Last week, I attended a reception on the occasion of the 726th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation, and the 60th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Switzerland and the Philippines upon the invitation of the Swiss Ambassador H.E. Andrea Reichlin. It was a beautiful night of superb cheese, wine, and excellent company. A special treat was a live painting of the great artist, Manuel Baldemor.
While Switzerland officially recognised the Republic of the Philippines on 4 July 1946 and our two countries established diplomatic relations in 1957, Switzerland has had economic relations with the Philippines since the middle of the 19th century, when the Philippines was still a colony of Spain.
A Swiss consulate was opened in Manila in 1862 at the initiative of Glarus entrepreneur and National Council member Peter Jenny, the first Swiss consulate in Asia.
In 1879, a number of Swiss insurance companies opened agencies in the Philippines. Before the Second World War, some 15 Swiss companies were active in the Philippines, mainly in international trade, the timber industry and plantations.
To date, there are around 60 companies with varying degrees of Swiss equity present in the Philippines, employing some 12,000 people. One of the more notable ones, Nestle, has become a common part of the Filipino’s day from Nescafe to Milo, Nido, Coffeemate, Nestea, Nesvita, etc.
Switzerland also holds a special place for me as it was one of the first places I visited for a conference while living in Europe.
When I got back here a few years ago, I had a close partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland as they were a member of the inter-Embassy initiative I managed, and we also had a project on human rights together.
We are preparing these days towards an international conference on countering violent extremism in the region. We are also studying the Swiss example of federalism, and learning from their experience to see its viability in the Philippines.
Last year, the ASEAN accepted Switzerland as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner. With the Philippines hosting the meeting this year, I continue to hope for a strengthened cooperation.
There’s a lot we can learn from each other, and a mutually-supportive relationship is something we are happy to nurture.
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