The delegation included representatives from the Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motors, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewlett-Packard, Jhpiego, Johnson & Johnson, Monsanto, Oracle, Pfizer, Unisys, and was co-led by Council Vice President William Marmon and Kandy Anand, President of Coca-Cola Philippines and Chairman of the Council’s US-Philippines Business Committee.

“In today’s global economic climate the breadth of this mission and range of sectors involved send a clear message on the continued commitment of the American business community to growth and development in the Philippines,” William Marmon noted.

This year’s mission comes on the eve of a round of bilateral talks between the USG and the Government of the Philippines under the US-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and provided a timely opportunity for American executives to engage government and business leaders on a number of issues affecting the local business climate and global competitiveness of the Philippines. The mission themes included: The importance of human capital development and protection of intellectual property rights to attracting foreign direct investment; policies affecting the competitiveness of Philippines auto sector; the value of investments in health care to economic growth; the potential of international standards based ICT solutions to support national policy reform projects; and economic opportunities for the Philippines in relation to ASEAN regional integration.

During the three-day mission, meetings were held with officials from the: U.S. Embassy; Philippines-US Business Council; Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry; American Chamber of Commerce; Business Processing Association of the Philippines; National Competitiveness Council; and the Personnel Management Association. Meetings were also held with the: Senior Undersecretary of Trade and Industry Thomas Aquino; Director General of IP Philippines Adrian Cristobal; and Undersecretary of Finance Gil Beltran.

The highlight of the mission included a luncheon with H.E. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines and several members of her Cabinet including: Secretary of Trade and Industry Peter Favila; Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo; and Secretary of Energy Angelo Reyes.

“Our delegation was impressed with the candid and frank discussion we had with President Arroyo today. We noted her administration’s success in strengthening the Government of the Philippines fiscal position which allows the Government to devote additional resources to the areas of health, education, infrastructure and agriculture,” Marc Mealy, Senior Director of the Council’s Philippines Business Committee commented.

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The US-ASEAN Business Council and affiliates are dedicated to strengthening bilateral and US ASEAN relations and building strong economic and commercial ties. Members of the Council include Fortune 1000 companies in support of promoting trade, investment, and technology cooperation, advancing US ASEAN relations through strong participation in public-private partnerships, and committing to development and corporate social responsibility. The Council's members are represented in diverse industries, including aerospace, agribusiness, automobiles, computers and information technology, consumer goods, energy exploration and development, express delivery services, financial services, health care and pharmaceuticals, media & entertainment, mining, software, and telecommunications.

For information on the US-ASEAN Business Council or general information visit www.us-asean.org.