Philippines, South Korea boost blood brother ties

BUSAN – President Duterte yesterday invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit the Philippines next year to witness the signing of a proposed free trade deal as he vowed to further strengthen ties with Seoul, which he described as Manila’s “blood brother.”

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Moon’s visit to the Philippines would be a good opportunity to ink the free trade agreement (FTA), which will make it easier for Philippine products to enter the Korean market.

“President Duterte invited President Moon for a state visit next year. That will be a good timing for the signing of the FTA. As you know, we are still fixing things,” Lopez told reporters after the bilateral meeting of the two leaders here.

To further demonstrate their commitment to finish the trade talks, the two countries signed a joint statement on the early achievement package of the negotiations on the proposed deal.

Negotiations on the proposed trade deal between the Philippines and South Korea started this year. Under the deal, the tariffs for some Philippine agricultural products like bananas and pineapples and industrial goods would be reduced. South Korea, meanwhile, is asking the Philippines to remove tariffs on automobiles and car parts.

Officials had said the proposed trade deal may be finished by September and may be signed this month. Officials had hoped that the deal would be signed on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said a trade agreement could narrow the trade gap between the two countries.

“I guess the purpose of that is to make trade relations more intense by reducing the trade gap between the Philippines and Korea and increase our exports,” Pernia said in a chance interview.

Trade volume between Manila and Seoul hit $13.7 billion last year, with Philippine exports to South Korea reaching $2.5 billion. Philippine imports from South Korea, amounted to $11.2 billion.

‘Blood brothers’

During his meeting with Moon, Duterte promised to work to further enhance the relationship between Manila and South Korea. He said the two countries are commemorating 70 years of “meaningful” bilateral relations and have become “blood brothers” on the “altar of freedom.”

“Solidarity and mutual aid have been the hallmark of our ties since 1950. It touches us that this remains so,” Duterte told Moon.

“I assure you that the Philippines will continue to find common cause and purpose with the Republic of Korea towards enhancing our bilateral engagement and promoting peace and stability in your region,” he added.

A total of 112 Filipino soldiers died and 313 others were injured while defending South Korea from communist North Korea and China during the Korean War.

Duterte also thanked Moon for donating $100,000 to victims of the recent earthquake in Mindanao.

Aside from the FTA joint statement, Duterte and Moon yesterday witnessed the signing of an agreement on social security and the implementation program of a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation.

Two other agreements on education and fisheries were also signed on the sidelines of Duterte’s visit here but were not among the documents inked during a ceremony held after his meeting with Moon.

In a recent interview, South Korean Ambassador Han Dong-man said the agreement on social security would benefit thousands of Filipino workers here. There are about 58,000 Filipinos in South Korea based on latest government data.

The cooperation on education, meanwhile, is expected to satisfy the demand of Filipinos who want to learn about Korea’s language and culture and to expand existing education facilities.

The fisheries deal, Han said, would enable the Philippines to use Korean technology to develop its fishery resources.

The implementation program on tourism cooperation seeks to introduce joint programs and activities that will bolster two-way tourism promotion and align tourism efforts between the two countries. The document, valid until 2024, also aims to facilitate deeper and meaningful interaction between Filipinos and Koreans, and strengthen overall cooperation on tourist safety, security and quality assurance.

The tourism department recorded 1,624,251 arrivals from Korea in 2018, equivalent to 22.78 percent of the 7.1 million tourists who visited the Philippines that year.

Strategic partnership

Moon said the bilateral ties between the Philippines and South Korea should be elevated to a strategic partnership. A strategic partnership covers cooperation in political, economic and food security matters.

“Based on our history of friendship and trust, the time is right for our countries to think about elevating our relations to a strategic partnership. The elevation of our relations will pave the way for our countries to engage in greater cooperation that will lead us to common prosperity,” Moon said.

“The Philippines is the future of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as it continues to achieve an impressive growth rate of six percent this year thanks to your outstanding leadership... I hope to strengthen my friendship with you and expand our bilateral cooperation will contribute further to the development of ASEAN,” he added.

Moon said the Korean people love the Philippines, noting that they are the number one visitors to the country. He said bilateral trade volumes surpassed the $15-billion mark for the first time last year and numerous Korean firms are doing business in the Philippines.