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Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Indian leader vows closer ties between India, RP
MANILA -- Visiting Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam assured Monday close cooperation between his country and the Philippines, citing eight programs that his government could pursue with its Filipino counterpart in the years to come.
Addressing Congress in joint session Monday, Kalam said aside from the three governmental agreements reached by the Philippines and India concerning defense, tourism, and agriculture, his government will also undertake cooperation programs to boost the relationship between the two countries.
Kalam arrived in the country on Friday for a four-day state visit.
Before addressing the Congress in joint session, he was welcomed by House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon and immediately proceeded to a meeting with other leaders of Congress including Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos.
In his speech, Kalam promised to help the country modernize its election system by sharing India's experience. He said India would provide the Philippine government with the necessary technological tools.
Kalam said his government would make available pharmaceutical products (general medicines) to the Philippines at affordable prices through market development and establishment of joint ventures in the Philippines through the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry.
Majority of medicines in the country are imported from India because they cost much cheaper compared to the ones produced in the US and Europe.
Kalam was well applauded when he mentioned increasing business and trade between the two countries from the existing US$577 million to US$2billion within the next three years. Applause also greeted his promise to facilitate the setting up of small-medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines on the production and marketing of farm and agri-implements needed for increasing the productivity of agricultural communities.
Also among India's missions to the Philippines is the creation of cooperative structure on business lines for dairy development, animal husbandry, poultry and marketing, and facilitating the availability of high yield variety of buffalos.
Part of the eight immediate mission modes of cooperation that India is trying to establish with the Philippines are: development and marketing of knowledge products in the international market through innovation by software specialists in the two countries; assisting in the establishment of a coastal and a Hill Pura (Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas) in a specific area selected by the Philippines; and working towards realization of energy independence with the establishment of Jatropha farms, extraction units, and esterification, and also large-scale solar farming to power remote islands.
"I have presented to you some of the experiences in our national development tasks so that collaboration between out two countries can emerge," he said.
"Also I have presented to you rural development with employment generation as focus, disease free nation, energy sector--both renewable and bio-fuel," he added. (DBP/Sunnex)
(February 7, 2006 issue)
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