From left to right: Mr James Kenny of ARUP, Mr Ross Hunter of UK-ABC, Atty. Mia Sebastian of PPP Center, Executive Director Andre Palacios of PPP Center, Ambassador Evan Garcia, Commercial Attaché Kristine Umali and Consul Rommel Romato at the roundtable discussion with the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC)
London, United Kingdom (16 May 2016) – The Philippine Embassy in London, through the Philippine Trade & Investment Centre (PTIC London), organized a roadshow for visiting Philippine PPP Center officials in London from 12 to 13 May.
Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, H.E. Evan P. Garcia, led the activities of the delegation through a series of roundtable briefings and one-on-one meetings with senior officials from top UK and multinational firms in London that are engaged in construction, banking and finance, law, engineering design & architecture, and consulting. Ambassador Garcia kicked off the discussions saying, “The Philippines continues to be open for business and we encourage UK firms to participate in the pipeline of infrastructure projects under the country’s PPP program.”
During the meetings and briefings, Philippine PPP Center’s Executive Director, Undersecretary Andre Palacios provided an overview of the Philippine infrastructure situation, the pipeline of infrastructure projects under the PPP program and how various UK firms can participate. He also shared the recent pronouncement of Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte who was keen to continue and further accelerate the PPP infrastructure program of the country.
Ambassador Evan Garcia and PPP Centre Executive Director
Andre Palacios briefing members of TheCityUK on PPP program
Several UK firms registered their keen interest in finding out more about the pipeline of the infrastructure projects and the several modes of participation. Kristine Umali, Head of PTIC-London and Commercial Attaché of the Philippine Embassy, invited more UK firms to invest and participate in the infrastructure projects of the Philippines under the PPP program.
The roundtables were organized in collaboration with UK-based business organizations. One was in partnership with TheCityUK, an organization that champions UK-based financial and related professional services; and the other with the UK-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC), an umbrella organization that promotes trade and investment between the UK and ASEAN’s dynamic markets.
Overall, the PPP roadshow successfully declared the Philippines as “open for business”. It managed to build on the successes and sustainability of the PPP infrastructure program.
In addition to the roadshow, the Philippine PPP Center received the Silver Award for Government PPP Promoter of the Year during the Partnerships Awards 2016 held in London on 12 May 2016. END