Colombia offers to sell pork

COLOMBIA HAS offered to supply the Philippines with pork and beef products and is also keen to increase foreign investment between the two countries.

Colombian Ambassador to the Philippines, Marcela Fernandez. (Alberto Alcain)

“We are interested in selling pork meat and beef to the Philippines and we would welcome, Mr. President, any support you can give us to accelerate the admissibility process,” Colombian Ambassador to the Philippines, Marcela Fernandez, told President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We also want to see an increase in foreign investment both ways as both your economy and my economy have a lot of potentials. And we want more tourism. More and more Colombians are visiting the Philippines and we believe that Colombia has everything that the Filipinos love,” she added.

The offer came at a time that meat vendors protested Duterte’s Executive Order No. 124 putting a cap on the prices of pork and chicken based on the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture.

The Colombian Ambassador said her government could also share its rebel reintegration program with the Philippines. “Allow me just to suggest our program in reintegration for former combatants that now is a four-stage program and it goes from institutional strengthening, the route to reintegration, community approach and monitoring and evaluation," she said.

Both countries already exchanged talks and best practices on reintegration, but Fernandez believes that the Philippines and Colombia could further develop this area of cooperation.

Duterte said the country is ready to develop ties with Colombia on trade and investment, defense, and in addressing non-traditional security issues, including terrorism and violent extremism, drug trafficking, and other transnational crimes.

“We are also interested in cooperating on taking the peace process further, given Colombia’s experience. Together, in solidarity and cooperation, we will continue to build upon the gains of our longstanding friendship,” he told Fernandez. (Joyce Ann Rocamora, Mindanao Examiner)

Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates