BITTERSWEET. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. receives Her Excellency Betty Palaso, Ambassador of Papua New Guinea to the Philippines, in a farewell call in Malacañang on Tuesday (Aug. 6, 2024). During their meeting, the President tagged farewell calls of outgoing envoys as a "bittersweet" gathering as it means saying goodbye to people who have become "friends" with Filipinos. (Presidential Communications Office photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is hoping that the Philippines and Papua New Guinea (PNG) will continue to move for stronger trade relations.
This as Marcos received PNG Ambassador to the Philippines Betty Palaso in a farewell call in Malacañang on Tuesday.
In their meeting, the President expressed his gratitude for Palaso’s work in strengthening the bilateral relations of the two countries.
Palaso ends her tour of duty in Manila after five years.
“This is one of those duties that are bittersweet because we say goodbye to friends,” Marcos said, as quoted in a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) news release.
“You have stayed in the Philippines in relatively long [period as] ambassador, five years,” he added.
According to the PCO, Marcos said he expects Palaso’s successor to continue working on various areas of cooperation, particularly on trade, agriculture, and fisheries.
Palaso officially became PNG’s envoy to the Philippines on March 19, 2019.
Prior to her appointment, Palaso served as Commissioner General of the PNG Internal Revenue Commission from 2007 to 2018.
The Philippines was among the first countries to establish formal diplomatic relations with PNG, which was declared and recognized as a sovereign nation on Sept.16, 1975, after 70 years of Australian administration.
The two nations will mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations next year.
The Philippines and PNG had a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Fisheries Cooperation, which the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) seeks to renew.
The BFAR has been negotiating for the draft MOU since 2022, according to the PCO.
The MOU, which expired Feb. 1, does not provide for its automatic extension.
There are four major Philippine distant-water fishing companies operating in PNG waters, namely Frabelle Fishing Corp., RD Fishing Group with its six subsidiary fishing companies, TSP Marine Industries, and Trans-Pacific Journey Fishing Corp. (PNA)
