Tourism, citizens’ linkage intensify Phl-Canada ties

CEBU, Philippines - Factors such as citizens' linkage, political support and tourism have bolstered the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Canada.

The foreign country is home to many prominent Filipino communities and currently has over 800,000 Canadians of Filipino origin.

Neil Reeder, Canada's emissary to the Philippines, said his country continues to be an important destination for Filipinos looking to immigrate, work on a temporary basis or study.

"Over the past three years, the Philippines has represented the largest source of immigrants to Canada, and ours is the second busiest Canadian visa office in the world," Reeder told Cebuano learners during his recent talk on bilateral relations at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

The Embassy of Canada reported that last year, it issued permanent resident visas for nearly 30,000 Filipinos -- which is third in the world.

Temporary resident or visitor visas were issued to 47,000 visitors. It said the number of visitors visas issued to Filipinos has grown by six percent since 2012.

Reeder said: "Since 2008, Canada has enjoyed the highest levels of immigration in our history, with an average of more than 250,000 newcomers coming to our shores every year."

Tourism

Tourism is another important factor in citizens’ linkage, he said. Government statistics has indicated that Canada is one of the top ten sources of tourists to the country and tourist arrivals are now in excess of 120,000 yearly.

The Tourism Promotion Board in the Philippines has identified the foreign nation as a key market, and projected that tourists from there could grow more than 10 percent annually over the next five years.

The foreign envoy also expressed support to the present administration's broad agenda of reform and economic development.

He particularly cited the public-private partnership as tool to meet the country's infrastructure challenges.

He further expressed support to the Bangsamoro peace process which, he said, could help make the region safer for its people and permit normal development programming and business investment to happen.

Reeder noted: "This in turn will create the jobs and opportunities, and support the economic development that will gain the confidence of the local people and make theirs a better future." (FREEMAN)