HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR03-01-17-6BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
COUNTY OF KAUA'I
News Release
March 1, 2017
WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
Mayor, Council Chair return from successful Philippine Trade Mission
LIHU'E — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Council Chair Mel Rapozo returned to Kauai
last week after leading the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i's (FCCH) 26th trade
mission to the Philippines.
"The trade mission enabled us to establish relationships with government and industry
leaders in the Philippines, bolster existing relationships, as well as to connect with our sister city
of Urdaneta," said Mayor Carvalho. "It also provided us with the opportunity to exchange ideas
and to look at things from a global perspective."
During the four -day visit, the mayor and council chair met with numerous government
officials, promoted Kauai and Hawaii as a visitor destination, and built relationships with
various industry leaders with the goal of strengthening economic ties between Kaua'i and the
Philippines.
"The Filipino Chamber of Commerce's recent trade mission to the Philippines provided
the mayor and I with an opportunity to explore economic possibilities that we fully intend to
pursue. Agriculture, tourism, arts and culture, and education are areas that we can benefit
from," said Council Chair Rapozo. "I look forward to working with the mayor on these
opportunities."
The Hawaii delegation also included: Planning Director Mike Dahilig; Philippine Council
General for Honolulu Gina Jamoralin; Jeffrey De Mesa, Protocol Officer, Philippine Consulate
General; United Filipino Council of Hawaii President Jimmy Iloreta; FCCH President Bernadette
Fajardo; and other business leaders from around the state.
As head of the delegation, Mayor Carvalho served as the lead host of the Chamber's
dinner reception in Manila. Over 100 Philippine business and industrial leaders along with
officials from the Philippine Department of Tourism attended the event.
In his address, the mayor emphasized that aloha and economic relationships do not
have to be exclusive, and that many of the values -driven businesses in Hawaii comport with
core Philippine values. He also noted another similarity between Hawaii and the Philippines in
that each has a strong potential for economic growth particularly in the agriculture and tourism
industries.
While in Manila, the Hawaii delegation was received by Philippine Foreign Affairs
Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. and Philippine Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Maria
Andrelita Austria.
"We had a great discussion on a range of topics, including medical tourism, renewable
energy and the fresh fruit industry," said the mayor.
In a rare gesture by the Philippine government, Mayor Carvalho and Council Chair
Rapozo were invited to join former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in Manila for a wreath
laying ceremony honoring Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. The event was
replete with military honors.
The Hawaii delegation met with Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chair of the Philippine Senate
Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, and committee members Sens. Nancy
Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, and Cynthia Villar. They were briefed on the
measures currently before the committee that could help to reduce Philippine import regulations
and lead to greater commercial activity with Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland.
On the last day of their visit to Manila, the delegation also had the opportunity to stop by
the office of Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, a boxing legend who is known around the
globe.
During a day trip to Davao, home of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor and
the council chair met with city officials for a discussion on the fresh fruit industry, opportunities
for sharing their knowledge on export approaches, and the potential for building economic and
governmental relationships between Kauai and Davao.
While in Davao, the Hawai'i contingent visited a 24-acre farm where cacao and the
highly specialized civet coffee is produced. Information about approaches to industrial
agriculture and enhancements to coffee production was exchanged between the contingent and
a local farmer.
Mayor Carvalho and Council Chair Rapozo were also briefed on the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Labor Ministers' meeting, which was happening in Davao at
the time of their visit.
In a ceremony held in KauaTs sister city, Urdaneta in the province of Pangasinan, the
mayor and the council chair were presented with the key to the city by Mayor Amadeo Perez IV.
The two mayors, Vice Mayor Julio Parayno Jr. and the council chair also signed a
symbolic reaffirmation of their 1998 sister city agreement, and expressed their commitment to
support and encourage opportunities that are mutually beneficial.
"What's particularly significant about our sister city relationship with Urdaneta is that a
large portion of Kauai's Ilocano population hails from or has roots in Pangasinan, so we have a
very strong connection," noted Mayor Carvalho.
Planning Director Dahilig spoke at the University of the Philippines, School of Urban
Regional Planning. He was invited to be a featured speaker in the school's annual public lecture
series on global urban planning issues. His presentation was titled "Integrating Short- and Long -
Term Coastal Hazard Resilience in an Island State Context: Lessons Learned from the County
of Kaua'i."
The discussion centered on Kaua`i's progressive approach toward shoreline hazard
adaptation, which many of the faculty and students found informative due to the similarities in
the environment and urban form between Hawaii and the Philippines.
Reflecting on his travels in the Philippines, Mayor Carvalho said that they were treated
warmly everywhere they went.
"The people are very friendly there and are very much like the people on Kauai. They're
striving to improve their lives, to make things better for their families," said the mayor.
t
Public lecture Series
RATING SHORT-TERM AND LO
RD RESILIENCE IN AN ISIANd
ff Its Learned from the C _.`
2017 � 6:00 — &00 PM I Carino MPH, 3F SUR
Any. Michael A. Dahilig, J.D., Esq,
of Planning for the Coinfy of Kauai,