, she said Japanese companies will be sponsoring Filipinos for language studies.
“During our visit there, four companies expressed interest in expanding their business in the Philippines,” she added.
She said she expects Philippine exports to continue growing this year with exporters enhancing their product offerings.
“For this Christmas season, we’re trying to help exporters of Christmas decorations, furniture, and all that. I still believe, as far as our exporters are concerned, that our quality has improved a lot,” she said.
“I think our export market will expand … I can see that our exporters are working hard to improve their products,” she added.
She expects more handicrafts business towards the end of the year from the US and Europe. — Justine Irish D. Tabile