Envoy pushes for better Hungary-Davao relations

HUNGARIAN Ambassador to the Philippines Joszef Bencze said the embassy is keen on promoting Mindanao to Hungarian investors after seeing the island's potential as an investment destination.

“It is my goal [to promote the area] because I think Mindanao has a more stable peace and more companies are investing in Mindanao. And the area is also beautiful,” Bencze told SunStar Davao in an interview.

Bencze said they might also partner with the local chamber on the promotion of Mindanao, including Davao City, as an investment destination.

“I can now see the potential of the city as an investment destination. We can make an agreement with the city’s chamber (Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc.) soon since that is [part of] my goal. We will be doing it step-by-step,” he said.

Aside from promoting Mindanao as an investment destination, Bencze said they are also keen on developing educational linkages between universities in Mindanao and Hungary.

“I like to build cooperation between the universities here. We really hoped to build more contact because the government of Hungary will give scholarship grants for Filipino students in medicine, agriculture, and others,” he said.

With the help of Hungary's Honorary Consul in Davao, Mary Ann Montemayor, they hope to build these linkages between Hungary and Mindanao.

Following the commissioning of their Honorary Consul in Mindanao in 2018, the Hungarian Embassy has been active in bridging Mindanao and Hungary through cultural exchanges.

Last Wednesday, June 19, 2019 the first screening of the Hungarian Film Festival (Huff) was shown for free at the SM Lanang Premier. Majority of the audience were students from the different colleges and universities around the city.

Bencze also attended the two-day Davao Investment Conference at the SMX Convention Center last week along with other diplomats in the different European and Asian countries.