Dearer in the hearts of the people of the Philippines

Last Friday the Philippine Navy commissioned BRP Antonio Luna, the third warship built in Korea and commissioned here during the last five years following BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Conrado Yap. All three vessels are centerpieces in the defense modernization policy of the Philippines. Two smaller vessels from Korea that reached the end of their service years were decommissioned earlier this month, showing that defense cooperation between the Philippines and Korea is not just a recent joint endeavor.

The Philippines and Korea have diplomatic relations dating back to 72 years ago this month. Few people know that the Philippines was the first country in the world – barring four of the architects of the post WW II world – to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. It is not widely known either that the Philippines stands out among the countries in the region for its 7,420 valiant men who defended Korea in a war that broke out shortly after the establishment of formal relations.

With these two landmark dates in the same month seven decades apart and as people’s interest in Korea – K-pop and Korean telenovela among others – is growing, it will be a good moment for a brief look into some of the lesser-known details of the current state of our relations.

What strikes us at first glance is its exponential growth. The volume of trade and investment and the number of visitors between the two countries grew several hundred times during the last two or three decades. These days, Korea is placed among the top five partners of the Philippines in all the key areas of trade, investment, development assistance (ODA) or people-to-people exchange.

It will be worthwhile to underline at the same time that our relations grew not just in terms of numbers but also always caring foremost and at every step about the well-being of the people. For instance, 300 Korean companies here are generating 60,000 jobs. Just to mention a few, Samsung Electro-Mechanics in Laguna and SFA Semicon in Clark are building the skills of the work force and strengthening domestic manufacturing infrastructure while KEPCO is providing 10 percent of the annual electricity generation in the country. The bilateral FTA, which both governments are working closely together to conclude, will further strengthen Korean companies’ bayanihan with the Philippine people.

Bayanihan is also present in many other ways. As the second ODA fund source country, Korea’s direct donation amounts annually to about $30 million in the areas that directly affect people’s everyday life, such as poverty reduction, public health and disaster risk reduction. Last year, the San Miguel Farmers Cooperative in Panay Island directly provided around 429 metric tons of rice to 66,000 vulnerable households in Manila. The Felipe Abrigo Memorial Hospital in Eastern Samar provides medical service to around 150,000 local residents.

Korea is also assisting in the course of developing the urgently needed flood forecasting and early warning system in Metro Manila and its neighboring areas. These are some of countless instances of Korea’s partnership to help vulnerable people in close cooperation with LGUs and local NGOs.

This focus on caring about the people is also seen in Korea’s financing of major infrastructure improvement endeavors. The Puerto Princesa Airport in Palawan and the Laguindingan Airport in Northern Mindanao serve together four million passengers a year. The 3.7-km long Panguil Bay Bridge will shorten travel time by two hours from Lanao del Norte to Misamis Occidental, while the new Cebu International Container Port will enhance the unimpeded flow of goods and services in the Visayas. Needless to say, the common goal of Korea and the Philippines in these endeavors is to enhance the well-being of the people through increased mobility and connectivity.

This “people-centeredness” is also what has driven Korea’s cooperation in the Philippines’ fight against and recovery from COVID-19 through budgetary assistance of $100 million and donation of millions of medical supply items and 2,000 tons of rice, among others. Innovative and creative modalities of cooperation to strengthen resilience amidst the pandemic would deserve particular mentioning. The partnership between the Ma-Ikting sewing center in Bulacan and KOICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, that enabled the center to shift production from clothes to face masks and PPEs would be an example showing how to wade through the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our solidarity in fighting COVID-19 will continue until we all overcome the pandemic together.

From where we stand now, it is hard to believe that just a couple of decades ago no one would have foreseen such growth and deepening of our bilateral relations. Many factors might have helped but one core element that should not be forgotten is mutual receptivity and appreciation between the peoples. I could give two random examples. Studies attribute to the Philippine people around the world an important role in the widespread popularity of Korean songs and telenovela from its early times. Koreans are top arrivals in the Philippines, attracted by the beauty of its land and the warm hospitality of its people. In this vein, making efforts to be dearer in the hearts of the people by bringing changes that will enable people to do what they always longed for and thinking always not in what has been achieved but in new aspirations for the people of our two countries will go a long way in our relations. It is good to be able to renew our commitment in this month full of significance for our two peoples and countries.

*      *      *

Kim Inchul is Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines.