Binay urges Israel to hike trade with Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay urged yesterday the officials of the Israeli government to explore new trade and investments opportunities in the Philippines.

Binay, who is now in Israel, met yesterday with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the presidential residence in Jerusalem.

“The Philippine-Israel bilateral trade represents a very small percentage of the overall Israel-Asia two-way trade. I hope that our strengthening bilateral relations translate to more investments between our countries,” Binay said.

Binay said the Philippines could benefit from Israel’s technological advances in agriculture and food production.

Binay also expressed interest on learning how the Philippines could attract technology transfer and further investments from Israel to the Philippines.

“I am happy to note that Filipino agricultural workers are being exposed to Israeli agricultural technology that is considered among the best in the world,” Binay said.

“I hope that more Philippine fresh produce such as pineapples and coconuts would find its way into the mainstream Israeli retail market. The embassy has initiated the mechanism for the approval of pineapple importation to Israel in coordination with the Israel Ministry of Agriculture,” Binay added.

While in Israel, Binay will also attend a dinner meeting with Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman to discuss regional developments.

Binay is also expected to meet with Israeli business groups to reinvigorate the overall trade relations between the two countries.

He will also lay a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims of the Holocaust.

The Vice President will also go to the Rishon Lezzion municipality and visit the Open Doors Monument which honors the Philippines’ humanitarian act of providing refuge to Jews during the Holocaust.

Binay will also be meeting the Filipino community in Beit Dani, Tel Aviv.

He is also set to attend the inauguration of the Philippine Square at the City of Haifa and meet mayor Yona Yahav of Haifa city in honor of the sister-city relations between Haifa and the Philippines.

Before going to Israel, Binay was in Rome representing President Aquino and witnessed the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Before that, he also represented Aquino at the 2012 European Development Days in Brussels, Belgium and was in Luxembourg to meet with officials of the European Investment Bank.