His Excellency Mr. Francisco L. Benedicto, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
On the occasion of the National Day of the Philippines, I extend warm greetings and felicitations to the Government and people of the Philippines on behalf of the Government of India, the people of India and on my own behalf.
It was on this day in 1898 that the brave freedom fighters of the Philippines first issued the Proclamation of Philippines Independence at Kawit, Cavite. India and the Philippines share many common bonds in the long struggle for freedom from colonial rule. Both our countries were guided by the far-sighted vision of our founding fathers, Mahatma Gandhi and Jose Rizal. Although they were not exact contemporaries, their ideas were remarkably similar. Fervent advocates of non-violence, they passionately believed that internal social reform was equally important to the attainment of political independence.
We have drawn on the peaceful and mutually beneficial relations which were established long before the colonial era when seafarers and traders from India visited the Philippines. The cultural and linguistic legacy of these early contacts are still visible and I believe that many words in Filipino local languages have a Sanskrit origin. In the province of Mindanao, there is also a popular version of the Ramayana epic known as Maharadia Lawana. In the post-colonial period, our common commitment to democracy and an open society, pluralism and inclusiveness, constitutes a natural bond between our two countries.
In recent years, our bilateral cooperation has greatly intensified and cemented by a series of high level visits. President Fidel Ramos's visit in March 1997 and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visit a decade later in October 2007 have strengthened cooperation between the two counties. From India, President Abdul Kalam visited the Philippines in February 2006 and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh attended the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Cebu in January 2007. With the far-sighted approach of our leaders and the signing of several framework agreements, we have expanded institutional structure and areas of cooperation covering political, strategic, economic and cultural fields.
Philippines is one of the strong pillars in our economic engagement in ASEAN. Of particular note has been the steady growth in our economic links. Our trade has almost doubled over the last four years reaching $ 825 million in 2008-09, and we should be able to achieve the target of $ 1 billion trade turnover by 2010. Indian investments in the Philippines have also been growing, and apart from the traditional areas of textiles, steel and chemicals, IT software products and BPO/Call Centres have now emerged as dynamic new areas of cooperation. I am happy to note that Philippine investments in India have also been growing in the areas of real estate, food processing and IT sectors.
Interaction between India and the Philippines in multilateral fora has fostered better understanding of mutual concerns and priorities. We also appreciate Philippines' consistent support for India's participation in the East Asia Summit.
This year, the two countries are commemorating the 60th anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations with a number of befitting ceremonies. It is heartening to learn that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in November 1949, India and the Philippines have enjoyed close and friendly relations. Our relations have entered a qualitatively new phase and we look forward to adding substantially new content in this special year.
The Indian community in the Philippines and the Filipino community in India are important bridges between our two countries. Indian businessmen started going to the Philippines in the early 20th century and set up businesses particularly in textiles, garments and trading which have made a contribution to the Philippines economy. Some of them have also become Filipino citizens. In recent years, there has been an influx of professional managers and students from India. We also extend a warm welcome to the small but growing Filipino community in India.
I am confident that our existing warm and friendly bilateral relations continue to grow in the years to come, bringing our people even closer.
With this I once again extend warm greetings to the people of Philippines on this occasion.
Thank you,
