malaysiangMANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday assured the Philippines is a ‘reliable partner’ as he encouraged German business leaders to continue investing in the country.
Speaking at the Philippine-German Business Forum in Berlin, Marcos highlighted ‘purposeful reforms’ through key legislations that helped the country further drive economic development.
‘I invite esteemed German business leaders to continue to keep in mind the Philippines as a reliable partner that can support your market expansion and operations,’ Marcos said.
‘We remain steadfast in our commitment to purposeful reforms, evident in key legislative amendments,’ he added.
The President then enumerated recently enacted laws and amendments that ‘mark a new era for strategic investments,’ such as the Public Service Act, Foreign Investments Act, Retail Trade and Liberalization Act, and Renewable Energy Act.
‘Coupled with streamlined business registration, infrastructure development, and the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, the CREAT
E Act, these reforms position the Philippines as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia,’ Marcos said.
He also mentioned the Maharlika Investment Fund, saying the sovereign wealth fund underscores the Philippines’ dedication to financing priority projects and driving socioeconomic impact.
The Chief Executive likewise emphasized the significant strides made by the government in streamlining business processes.
He cited Executive Order No. 18 s. 2023 which establishes green lanes for strategic investments and simplifies procedures and reduces bureaucratic hurdles that a potential investor might have to face.
Marcos thanked Germany for the continuing confidence in the Philippines as a partner in the Asia-Pacific and the ASEAN region.
‘We are grateful for the interest of German companies to support the Philippines’ commitment to sustainability and climate resiliency through the renewable energy investments that we received and were accounted as the top sector from Germany in 2023,’ he said.
He also pi
tched for a possible Philippine hosting of the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, the biggest German networking event in the region.
The President is in Berlin for a three-day working visit. Before the business forum, he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to deepen bilateral relations.
Source: Philippines News Agency
Paris: The French Defense Audiovisual Agency (ECPAD) has made public a photo book on the Dien Bien Phu campaign in Vietnam, including never-before-seen images, on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.
The 211-page book contains 162 photos, both colour and black-and-white, re-creating the historic campaign, from March 13 to May 7, 1954, said Marina Berthier, an ECPAD employee who played a role in publishing the book, noting most of them taken by war photojournalists like Jean Péraud and Daniel Camus, or by soldiers themselves.
On this occasion, the agency, where many documents and photos related to wars in Indochina are kept, has introduced the website featuring the Dien Bien Phu campaign photos to the public, at imagesdefense.gouv.fr.
It has also participated in producing two documentaries on the wars in Indochina, including parts on the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
The ECPAD is keeping up to 2,500 photos on the campaign taken by war journalists, and a number of documentaries produced during the period.
Exact
ly 70 years ago, on March 13, 1954, the Vietnamese revolutionary army launched the first attack against the French colonialists’ heavily fortified base of Dien Bien Phu, starting a 56-day historic campaign whose victory directly led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina.
During the 56 days of undaunted, brave, and creative fighting, the Vietnamese army and people created the Dien Bien Phu Victory that ‘resounded across the five continents and shook the globe’. The entire so-called ‘invincible’ military base of Dien Bien Phu was completely eradicated by the Vietnamese army and people.
President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that the Dien Bien Phu Victory was a brilliant golden milestone in history that directly led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina. It also created the foundation and conditions for the Vietnamese people to secure victory in the resistance war against the US, liberate the South, and reunify the coun
try in 1975./
Source: Vietnam News Agency
