126th Anniversary Of Philippine Independence: Philippines, Nigeria Share Mutually Beneficial Relations– Ambassador Mellejor .
By Helen Udoh,Outlook Media ABUJA.
The Philippine Ambassador to Nigeria, Meresole Mellejor, said Philippines, Nigeria Shared Mutually Beneficial Relations.
Mellejor revealed this in his remarks on the 126th anniversary of Philippine independence, celebrated in Abuja on Wednesday in Abuja.
He noted that Philippines recorded the highest bilateral trade with Nigeria in 2020, before the COVID-19 era.
The Philippine Ambassador to Nigeria, Meresole Mellejor, said bilateral trade between Nigeria and his country has surpassed more than a hundred million US dollars in the last few years.
He added that an estimated 8, 000 Filipinos operate in different industries in Nigeria.
“The Philippines and Nigeria may be located on two (2) different continents with about 18 hours of flight time, but our relations have been long-standing and robust. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, the two (2) countries have signed bilateral agreements and are in the process of concluding more, all aimed to generate concrete mutually beneficial outcomes.
“But the most concrete manifestation of our relations has always been our people. At its peak before the global financial crisis in 2009, there were an estimated 8,000 Filipinos in Nigeria, mostly professionals in various capacities in the oil and industrial states, factories in many parts of Nigeria and more importantly, in the services sector.
Now estimated to be around 3,000, the number is rising again as we emerge from the global pandemic. We certainly thank Nigeria for welcoming and hosting our nationals,” he stated in his remarks.
“At the political level, the Philippines and Nigeria have a regular Joint Commission Meeting between our respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
This year, we are resuming another edition of such a meeting, which was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have a respectable level of bilateral trade, reaching more than a million US dollars at its highest in 2020 and a steady flow of tourists from both sides.source, dailypost.
The Statement Reads In Part:
DRAFT REMARKS OF
H.E. MERSOLE J. MELLEJOR
PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR TO THE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION TO MARK
THE 126TH ANNIVERSARY OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
FRASER SUITES ABUJA
WEDNESDAY, 6:00 P.M. 19 JUNE 2024
Good evening!
Thank you all for joining us here in this reception to mark the 126th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence.
I stand by established protocol but there are just too many distinguished guests and I am new here. So, I hope that you will forgive me if I just forgo calling each of you individually because to do so would easily last us an hour.
Your excellencies, distinguished officials of the Nigerian government, representatives of the business sector and the Filipino community in Nigeria, my dear colleagues at the Philippine Embassy, friends, ladies and gentlemen.
Tonight’s occasion is significant for three (3) reasons. First, this marks another year in the history of the Philippines as an independent democratic republic – the first in Asia. Second, to the day is the date of birth of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Third, 2024 also marks 62 years of our diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Nigeria – on 01 August to be exact.
The Philippines and Nigeria may be located in two (2) different continents, about 18 hours of flight time, but our relations have been long standing and robust.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, the two (2) countries have signed bilateral agreements and are in the process of concluding more – all aimed to generate concrete mutually-beneficial outcomes.
At the political level, the Philippines and Nigeria have a regular Joint Commission Meeting between our respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs. And this year, we are resuming to hold another edition of such a meeting, which was temporarily put on hold due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
We have a respectable level of bilateral trade – reaching more than a million US dollars at its highest in 2020 and a steady flow of tourists from both sides.
But the most concrete manifestation of our relations has always been our people. At its peak before the global financial crisis in 2009, there were an estimated 8,000 Filipinos in Nigeria, mostly professionals in various capacities – in the oil and industrial states, factories in many parts of Nigeria and more importantly, in the services sectors. Now, estimated to be around 3,000 – the number is rising again as we emerge from the global pandemic. We certainly thank Nigeria for welcoming and hosting our nationals.
Meanwhile, the Philippines hosts some 10,000 Nigerians, the majority of whom are studying in various high education institutions in the country. I was told that the number was even higher in the 90s. The graduates even have an association here in Nigeria called the Philippine Graduates in Nigeria, or PHILGRAN – I hope they are represented here tonight. There are also a good number of Nigerians pursuing productive careers in the Philippines – perhaps in the medical and the entertainment industry.
And I want to mention that many Filipinos and Nigerians have found union in marriage – we cannot do better than that because that is the ultimate manifestation of people-to-people relations.
But I must say that the Philippines and Nigeria can do more to advance the level of bilateral relations given the vast potential of both countries. The numbers speak for them – 115 million Filipinos and 230 million Nigerians, more than half of which are below 40 years old – we all speak the same language – English and both countries are fully functioning democracies that advocate creativity and free market economics. I can tell you that no government official or any well-meaning trader, investor or travel agency will ignore a 345 million market.
At the level of government there are many areas that we can continue working on – including exchanges of best practices and technical know-how aimed at strengthening democratic governance, law enforcement and many more.
Given the foregoing – us, the representatives of the Philippines and our colleagues in Nigeria – and our partners – our honorary consulate in Lagos, the business sector and the Filipino community, have our work cut out for us to further enhance our bilateral relations.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, as important as our bilateral relations is our cooperation on global issues.
When Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently hosted the Vin d’Honneur for the diplomatic corps in Manila, he underscored that Philippine foreign policy is grounded on the continuing promotion and work for international peace. On the global stage, we have taken positions in support of the rule of law and of the rules-based international order, grounded on the principles laid out in the UN Charter and multilateral conventions – and we thank the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a recognized leader in the African continent – for supporting the Philippines.
Our foreign policy provides the context why the Philippines has submitted a bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the term 2027-2028 in elections to be held in June 2026.
So why the Philippines in the UN Security Council? – it is because the Philippines is a partner, a pathfinder and a peacemaker. As a country, we have the experience and we walk the talk – we settled a forty-year old separatist insurgency and we have a 60-year history of success in UN peacekeeping operations – Yes, the Philippines desires to share its experience in promoting peace and its advocacies on a global scale.
Hence, we are counting on the support of Nigeria and all countries to bring the Philippines to the UN Security Council in 2027-2028 in elections to be held in New York in June 2026 in the interest of peace, rule of law and international security.
In the meantime, let us enjoy the rest of the evening. I thank you for your kind attention!