DFA chief to bring up PPP infra projects during SKorea visit

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo aims to create a buzz over the Aquino Administration’s $17-billion (P750-billion) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects when he goes to South Korea on an official visit from January 9 to 11. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday posted on its website a statement saying Romulo is meeting with key Korean government officials to “further foster various aspects of bilateral relations." "Discussions will focus on the expanding economic and development cooperation between the Philippines and the ROK. Among the principal activities lined up for the three-day trip are a courtesy call on ROK President Lee Myung-bak and a bilateral meeting with Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Kim Sung-hwan," the DFA said. Romulo will also meet with Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) President Park Dae-won and ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary General Cho Young-jai. "(Romulo) is expected to invite continued Korean investments and seek official development assistance (ODA) in support of priorities indentified in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan for 2010-2016," the DFA said. The DFA said Romulo is expected to build on the positive discussions between President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and President Lee in Hanoi on October 30 last year. Aquino's father, the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., served in Korea as a war correspondent while the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) was deployed during the Korean War (1950-1953). Romulo's itinerary Romulo's will visit the section in the Korean War Memorial devoted to the Philippines, as well as the new Chancery of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul to meet with Filipino community leaders. The Embassy is also expected to present to Romulo a copy of its book "Finding Jose Rizal in Korea: Perspectives from Filipino Migrants." Philippine-ROK relations date back to 1949, cemented with the participation of 7,420 Filipino troops under the PEFTOK in the defense of South Korea in the 1950s. South Korea is one of the country's major trade partners and a significant source of foreign direct investments (FDI) and ODA. Koreans also make up one of the largest groups of foreign tourists to the Philippines. In turn, South Korea stands as one of the major Asian destinations for overseas Filipino workers. As the host of the most recent G-20 meeting last November 2010 in Seoul, South Korea has also led in pushing for infrastructure projects in developing and less-developed countries as a top priority in the proposed G-20 development agenda.– VVP/MRT/JV, GMANews.TV