Czech Republic PM visit sparks talks for biz opportunities, PHL labor

MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the Philippines and the Czech Republic 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in October, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. discussed opportunities for further cooperation between the two countries — particularly in the business sector. 

The Philippines is the first country the Czech leader visited in his 10-day trip to Asia. Fiala came along with a business delegation, whose services and technologies he emphasized could aid the Philippines.

“Our companies offer solutions in many fields, many areas [such as] agriculture, aviation, transportation or space technologies. Defense and security cooperation is very important in our relations,” Fiala said in a joint press briefing on Monday. 

The two chief executives also discussed opportunities for the aviation sector as well as Czech support for the modernization of the Philippine Armed Forces. Fiala noted that Czech companies can also offer solutions for the Philippine dairy industry in the future, aside from transport and defense. 

Fiala is the first European leader Marcos hosted. He is the second head of government to visit the Philippines under the Marcos Jr. administration, following Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit in March.

Fiala also acknowledged the contributions of Filipino labor in Czech Republic, noting that they “highly appreciate the Philippine system for recruiting workers for work in other countries.”

Manila and Prague also committed to uphold the rule of law, democracy and human rights. 

“We had very interesting exchange of views regarding regional and international issues including the West Philippine Sea and cross-strait relations and the war in Ukraine amongst others,” Marcos said.

Based on a previous statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Marcos and Fiala already met in December last year while at the ASEAN-EU Summit in Brussels. — Kaycee Valmonte