Philippines to sign maritime, labor deals with Germany

BERLIN – President Marcos arrived here early yesterday (Manila time), commencing his five-day visit to Germany and the Czech Republic, which is aimed at strengthening ties between the Philippines and the two European countries in various fields including maritime, labor and people-to-people exchanges.

Chartered flight PR001, carrying Marcos and his delegation, landed at the Brandenburg International Airport at 4:49 a.m. yesterday (Manila time). Berlin is seven hours behind Manila.

The President and First Lady Liza Marcos were welcomed by Philippine Ambassador to Germany Irene Susan Natividad and embassy officials.

Marcos was expected to be accorded arrival honors at the Chancellery grounds at 6:30 p.m. (Manila time). He was then scheduled to have a closed door meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellor’s Office and a joint press conference with his counterpart, also at the same venue, at 8 p.m. (Manila time).

During the two leaders’ meeting, several agreements would be signed between the two governments, including the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Strengthening Maritime Cooperation and the Cooperation Program between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB).

Assistant Secretary Maria Elena Algabre of the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of European Affairs earlier said the JDI seeks to facilitate maritime trade and mobility of Philippine and German-owned commercial vessels.

Algabre added that the deal is expected to significantly benefit Filipino seafarers.

Germany’s dual system of vocational education and training is highly recognized worldwide due to its combination of theory in the classroom and training in a real-life work environment, according to the country’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Marcos had earlier directed TESDA, the Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Employment to work closely with industries in the integration of skills training into the K-12 curriculum to increase the employability of senior high school graduates.

In a speech before departing Manila on Monday, the President said he would seek Germany’s assistance for the country’s energy transition efforts as well as on manufacturing, health care, agriculture, aerospace, innovation and startups, information technology and business process management or IT-BPM and minerals processing.

He was also scheduled to attend a forum and meet with Filipino and German business leaders at the Berlin Marriott Hotel at 9:30 p.m. (Manila time) yesterday.

Marcos was likewise expected to attend a gathering of the Filipino community at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at 2 a.m. today (Manila time).

Before flying to Prague for a state visit on March 13-15, the President will have an interview with the Philippine media delegation at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at 6 p.m. today (Manila time).

Marcos was invited by Scholz for a working visit and Czech Republic President Petr Pavel for a state visit.

In Prague, Marcos will meet the four heads of the government, Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and the heads of the Czech Parliament, Senate President Miloš Vystr?il, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

In 2022, Germany ranked as the Philippines’ 12th trading partner, 10th export market and 15th import supplier.

Top export products to Germany for the last five years include electronic products, processed food and beverages, machinery and transport equipment and other electronics.

Philippine imports from Germany, on the other hand, include airplanes and other aircraft of an unladen weight exceeding 15,000 kilograms, materials, accessories and supplies imported on consignment for the manufacture of dice of any material and other parts of airplanes or helicopters.

As of March 2020, Germany is the country’s 12th source of official development assistance (ODA). It has a total active ODA to the Philippines of $43.05 million.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic ranked as the Philippines’ 39th trading partner, 28th export market and 47th import supplier in 2022.

‘Tackle press freedom’

Various international media organizations have urged Scholz to make press freedom issues a “core element of discussions” during his meeting with Marcos.

In a joint statement yesterday, the Free Press Unlimited, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said German authorities must highlight the Philippines’ record of impunity in the murder of journalists.

The three groups, which comprise the “A Safer World for the Truth” initiative, specifically cited the case of journalist Gerry Ortega, who was killed after exposing cases of local corruption in 2011.

The primary suspect in his killing, former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, remains at large even after the Supreme Court had ordered his re-arrest last year.

“An alleged mastermind in the murder of a journalist remains unjustifiably at large in the Philippines, despite an arrest warrant. This is a troubling signal that the free press is fair game,” the coalition, which investigated the Ortega case, said.

“We urge Chancellor Scholz to ensure that the media’s role as a pillar of democracy that holds power to account is protected, and that justice is delivered specifically in the case of Gerry Ortega, when he (Olaf) holds talks with President Marcos Jr.,” it added.

The three international press freedom organizations underscored the importance of discussing press freedom issues during Marcos’ visit, noting Germany’s role as co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, a grouping of 50 countries committed to promote press freedom worldwide.

The groups described Ortega’s murder as “emblematic of the entrenched impunity in media killings in the Philippines.”

CPJ data showed that at least 96 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines in connection with their work since 1992.

The Philippines ranked eighth on CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index and 132nd on RSF’s World Press Freedom Index last year. — Janvic Mateo, Mark Ernest Villeza