PH-GUATEMALA TIES. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. accepts the credentials of Guatemala Non-Resident Ambassador Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Tuesday (Oct. 3, 2023). The Philippines and Guatemala have expressed intent to strengthen their cooperation in agriculture, climate action, and people-to-people relations. (PNA photo by Alfred Frias)

MANILA – The Philippines and Guatemala have expressed intent to strengthen their cooperation in agriculture, climate action, and people-to-people relations, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

This was after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. accepted the credentials of Guatemala Non-Resident Ambassador Manuel Estuardo Roldán Barillas in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Tuesday, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

“The governments of the Philippines and Guatemala vowed on Tuesday for stronger bilateral ties between the two countries in terms of improving the agriculture sector, pursuing climate action, and enhancing its people-to-people relations,” PCO Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.

During the presentation of credentials, Marcos said the Philippines and Guatemala, given their similarities, should not limit their areas of cooperation in the agriculture sector.

Tne President added that while the two nations consider agriculture as the “first major area” they could explore, they could also work together to look for solutions to address climate change and strengthen their people-to-people link.

“With the Philippines, we have prioritized agriculture and all the other obvious things: infrastructure and power, and renewables and all. But in our case, we really have had to make a special effort and special focus on agriculture,” Marcos said. “And we have found that our Latin American friends, this is the most obvious area where we can share since many of the crops that we talked about are similar.”

The President said the Philippines and Guatemala should also help each other in mitigating climate change, which is affecting not only the two countries but also other parts of the world.

He expressed confidence that the Philippines could learn a good deal from Guatemala when it comes to addressing climate change.

“Climate change is becoming an incredibly important part of everything that we do because we certainly find that any discussion in terms of government and administration, we always, in the end, have to look at the subject of climate change,” he said.

Marcos also cited the administration’s efforts to protect the welfare of Filipino workers who bring “a great deal of benefits to the people, the country, and its economy.”

Barillas assured Marcos of his best efforts in advancing the bilateral partnership between Guatemala and the Philippines.

He acknowledged that the two nations share common values and goals in the international sphere, adding that they also strive to foster peace and prosperity, uphold the value of democracy, and abide by internationally accepted principles.

“I can see at the outset, that I want to express my admiration for your efforts concerning the service sector of your economy and how you take care of your workers outside the Philippines,” Barillas told Marcos.

The Philippines and Guatemala established diplomatic relations on June 21, 1972.

Total trade between the two nations amounted to USD 5,185,328 in 2022, with the Philippines’ total exports to Guatemala reaching USD 2,059,818, based on the data from the Department of Foreign Affairs. (PNA)