A couple of weeks back, we had the pleasure of interviewing the Ambassador of the Republic of Argentina to the Philippines, His Excellency Joaquin Daniel Otero. In last Saturday’s column, we got to know the Latin American ambassador more intimately, giving us a glimpse of his long history of government service in the diplomatic corps, his various postings in his 41 years as a diplomat, and his family life. I attended the celebration of Argentina’s National Day last Thursday and found out that I had mixed up some of the inputs in my first column. To set the record straight, his first embassy function was in Honduras from 1972-73, followed by his posting in Haiti in ’76-78; Belgium and Luxembourg in 1978-80; Antarctica and Malvinas in 1980-83; Chile in 1983-88 including his stint as consul general; as head of Chancery of the Argentine Embassy in the Soviet Union in 1990-92, in the Republic of Peru, 1992-95, in the Republic of Paraguay, 1997-99 and the Republic of Bolivia, 1999-2003. Sorry for the gaffe.
H.E. Ambassador Otero finds the business climate in the Philippines more dynamic and active than in other countries where he served full terms which are characteristic of Asian countries. At present, though we enjoy trade relations with his country, our exports to Argentina are not exactly significant. Argentina too suffered a big setback during the international financial crisis, and after four years has only recently recovered. Trade recovery has seen a remarkable 34-percent growth in their exports to the Philippines in 2011, and he notes that Philippine exports to Argentina have posted a similar growth. In one way, there seems to be a trade balance, at 34-percent growth for both countries, but the figures are poles apart: Argentina’s exports to the Philippines last year were at $590 million while Philippine exports to this country stood at $79 million. Ambassador Otero says we both have to work hard to achieve a fairer trade balance.
Of the products that Argentina exports to the Philippines, animal feeds top the list, notably soya beans. They also export a lot of copper, dairy products, maize and popcorn (!), citrus and grapes, pharmaceutical products, protein concentrates, sunflower seeds, cosmetics and essential oils.
The Philippines on the other hand exports a lot of electronics and parts, machinery and parts, rubber and rubber articles, apparel and clothing accessories, sand, cement, coconut oil and coconut products.
Last year, the Philippines launched its first ever trade mission to Latin America, which was from Cebu in early December 2011 and the mission brought the delegation to Argentina, Brazil and Chile. We are pleased to hear that the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is organizing another trade mission this year, and the Ambassador is assisting in whatever way he can to make this trade mission a success. Argentina is, of course, very much a part of this mission, along with Brazil and Chile and hopefully other Latin American countries as well.
This should be interesting for our Filipino exporters who are looking for new, fresher markets to penetrate. I think the PCCI trade mission intends to introduce Philippine capiz to Latin America, and the Ambassador mentioned Philippine furniture as well. We have been making waves in innovative, elegant and creative designs in this sector, as well as excellent craftsmanship and execution of design. However, our costs have proven prohibitive in the face of China’s mass production, such that our furniture makers and exporters have settled for a niche market instead which allows us to peg our prices slightly higher precisely because they are artisan-made and not mass-produced. Quality still commands a price.
Likewise, the Philippine coconut was mentioned as among those that the PCCI intends to push in the next trade mission to Latin America. This still is our No. 1 agricultural export, and the versatility of the coconut seems unlimited. After the marvelous health benefits of the all-natural extra virgin coconut oil polarized the health fanatics across the globe, coco water now takes the fancy not only of sports buffs but disciples of everything natural and organic. This is plentiful here, and it is painful to see many of our copra exporters choose to merely spill the precious coconut water uselessly into the ground instead spending a little more capital to develop this into another viable exportable commodity.
I understand, though, that recently about three or four companies have been set up locally to process coco water into canned or bottled drinks, and the largest factory has already started exporting coco water to the nearby regions. Imagine how much money these multinational companies marketing energy and drinks and sports beverages make every year. The Philippines should be able to factor this in, especially since the cost of harvesting and processing of coconut water is not that much, and we have it in glorious abundance.
The Ambassador would be happy to provide the links for Filipino businessmen who may wish to do business with Argentinean companies with the proper specifications through the Argentine Chamber of Commerce.
As for first-time tourists to Argentina, which Ambassador Otero says is No. 8 in the world in terms of size, with nearly three million square kilometers of multi-faceted land, some given to forests, some to desert territory and some to snow (the south, specifically), there is much to see and discover here. The Incas, one of the Seven Wonders, in the border they share with Brazil is one. They also have hundreds of marvelous falls and very European cities that could rival Madrid and Paris. Their wine-producing city is Mendoza which is located near the border they share with Chile. Or one can go for a lot of winter sports in the south near the Antarctic region. Or visit exciting and pulsating Buenos Aires.
The recent Asia Pacific Tango championship was held here, but more than an exchange of musicals and dance exhibitions, Ambassador Otero is coordinating with the Philippine consortium for academic studies which is within the Far East Asia Latin American Cooperation that counts several countries in Latin America and Asia to pursue the DFA-led initiative of presenting informative videos of Latin American countries in universities like De la Salle, Ateneo, University of the Philippines and the University of Asia and the Pacific. This is a good step to introduce their culture here, and what better way than to start with our university students.
Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.
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