NEWLY-INSTALLED Honorary Consul of Bangladesh in Mindanao Joji Ilagan-Bian vowed to push for travel and cultural links between the Philippines and Bangladesh.

In her speech Friday night, September 7, the Dabawenya business leader and educator emphasized that as honorary consul, she hopes to open linkages and opportunities especially in education, business and tourism.

“Bangladesh renewed focus on development on human capital, skills training, and education; small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and women empowerment are all aligned with the areas that I had gained recognition for,” Bian said during the inauguration ceremony at the International Management School, Davao City.

The event was graced by Bangladesh Ambassador Asad Alam Siam.

Bian likened Dhaka, the largest and the capital city of Bangladesh, to Davao City in terms of it being an economic and cultural hub.

She added that having an honorary consular office in Davao City for Mindanao is a good start in building awareness and appreciation of the opportunities that can develop between Davao and Dhaka.

“This will be a challenging task but I would want to take one small step at a time. Though we are geographically far apart, we are much closer in other aspects than one might assume. This gives me the confidence to take on the important duties bestowed upon me today,” she said.