Canada, Australia want more top Phl brands

MANILA, Philippines – Some of the country’s most famous business names are being wooed to invest abroad, a testament of how large Philippine corporations are making waves in the international market.

Trade and investment delegations from Canada and Australia are currently in the country seeking to entice local business bigwigs to invest in their respective countries.

For the province of British Columbia in Canada, the target includes homegrown fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp. and the country’s oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corp., among others.

“We will be meeting with Jollibee hoping they would open in British Columbia and we will also be meeting with Ayala Corp. to talk about opportunities with them. It’s to try and encourage both those companies to make more investments in British Columbia. Those companies, when they make investments in British Columbia and if they turn out to be profitable, they bring profits home to the Philippines and when they make investments they also create jobs on our side,” Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia, said in a press briefing.

Clark said Jollibee has no presence yet in British Columbia while Ayala already has a 250-unit residential apartment there.

South Australia, meanwhile, seeks to entice flag carrier Philippine Airlines and budget carrier Cebu Pacific to set up direct flights to Adelaide, Australia from Manila.

“While we’re on this trade mission we’re meeting with Philippine Airlines and also with your second airline. We’re very keen to see a direct flight from Manila to Adelaide. We believe there’s enough business in Adelaide for at least 2-3 days a week of direct flights. There’s quite a lot of Filipino community in Adelaide,” South Australia Investment and Trade Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said in an interview.

“We have direct flights to Adelaide now to Singapore, Hong Kong, Middle East, UAE, Dubai, Qatar and Indonesia. What’s missing is the direct flight to the Philippines which I think will be good and if we can hook that direct flight to other international connections, Australians can go to the Philippines and other destinations,” he added.

Hamilton-Smith leads the business delegation which includes a team from Adelaide Airport Inc., operator of the airport in the capital city of South Australia.

Aside from local airline operators, he said Filipino firms involved in mining, food retailing, and health industries are also being sought to invest in South Australia.

South Australia embarked this week on its maiden business mission to the Philippines, with the goal of making it a regular event.

“This mission is a commitment by South Australia not only to develop relationships for industry, but to also strengthen government-to-government links,” Hamilton-Smith.

Two-way trade between the Philippines and Australia is worth around $4 billion a year.