THE French government is eyeing to open direct flights from Manila to Paris, as well as strengthen the scholarship programs for Filipino students.
Outgoing French Ambassador to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz informed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. about the plans of the French government as she paid her farewell call to him in Malacañang on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
Boccoz said the French government is working closely on promoting their student exchange or scholarship programs in a bid to encourage more Filipino students to study in Paris, as she expressed belief that the Philippines has many gifted and dynamic students.
“It is also something that we’re really promoting, to have more students in all areas in Science, in Engineering and Technologies and all of the areas because there’s so many gifted -- very, very gifted people. And the young generation is so dynamic in this country and I’m sure there’ll be many, many opportunities to increase the relationship in all those areas, and to go to the next step of our relation,” Boccoz told Marcos.
“There are many things going on and one of them, I understand, we will have in the near future a direct flight from Manila to Paris and that’s also in progress,” she added.
Marcos lauded the French government’s initiatives.
“It is something new for our two countries to have these relationships now. I’m sure that there’s something that will grow rapidly within the next two years. Those are the things that I think we can merge. I think we can make a good start,” he said.
He also expressed confidence that Boccoz’s successor will continue what she has started in the Philippines.
Boccoz started her diplomatic mission in the Philippines on February 10, 2021.
The Philippines and France formally established diplomatic relations on June 26, 1947 with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between the two countries by then Vice President Elpidio Quirino and then French Foreign Minister George Bidault.
France is the 18th top trading partner of the Philippines from 2021 to 2022 after its total trade went from $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, as it remains the country’s fifth biggest agri-export partner in 2021 and the fourth of the agri-import sources among EU member states.
France is also one of the Philippines’ biggest sources of Official Development Assistance (ODA), particularly in the fields of telecommunications, energy, transportation, environment, health, and disaster management. (SunStar Philippines)