President Aquino receives Unilever Chief in
courtesy call
President Benigno S. Aquino III received
Unilever CEO Paul Polman in a courtesy call in Malacanang Friday. Polman met
with the President to reaffirm Unilever’s business commitment to the
Philippines.
This is Polman’s third official visit to the
Philippines since he took over the helm of the company in 2009.
In the last 87 years, Unilever has deeply
established its presence in Philippines, employing more than 1,800 employees.
Polman said Unilever is committed to supporting
the social and economic development in the country through comprehensive
sustainability and investment programs
The company also has plans to expand its
manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, as well as building the
technological expertise in foods, personal care, home care, ice cream and
refreshment categories, he said.
During the meeting with the President, Polman
presented the Sustainable Living Communities program, an initiative to help
rehabilitate towns affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
The program aims to jumpstart local economies
through-entrepreneurship opportunities and skills training with local NGO’s.
To date, Unilever has donated close to P80
million to relief and rehabilitation efforts post-Typhoon Yolanda, through its
charitable partners, Unicef, World Food Programme, Save the Children and Oxfam,
as well as a number of leading local agencies.
Also present during Friday’s courtesy call were
Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo and Social Welfare and Development Secretary
Corazon “Dinky” Soliman.
Polman was accompanied by the President of
Unilever South East Asia and Australasia, Peter Ter-Kulve, Unilever Philippines
chairman and CEO Rohit Jawa, VP for Corporate Affairs Chito Macapagal and VP
for Customer Development Carl Cruz. PND (as)
Philippines remains top investment choice for
European Union companies, says Coloma
Foreign investors from the European Union (EU)
member states remain keen on putting their money in the Philippines especially
in the areas of trade, energy, governance, urbanization and migration, a Palace
official said.
Presidential Communications and Operations
Office Secretary Sonny Coloma said the government continues to secure
investment commitments from European companies, adding the “sustained business
interest can be attributed to administration’s efforts to curb corruption and
improve the ease of doing business in the country.”
“We continue to receive commitments from
European companies which we hope will convert to actual investments following
our recognition as an investment destination of choice by the EU,” Coloma said.
Data from the Department of Trade and Industry
shows that the EU is presently the country’s largest investor by stock with
total investments amounting to an estimated P440 billion. This investment has
created an estimated 400,000 jobs in the Philippines.
According to figures from the Board of
Investments, the net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow from the EU amounted
to $174.22 million in 2012 while total FDI Stock in 2011 was at $10.35 billion.
Coloma said EU investors will remain bullish in
the country as additional investments from companies in EU-member countries are
expected to further solidify EU’s position as the largest investor in the
Philippines.
“We are gratified to see the fruition of
commitments made at the ASEAN-Europe summit in Vientiane in late 2012,” he
added.
He recalled that “top EU officials pledged to
President Aquino increased investments in recognition of the significant
reforms implemented by the Philippines to strengthen transparency and good
governance which are vital in making the Philippines a preferred investment
venue.”
“With the Philippine economy gearing for
sustainable long term growth, partnership with European companies can be a
crucial factor in enabling the country to reach an inflection point and achieve
more breakthroughs,” Coloma said. PND (as)
Palace announces new appointments
President Benigno S. Aquino III appointed Rafael
E. Seguis as undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns under the Department
of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Palace said on Friday.
Seguis will be replaced as undersecretary for
Administration by Undersecretary Linglingay F. Lacanlale, while Laura Q. del
Rosario was designated as undersecretary for International Economic Relations.
The President has likewise appointed Ramon M.
Rañeses as Director III, under the National Police Commission; Angeline T.
Chua-Chiaco as Commissioner of the Professional Regulations Commission;
Benjamin S. Magbanua as Acting Director III of the Industrial Technology
Development Institute under the DOST;
Josette T. Biyo as acting Director IV of the
Science Education Institute of the DOST; Edilberto C. de Jesus as Member of the
Board of Directors of the Philippine Reclamation Authority; Delia C. Hernandez
as Acting Executive Director III of the National Council for Children’s
Television under the DepEd; and Victor G. Batac as Assistant Secretary in the
Office of the President.
All of the appointment papers were signed by the
President March 6, 2014. PND (as)
