Envoy: Philippines may soon have direct flights to Myanmar

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino aviation officials will meet with their counterparts in Myanmar this month to discuss the air services agreement between the two countries.

In an interview with Radio-Television Malacañang, Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar Alex Chua said the meeting between the aviation officials will be held in Yangon on May 19 and 20.

Chua said the air services agreement that will be discussed "may result in the first direct flights between the Philippines and Myanmar."

"It is worth noting that the exchange of high level visits has fast-tracked air talks between the Philippines and Myanmar," Chua said, recalling Myanmar President Thein Sein's state visit to Manila in December 2013.

On May 10 and 11, President Benigno Aquino III will be in Myanmar for the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

According to Chua, there are 590 Filipinos registered with the Philippine Embassy in Myanmar as of December 2013.

He said while most Filipinos there are engaged in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, there are also Filipino professionals including teachers, architects, journalists and even technical experts.

"Recently we have noted an increase in the number of Filipinos registering with the embassy," Chua said.