PHL promotes Palawan underground river in Portugal meet

Philippine officials made a pitch for the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature during the first Philippines-Portugal trade and investment seminar in Lisbon, Portugal. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday the Philippine officials also encouraged the Portuguese business community to invest in the Philippines. Representatives of both countries attended the event at the Sala dos Presidentes of the Associação Industrial Portuguesa-Camara de Comércio e Industria Headquarters (AIP-CCI) in Praça das Industrias in Lisbon on June 28. "Attended by members of the Portuguese business community and AICEP, the Portuguese Agency for Foreign Trade and Investment, the business gathering provided an accurate view of the improved business climate and the vast investment opportunities in the Philippines, as well as useful tips on doing business in the Philippines," the DFA said in a news release. The DFA said the event aimed to bring together business groups in Portugal "to encourage entrepreneurial competitiveness and support the Portuguese economy." The seminar also capped the activities the Embasssy lined up in June to mark the 113th Philippine Independence Day and the 150th birth anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Althea Antonio of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Paris presented the "Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Philippines for Portuguese Companies." She also delivered the presentation on "Agribusiness" on behalf of Jose Laquian of the Department of Agriculture in Brussels. Rosario Afuang of the Philippine Department of Tourism in London capped the seminar with her presentation on "Tourism and Related Investment Opportunities in the Philippines." - VVP, GMA News