A 15-member delegation from the Sri Lanka-Philippine Business Council (SLPBC) led by its President Ravi De Silva, with the patronage of Honorary Consul of Philippines to Sri Lanka Hugh Sriyal Dissanayke visited Manila from 21 to 22 October 2019.
During a very prospective business interaction session organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce (PCCI) on the 21 of October, the SLPBC delegation met with their counterparts in the sectors of construction, tourism, logistics, manpower recruitment, service providers, information technology, agriculture and food products, IT/BPO and education, to enhance business links and form joint ventures for creating a dynamic partnership between the two private sectors.
The event comprised of a business forum in the morning presided over by President of PCCI Alegria Limjoco and one-on-one business matching sessions in the afternoon. The highlight of the event was the re-launching of the Philippine-Sri Lanka Business Council which would be a catalyst for promoting and enhancing the private sectors of the two countries to interact for greater opportunities.
In the formal session, Ambassador-designate Shobini Gunasekera briefed on the prospects for the two countries in economic diplomacy and to capitalize on the synergies available for both countries for cooperation. She also invited the Filipino businessmen to invest in Sri Lanka and take advantage of its great geographic location, port connectivity and efficiency, preferential tariff access to large markets in the region, and human resource pool that is highly literate and highly trainable.Ambassador-designate also spoke of the need to engage in Economic Diplomacy programme to promote a country’s trade, tourism and investment potential with international partners and friends in creating a win – win situation for everybody involved.
The Non-Resident Ambassador of the Philippines to Sri Lanka Vicente Vivencio T. Bandillo in his message, stated that Philippines is empowered in pursuing economic relations with Sri Lanka and looks further to a positive engagement for the mutual gain and benefit of both countries.
PCCI also hosted a networking lunch to the SLPBC delegation.
The PCCI is the voice of Philippine business recognized by government and international institutions. It also promotes and supports the drive for globally competitive Philippine enterprises in partnership with the government, local chambers, and other business organizations.
The Ambassador-designate also hosted a reception on 22 October 2019 at her residence in honour of the delegation from SLPBC. She also invited the Non-Resident Ambassador of Philippines to Sri Lanka, representatives from the Philippine-Sri Lanka Business Council, some members of the PCCI Board of Directors, friends of Sri Lanka in the sectors of trade, tourism and investment, as well as Filipino importers for further networking exchange of information with the Sri Lankan delegation.
The delegation comprised representatives from The Management Co. Intl (TMCI), S.S. Shipping (Pvt) Ltd., Classic Travels, General Engineering and Business Services Pvt Ltd., Prudential Shipping Lines (Pvt) Ltd., A K K Engineers Pvt Ltd., Ceylon Biscuits Limited, Nawaloka Construction Company (Pvt) Ltd., E.A.N.A. Peiris Construction, Orel IT (Pvt) Ltd., Mlesna Tea, and Deezone.
